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Ibericorama days 21-22

After stopping at several smaller Plazas de España, we are back into Portugal at the fortified hilltop town of Marvão…just miles from the Spanish border in the Alto Alentejo region.  Now if you like castle villages…this would be our pick.  The castle is large, well preserved and sits up in the clouds.  The village is also contained within the fortified walls and there are 360 degree views.  

There are several marked hikes in the region, so we took the route down to Portagem to see the Roman bridge (see photo) and to see the speck of white 3000 feet above (our lodging).  The walking path is the original medieval stone road which is still in working order and included some impressive switchback designs laid out with an 8 pointed star.

I was taken by the decorative chimney tops in the village, so this stay’s painting study featured one which can be found on the works page and on Instagram.

If you are wondering how long Ibericorama lasts and where else it will take us…here are some quick details of what’s to come:

• 90 days…the Schengen max
• after Marvão, Óbidos, Tomar, 4 day hike in the Xisto Villages, Viseu…
• 4 day hike in the Douro Valley
• Porto
• our secret favorite place in Portugal
• then we circle around Spain
• back into the Algarve where we started
• end with two weeks on the Azores

ie, lots to come.