Last week I related the first half of our day’s drive from Lisbon to Badajoz, in Spain. After a lengthy stop in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Évora, we jumped back in the car to make our way to our stop for the night. Again choosing to stay off the main roadway, the A6, we traveled along a roughly parallel route which allowed us to get a little closer to some of the historic sites and stunning vistas in this part of Portugal.

The landscape of the Alta Alentejo was one of rocky hills and plains given over, it seemed, mostly to cattle grazing, although the ubiquitous vineyards and olive groves also made appearances. One saw ancient towns scattered across hilltops here and there; I would have loved to had the time to veer off to explore their narrow streets and old churches. For many miles the castle and old town of  Évora Monte stood out at the top of one of the highest hills. The huge, blocky castle and its well-maintained walls protect the little village, and we could only imagine the stunning views of the countryside they would afford. With a sigh, we added it to our list of “on the next visit” places to return to and motored on.

About 10 miles down the road we suddenly found ourselves passing right by massive marble quarries. This was Estremoz; and although we were unaware of it at the time, Portugal is the second-largest exporter of marble (behind Italy), with Estremoz producing about 85 percent of that output. Its fine- to medium-grained marble has an international reputation, and here we drove right past towering stacks of enormous blocks of the stuff. Another unexpected and fascinating sight along the road!

Just before sunset we arrived at our hotel, Las Bóvedas, just on the outskirts of Badajoz, a provincial capital just across the Spanish border. We got checked in, settled in to our rooms and had an hour or so to relax before the on-site restaurant opened at 8 p.m. The hotel provides clean, modern, spacious rooms and meeting and event facilities as well as a lounge and restaurant. We were the only patrons in a pleasant sort of temperature-controlled sunroom, and we had a most delightful experience with our waitress, Maria. She spoke not a word of English, but she threw herself wholeheartedly and without embarrassment into pantomiming, drawing pictures and occasionally checking with someone in the kitchen to try to communicate with us. We enthusiastically engaged her efforts with our own, and all of us came away from the experience feeling we’d made a new friend. On top of that, we enjoyed our meal and some local beer and wine. It stands out as one of our favorite interactions on our entire trip. Those sorts of experiences are what make travel most rewarding.

Until we can all travel again, revisit your own best moments in travel, and stay well!

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor