Our return flight to the States was supposed to be at 5pm from Lisbon Airport. After breakfast at the Convento in Evora, we went to the stunning chapel and took photos (dramatic pathetic foreshadowing).
Our last true tourist activity was to go to the Cromoleque dos Almendres and also the nearby Menhir dos Almendres. The drive alone was an adventure. We drove through small villages and rolling hills just outside of Evora. Then, turning onto a dirt road from the village of Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe, it was another few miles through scenic views of cork trees and olive trees, with the occasional cows thrown in for good measure.
The first megalith (the Cromeleque) dates from around 5,500 BC, and has been called the Portuguese Stonehenge. When we got there, only one car was parked in the dirt lot. We walked the quarter mile to the 95 rounded granite stones in the shape of an oval. Just as we arrived, the couple from the other car walked out, leaving this amazing place to just us. Mind blown!
It’s the largest megalithic monument in Iberia and one of the oldest in Europe. Yes, the rocks are not as big as Stonehenge, but the megalith is approx. 2000 years OLDER than its more famed British counterpart.
This isn’t as old as the cave paintings we saw in Northern Spain, but it is the second oldest sign of human activity that we’ve ever seen. We walked around the outside, posed by some of the stones, took some selfies, and then headed out.
Our next stop was at the Menhir dos Almendres. That was a walk through an olive tree grove to one large (12 foot?) stone standing straight up. We had to wonder about how they moved the rock and got it dug into the ground to stand up.
It’s pretty amazing how we gawked at Roman ruins and marveled at Medieval palaces, castles, cathedrals, and monasteries, but saved the oldest for last. And, it is just as spectacular to us as all of the other highlights of Portugal.
Well, THAT Was Stupid Of Me!
The drive back to the airport was easy, wide open roads until we got close to Lisbon meant I probably averaged 85-88 mph on the open road.
But, returning the rental car at the Lisbon airport was just as frustrating as getting it. The design of the return center is terrible, as we had to wait nearly 30 minutes to pull in and return the car. The long line of car being returned backed up the drop-off point, and there was nothing anyone did to make it work better. However, I did feel like a winner, as I did not dent or scrape the car. Victory! But, I guess I was so thrown off by the bad return experience that I made a big mistake. . .
We were sitting in the airport lounge, getting ready to go to the gate, when I went to check something in my backpack. I realized then, with a hugely sinking feeling, that I had left the camera in the backseat of the car after the megaliths. I’m not sure the famous John Passacantando line, “It’s not an adventure until the first thing goes wrong,” but something definitely went wrong, and it was “all my fault” to paraphrase the line that hockey fans use to taunt the opposing goalie when the home team scores.
The good news is that the night before I had downloaded all the photos of the last four days. And, Carol took a bunch of photos at the Megaliths with her iPhone, so I’ve got that going for me. Bailed out of my mistake (a little, at least) by my wife, again. Phew.
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