Day Four: A Touch of History

Today was a rest day and the cultural excursion for our team. We toured the town of Guimarães (the birthplace of Afonso Henriques, the first independent king of Portugal). Its old centre was declared an UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001. We also had an afternoon walking tour of Amarante (the city we have been staying in during our week in Portugal).

We began our tour in the town of Guimarães, visiting the Castelo, which is thought to be the birthplace of Afonso Henriques. The castle was built as a defensive castle, by Mumadona Dias, the Countess of Portugal, in the 10th century. She was a widow who ruled much of the northwest Iberian peninsula after her husband's death circa 950. She first constructed a monestary and then constructed the castle. (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumadona_Dias)

After the castle, we toured the Paço dos Duques de Bragança (the palace of the dukes). This palace was constructed in the early 15th century by Afonso, the illegitimate son of Joao I (Duke of Bragança). The palace contained a very beautiful chapel, shown above.

For lunch (because we couldn't bring Ana Maria and her cooking with us), we were "forced" to visit a restaurant on the square. The setting was beautiful, and we capped off our lunch with a much-needed stop at a gelato shop. (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guimaraes#/search)

In the afternoon, we took a walking tour of Amarante (the city we have been staying in during our Habitat build). We visited the Church of Saint Gonzalo. Sao Gonçalo de Amarante is said to have ordered construction of a bridge over the River Tamega in the 13th century, but that bridge collapsed in the flood of 1763. The bridge that stands today was completed in the late 18th century. Sao Gonçalo de Amarante is also know as the saint of true love. Lonely women make a pilgrimage to his statue (seen above in the Monestary of Saint Gonzalo) and pull gently on the rope. If the statue leans forward, the woman will find true love in the next year (and must come back to thank the saint by placing a red carnation on his tomb).

Above is a picture looking out over the River Tamega, the bridge and the city of Amarante. It will be hard to leave this beautiful area on Saturday.

Today's long-distance dedication goes out to: Shared Services (EPM and IT).  Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the sky.