Day 61, Saturday 14/5:

Today we set forth for the final new country in our travels, Portugal. Our first stop was the castle at Monsaraz, with the temperature now at 33˚C. Patsy and I explored the castle ruins and walked around the old town walls, where exceptional views abound. 

We joined Philip in a shady café for a drink. Having lost an hour at the border, we arrived at the hotel mid afternoon, meaning we had some time to spare. After polishing off the remains of Olga’s picnic lunch, Patsy and I went for a walk around the old town, taking in the properly ancient Roman Temple (c.2-3 century), two cathedrals and the public gardens (complete with peacocks), finding no less than four geocaches along the way. 

We later returned to the main square for pre-dinner drinks before having dinner at a nearby restaurant. We had traditional seafood dishes, all of which were excellent. We were a tad perturbed, however, when prior to receiving our ordered dishes, a plethora of small dishes were placed on the table. When we enquired, we were told that we indeed had to pay for whatever we ate. We each had a chicken pie, which may not have been the smartest of selections, considering that these things must move from table to table when not consumed (fortunately no ill effects ensued).