Overview of Past Trips and Travels
16 Jan 2010 - Trip to Paderne castle guided by Rui Parreira
13-17 October 2009 – Four night Visit to the North
of Portugal by coach
Visiting Coimbra, Conimbriga,
Guimarães, and Citânia
de Briteiros. See page with Reports
of recent Travel.
Saturday, 30 May 2009 10:30- São Bras. Visit to São Bras museum guided by Sr. Emanuel followed by a walk round the historic town and the Roman road that led to Faro. See page with Reports of recent Travel.
Saturday, 18 Apr 2009 10:30 - Visit to Palácio da Galeria in Tavira to the exhibition "Patrimonio do Mar". See page with Reports of recent Travel.
20 - 28 Feb 2009: AAA Trip to Morocco with Chris Pollard. See page with Reports of recent Travel. Photographs of the trip can be viewed in the Photo Album.
Saturday, 15 Nov 2008 - Visit to the
new museum in Portimão:
See page with Reports
of recent Travel.
15 – 18 Oct 2008 - 4 day visit to
Andalucía: ‘The White Villages of the Sierra de
Cadiz’.
See page with Reports
of recent Travel.
August 2008 - Visit of
Cerro da Vila with Felix Teichner
Artefact just found during
the visit
Saturday, 10 May
2008 - Visit to Alzejur: The Presidente do
Património, Sr. José Morreiros led us to the Bronze Age
necropolis in Vale de Telha which was only identified last year and
dated from 1800 -1200BC. The forward looking Câmara purchased
the site to save it from developers and although graves and artifacts
have already been found a lot of excavation has yet to be done. Next
we went to the promontory of Atalia where extensive excavation has
already taken place. This was the Ribat (convent-fortress) of
Arrifana high on the cliffs containing the remains of 3 mosques each
with their mihrabs oriented to the East and the principal one had a
muezzin tower. It would have been abandoned in about 1151 after the
murder of their spiritual leader and the persecution of his
followers. Artefacts found here are housed in the Alzejur museum.
After lunch we continued to Carrapateira. Located on another
perilously steep promontory are the remains of the Muslim Povoado dos
Pescadores, the site where the fishermen lived, probably fishing
during the season and also farming the surrounding area. Artefacts
have been found here including a whale bone, probably used as a
bench! There are plans to construct an information centre and museum.
08-10 April 2008 - Visit to Tomar/ Obidos
area: In Tomar visits were made to the fascinating
Hebrew synagogue (the oldest and best preserved in Portugal) and to a
museum dedicated to a huge collection of over 48.000 match boxes. On
a site high above town we visited the magnificent 12th century
Convento de Cristo which is surrounded by high defensive walls and
contains the impressive octagonal chapel once used by the Knights
Templar (now undergoing restoration). In the Serra de Aire National
Park twe saw the dinosaur tracksite made by sauropods (quadruped
herbivorous dinosaurs with small heads and long necks and tails)
dating from the middle Jurassic (175 mill. years ago). At another
Jurassic park further along the coast we saw how the shells, sponges
and fishes had been laid down on the ancient seabed, now incorporated
in the solid rock. Geological studies suggest that during the
Jurassic times this section of the European landmass may have been
linked with the present day Eastern coast of the USA. In the museum
in town twe saw the impressive collection of dinosaur
remains.
Saturday 24 Nov 2007 - Visit to
Albufeira: The group had a guided tour though the charming
small museum in the old village bordering the former castle parade
ground. Above the doorway to the 18th century museum building is
incorporated a stone Azevedo coat of arms believed to have once
adorned the castle gateway. Inside we were led along the exhibits
displayed in chronological order. Significant were the Retorta Vase,
several items of later periods discovered by Estácio da Viega
at Retorta on the old road linking Albufeira to Quateira, and finds
from near Paderne and the Visigoth necropolis at Poço dos
Mouros. The Al-Buayre (castle by the sea) Islamic occupiers built the
first fortifications in Albufeira and in the foundations of the
museum is an Islamic grain silo, large enough to supply a household
of eight and suggesting evidence of a time of trade with North
Africa. Through the castle’s north gateway and ramparts we were led
to the beach through the town’s famous tunnel built by the renowned
engineer Duarte Pacheco in the early 20th century. From there it was
on to the Neo Classical Parish Church of Nossa Senora Conceição
and the Parish museum housed in São Sebastião church,
with a beautiful reredos, tile fragments, and a model of the original
castle fortifications.
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.
Saturday, 06 Oct 2007 - Visit
to the olive farm of Detlev von Rosen near Moncarapacho:
On this most interesting and enjoyable visit made to the olive farm
we were welcomed by the owner and self-appointed guide. On this farm
is a walkway with pillars dating from Roman times and a section of
the Roman road that led to Balsa. In addition to a host of
interesting facts, we learned that olive trees can live to a great
age (some thought to be 200 years old) although harvesting usually
starts at 7 years. The modern production plant was visited where oil
is extracted to produce ‘extra virgin’, ‘virgin’ and plain
olive oil depending on its acidity.
04–11 June 2007 – AAA
visit to Roman Provence with Chris Pollard.
May 2007 - Laccobriga
(Roman Lagos) with Rui Parreira: The exhibition in the Lagos Cultural
Centre was about Laccobriga and had pulled together finds and
information that had been collected over the years. Rui guided us
through the exhibition and explained the artifacts on display. After
the visit we went to Monte Molião where he showed us the
archaeological excavations that were taking place. New discoveries
included evidence of defensive ditches and also a small section of
fish salting tanks down near the modern road.
27 Apr 2007 –
AAA day out to Castro Verde: Guided visit to
the Basilica Real, the Tesouro da Basilica, the Moinho da Largo da
Feira, the Museu da Lucerna and Monte das Oliveiras.
April 2007 -
AAA visit to Miróbriga with Felix Teichner : Miróbriga
is the supposed name for the site that Pliny refers to as Merobrica
being a Roman settlement on the coast between the Tagus and the
Algarve but there is no certainty that this is it. The site of
Miróbriga is near the prosperous town of Santiago do Cacem, 20
km from the modern port of Sines. Earlier it was an Iron Age
fortified settlement (oppidum) in an area not only of fertile
agricultural land, but of extensive mineral deposits (copper and
iron). The Roman town – dating from the 2nd. century BC – was no
doubt an important trading centre, probably a municipium with a local
senate and was still occupied in the 5th century. Within the walls
the site is hilly but the Forum sits on the highest point, levelled
out and dominating the countryside; and itself splendidly overlooked
by the podium and columns of a central Temple dedicated to the
Emperor. Most of the urban area was buried but a commercial zone and
a number of insulae have now been cleared. An unusually interesting
double public bath complex is especially well preserved. An
exceptional feature is the hippodrome, large enough to have held a
possible 5.000 spectators - the only one to have been found in
Portugal – and measuring 360 x 77 m. (larger than that in
Tarragona, but comparable to those at Mérida and Toledo).
There is much still to do and the comparative remoteness of Miróbriga
continues to result in low funding and intermittent excavation. A
large visitors’ centre has been built and it is expected that this
will contain a site museum.
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.
Saturday, 27 Jan 2007 – AAA
day visit to the Western Algarve with Dr Rui Parreira as our guide:
Near Raposeira we visited the medieval chapel which is dedicated
to the Black Virgin of Guadalupe, whose cult is linked not only to
navigators and mariners, but also to the ransoming of captives. Henry
the Navigator is known to have visited the chapel (having a rural
palace in the area). At Boca do Rio (Budens) we visited the Roman
ruins that are under considerable threat not only from sea erosion
but also through unscrupulous treasure hunters. However we were able
to see some of the remains of what had been a large fishing
settlement in Roman times having baths and fish salting tanks dating
back to the 1st – 5th centuries AD. After lunch we carried on to
Praia da Luz to see remains of the Roman baths once part of a small
fishing settlement (3rd – 5th century AD). These were originally
located and excavated by Estaçio da Viega during the 19th
century. Later, the area was used to grow vegetables, but when
building work was planned rescue excavations were carried out. This
work supported by the AAA revealed fish salting tanks and an aqueduct
as well as the baths. Part of the bath complex is now open and we
could see the remains of some of the original mosaics, most of which
are now sadly destroyed. Finally we visited Monte Molião, a
prominent hill facing the city of Lagos.. This is the site of an
ancient Roman settlement known in classical times as Laccobriga and
dating back to the 4th century BC. Rui described the interesting
history of the settlement and explained that in the 1st century AD
the settlement was moved and is now covered by the town of
Lagos
March 2006 - Trip to Foz
Côa
Picture taken at Evora Monte on last day of the trip