Beja City - The Castle / Baixo Alentejo - Riding Portugal

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog :-)

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This year we managed to take a week of vacation in September, and as we were in Mértola we decided to go to Beja, with the aim of exploring its castle. The trip was after lunch and along the way, as we crossed the golden, undulating landscape of Alentejo, we tried to spot the famous Iberian lynx.
Even though we weren't lucky enough to find them, the feeling of walking along those roads, knowing that at any moment we could see them, left us with a mixture of joy and anxiety.

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Este ano conseguimos tirar uma semaninha de férias em Setembro, e como estávamos em Mértola decidimos ir a Beja, com o objetivo de explorar o seu castelo. A viagem foi a seguir ao almoço e ao longo do caminho, enquanto atravessávamos a paisagem dourada e ondulante do Alentejo, tentámos avistar os famosos linces ibéricos.
Apesar de não termos tido a sorte de os encontrar, a sensação de percorrer aquelas estradas, sabendo que a qualquer altura os podíamos avistar, deixava já um misto de alegria e ansiedade.


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When we arrived in Beja, the imposing presence of the castle immediately stood out in front of us. Its keep, which is one of the tallest in Portugal, immediately catches our attention. We decided not to waste time and went straight to the castle.

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Ao chegarmos a Beja, a presença imponente do castelo destacou-se imediatamente na nossa frente. A sua torre de menagem, que é uma das mais altas de Portugal, capta logo de imediato a nossa atenção. Decidimos não perder tempo e fomos diretamente ao castelo.


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When we arrived we immediately noticed that everything inside was well taken care of. Beja Castle was built on ancient Roman and Arab structures, being a testimony to the different civilizations that passed through there. Its history begins in the 13th century, when it was built by King D. Dinis, and since then it has been the scene of battles, conquests and resistance.

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Ao chegarmos percebemos de imediato que tudo no seu interior estava bem cuidado. O castelo de Beja foi construído sobre antigas estruturas romanas e árabes, sendo um testemunho das várias civilizações que por ali passaram. A sua história começa no século XIII, quando foi mandado construir pelo rei D. Dinis, e desde aí foi palco de batalhas, conquistas e resistências.


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The keep is 40 meters high, entirely built in white limestone, making it one of the most beautiful in Portugal and the best preserved in Europe. We climb the spiral stairs inside, feeling the weight of history on each step (and each leg), until we reach the top. From up there, the view is breathtaking: a landscape that stretches for many km, with Alentejo fields as far as the eye can see and the city of Beja below us.

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A torre de menagem tem 40 metros de altura, toda construída em pedra calcária branca tornado-a uma das mais belas de Portugal e das mais bem conservadas da Europa. Subimos as escadas de caracol no seu interior, sentindo o peso da história em cada degrau (e em cada perna), até chegarmos ao topo. Lá de cima, a vista é de tirar o fôlego: uma paisagem que se estende por muitos kms, com campos alentejanos a perder de vista e a cidade de Beja debaixo de nós.


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We headed back down to explore the rest of the castle! We discovered the ancient bastions, walls and secondary towers, each with its own defense function in medieval times. It also had small corners that served as viewpoints to look into the city and the gardens that are part of it.

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Voltamos a descer para explorar o resto do castelo! Descobrimos os antigos baluartes, muralhas e torres secundárias, cada um com a sua função de defesa em tempos medievais. Tinha ainda pequenos recantos que serviam de miradouros para espreitar para o interior da cidade e os jardins que dela fazem parte.


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The castle's central courtyard is a place of tranquility. The silence was broken by the gentle wind and the distant voices of the few visitors who, like us, were exploring the castle. The shadows of the walls offered us a welcome relief from the September heat, allowing us to rest and imagine what was happening there in ancient times.

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O pátio central do castelo é um local de tranquilidade. O silêncio era quebrado pelo vento suave e pelas vozes distantes dos poucos visitantes que, como nós, exploravam o castelo. As sombras das muralhas ofereciam-nos um alívio bem-vindo do calor de setembro, permitindo que descansássemos e que imaginássemos o que ali decorria nos tempos antigos.


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When we left, we still strolled through the gardens and streets of Beja, but it was the castle that really marked our visit. In the next post I show the city so you can have a complete picture of Beja.

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Quando saímos, ainda passeámos pelos jardins e pelas ruas de Beja, mas foi o castelo que realmente marcou a nossa visita. No próximo post mostro a cidade para que possam ficar com uma imagem completa de Beja.

I hope you enjoyed.
See you around.
Wishing you much peace and health

Those who pass by us do not go alone. They leave a bit of themselves, taking a piece of us."
Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince.

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"The Template cover used in this post is from Canva - Created by Misia"

Text & Photography by @Onyfest

With love @onyfest



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The castle was indeed the center of attention, it is stunning. How fun to get to explore it and be amazed with it. I also like that, visiting old places like that has its own magic and you can learn some history in the process as well.

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Hello @wendy23! As parents we always try to visit places that allow us to teach something to our little girl. Thanks for stopping by 😊

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Congratulations @onyfest! You received the biggest smile and some love from TravelFeed! Keep up the amazing blog. 😍 Your post was also chosen as top pick of the day and is now featured on the TravelFeed front page.

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Hiya, @ybanezkim26 here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Travel Digest #2331.

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