As you drive near Obidos, Portugal, you will find curious signs which heavily recommend that you leave your rented vehicle parked either behind the walls of the main entrance to the town in the lower part and walk up from the Porta da Vila or the Main Village Doorway or behind the castle. Obidos is so immaculately clean that it would be an insult to dirty its bright white washed houses.
First Glimpse of Obidos
In one of the walls, under a roof there is a prayer station decorated with tiles from the 18th c. which represent two scenes from the life of Jesus: The agony and the garden of Olives. The main street starts from the small square at the entrance and is practically all typical shops. There are lovely crafts and many sorts of accomodations all around, some are quite magnificent mansions turned into hotels. As in all towns, there are churches and museums with its local history. A Barrocco style temple was converted into the Sanctuary of Our Lord Jesus of the Stone and is marked by an old stone cross lying there, with an etching representing a caveman like figure. This and the church of Saint John Baptist are also places of worship like the wonderful Our Lady of Fatima, Portugal.There is also a lagoon where you can see many kinds of marine birds which would be a paradise for those interested in Ornithology.
Santarem, to the east of Obidos, is a city which is sitting on a plateau made up of seven hills with a branch of the Tagus River around its rim. Santarem got its name because the ship that was transporting the body of Saint Irene ran aground there and the king changed its Roman name to Santarem – Saint Irene. Since then, and for many centuries, this city has been in competition with Evora to be the most important city until Porto left them both behind thanks to its industrialzation.
Evora is now the most important city in Alentejo. It is an interesting place complete with interesting monuments all of which are very well conserved. As a lot of amazing cities have been studied for their historical and architectural contents, Evora has not been overlooked and it too has been included by the Organization of World Heritage to be treated as such. Temple of Diana, dating back to the II or III century B.C. is probably one of the reasons for this privilege. To the right of the temple is the monastery dos Loios or Saint John Baptist Church. The convent has been converted into an elegant accommodation called Pousada ( a group of historic buildings offered as luxurious hotel accommodation).
The Lisbon Airport is usually a good choice and starting point when wanting to sightsee all of Portugal. With the wise decision of getting a car hire, Sintra, about 32 kilometres northwest of Lisbon is an ideal get away.
What most sticks out in Sintra is undoubtebly, the Royal Palace or now known as the National Palace, set on a platform on the hillside and going way back to the 14th c. built by Joao I and continued on until King Manuel I. From 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., everyday for a small entrance fee the public can calmly stroll through this marvellous masterwork.
Everywhere you go, you will find something that catches you heart and leaves a special message, like Obidos, Portugal.
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