Our trip north over the last several days has seen the topography change, populations grown denser, the weather colder, and the coffee stronger. Portuguese histroy seems to be older as you go north, as well. We thought we had a nodding acquaintence with it´s history in all the time we´ve spent in the south, but we didn´t. Our fist stop was at the walled town of Obidos. The wall is intact, the houses are all painted white, and there are wonderful little shops scattered along the narrow streets. The town was traditionally given by Poruguese kings to their wives! At the top on the hill sits the castle, now a pousada, but we were unable to gain entrance. We stopped in Alcobaca to visit the largest church in Portugal, founded in 1153 to celebrate the victory
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