Adventurous Maite: 3- Portugal. 31th August 2017 (in the afternoon)

31th August. In the afternoon... The best was yet to come!

VISITING SERRA DA ARRÁBIDA, the Portuguese paradise! An unforgettable experience

First stop at Figueirinha Beach, one of the best beaches in Portugal

Wonderful beach with clear crystal waters and white sand. With a stunning view over the Arrábida Mountain and excellent facilities... I really enjoyed this afternoon... stunning landscapes and some of Europe’s most beautiful beaches... I felt so lucky

Some pictures taken from the BARMAR

This is the biggest and most accessible beach within the Arrabida Natural Park with a wide stretch of sand, plenty of sunshades and parking plus modern facilities including a bar/café/restaurant complex. In summer, they host beach parties with DJs

Serra da Arrábida is a protected area. One of the main attractions of the Park is the wealth of its indigenous vegetation. One of the rare examples of Mediterranean maquis in Portugal can be found here, and its preservation was one of the reasons which led the Arrábida zone to be considered as a genuine international scientific relic

An exhibition constituted by six painéis with a total of 26 photographs of espólio of Americo Ribeiro, that portrays memories of life in Troia e das praias da Arrábida, ao longo do século passado.

"From Troia ao Portinho da Arrábida - Praias de Partida e Chegada" is the title of the exhibition, which dates from the end of the Balneario era, to 17 September

A viewpoint with wonderful views

Seeing these images, they exceed the words

Our last stop was The São Filipe Fort. From here you have a panoramic view of the city, the bay and Tróia!

The 16th century Fortaleza de Sao Filipe stands high above Setubal and its vantage point guarded the estuary from North African raiders and pirates. The fort was constructed under the direction of Dom Filipe I (when Spain and Portugal where united by the same king) and the design follows the highly defensive star shape layout

Within the castle is a delightful Azulejos tiled chapel, impregnatable battlements, and one of the best views of Setubal. The castle has been skilfully restored since coming under the management of Setubal council and is now a first-rate tourist attraction. The walk from Setubal to the castle is up a steep hill and is challenging in the heat of summer, often it is better just to catch a taxi. The fort is free to visit and the café on the battlements has one of the best locations of Setubal...

The entrance

More photos inside...

The ramp of 40 worn-out steps, inside of a high and arched tunnel, gives access to the Pousada... n the middle of the flight of stairs stands a room that now is used as a meeting room. Four hundred years ago it was the entrance of the prison...

On arriving at the top of the stairs, on the left side, you will find the private chapel of the fort, ordered to be built by D.Manuel in 1736. In the interior, it presents a layer of tiles of the 18th century which were the walls and the vaulted ceiling. Depicting a group of figurative panels with representation of scenes of the life of the Virgin, in the chapel-mor area, while in the lateral walls episodes of the life of S. Filipe are evoked, signed and dated by one of the great Portuguese masters, Policarpo de Oliveira Bernardes. This small chapel lined with wonderfully detailed tiles is worth admiring...

But the real draw is the inspiring panorama that takes in Setúbal,

the sparkling Sado estuary, and the distant Tróia peninsula ❤

Past the church, we arrive at the front esplanade of the fort. The landscape is magnificent, the immense blue lake of the Setúbal bay, the riverside zone of the city, the wonderful beaches of the peninsula of Tróia and the exuberant Mountain of Arrábida. The Pousada inaugurated in 1965, nestles in the bastion of the fortress. In its interior, what jumps to the view, are the small runners and vaulted, allowing us to retreat in time and visualize the life of the troops in that entangled of tunnels and compartments...

Today, everything is adapted to receive the guests and the decoration has been adapted to the place. Some pieces of furniture in the corridors are part of the furniture that was left behind over the years. Some rooms locate in the old cells of the fort, for this reason, the dimensions are not big but the excellent use and the good taste in the decoration of the rooms provide a pleasant permanence. Eight of the rooms have a sea view; the other eight are inner rooms. The Pousada still counts with other attractions, such us a bar, a living room for social encounters, a small gambling room, a dining room and a great external terrace for example...