Monastery of Batalha and Companhia das Lezirias

We drove to the “Monastery of Batalha,” recognized as an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. One of the pinnacles of Gothic architecture in Portugal, it was built in celebration of the 1385 Battle of Aljubarrota which secured Portugal’s independence from Castile. The battle was fought by King Joao I who unified Portugal. He and his wife Philippe of Lancaster are buried in the monastery along with their son King Edward. Another of King Joao’s sons was Henry the Navigator. The highlight, and perhaps the most astonishing parts of the monastery are the “Unfinished” Chapels: seven chapels with no roof that radiate from an octagonal rotunda, divided from each other by deeply carved, incomplete pillars that create an effect of oriental exuberance.

After the monastery, we traveled to see a very different part of life in Portugal on a field trip to Companhia das Lezírias where we had a wonderful buffet lunch.

Companhia das Lezírias is the country’s largest farmstead for agriculture, cattle, and forests. It is considered a private enterprise but it is actually owned by the government. It takes no money from the government and actually in good years makes a profit. A biologist gave us a tour of the area explaining how cork is harvested and processed. Do you know that cork insulates space ships? We learned what’s involved in maintaining the delicate ecosystems of the area. The farm is into sustainable practices and educate others about their systems. They also raise and train beautiful Lusitano horses. Originally bred for war and bullfighting, they are now highly regarded for their skills in the equestrian sport and art of dressage. We also explored the onsite winery, vineyard, and facilities. The farm’s ventures are cows and bulls, horses, forestry, corn for animal feed, sunflowers for oil, olives and wine (label is Tyto Alba or barn owl).

Monastery pictures. what I really appreciated about this monastery was that it was not ornate but quite simple but still splendid.

Tomb of King Joao and Philippe
Ceiling above the tomb

Unfinished chapel pictures

Buffet at the farm

Appetizers
Mains
Salads
Desserts
My choice of desserts. Good thing I choose not to diet when I’m on a vacation

Farm pictures

My special buddy
Reggie and her new friend
Training a horse
Irrigation ditch filled up with an invasive species making it very difficult to irrigate the land.
This used to be a rice patty before climate change. Now it’s a field for grazing. Portuguese consume a lot of rice.
Horses in the field
How would you like to meet this guy in a bull ring? Portugal does have bull fights. The big difference between theirs and a Spanish bullfight is they don’t kill the bull. However they do send it to the slaughterhouse when they’re done.
Cork is harvested from a tree that is a species of an oak tree. You harvest the lower part of the tree trunk using an ax. The trunk will regenerate in about 8 to 9 years and then you can do it again. Investing in cork trees is definitely a long-term investment.
Cork trees
Cork as it appears after being removed from the tree
There are two types of cork one is directly punched out from the bark. That is the one on the right. If the bark is not good enough, then pieces of bark are glued together to make the cork.
Olives
Vats for wine
Kegs used to age wine
Bottling station
Experimenting with clay containers to age wine

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