[Day 8 – Óbidos, Alcobaça, Batalha, and Fátima]
Óbidos
Viewing from a ledge
Walled village of Óbidos
Perfect for parkour.
Alcobaça
A monastery,
Splendid Gothic monument
Houses royal tombs.
Batalha
A UNESCO site,
Another monastery
Preserved very well.
Fátima
Visions of Mary,
Catholic pilgrimage site;
Many faiths pray here.
In case you missed . . .
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
[Day 7 in Tomar]
Once headquartered in Tomar,
The Order of the Knights Templar
Overcame Islamic domination in Portugal;
They were rewarded the castles of Almourol,
Monsanto, and Pombal.
Faced with perceived heresy,
And political upheaval,
The once mighty warrior monks’
Reputation and status were all laid lower
When the jealous King of France
Persuaded the Pope to destroy the Order.
In case you missed . . .
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 5 was a déjà vu at the São Bento train station, where we boarded the 8:15 a.m. suburban train to Braga. We spent the whole day at a baroque capital founded by the Romans, who named it Bracara Augusta, and now referred to as Braga. Renowned for its numerous churches and nearby Bom Jesus do Monte pilgrimage center, Braga is home to the first cathedral in Portugal.
Porto is Portugal’s second largest city and is situated in the northern part of the country. As soon as I alighted from the train from Coimbra, I hit the ground walking. And what a lot to see . . .
Day 2 – In and around Praça da Liberdade and Avenida dos Aliados
If you missed it, see . . .
Day 1 – Coimbra
I traveled through the northern part of Portugal over a month ago, landing in Lisbon first but immediately headed north to Coimbra first and then on to Porto and nearby towns. Truly a country full of beauty and history.
Day 1 – Coimbra
Formerly Portugal’s capital, a medieval city known best for its historic University of Coimbra, the oldest such scholarly institution in all of Europe. The main university building was once the royal palace.
Hungary at last;
Kecskemét and Budapest,
All fun and no rest.
∞ ∞ ∞
Next, Bratislava,
Crossed the bridge to Austria,
Walked with stamina.
∞ ∞ ∞
Started out in Prague,
I’ve so much to catalog.
Was I all agog!
[The photos that follow include Church of St. Nicholas, the Lennon Wall, St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague Castle, Powder Gate, the Astronomical Clock, Hotel Rott, Dvorák Museum, Alfons Mucha Museum, Petrin Park, The Loreto, and Konopište and Karlštejn Castle.]
Karina Pinella 
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