Monday 14th April 2025
Leaving Monsaraz, we headed south down the reservoir, calling at Castello de Mourão, Luz, Estrella and the Alqueva Dam. Our route firstly took us across two long, multi-span bridges, the first of which you can see in the distance, in this image from yesterday’s blog post:
Castello de Mourão:
As with all castles, Castello de Mourão is built on a hill.
From the ramparts you can see that it also sits within star-shaped fortifications, though these are mostly derelict.
The remains of star-shaped fortifications are visible, below and right.
It commands a fine view over the surrounding countryside.
Luz:
The village of Aldeia de Luz was completely submerged by the reservoir and was rebuilt on adjacent higher ground. As such, all the properties were newly built and are quite uniform in appearance.
At the time of our visit, the waters were high and this created some interesting scenes:
We went for a walk across a long boardwalk which leads to a landing jetty for boats.
Along the way, we caught sight of an Iberian Fox and an otter. Sadly, I was not quick enough to photograph either of them. Part way along the boardwalk is a small island, which has a swing on it.
Views from the boardwalk:
Estrela:
Looking to explore the newly created “coastline” further, we visited another small village, which now finds itself on the banks of a major body of water: Estrela.
The original church dates back to 1527, but some later rebuilding took place. The village grew around the church subsequently. Of course there is the obligatory stork’s nest on the belfry:
I hope our neighbour Sally, back in the UK, has a better builder than this:
The Alqueva Dam:
The cause of all this water being present, is the Alqueva Dam. Completed in 2002, the water first reached its full height in 2010.
On the watery side of the dam, there is a floating solar farm, which consists of 12,000 solar panels. It produces 7.5 GWh per year.
See u later. TTFN.
"See-u-Later" 