Portugal-Amsterdam 2022 - #8 - Elvas & The Forte da Graca - An Epic Post!

You have heard how de-I has become so worldly, so well traveled, that things that enchant others (Gothic cathedrals, Roman ruins, Buddhist stupas, etc.) just draw a 'ho-hum'. So it takes something new to get de-I pumped. How about a Star Fort? A Star Fort you say? Yes. A Star Fort. Just how many Star Forts do you think de-I has seen in all his travels. Zero. That's right none. And what do you think de-I knows about Star Forts? Hah! You're wrong. A lot. de-I in his youth as a gung-ho military history buff. He know all about the development of the Star Fort as an answer to rise of gunpowder and cannons which rendered traditional Medieval fort construction obsolete. The Star Fort reduced the vertical height, gave walls angles which made them harder to hit with artillery shells. Walls were built so they were backed by earth which made them harder to penetrate. And these forts had all kinds of layers of defense in depth with moats and angles to create firing zones. So when I found out there was one of the best preserved star forts here in Portugal along the route we needed to go from first long stay to second long stay, I had to visit.

Welcome to the Forte da Graca

For those with a historical bent (even those who might be of a celebrity historical bent!), I suggest reading this fairly humorous history of the fort.

This model will give you a good idea of the fort's total layout

Entering the Castle

Wandering the Fort

 

 Detail on How the Model was Made

Looking down to the City of Elvas

Its Aqueduct

 

The Medieval Fort in the City

From the City looking back at the Fort

By the Medieval Castle

And looking at other parts of the fortified city

And taking in the Aqueduct up close

A Gastronomic Interlude 

The vast majority of the time when we travel, we do not research places to eat. We go into wherever we are at, sometimes checking Google ratings but often not. In many places, we have dined quite well this way. However dining here has been a real disappointment so far, hence the lack of foodie posts. Things have been bland, overcooked and dry. However, driving into Elvas after going to the fort and finding a place we ended up not only with a good meal but one of the most memorable dishes I have eaten in a long time. It was called Salad Forestiere but was like no version with that name I'd ever seen. It consisted of a bed of lettuce with three kinds of fruit carefully composed on the top (strawberries, apple and banana), peanuts, pine nuts and dried fruit were sprinkled on top. It was dressed with a very light dressing based on honey but not too sweet and then fresh basil. I don't even like fruit based dishes but this was over the top with each fruit ripe and all the flavors and textures in balance.

The clams in garlic were very good but nowhere near the salad in excellence

Signs of The World

Embrace your Inner Snake!