A trip to Olivenza and the Convento de la Luz

It's not far to Olivenza from Finca al-manzil but it's a journey into a very different Extremadura. From the dramatic crags and dense woods of our sierra surrounded by small fincas filled with vines, fig and olive trees to vast sweeping areas devoted to vines producing the rich wines of the Tierra de Barra near the Guardiana river and endless dehesa with herds of Iberic pigs and cattle roaming freely in thousands of hectares, remote landscapes, seemingly untouched by time. Our destination was a mysterious and long abandoned Franciscan convent with origins in the XV century. 

But first we stopped for breakfast at Olivenza. Formerly, Olivença, it was under Portuguese sovereignty almost continuously between 1297 - 1801, when it was occupied by Spain during the War of the Oranges and ceded that year under the Treaty of Badajoz. Fortunately, when coming under Spanish rule there was no destruction of the superb collection of building spanning 16th to 19th centuries built by the Portuguese.

What a charming town, wide streets lined with trees and gleaming white town houses, all harmonious and pleasing to the eye. Its appearance reflects the early neo-classical period originating in Portugal after the massive reconstruction work carried out in Lisbon because of the earthquake and fire of 1775. Under the guidance of the Prime Minister of D. José I, the Marquis of Pombal, the rhythmic repetition of windows, set in sober and unadorned marble frames, and the absence of additions or decorations in any other part of the facade define this
Pombaline style of architecture.

The ancient 13th century town within the walls of the castle is a beautiful example of the military architecture of the time. It has a trapezoidal shape with a central courtyard with three cubic towers at the corners, in addition to the Torre del Homenaje from the time of the Portuguese king, D. Afonso IV 1291 – 1357, son of D. Dinis.

The Torre del Homenaje at 37 m high is the highest of the fortress towers on the Spanish-Portuguese border. Built in masonry reinforced by stone ashlars at the corners, it has 24 arrow slits that illuminate its interior. At the top of its four faces, you can still see the remains of the primitive machicolations that defended its flank, these are projecting structures supported by a row of corbels with openings in the floor through which stones and boiling liquids could be dropped on attackers. At the foot of the barbican, a moat was dug, ordered by D. João II in 1488, completely surrounding the fortress as there was little trust that the Spanish would not try to recapture the town. Also notable within the inner walls are the church of Santa Maria del Castillo, built on the site of the first Olivenza church, dating from the 13th century, this church was built between 1584 and 1627. The barracks are from the 18th century with their own bakery, the tall chimneys a relic of when it was providing bread for thousands of soldiers.

On an attractive street with outdoor terraces of cafés and restaurants, just through one of the gates to the ancient town is the jewel of Olivenza, the church of Maria Magdalena . It was started in 1510 under the reign of Portuguese king Don Manuel I. in the Manueline style, which stems from late Gothic and is notable for its decorative and naturalistic character with marine elements referring to Portuguese dominance of the seas and discovery of sea routes to formerly unknown regions in Africa and Asia in the 15th and 16th century.

On the outside, there are false battlements, pinnacles, gargoyles, side doors

and the main door, with added decoration, attributed to Nicolas de Chanterenne a French sculptor who produced other important works in Portugal, such as the door of the Hieronymites Monastery in Lisbon or a marble altarpiece in the Pena Palace in Sintra, as well as other works in the Alentejo and Extremadura. 

During D. Manuel's reign the town's charter was renewed and orders were given for the building of new fortifications and the Olivenza Bridge over the Guadiana River, later known as Ponte de Nossa Senhora da Ajuda or, simply as Ajuda bridge, on the road to Elvas.

After this fascinating and enjoyable vistit to Olivenza we were on our way to the convent with only a very vague description of how to find it despite researching its history.

A shepherd discovered a statue of the virgin hidden in a cave, the much repeated format for the discovery of many effigies of the virgin mary throughout Spain. The legend says he took it home to Alconchel only to find it missing the next day, it was back in the cave in the middle of a remote, wild region. The word soon spread, and the cave became a place of pilgrimage and apparent miracles. The lord who owned the land paid for a small ermita to be built at the cave. In the XVI it was adopted by the newly formed order of Franciscan brothers who had split from the main order under the influence of San Pedro de Alcantara who wanted the Franciscans to return to their original austerity, a life of poverty and the bare minimum to sustain life  together with  draconian rules of prayer and penance as opposed to the luxury and decadence of the Roman Catholic church in Spain during that time, enriched beyond imagining by the constant flow of conquistador gold and silver plundered from the new world.  These brothers were known as the decalzados, barefooted. It is said that San Pedro visited the convent in its early days to preach and advise on the patterns of life lived in scrupulous abstinence in remote places lost in nature such as San Pedro's own convent between Caceres and Coria, the so-called smallest monastery in the world The Convento de la Concepción de El Palancar is in Pedroso de Acim. https://finca-al-manzil.blogspot.com/search?q=convento+palancar

The brothers tried to stay faithful to a life of frugality recommended by San Pedro but there were many frictions and factions within the Fransiscan order during the following centuries. Life in such a remote region with few resources became untenable for the new generations of friars. The monastery fell into dilapidation and ruin. The image of the virgin had long since been removed and is now in the church of Alconchel.  What remains is a whisper of the monastic atmosphere, the situation is still romantically beautiful on the banks of a flowing stream with lush vegetation hiding the last walls, vaulted ceilings and the bell tower, under this construction is the original cave with signs of the simple ermita, some niches where holy statues would have been placed. The most intact structure is the 18th century aqueduct which spans the river, a last attempt at sustaining the life of the monastery. By the time of the Peninsular wars of the early 19th century which caused further destruction, there was very little construction left. A sad fate for a place build to encourage the devout brothers in their stringent vows and fervent prayers. 

It would be a matter of opinion if it was worth a 26km detour there and back to see the barely recognizable ruins of an old convent. We found it fascinating to drive on the narrow camino through a perfect dehesa landscape, meeting herds of black Iberic pigs and cattle grazing under ancient holm oaks with glimpses of vast views between the hills. The site of the convent could hardly be more remote even nowadays but in former centuries it would be a long walk to any civilization and a hard life in the idyllic valley, the tranquillity is still stunning, perfect peace with just the sounds of birdsong and running water.

Coming from Alconchel with its magnificent Castillo de Miraflores (open at weekends) 

take the Ex 314 road to Cheles. After 3.50km there is a large barn on a hill on the left, just after there are caminos to left and right, take the left one which has a barely legible sign for Jarales, continue on the track, going through 4 gates with cattle grids until reaching the convent on the left before crossing the river. The convent has a wire fence surrounding it but broken in many places. Caution is needed as the slope is steep and the slate slippery, the remaining masonry is precarious, be careful! 

https://www.google.es/maps/dir/Alconchel,+06131,+Badajoz/Cheles,+06105,+Badajoz/Convento+de+Nuestra+Se%C3%B1ora+de+la+Luz,+Alconchel/@38.4943306,-7.2463544,12z/data=!4m20!4m19!1m5!1m1!1s0xd16d5e76130e5c3:0x3e6df2e1e646b7cf!2m2!1d-7.0700124!2d38.5170106!1m5!1m1!1s0xd1731f5c7978333:0x79d6472f326c1eff!2m2!1d-7.2828208!2d38.5117961!1m5!1m1!1s0xd172b7cdecfb9cb:0x352a8945d7ebcd82!2m2!1d-7.1761158!2d38.4658061!3e0

MARVAO AGAIN

Just 90 minutes from Finca al-manzil is the magical village of Marvao just over the border to Portugal.  Several places for a delicious lunch and endless fascination walking around this completely walled medieval village.

TUNISIA - Part I: Tunis, The Bardo, Bizerte, Bulla Regia

OUR ROUTE: NAVIGATE WITH+ AND- OR HAND SYMBOL

Tunis is probably the worse introduction to Tunisia. It’s a dystopian nightmare, dirty, unbelievably, nerve jangling noisy, razor wire still lying in huge rolls along the main avenues since 2011, one is forced off the pavement and into the very scary traffic. The medina is an area of relative peace with some beautifully restored old houses, islands of tranquility in the chaos.

 The souks were a disappointment with very few shops selling traditional, Tunisian work but put me in a souk anywhere and I will delve around determined to spend some dinars or dirhams or lira. We bought a felt skullcap for Manfred, a variation of a fez but called a chéchia,there is a special area  of the souk for these which are still made in small workshops. 

hammam towels, spices, silver rings, baggy white pants, several pairs of babouche, a chicha pipe with lots of aromatic tobacco and charcoal discs, incense, some plain cotton djellabas is apposed to wildly flamboyant polyester numbers….oh and a new suitcase on rollers to pack the plunder (I swore never to go around with a bag on wheels but am now convinced). 

A battered but beautiful traditional bird cage on a roof terrace with view of medina

minaret of the Al-Zaytuna mosque

There are some gems hidden away in the medina and even the immediate area around the Bab ek Bahr, known as the Porte de France, is interesting with the old colonial consulates of Britain and France and a dilapidated old hotel where we stayed, Grande Hotel de France, in fact the hotel where Edward Rae stayed in 1877 whilst on his travels, his account "The country of the Moors" is a fascinating insight into Tunisia at that time, not too many echoes left nowadays…..or maybe there are? 

The Grande Hotel de France proudly announces........

There were many aspects of the medina and souks to admire, after all it is a UNESCO world heritage site; the old cafés are atmospheric with men popping in for a quick puff on the chichas (water pipes), mint tea and sticky pastries.

 The ancient doors are beautiful, painted in strong colours and intricately studded.

The architecture of the souks is marvellous, vaulted ceilings, wonderfully worn old paving slabs. 

The different streets still retain their names denoting which activity and trade went on there, leather, cloth, perfume, wood, metal, gold, gems, the more precious trades such as gold and gem craftsmen were clustered around the mosque with more lowly trades, blacksmith, dyers at greater distance.

The mosques have very decorative minarets unlike the austere towers of Morocco. 

Naturally we were not allowed to enter any mosques but the Al-Zaytuna (olive tree) mosque could be viewed from a balcony in the mornings. It was built in 703 using many architectural elements salvaged from the ruins of Carthage. 

Not too lucky with food, street food is good but restaurants seemed to be closed in the medina in the evening and we couldn’t face trawling around the modern town. Wine was a distant dream, not served in any cafés or bars or regular eating places….not like Morocco where there is always a hotel bar in the bigger towns and some shops sell the excellent wine. We did eventually track down a supermarket that sold wine after asking the hotel reception and getting quite a disapproving look, we were led through long passages down to a sort of dungeon where there were some dusty bottles of red wine which were handed over very firmly wrapped up……….we felt like criminals sitting closeted in our room with a picnic and our illicit substance. 

One of the highlights of the stay in Tunis was the visit to the Bardo museum housed in the old Bardo palace some way out of the centre, there is a metro line directly there but we decided to get a taxi, unlucky to get a totally deranged taxi driver, got the metro back! http://www.bardomuseum.tn/  

The Bardo!  I had been waiting to visit for a long time and it was certainly

splendid. The original palace from the 18^th and 19^th century, the last palace of the  ousted Beys, now has a fantastic new wing added so there were two very different atmospheres as one walked around. The curating is impeccable, a walk through wonders.

A unique portrait of Virgil. Cartoon labyrinth with Theseus chopping off head  and other bits of very human minotaur

Fabulous collections from all the civilizations that have existed in this part of North Africa but the mosaics are simply spectacular.

A late Roman mosaic showing farm activities, olive harvest etc.  c. 300 a.d. 

It was time to hire a car and get the hell out of there. But we couldn’t because it was May 1^st next day and we hadn’t realized that it would be a national holiday, also all the car hire agencies mentioned by Rough Guide had closed down after, 2011 even Avis. We were desperate to get out Tunis so got the bus to Bizerte where we were assured we would be able to hire a car. Bizerte on the North coast and the journey was through lush green countryside and lots of lakes. The town has a great situation with deep inlet from the sea into the old port which has the Kasbah on one side and lots of cafés and restaurants along the quays. 

We sat down at a table and ordered some grilled fish and salad, ages later it was explained that we would have to go to the fish market and buy the fish first………aaaah! We did that and came back loaded with far too much, it was all so fresh and tempting, straight on the grill and very delicious………..still dying for a glass of wine, just not possible.

Finally under our own steam, no more terror taxi rides or slow bus journeys. Headed South and didn’t see much to detain us on the way. Went through an eerie ex-colonial ski resort in the Jabal ad Darayn mountains with huge old abandoned hotels glowering from overgrow heights, mouldering away since the 60s, no doubt scenes of scandal and vice among the petit bourgeois bureaucracy of colonial times.

We stopped at Bullia Regia and important Roman site.

I love the two chubby cherubs holding necessary objects for vain Venus, a mirror and a jewel box. Amazing mosaics in the middle of nowhere , quite wonderful that they have survived.

The unique domus architecture was developed in the city. A ground level storey open to the warming winter sun stood above  a subterranean level, both built around a two storey atrium. The lower chamber was a cool retreat in the baking heat of summer.Bottle shaped terracotta shapes were built into the vaulted roof, water sprinkled through these brought out the stunning colours of the mosaics and cooled the chambers by evaporation.
Some great mosaics were still in situ, rare as the Bardo seems to have requisitioned most throughout Tunisia.

The site was minimally  maintained which didn’t detract from the  fascination as one stumbled over ancient masonry and overgrown paths grazed by goats and sheep. A strong spring and well still feeds the stream that runs through the site, no doubt the reason for its foundation by the Berbers and later development as a Punic outpost. It was conquered by the Romans in 203 B.C. when the unique nature of its architecture encouraged more development. After a slow decay it was finally destroyed by an earthquake which caused many of the ground level buildings to collapse into the lower levels.  It was only in 1906 that excavations started and the underground chambers and their mosaics were discovered.