Reports of Overnight Trips/ Travel
13 - 16 October 2011 - AAA visit of Mèrida.
‘Mérida at last! The AAA and guests, 23 in all, arrived after a short delay, to be greeted by the ebullient enthusiasm of our guide, Chris Pollard.
Extremadura – ‘beyond the Douro’ – has a country bumpkin image, but Mérida was once the capital of Roman Lusitania, and Chris told us it had become a sort of old-folk’s home for retired legionaries. In the following centuries waves of invaders took over, the Christian Visigoths, then the Moors, an finally the Christians again in the thirteenth century. Much of Mérida was destroyed during the Civil War, but excavations have gradually revealed the amazing extent of the older town.
The Romans enjoyed their entertainments, and from about 16 BC till 10 AD they built a theatre, an amphitheatre and a circus maximus. On Friday we were off to the amphitheatre, where gladiators fought wild animals. Chris described the fights as ‘rituals ennobling the human spirit at the point of death’. Gladiators were the pop stars of their time. Although many were slaves and condemned men, others later sought fame in this way. We were intrigued to hear that when the crowd granted mercy to the loser, thumbs up meant ‘run him through’ and thumbs down – ‘lower your sword’. How could we have got it wrong all these years? The vast circular stadium held about 10% of the population.
The beautiful reconstructed theatre nearby is still in use. Its design is Greek, but the audience preferred scatological comedies to the nobler Greek tragedy. Chris kindly showed off its acoustics by reciting the shortest smutty poem he knows - by John Betjeman.
A magnificent museum houses the Roman statues and artefacts. Built of red brick with huge arches, it is quite stunning. We lingered there, looking at mosaics, wall paintings, pottery and jewellery. I was interested to note in a chariot race that the Latin for Gee-up was NICHA.
We trudged in searing heat over the Roman bridge and descended perilously into the cistern of Alcazaba, a Moorish fort by the river. In the Visigoth museum we admired the skilful carving of the Visigoths.
On Saturday, we visited the Circus Maximus, seating 30.000, and were reminded by Chris to watch ‘Ben Hur’ again. Then to Santa Eulalia, the church dedicated to the teenage saint. A statue outside shows her holding a round b**b and a poker, ghastly reminders of her fate. We admired two astonishing aqueducts and drove to the Roman reservoirs. On Sunday, we saw a Roman villa with its wall paintings and huge mosaic floors and, finally, visited a health centre to see the Roman baths, now inhabited by ghostly figures drifting round in white toweling and blue caps. Treatment was not included in the tour, a sad omission.
06 - 09 April 2011 – AAA excursion to Abrantes and the Tejo Valley.
This excursion was put together with the help of Luiz Oosterbeek and guided by the girls whose projects we have given a grant to (see also the Grants section).
Abrantes
an old world little town of white
houses, perched high above the north bank of the Tejo River. With our guides we visited the 15th century convent of São Domingo and the Igreja Misericordia. The latter is joined to a centre for old people whose day was brightened by our group traipsing through their dining hall while they were having lunch to inspect the marks in the floor recording pits where grain used to be stored! A room on the 1st floor of the church contained a magnificent round table and benches, made in the 17th century and once used by bishops and royalty. A door led to the ‘royal box’ in the church and on the walls in the vestibule were photographs of local people who had, in the past, given donations to assist the poor of the town. The 12th century castle overlooks the town and within its walls is the Church of Santa Maria do Castelo, now used a museum.
The following day we visited the well preserved Belver Castle and the S. Brás chapel inside.
The 14th century Ameira Castle was our next stop, considered to be one of the best Gothic castles in Portugal.
This was followed by an excellent lunch in Vila Velha de Rodão. Here we were lucky to be shown a vulture chick on its nest using the restaurant owner’s telescope.
The river trip followed and we were surprised to find that the restaurant waiters were also our pilots on the trip. We traveled on two boats along the river towards the
Spanish 
border and some of us were lucky that our pilot also knew a great deal about the geology of the valley – pointing out the massive slabs of schist which stand like books along the river banks. We also saw a huge ‘gap’ in the rocks caused by the earth’s movement
along a local 
faul
t line. As we traveled along we also saw the submerged remains of a mill, flooded when the dam was opened. We met the two students, who have received grants for their work and they showed us the rock carvings that are being studied and recorded. We were told that there are many more but they are now submerged beneath the river. The next day we set off for the Ocreza valley where the students were our guides once more. The 4 km walk to the river was down steep slopes of loose stones – quite difficult especially as it became very warm! At the bottom we saw several examples of prehistoric rock art including the ‘headless horse’, which is around 16.000 years old. This part of the trip was particularly taxing due to the terrain and heat, so we were pleased that our guides provided a shuttle service back to the coach in their 4x4! 
We had lunch in Maçao – our guides acting as waitresses! We then visited the school where the students work. We were shown moulds (made 40 years ago) of the rock carvings and taken before the Barragem do Fratel was flooded. The moulds were made from liquid rubber and gauze and are still in excellent condition. One of the other students at the centre then gave a demonstration of manufacturing stone tools and also how the ancient people would have made fire using dried fungus, straw and two different types of wood to produce a spark. Then we went on to the town museum and the passage grave of Foz do Rio Frio with its view of the river and the modern motorway. On our last day we went to Arraiolos, first stopping at Pavia to see the prehistoric 
dolmen with a little Christian church inside. In Arraiolos we saw the town hall with its magnificent paintings in the noble room and the 16th century church with its beautiful blue tiles, depicting our obligations. We were then free to wander around the town. It was a Saturday but one lady was found sitting making the rugs typical of the town. The rugs were beautiful but expensive because of all the hours they take to work. 
We had lunch and set off for the Algarve, arriving safely after another great (but very tiring!!) trip.
13-17 October 2010 : 5-day Trip to Ciudad Real and Toledo
In October a group of AAA members went on 
a 5-day trip to Toledo. After our first night in Ciudad Real, we visited the sites of Calatrava and Alarcos on the river Guadiana. Calatrava is one of the earliest Islamic foundations (785 AD) in the Iberian Peninsula which played an important role because of its strategic position on the cross roads between Toledo and Cordoba and between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean; it became the most important nucleus 
fronting Castilian Toledo. In 1147 Calatrava became a Castilian city. Many structures of the old Alcazar and fortifications are still preserved. Alarcos was one of the largest Iberian cities in the area dating from the 6th century BC. A reconstruction of a dwelling and part of a village was shown in the adjoining museum. The castle, fortifications, and church on top of the Iberian foundations showed
the influences and turbulence of the subsequent periods: Visigoth, Muslim, and Christian. In the afternoon we continued our trip towards 
Toledo. From our hotel we had a wonderful view of the old city which is located on a mountaintop surrounded on three sides by a bend in the Tagus river. The next morning we had a guided tour of the city. The first stop was the cathedral which is the second largest in size in Spain, but the first in importance being the seat of the Archbishop of Spain. Building took about 175 years and was finished in 1493. It was decorated with sculptures, jewels, screens, organs, and 
manuscripts. Decorations started off in the French baroque style but as the decorations took about 500 years to complete an array of subsequent styles is shown. It became one of the most 
opu
lent in the Christian world, 
and is indeed a magnificent peace of work. Winding our way through town we made a stop at a chapel housing a large painting by El Greco. Toledo also used to have a thriving Jewish community coexisting peacefully with the Muslim population. We visited the beautiful synagogue now known as Santa Maria La Blanca, with horse-shoe arches, and decorations influenced by the Granada style.
It is a miracle it survived so well following the expulsion of the Jews. In the afternoon we went to the village of Carranque north of Toledo, where in 1983 the remains of a large Roman villa dating from the 4th Century were discovered. The living quarters of this villa have been completely 
excavated showing 20 rooms with superb mosaics which have survived almost intact. The next morning we visited the Santa Cruz museum. The building of Santa Cruz was originally built as a hospital built in the Renaissance style. Now it was housing a tapestry collection and in the cloisters a ceramiccollection. There was a special exhibit of tapestries depict
ing Alfonso V 
of Portugal in the conquest of Tangiers. In the Visigoth museum fine examples of Visigoth art were displayed, amongst which a collection of crowns that had originally been buried (Tesoro de Guarrazar) when fleeing the approaching muslims. In the evening we had a guided tour of Toledo by night and the subterranean archeological remains of a Roman and Muslim bathhouse. The next day en route back to the Algarve we stopped for lunch at the village of Baňos de la Encina where we also visited the huge Islamic castle. 
13-17 Oct 2009 – Four night Visit to the North of Portugal
Day 1: Travelling north from the Algarve it’s always fascinating to see the landscape change. From cork trees to olive to vineyards to corn and of course always interspersed with the ever present pine trees. At about one o’clock we arrived at the archaeological site and museum of Conímbriga where after lunch we were guided by Maria Jose. Conímbriga , meaning a ‘high rocky place’, was inhabited from the 9th century BC until the 7th or 8th century AD. When the Romans arrived here in the second half of the first century BC it was already a thriving village, and under Roman influence it rapidly became a prosperous city. Sadly in 465 AD the Swabians captured and sacked the city. Many of the inhabitants fled with their Bishop to Coimbra and established a strong Christian community. The remains of the Roman wall and the outstanding mosaics are truly awesome.
Day 2: Via a romantic garden with panoramic views of the City and tablets exhibiting poetry by locals and students among the plants and trees, we went on to the University where Maria Jose explained the many aspects and traditions of student life. The black gowns and cloaks date back to the days when the clergy ran
the University and only Latin was spoken. The old University square is reached by the impressive 6th century arch after which one sees the famous Tower built in l728 which has become the symbol of not only the University but also the actual city of Coimbra.The highlight of the visit was the Baroque Library. Originally built in the time of King Joao V one stands in wonder at the rows and rows of valuable books, over 200,000 volumes. We moved on to the Museum National de Machado de Castro which has been constructed over the original Roman Forum. The dateable materials (pottery, glass and coins) found in the foundations of the building show that the cryptoporticus and the forum it supported are contemporary with the Claudian era (mid 1st Century AD). An incredible place with magnificent galleries. Most notable of the finds were the busts of Trajan, Vespasian, Agrippa, and Livia. The café where we lunched was a neo-manuelin building constructed in 1530 originally as a parish church. Our next destination was the old Cathedral which was once a Mosque. It has an outward appearance of a fortress as when it was taken back from the Moors it was fortified against their return. The interior is quietly impressive with a great sense of peace. We also visited the neighbourhood of Santa Clara on the other side of the Mondego river where the convent of Santa Clara was erected. Of the medieval structure only the ruined church remains standing. The new 17th century convent is imposing in stature and is clearly visible at the top of the Hill of Hope (Monte de Esperança).
Day 3:
After a 2 hour drive we arrived in Guimarães which is the birth place of Portugal as declared by the Pope in 1179. Following the lunch our guide Sophia took us to the Guimarães Castle which dates back to the time of Mumadona Dias a very strong lady who arranged for the erection of the castle to defend Guimarães Monastery which she had founded in 950. However, the oldest elements that have been found up to date are from the second half of the 11th century. The castle outline that we see today dates from the reign of King Dinis (1279-1325). Following use as a quarry, a prison, and a military barracks, it was classified as a National Monument in 1881 and restored to the present condition in 1937. Walking the old road through town we happened on some sort of parade. It was the parade of the Freshmen from the University, accompanied by the more mature students dressed in black gowns and cloaks with tricorn hats. Lots of noise of drums, made from cans of beer, which it seems the students are obliged to drink. According to Sophia, the first thing the newcomers have to learn is to drink beer. The harsh parading and the deadly noise is to teach the freshmen what to expect during the first year of study. Each faculty has its own section, each with its own banner representing the subject to be studied. The parade ends at the town hall where the doors are flung open so that the Mayor can hear the students sing or chant their dedication to the University and the City.
Day 4: A twisting mountainous road took us to the hillside settlement of Citânia de Briteiros which was one of the largest historical fortified towns in the Iberian Peninsula. Its study began in 1875 when Francisco Martins Sarmento(1833-1899) who lived in the local village discovered pieces of Roman pottery on the hillside where he took his walks. Thinking there must be more he started the excavations. As he continued to discover more remains he decided to buy the land which on his death he donated to the Martins Sarmento Society. With our guide we walked along the ancient roads. He pointed out the remains of a circular stone house which would have been the building where the nuclear family lived. Surrounding this house are more angular structures where agricultural implements and tools were kept and maybe some food was stored. Many questions have been raised since the discovery of this vast site. Which peopleor peoples inhabited the family compounds? Where had they come from and how did they develop? Would they have survived the impact of the Romans? Excavations continue and maybe some day these questions will be answered. Finally we visited the Castro Culture Museum established in the old family house of Sarmento where artefacts discovered on site are displayed: earrings, hair pins, needles, coins, ceramic pottery marked with the potters “trade mark”. The next day we returned from Guimarães back to the Algarve after a marvelous trip.
20 - 28 Feb 2009: AAA Trip to Morocco with Chris Pollard.
A group of 22 members set off for a tour of coastal Morocco and Marrakesh. This excursion was led by Chris Pollard who is very well known to the AAA. We crossed the Straits of Gibraltar by jet ferry and made for the capital city, Rabat. This was an interesting opening for our tour as this city encompasses Morocco’s history – the remains of the Roman settlement of Sala (with massive stork and egret colonies), plus the stunning bronzes from Volubilis in the archaeological museum, the medieval medina and casbah with a fascinating jewellery museum. In the city there is also the French ville nouvelle, the modern royal city and the beautiful mausoleum of Mohammed V – the father of the modern state. We then travelled down the coast to the busy fishing port and seaside resort of Essaouira – the former Portuguese fort of Mogador. The ramparts, the harbour with its attractive wooden fishing boats and the medina all contributed to an interesting tour which ended in a visit to a marquetry and woodcarving workshop using both the trunks and roots of the Thuya tree.
Our next location was the magical city of Marrakesh where we stayed in a beautiful Riad – a mansion built around a central courtyard right in the heart of the old town. On arrival we set off immediately for the 14thc Medersa Ben Youssef, a Koranic school. In the 16thc it was rebuilt and the intricate, Andalusian-influenced craftsmanship in wood, stucco and tile work is impressive and could be appreciated again in the royal tombs of the Saadian dynasty. Equally remarkable is the tranquil and exotic Jardin Majorelle, lovingly restored by the late Yves Saint Laurent. No stay in Marrakesh would be complete without a visit to the Unesco World heritage site - the Jamaa el Fna – a combined market, carnival and open-air theatre. We, of course, also had to visit the souk and in the pharmacy were assured that all the physical and mental ailments of mankind could be cured with their oils and lotions – some of the group made extensive purchases so look out for miracles! From Marrakesh we travelled to Casablanca (pop about 4m) with its faded art-deco buildings and the grand or possibly grandiose modern mosque – the third biggest in the world. Our fascinating tour ended with the jet ferry back to Tarifa. We owe a big thankyou to Claire Larson for arranging this for the AAA, to Chris Pollard and Moses for organising and leading us in Morocco and to coach driver Manuel for piloting us through a challenging 2500km marathon including several amazing reversing manoeuvres!’
15-18 Oct 2008 Once again a group of members headed off to Spain this time to the ‘White Villages of the Sierra de Cadiz’ Agnete Sylvan and Liv Hansen provide this report. ‘On a sunny morning our jolly group travelled into Spain stopping at Los Morales on the way to Zahara de la Sierra. This village, on the top of a mountain, has remains from Moorish times. Our walk took us up the steep hills to the remains of a Mosque which is beneath the church of St. Maria de la Mesa (now the interpretation centre). Further up on the top is the Roman castle which has spectacular views to the mountains and the lake. The following morning we travelled to Espera where we visited an olive pressing mill dating from the 19th century. It is no longer in use as a new one 
has been built outside the town. Then we continued up the streets towards the castle of Fatetar (see picture left) which dates from Roman and Visigoth times but later restored by the Moors. It later fell into Christian hands and was used as a fortress. This was followed by a visit to the town museum which contained tools and artefacts dating from the prehistoric right through to the medieval period although most objects came from the Roman settlement of Carissa Aurelia. The afternoon was spent in Arcos de la Frontera where we saw the hospital convent of San Juan de Dios and the church of Santa Maria. The castle on Praza del Cabildo was built in the 15th century but following the Christian conquest it became the home of the Dukes of Arcos. The tour continued to the 14th century church of S. Pedro. The following day our itinerary had to be changed due to the recent heavy rain in Spain. So we travelled to Carteia the earliest remains of which date from the 7th century when the Phoenicians settled in the area. This old town is very close to the Straits of Gibraltar and is almost surrounded by modern oil refineries. As it is so close to the sea it was an important town which controlled the Straits and the trade through the port at that time. After the 3rd Punic war the Romans took over the town and enlarged it. There are many remains visible on the huge site and there is
still even more to be excavated. After lunch we travelled along the coast to the enormous and very impressive Roman town of Baelo Claudia (picutre right). The town faces the Straits of Gibraltar and it was just possible to get a glimpse of the African coastline. The town was very wealthy having earned this through tuna fishing and the production of garum – the ‘factory area’ being very well preserved. Baelo Claudia was built some 2.200 years ago but was abandoned by the 6th century due to earthquake and a tidal wave. The remains of the town are well presented and our tour included the gates, cardo maximus, basilica, temple of Isis, the forum, the theatre (which is used for plays in the summer months), baths and market place. Our guide was very knowledgeable and Michèle and Mercedes did a brilliant job in translating the information into English.. Our last morning was spent in Medina Sidonia. We went to a convent and saw their lovely little church. We went on up the narrow streets to the ruins of the Roman castle and the church of Santa Maria. Finally we were shown the remains of one of the original Roman roads in the town. This has been preserved inside one of the more modern buildings and here we saw a virtual presentation showing life as it might have been in the town during Roman times. After lunch we set off home to the Algarve. Our thanks go to Michèle, Mercedes, Ruth and our driver Manuel’.
16–20 Oct 2007 - AAA trip to the south eastern area of Spain, Andalucia: On our way over we stopped in Marchena for lunch and a stroll in the village. In Antequera we visited the Municipal Museum, the old Palace of Najera, a walk through the old town, and the Gothic Renaissance Church of Santa Maria los Mayor. In the afternoon two of the megalithic dolmens of Antequera (2500 -2200 BC) were visited. The dolmen of Menga was meant to serve as a collective tomb, but a 19m.deep well has been found inside and stones worn down by the movement of animals suggest that the tomb was
used for other purposes, animals – people- shelter. At Castellon Alto the Late Bronze Age (1900 – 1600 BC) settlement of the el Algar was visited as well as the Galera museum. Thereafter the Tutugi Necropolis was visited. In Los Millares, 17km north of Almeria, a Chalcolithic (Copper Age) site with 4 defensive walls and advance forts for protection was visited. It was the copper collected from the nearby Serra de Gadar that propelled the development of this village as they were able to make arms, utensils, ornaments and had a successful export trade as well. In the afternoon we went to Almeria to the excellent and very modern Archaeological Museum. On our return to the Algarve we stopped at Osuna for a walk round the town and lunch.27-28 Mar 2007 – overnight visit to Evora: Our guide took us to 3 megalithic sites where she explained the functions of these granite structures and the rituals that may have been held there when they were created around 7,000 years ago. In Evora we had free time to visit the old centre. This year the town is celebrating its 20 years of being a World Heritage Site and walking back after dinner in the evening we took in the grandeur of the facades of the buildings along the clean, narrow streets. The next morning we drove through vast plains to reach Alvito. where we had a ‘church fresco tour’. Then on to Cucuafate where we walked around the newly renovated site and saw the 2 storey Roman villa and in the granary, possibly the oldest fresco yet to have been discovered. The last stop after lunch was Portel where we climbed the castle walls in the late afternoon.
Friday, 23 Feb 2007– AAA evening visit to the Tavira Observatory: Having first learned the constellation names in a ‘children’s’ chart of the night sky projected on a large dome, we then saw a projection of the full February sky. The map of the universe in the past was compared with that of the possible future. We were also told how primitive people may have read the heavens. It was a partially cloudy evening to begin with but our guide was able to point out the large halo of ice particles around the moon. But finally as the sky cleared we were able to see the craters of the moon through his telescope. We could also see Saturn with it’s rings and Sirius, the brightest star. It was an exciting and informative evening.