Today was a big mileage day. After Dave finished his run we left Evora and went to a Neolithic rock formation called Os Almendres. It's thought that the rocks were set up there because it's a sacred space given its relationship to the sun and the moon. We were also able to see some recently harvested cork trees up close. Portugal produces 50% of the world's cork and there are cork trees everywhere. The trees regenerate bark so they can be harvested without being cut down. They look pretty cool.
Next, we went to a castle perched up on a hill, Evoramonte. Pretty views, but there were tons of bugs that were far too interested in getting in my hair so it was a brief visit.
On the way to lunch in Estremoz, we stopped by a winery. We're really digging on the Portuguese wine and the stuff from the Alentego region is quite interesting and tasty. Estremoz was very cute and charming and I had my first vegetarian meal of the trip - an asparagus omelette. And as we've grown accustomed, finished our meal with some coffee. It really is the perfect ending to every meal, at least when eating in Europe. The other thing that's tastier when traveling is orange soda. Never really drink it at home, but it always sounds good when on vacation.
Our last spot in the region before heading west was Castelo de Vide - an adorable town perched up on a hill. There's certainly a theme to many of the towns here: cute, castle, on a hill, and an abundance of coffee.
The drive west was hilly, pretty, and fast. We were going almost 90mph and people were zooming past us. We decided to stop in Coimbra for a couple nights. The hotel is nice (there's a bidet) and the people are very sweet. Looking forward to exploring the town tomorrow and getting in some time by the pool.