Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground

Thursday January 22, 2026

Road trips in Portugal always have their ups and downs, literally! Especially when the route is N2 from Estoi to Évora. Until one reaches the Alentejo plateau, the two lane highway twists, turns and undulates its way through valleys and over narrow and high hill tops. Lots of fun! I set out on my roadie adventure on a beautiful Sunday morning, January 18, and there was hardly any a traffic except for a few clumps of ardent motorcyclists and the occasional dedicated cyclist. For the “normal” motorist it would be a journey of possibly three and a half hours. My road trips always take longer than “normal”.

My first major stop – for lunch – was the historic town of Beja. There’s an interesting castle to visit in that town. Very historic and all that but it was Sunday and finding a place to eat that was open and wasn’t packed to the rafters. Well, that was an issue that was resolved with a long leisurely lunch, a quick walk around part of the town with a vow to find and visit the castle on my way back to Estoi. The lunch was worth the wait !

My original intention of following the N2 all the way to Évora was foiled by me missing a turn and Waze. However, I did make better time on the alternate route and finally convinced the app to take the scenic route into Évora.

The contrasts of Portugal never cease to surprise and amaze me! The above three photos are images all in the same neighbourhood on the side of a hill. My goal was to reach my hotel in Évora before night fall and that goal was achieved. Found the hotel down a narrow alley masquerading as a street, got checked in, found parking and began exploring the town.

And then it was time to find the hotel and tumble into bed for Monday would be a full day!