We finished our tours of Lisbon last night with a dinner and Fado show. Fado are sad songs and music. Think flamenco with out all the shoe pounding and colorful dresses.

We started today with a long bus ride south out of Lisbon into the arid and very hot region of Alentejo. The temperature was over 100 and we learned that there are often summers that are much hotter. Along the way we stopped for a visit and lunch in Monseraz with its moorish castle and superb view of the Portuguese/Spanish border and the man made lakes used for irrigation and recreation. We stopped for a group photo in from of the church.

From Monseraz we continued inland to visit a winery (yes it seems that there is wine in Portugal also). The winery in Esporao was established in 1267 on land that was used by the Romans even earlier. We drove through the 450 hectares of vineyards and toured the processing, learning about the aging process and the American and French oak barrels. After tasting a couple of the products, we got back on the bus for our trip to the Pousadas in Evora. A converted convent with its fabulous location if luxuriously austere rooms.