Many of you who read this know that I write in the morning about our activities from the day before. As I started writing this morning, I couldn't resist getting a picture of Ken at our breakfast table as it was such a cool view. So, the picture down below is our table, with our view of a beautiful orange tree. Fabulous way to kick off the day.

Now let's go back to yesterday, which was another late morning. I can't tell you the last time either one of us slept until 1030a for 3 days in a row. I know a good part of it is the sleeping pill, but the other reason has to be is the insane work schedules that we have been keeping. Whatever the reason, 12 hours of sleep is never a bad thing. 

Last night we decided that as much as we are enjoying Lisbon, we are wanting to see what life is like outside the city. As luck would have it, at the little restaurant where we had lunch yesterday there was a brochure for a beautiful inn overlooking a big green valley. So, I did some research and found that even though there was no "room at that inn" the area where it was located, Evora, was a UNESCO Heritage site and looked very interesting. It was also only 2 hours drive from Lisbon, so was a perfect fit for what we were looking for. I found a room at the Pousada de Evora, reserved a car and we were set. 

Once we got moving, we needed to get our requisite Starbucks mug, which required a walk down the hill. It was another nice day, even though the forecast was for rain. While the shopping area was still busy, it was far from the craziness of yesterday. We got our mug, two cups of coffee and hiked back up to the apartment to pack up and head to the airport to pick up our rental car.  

We easily found a taxi and took the short drive to the airport, where we got acquainted with our Renault sedan. Ken decided to drive and I was managing the navigation system. Traffic in Lisbon is not bad and unlike our trip to France, the navigation worked great. Soon, we were out on a highway enjoying the green rolling hills of the Portuguese countryside. During the drive, the skies clouded over and by the time we arrived it was threatening to rain.

Evora is known as the "walled city" and the walls were evident as we entered the city. The navigation took us down tiny alleys, which barely fit one car, winding through the old city until we arrived at the Pousada, an old convent from the 1500's. It was next to some old ruins that looked straight out of Greece.  We checked in and were shown to a very spacious suite, that had a small window looking out onto the ruins.  

While we relaxed from the drive, we could hear the rain start to hit the window and it progressively got worse until it was a true downpour. We had hoped to wander around the town, but this forced us into relaxing a bit more. After 2 full days of walking up and down hills, we weren't terribly disappointed! We finally headed to the bar, where most of the hotel guests were already sitting in the big comfy chairs by the fire. No one was wanting to face the rain!   

Around 730p, the rain let up and we grabbed some umbrellas to brave the weather. The little town was totally silent and we wandered around the small cobblestone lanes, seeing it in a misty light with dripping water. Nothing was open except for one restaurant, which we decided was a nice alternative to the hotel. We were the only ones for most of the meal, until one elderly man took another table. Between the weather and time of year, it was just a quiet night. 

As with most of our meals, this one was really good and such a great deal. We shared an octopus salad, bread and a veal with mustard sauce...and all were excellent. The final bill which included a 1/2 bottle of house wine, and a chocolate cake was 29 euro...about $31. We walked back through the quite town and slept soundly (with no sleeping pills!) through the night.