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Published: September 18th 2013
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Our final night at Tolmar was spent in the what I called Joy Room. A room with fans, a bookcase full to the brim, a TV and Wifi access. We slept fairly well apart from a lot of tent peg banging later on when someone came in with a tent and a hammock. Quick shower, quick breakfast, paid for our three nights and hit the road. It was a grey, cloudy and overcast morning. We soon left the environs of Tolmar and made for the motorway which was lined with olive and eucalyptus trees. The soil changed from the reddish Nottinghamshire colour to mustard yellow. We passed through the tolls with ease. No money changing hands yet. The shock will come on the credit card when we return home. We have worked out by now that the Portuguese Via Verde system charges by the distance between motorway exits. The shorter the distance the cheaper the toll. Some tolls were as little as 5 cents for a car and 15 cents for Suzy and others around 75 cents for Suzy.
We saw Obidos some way out and headed for a sosta we had read about which was within walking distance of
the town. The co-ordinates seemed wrong in the book so we had checked them on the internet before leaving Tomar only to be given the same ones. When we got there we found it close to the aqueduct, completely empty apart from a couple of motorhomes and free between the hours of 9am and 5pm. Further round was another car park just for cars and around the corner a motorhome stopover costing 6 euros for the night. Everywhere white dust which reflected the sun back into our eyes and all the houses gleaming and shiny white. On the hilltops the remains of Don Quiote type windmills. A few with sails on but most in disrepair.
The town was simple with just one street and narrow it was too. On a quiet day it would be lovely but today the bus loads of tourists on their way to Fatima had called in and it was hard to push your way up the town through them. The town had been an important port until the river did what rivers do and silted up. We entered the town via the main gateway the Porta da vila which in typical Portuguese style was
Obidos
Borgenvillia growing decorated with blue and white tiles. Tat stalls, cafes, musicians and ladies selling fruit lined the route. Further up stalls full of canaries, little pot birds that when filled with water and blown made a noise. Shops opened out on to the street selling a ginger and cherry liquour served in chocolate cases which you ate after you drank the liquour. A small square opened out below the pillory and the square was dominated by a white church. Not very interesting inside.
The walls were impressive in parts although dangerous to walk on due to lack of any form of health and safety barriers. And inside them a mock up wooden selection of buildings. Not quite sure what they were intended to be but they looked rather silly.
We walked down slowly passed the pousada the hotel chain owned by the government and housed in rather nice old buildings. Past small houses covered in orange blossomed vine trees and bouganvillia in bright reds, pinks and mauve. Obidos should have been more interesting than it was – the crowds in such a small place spoilt it somewhat. But at least we can say we have seen it. Did it
live up to the Dorling Kindersley description of an enchanting hilltop town with pretty whitewashed buildings but a little too busy for us.
The rest of the day was spent driving down to Lisbon and Belem but thats another story.
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want to understand Óbidos ???
www.tours.com.pt