THE LA QUINTA HAS WALLS TWO-THREE FEET THICK

By Bob Van Leer

  (VILA FRESCA DE AZEITAO, PORTUGAL, July 9, 1992) - This morning we started at Santa Clara for a two hour boat ride on the lake backed up by the dam just below where we were staying.

  A Senhor Dimas agreed to take us for the ride. Six of us plus Sr. Dimas piled into his boat which would hold four nicely.

  The lake was low but was still a huge lake. Exposed along the shore were ruins of buildings flooded by the dam.

  For the first hour and three quarters we didn't see another boat moving on the lake. This would not be possible on a balmy summer day in any of the reservoirs in Oregon. 

  Finally, a boat run by a man who was apparently a government administrator came alongside and seemed to be telling Sr. Dimas about paperwork he should be filling out.

  He said the lake was three meters lower than it should be at this time of the year. The old buildings we saw should not have been exposed at all.

  We were still miles from the dock where we left and Sr. Dimas' outboard motor started acting up.

  He would make a few adjustments to the Johnson Workhorse which would make it run better momentarily and then start coughing again.

  Sr. Dimas would point to the motor, shrug his shoulders expressively and give a wide grin. But we managed to limp back a half hour late and started our drive north.

  Jim Walker was driving today. He and I have been alternating days of driving. This gave me more time to look over the scenery.

  At the start it was rolling hills and farmland and as we drove nearer to our destination we were on a sand spit similar to Florence, this one planted with pine trees.

  Much of the land we were driving through is managed forest. It is a mixture of about half pine and half eucalyptus.

  Marginal farm land is being taken out of production and put into forest. Pine makes up about 40% of the country's wooded land.

Collecting Pitch

  We noted slashes on pine trees and cups collecting liquid and found each mature pine tree is tapped for resin once or twice in each of the last two years before it is felled. Each tapping takes about a month.

  The main product of Portuguese forests is pulp, formerly made mostly from pine, but now mostly from the Australian eucalyptus.

  Eucalyptus matures to pulping size in 12 - 15 years while pine takes 40 - 50 years. Eucalyptus logged for pulp ranges from 2 inches up in size.

  Logging appears to be done mostly in large clearcuts followed by replanting, sometimes after terracing.
We drove up a sandspit forming the south jaw of the entrance to the Rio Sado harbor at Setubal.

  The entrance is so wide jetties are not needed. We took a ferry across to Setubal and the castle we stayed in our first night in Portugal is clearly visible on the skyline.

Castle - Monastery

  Our destination tonight was the Quinta das Torres just outside the little village of Vila Fresca de Azeitoa.

  This 16th century structure started life as a castle according to the manager. Because of the language gap piecing together a history was difficult. But, apparently after its start as a castle, it became a monastery.

  Following that it was the headquarters for a farm and is now an inn and restaurant.

  I have no exact count of rooms, but there are not many. In the dining room tonight, our party of six was the entire dinner crowd.

  The building structure is massive with walls two-three feet thick and floors made of huge stones.

  However, bathrooms have been added on and the rooms are the most spacious and comfortable of the trip.  The furnishings of the Quinta make it a small museum.

  Walks and lanes around the Quinta are mainly marble cobblestones. This is pretty much standard in Portugal. This is not a place for spike heels.

  The buildings at the Quinta are so solid they won't go away. Most construction is cut stone or masonry.

  The Quinta has had a long life and it is probably not over yet. The construction is massive and non-biodegradable so it will continue to be used for something. It would be interesting to know what its next reincarnation will be.

  Our trip is fast coming to a close. We will have one more full day in Portugal but this will be only a short drive to our hotel in downtown Lisbon.