A magic day in a truly magical village.
This is our house on the right…
……and the views from our balcony!
There would be few more photogenic places on the planet!
No surprises then to discover Monsanto was used as the location for the Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon.
Notwithstanding the inevitable attraction for film buffs…and anyone passing anywhere close by…this morning Monsanto was deserted..
Through the village, built on and amongst a pile of huge granite boulders…
….and up to the castle, also built on and amongst the boulders….
I had the place to myself!
It was truly wonderful…as if discovering it for the first time…all by myself!
It is of course a village largely now driven by tourism…but all the signage and information boards etc have been done so tastefully, it actually does not feel like the tourist mecca it surely must be in peak season.
And folk live here. And the coffee in the local cafe is only 80 cents, and the beers only 1.20…unlike (eg) Monsaraz which is dedicated only to tourists, with prices to match!
Favourite place in Portugal?
Very possibly!
And this afternoon…I took myself down the hill again for a 14km ride to the nearby town of Penha Garcia…for a swim here…….
Just gorgeous! And only my third swim in eight weeks! Extraordinary really for someone who would swim every day if he could!
I took so many photos this morning…so will let you scroll if you want……!
An early night tonight..for we have a mad plan for tomorrow….!! More on that in the next post!
