Scenes from Alcácer - on "azulejo" - 2

I'm hoping you aren't bored to death hearing about "azulejos". 
Today is the final post in this series and I'm going to focus on the images of man-made features from that panel of ceramic tiles I photographed in Alcácer do Sal. You can see more images in my previous posts here (nature) and here (people at work).

The town has a beautiful castle. 

King D. Afonso Henriques first conquered it from the Arabs in 1158. However, the Arabs took it back some years later and it was only reconquered in 1217.

Classified as a national monument, it now has a hotel, the Pousada D. Afonso II, inside its walls.

 

Typical houses like these dot the landscape.

Close-up of a typical house - whitewashed walls with blue frames painted around the doors and windows.

I didn't know exactly what this was until one of my Portuguese readers who lives in the town sent me an informative message on Facebook. This is a traditional house made of straw from the rice plants. If you go to Carrasqueira, about 35 km from Alcácer, you can still see houses like this one.

Lovely elaborate chimneys, like in the Algarve.

Church towers - there are a few lovely ones in the town.

I would love to have more information about the artist who created this work of art and know when this panel was built. I have tried to find information on the internet but haven't found anything so far.

To end this series of posts, here is the town's coat of arms.

I'm glad I made a detour on my way to the Algarve - Alcácer do Sal and the surrounding area is definitely worth a visit.