Fri 9 May- Evora and our 'Convento do Espinheiro [thornbush]' Luxury Hotel & Spa

Fri 9 May- after breakfast and packing, on to Evora and our 'Convento do Espinheiro [thornbush]' Luxury Hotel & Spa NE of Evora at N 38 36.055, W 07 53.303. It was built in 1458, so is 55 years old; but has been refurbished into a luxury hotel (the nuns never had it this good!). Apparently Evora is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and our hotel is a national monument. We were upgraded to a suite, which is pretty lavish. It's rainy and cool, so we're just enjoying the luxury of the hotel, and then for dinner, since the restaurant was full they drove us to 'Fialho' (www.restaurantefilaho.com) in the town. On the way we saw a beautiful 180 degree rainbow, complete and bright from on side to the other. At the restaurant we had: entrees of octopus (5.50 euro), cheese (very soft and mild in a hard rind, 4 euro), chicken puff pastries (1.25 euro) and thin sliced black pork (9.50 euro); then for the main course, 1/2 bottle 'Comenda Grande' red wine (7.50 euro), Roast Lamb (15 euro) and Wild Boar (15 euro), a total of 62 euro. The lamb was mild and tender, more like a tender stewed beef. The wild boar was between pork and beef, with a mild flaver, and was served with home-made potato chips. It wasn't oily or fatty or gamy at all, and very lean. Other good regional wines recommended: Paro Marca tinto'97 and Cartuxa tinto '02. We were so full we could hardly sleep!