We woke early to catch a bus to Obidos, a medieval city about 1 hour away from Lisbon. We were certainly rewarded for our early start. The town was completely still; we didn’t hear anyone stir until after 9:00 am. Thankfully, the sky was clear, casting a beautiful morning glow.
Obidos is surround by a fortified wall that tourists are permitted to walk along free of charge. The name Obidos is actually thought to derive from the Latin word for “fortified city.” Marko read that the town was once a port town. Apparently the ocean has since retreated because there is no water in sight. We started our visit by walking the perimeter of the town on the castle wall. It was a great way to see the town and surrounding countryside. Inside the wall, there are churches, shops and cute little hotels. Chocolate and cherry liquor are a very popular treat in Obidos. Almost every shop had a road-side stand selling cherry liquor in a chocolate shot glass (for 1 Euro). As we wandered the streets, Marko bought a few pastries to sample. Although they were flaky, they looked better than they tasted. Generally, I’ve founds that Portuguese treats are sweet but could use more flavor (e.g., cinnamon, chocolate, nuts or vanilla). The best coffee on the trip so far was in Obidos; probably because it wasn’t as bitter as other coffee I’ve had.
Around lunch, the town started to fill up with visitors. We got the impression that many of people were local families visiting a children’s Christmas fair at the castle. Just outside the castle walls, we visited an impressive aqueduct. We saw a large old church standing alone in the distance and decided to visit it as well. The church was a bit run down but inside, it had the biggest nativity scene I’ve ever seen. It was a village with moving parts that consumed half of the church!
Off to the Algarve tomorrow for the last part of our trip.
