Blogs from Óbidos, Lisbon & Tagus Valley, Portugal, Europe

What a good night sleep. I think we all fell asleep 5 minutes after lying down. It was so nice to have peace and quiet, a dark room and air conditioning. Feeling a bit guilty not getting out as early to explore but a mllazy morning is probably needed. Anne and I spent a bit of time trying to get some blog posts up to date while the kids slept in. It would have helped to have a bit more coffee. I think both of us have had much less coffee than usual on this trip but itbwas so gpod to have some provided by the air bnb. That is after we figured out the espresso machine and added water ubtil ut became a regular coffee. We all packed up and went to drop Anne and ... read more

Every country has at least one historic town that is considered to be its crowning glory. In Canada that town is arguably Quebec City: in Portugal it’s unquestionably Óbidos, which has been declared a national monument. Originally a Moorish stronghold, it was captured by King Afonso Enriques in 1148. Thereafter a castle was built, and both the castle and the surrounding town were enlarged, encompassed by imposing walls, endowed in 1575 with an impressive aqueduct, and improved over the centuries, until today Óbidosis a truly picture-perfect and unforgettable historic site. It is sometimes called the “wedding present town”, because Queen Isabel was so enchanted by it that King Dinis gave it to her on their wedding day in 1282 – buildings, inhabitants and all. From then on it was the traditional wedding gift to a new ... read more

Today I woke up with the uncertainty of where I would go. I really didn’t want to go to Coimbra, so I chose to make the complicated trip to Obidos. Obidos is a small medieval town surrounding by a wall/fort. After I ate a quick breakfast of crackers, I made my way to the bus station. I found out that Fatima does not have a bus go directly to Obidos, so I would have to go to Lisbon and then Obidos. I bought a ticket for the 10:30 bus to Lisbon. It was 10:25 when I bought my ticket, so I hurried and tried to find the bus. Since the bus station is so small, I was able to find it easily. I spent the 90 minute drive relaxing and writing, making the time go by ... read more

Obidos was probably my favorite town in the Lisbon region. In the old town the walls are covered with pictures from stories which were once hailed as the traditional bridal gift of Portuguese Kings. Its about 100k north of Lisbon so it did take us 2 hours to get there. Once we got to Obidos me dad and Liz decided to get some meringue and strawberries. Yum! We walked along beautiful cobbled streets lined with whitewashed houses sporting terracotta roofs. The shops had all there local handicrafts. Another thing we all noticed was the beautiful flowers growing everywhere including morning glories, bougainvillea and geraniums. We decided to climb up to walk along the ramparts. In the distance we could see windmills, vineyards and the surrounding farmlands which included horses. Liz felt her brethren and the closeness ... read more