Just one week after the trip to Covilhã, we decided to take another day out.
This time we went a little further North, to Belmonte, a historic castle town.
We arrived around 11am and parked in a spacious car park, which is unusual for small towns in our area.
The view over the land was excellent.
The first stop was in a café for a drink and snack, then we headed to the castle.
Although much of it is in ruins, the structure shows how well it was built to last.
Inside the main tower we can see the mason's marks, identifying their work so thay could be paid for their time and effort.
This is just one example of many on display around the walls.
A more modern addition is the amphitheater inside the castle, which is used for events and plays today.
As you would expect, the castle walls give a commanding view of the whole area.
A small chapel with an interesting Gothic arch doorway. The decorated metal door is presumably a relatively modern addition.
Belmonte does not escape the street art phenomenon we see around Portugal.
Here is an otter, as usual, constructed from scrap car parts and, in fact, the main body is an old Mini car.
Finally, a tribute to local firefighters stands on a roundabout on the main road into the town.
