Activities galore at the Medieval Journey

As I said in a previous post, there were many activities for visitors in 20 different areas: at the castle, along the way to the castle, at the bottom of the hill, by the stream and along some of the city streets. 

Here are some photos to give you an idea of some of the things you could do.

 

• You could watch strange contraptions go by...

 

•  You could go for rides...

• You could see the exhibits...

• You could visit the many stalls...

 

   Below is the Moroccan 

   section (always crowded).

 

• You could try you hand at making paper in the old-fashioned way at the "Paper Museum".

 

• You could try to hit the target using a bow and arrow.

 
 

• You could try scaling the castle walls.

 
 

• You could try using this bridge (children)...

        

     ...or this one (adults).

Hunger and thirst would be sure to hit everyone at some time, so there was an enormous food "court"...

Suggestive, isn't it?

• You could also visit the many cafes along the streets...

 

• You could dress up as king or queen and have your picture taken on a "royal set".

 
 

• And you could even have your palm read by "gypsies" at the "Pond of Spells"!

I really recommend you visit the official site (it's in Portuguese, Spanish and English) because it is fantastic - it has so much that I haven't even mentioned!

Related posts:

Medieval Journey - Procession

Top Medieval Journey in Portugal - to the castle!

Medieval Journey - Procession

The Medieval Journey at Santa Maria da Feira lasted 10 days!

On the last day I was there for the procession, which took place in the afternoon. I have made a slideshow of some of the many photos I took. I hope you like the result.

This was a first for me as I had never uploaded anything onto YouTube before. Thanks to my blogging, I have learnt something new. (I hope I got everything working properly.)

If you'd like to know something about the activities visitors could participate in, please come back next week.

Related post: Top Medieval Journey in Portugal - to the Castle

Top Medieval Journey in Portugal - to the castle

Several towns in Portugal organise medieval fairs, mainly between March and December. These fairs usually portray historical events, daily life, and arts and crafts of people in the Middle Ages. I am going to tell you about the last afternoon of the Medieval Journey organised by the town of Santa da Maria da Feira, in the district of Aveiro. Please note that the locals don't call it a medieval fair. I was immediately corrected when I was discussing it as such with friends. (Oops!) Remember, this one is a Medieval Journey, and what a journey it is!

There are many activities for visitors in 20 different areas: at the castle, along the way to the castle, at the bottom of the hill, by the stream and along some of the city streets. The ticket that covered all the days of the Journey cost 3€ or you could spend 2€ for a day ticket but you would miss much of the fun. I was only in the area on the last day so I missed most of the programme!

At the end of the procession (on the last day), the crowds were getting to me (I'm not a fan of crowds). I hadn't been to the castle, so I thought I'd go there hoping the crowds wouldn't be so "bad" later. (How wrong I was!)

View from the church steps

Santa Maria da Feira's church

I took the photo below from the church steps. The procession had just ended.

It had come from that narrow street on the right. Then it had taken the winding cobbled road up to the castle.

Up and up along the winding road... Along the way there is a garden where wedding parties like to have photos taken by this large pond called "Lago dos Feitiços" (Pond of Spells).

On my way up to the castle, I came across many of the participants in the procession, as they came back down from the castle and dispersed.

 My first view of the castle:

Here is a close-up of someone trying to scale the castle walls.

Added to the castle in the 17th century, this white building is the Baroque chapel and its annex.

According to Wikipedia, the castle's "plan is irregular oval, with protected entranceway, guarded by a barbican with moat and four addorsed rectangular watchtowers. On its southeastern corner are portions of a minor bastion, while opposite it, in the northwest is the hexagonal Baroque chapel. The walls, with small battlements, are circled by a parapet of large stone, with cruciform battlements and embrasures."

You can see what makes it different from other castles in Portugal - the 4 watchtowers. 

The sun was going down by this time and I had to find my way back to where I had parked the car. The crowds had not diminished - they were getting ready for the evening's entertainment!

Next, you may like to read about the actual Medieval Procession. That will be in next week's post, if my internet connection doesn't let me down.

For a different view of the castle, have a look at "From a Distance"

From a distance

Santa Maria da Feira Castle, from a distance

I was lucky enough to visit the medieval fair at Santa Maria da Feira, but there were so many visitors there on the last day that I had to park really far away from the castle.

This is the first shot I took as I walked towards the centre of the town and it's my entry for Jake's Sunday post challenge "From a distance".

To join in or see the other entries, visit Jake's post.

If you like medieval fairs, you may like to return soon, as I will be posting pictures of the fair that many consider the best in Portugal!

Village

Today's Sunday post challenge is "Village". Visit Jake's blog to find out more.

View from the road to Tunes

That, in the distance is the village of Paderne, a few kilometres north of Albufeira. 

Paderne's origin dates back to the construction of the castle in the 12th century. Dom Paio Peres Correia, in the service of King Afonso III, conquered the castle in 1248, which was why it was represented in the Portuguese flag as one of the seven castles of the Algarve taken from the Moors.

I have been on a walk around the area of the castle, but it didn't include a visit to the ruins (there was archeological work going on), so I don't have photos. Click on the picture below to see beautiful shots of the castle ruins, which can be shared.

Want photos of the castle ruins? Click on the picture.

With the disappearance of the Moorish threat, the castle of Paderne lost strategic importance and its decline was compounded by the move of the village to its present location about 3 km down the hill, after the construction of the Parish Church in the beginning of the 16th century.

View from the school gates

Paderne, whose economy was based on traditional forms of agriculture, became a rich village, with nearly 5000 inhabitants in 1950. 

In the 60s, the whole of Portugal saw the beginning of a long period of emigration to other countries and large towns. 

Then, in the 70s, tourism took over the coast and Paderne became a supplier of workers to the tourist industry in Albufeira. 

Nowadays, the local community has seen the arrival of many foreigners, mainly from northern and eastern Europe, who have made this picturesque village their home, too.

Medieval Fair, organised by the local school - June, 2005

Paderne's active community organises many events to liven up this apparently sleepy place.

To check out what's on in Paderne, visit this Albufeira website.

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.