We arrived in Estremoz on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023 and headed straight far the 13th-century castle constructed by King Dinis for his child Queen, the sainted Isabel.
We loved walking through the old walled off section of the town.
Many times, we had the medieval streets to ourselves.
We worked our way up to the top, where we entered Pousada da Rainha Santa Isabel, which has been converted into a hotel. This is one of the 46 government-owned pousadas in the country and is arguably the most luxurious.
We walked inside, where we found a staircase by the courtyard and made our way to the very top where we were greeted by sweeping 360 degree views and had the whole place to ourselves.
I asked to see the room where Saint Isabel died in 1336. This man took out this huge key - one of those big metal ones that looks like it's a hundred years old and brought us to a chapel where it truly felt like we went back in time as he inserted that massive metal key into the big wooden door. We were brought into this small chapel lined with azulejos depicting the Queen's saintly acts, beautiful paintings and gilded woodwork.
Exploring the streets always led us to pottery.
Walking through this town made me feel like I was in a real life nativity. So many of the items and structures reminded me of the Lenox nativity I put out every year.
Thanks, for the memories, Estremoz!
VERDICT: Estremoz isn't something you have to do before you die, but in the same breath, I absolutely loved this charming town. It's located about 90 miles East of Lisbon and absolutely worth the day trip if you ever make it to Lisbon, which you should make every effort to do. Portugal is 👌👍
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