Obidos

The day we had planned to leave the fog was if anything thicker than ever, we had been kept awake by the constant dripping off the boom and the prospect of 48 miles in that didn't appeal. I went back to bed.
Plan `B` was to catch the bus to Obidos a small walled town about an hour away.

To be honest the bus was late by about 20 mins but otherwise was very quick. The cost was also reasonable at 5.55 euros return, each, we were dropped off just outside the walled town gatehouse and already were beginning to realise we had dressed for drippy cold fog and we were now in bright sunshine and 30 degrees. Oops!

Obidos was all that we had been told, an almost complete medieval town . The Porta de Villa (gatehouse) dates from the !4th century but the interior tiles are a later 18th century addition.

We decided to waste no time (as it was only going to get hotter ) and climbed the walls immediately. It is possible to walk completely around the town however the pathway along the battlements is open on one side and the stones the walls are constructed from are the very hard flint like rock that is very slippy underfoot.

Lynne was less than impressed! She doesn't like heights at the best of times. As well as dressing too warmly Lynne had also chosen inappropriate shoes....

We made for one of the high towers to inspect the view.

The town was in a commanding position on top of the rocky ridge.

The view over the surrounding countryside was extensive, but I could tell Lynne was not overly happy at altitude, however she carried on and only much later did she decide to drop off the walls

The walls meet at the opposite end of the town at a castle. A small staircase allowed Lynne to drop off the walls.

The Castle is really quite impressive from the right angle...

There is a recreation of a medieval village but to be honest it was just stalls selling tourist tat, luckily as it was late season most were closed. To be honest when compared to the real thing just behind they weren't that convincing.
but the stocks were still working.

The town itself is probably best described as a tourist trap but it actually still has enough charm and genuine history to rise above it. It is absolutely beautiful in the warm October sunshine.

We needed refreshment so found a small bar which had huge character, and no bar, we ordered from a gentleman sat down and he motioned us to sit. Drinks were either served from a large oak dresser or appeared magically from behind some curtains.

after a refreshing beer we tried the local speciality Ginjha, which is a kind of cherry liqueur served in chocolate cups, well I suppose it saves on the washing up.

Suitably refreshed we continued to explore. Below is the pillory in the square opposite the Igreja de Santa Maria.

The church has a simple elegance and in a similar fashion to most houses in Obidos is whitewashed.

The interior is plain and sadly is obviously suffering from a bit of damp. It did however provide a cool place to sit.. Strangely there was also a very commercial gift shop off to one side of the alter in what was once I am guessing the vestry.

The tourist and commercial aspects are ever present however we had not been charged for anything other than drinks so far. Later we enjoyed a snack in a cafe which was also very reasonable.

The real joy is the town itself which in some ways reminded us of Port Merion in North Wales, the tiled roofs, whitewashed walls, architecture and general pedestrian nature if not the blue skies and heat!

The amount of craft shops is quite staggering the one above is the house of romance and can be recommended. Also if you get a bit peckish you are certainly not short of places to eat.
The museum was a bit of a disappointment, even free it was the smallest museum we have ever visited. The photo below is about a third of it!

We had a fantastic day in Obidos , We had avoided the dreaded fog and had charged up our sun batteries ready for the long sail to Cascais. The return bus was on time and we got back to Dark Tarn just as the sun set.

We were looking forward to seeing more of Portugal over the winter months.