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GUARDA |
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GUARDA , at over 1000m, is the highest town in Portugal built on a
plateau on the north-east flank of the Estrela mountains. It is chilly
and windswept all year round and offers superb views. The city was
founded in 1197 by Dom Sancho I to guard his borders against both Moors
and Spaniards, and though the castle and walls have all but disappeared,
its arcaded streets and little squares can be distinctly picturesque.
The train station is 3km north of the centre but there is, fortunately,
a connecting bus that meets all the major trains; the bus station is
about four hundred metres southeast of the cathedral, in the heart of
the old town. Dour and grey, the castellated facade of the Cathedral
looks like the gateway of a castle, but around the sides the exterior is
lightened by flying buttresses, pinnacles and grimacing gargoyles.
Inside it's surprisingly lofty, with twisted pillars and vaulting
influenced by the Manueline style. The huge carved stone retable is by
João de Rouão, a leading figure in the sixteenth-century resurgence of
Portuguese sculpture at Coimbra. A short way east there are modern and
imaginative displays of local archeology, art and sculpture in the Museu
de Guarda (Tues-Sun 10am-12.30pm & 2-5.30pm; ¬1.25). Of the Castle , on
a bleak little hill nearby, only the square keep survives, while the
walls are recalled by just three surviving gates. The cobbled streets of
the old town, though, are fascinating in themselves - the tangled area
between the Porta da Estrela and Porta do Rei , north of the cathedral,
has changed little in the past four hundred years.
There are two tourist offices : a central one on Praça Luis de Canões
(Mon-Fri 9am-12.30pm & 2-5.30pm; tel 271 222 251), where you can pick up
a town map: and a more helpful one next to the modern Câmara Municipal
(Tues-Fri 9.30am-noon & 2-6pm, Sat closes 8pm; tel 271 221 817). Places
to stay are fairly easy to come by if not especially cheap: try the
attractive Pensão Moreira , Rua Mouzinho de Albuquerque 47 (tel 271 214
131; £10-15/$16-24/¬18-27), or cheerful rooms at the Casa de Sé , just
off Praça Luis de Canões, on Rua Augusto Gil 17 (tel 271 212 501;
£15-20/$24-32/¬27-36), off the central square. There is also a modern
hostel on Av Alexandre Hercularo (tel 271 224 482; £10-15/$16-24/¬18-27,
dorms £5-10/$8-16/¬9-18), on the way to Guarda's campsite , open all
year, in a park a short way from the castle; remember, though, that
nights can be extremely cold. The restaurants between the Porta da
Estrela and the church of São Vicente are cheap and cheerful.
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