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.

Saturday, 30 May 2009  Visit to São Brás Alportel for a guided visit of the town and a short walk along the calçadinho which runs from the south of the town towards Milreu and Estoi. The tour was guided by Sr. Emmanuel who is director of the Museu do Trajo in the town.  He was accompanied by a young man who is a guide for the ‘cork route’ scheme which has just been set up to highlight and inform visitors of the importance of the production of cork in the region. As we walked through the town Sr Emmanuel explained some of its history and pointed out certain places of particular interest. It was somewhat surprising to hear how important São Brás had been in the administrative history of the Algarve. This was mainly due to its sound economical past as a result the cork industry and in turn through its religious and political importance. He explained how, in the early 20th century, the ‘Farmacias’ in particular had been places where people met and discussed politics depending on which stand they took …monarchist or republicans. During our walk down the calçadinho, Sr Emmanuel explained the importance of the underground water supply to the town. In early days this supply was quite abundant but in recent years the springs had dried up due to over extraction and hot summers. However with the building of a new dam and mains water from there to the town, together with increased rainfall some of these springs have become active once more. The short walk along the old road was quite atmospheric especially as this had been the old route from Faro up to São Brás from at least the Roman period right through till the construction of a new road in the 19th century. Time did not allow us to continue along the whole road beyond the flyover but it is well worth the effort as it takes one into the countryside over huge weathered stones that once carried travellers on their way to and from the town, Also there is a new interpretation centre nearby giving information about the calçadinho. The tourist office in the town is also a good source of information.

Saturday, 18 Apr 2009 Visit to Palácio da Galeria in Tavira to the exhibition "Patrimonio do Mar"  
On 18th April, 24 members met in Tavira to visit the exhibition Patrimónios do Mar in the Palácio da Galeria. This is an exhibition showing the relationship of the city with the sea from Phoenician and Turdetan times to the 20th century. In the entrance is a 4 meter map of the Gilão river valley as it was in the early 1800’s. Through the exhibition are maps, archaeological and artistic finds, scale models and a visual display of the immense changes in the coastline through the ages. The importance of trading with North Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean and Asia is evident, as were the forts built to protect the city, though these had to be rebuilt as the coastline changed. The tuna fishing is shown as a brutal affair up to the 1930’s and the poorest women who had to climb the salt mountains to get the salt to preserve the fish must have had the worst job of all. Lastly there is a display of ships in distress painted by local artists. Our guide, Rita Manteigas, brought the exhibition to life with her immense knowledge of the history of Tavira. The exhibition was due to end in June, but has been extended until the autumn, and it is recommended to all members of the AAA.


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 Nov 2008 a group of members visited the new museum in Portimão. The visit was organized by Gina Hall and we were guided by Rui Parreira assisted by Rosanna Costa who works at the museum. The museum, which opened in the summer is situated in the old sardine factory near to the Naval Club, took 3 years to complete. The old factory has been sympathetically restored and shows that the area in and around Portimão has a fascinating past. We began the tour with Rui who described the excavation work and some of the finds from Alcalar and which also included an impressive model of the monument. We then moved through the Roman displays to a section devoted to underwater archaeology with finds from the River Arade, which included amphora and ships’ anchor and cannon. This led on to an exhibition emphasizing Portimão’s fame as a ship building centre with original tools on display. Here we also saw an original film made in 1959 by the father of one of our members – Michèle Carron who has donated it to the museum. It was very interesting viewing especially as it was taken in the vicinity of the old factory and we could see how the area has changed over the years. Here too there was an excellent model showing the processes in the construction of a typical fishing vessel. The next part of the tour was guided by Rosanna Costa who described the life and work of Manuel Teixeira Gomes who became Portugal’s first President in 1923. We then moved through to a part of the building that still retains features of the sardine factory. This area has been totally restored but gives an excellent idea about the work that was carried out. Our guide explained how the work had been carried out and we soon understood how labour intensive the work was and how important this industry was to the local population. It seems that everything required by the industry, from the provision of clothing for the workers to the cans, printing of labels and boxes was carried out in the factory. There was even a crèche provided for the children. We concluded our visit by seeing a film made in 1948 which told the story of the sardine from its capture in the seas off the coast through its processing to its final destination the contents of a picnic! A visit to this highly class museum is thoroughly recommended.
The visit was concluded by lunch at the Dos Cais Restaurant in the Clube Naval de Portimão where we were served with generous portions of soup, salmon/pork and desserts.