Reports of Overnight Trips/ Travel
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.