Enroute to our overnight in Óbidos, where we were staying in different hotels, Chris warned us not to expect much. "The guidebook says it's more about a vibe." Sara, the proprietor of Casa do Relogio, instantly conveyed the town's friendliness, especially when pouring a welcome shot of cherry brandy and serving me a home-cooked breakfast the next morning. It didn't hurt that my room cost 75% less than it had the night before, with no appreciable loss in comfort.
It had a pretty view, too, if a little foggy when I awoke.
But Sara did ask for payment in cash, which sent me off in search of an ATM on the pleasantly deserted streets shortly after we arrived.
Janet had to plead for an early reservation at A Nova Casa de Ramiro, the restaurant directly beneath my hotel, just outside the city wall. It had the most pleasant ambience of any place we ate on the trip, and soon was packed solid.
The maitre' d told me I needed to sop up the gravy beneath my cherry-sauce branded filet mignon. As if I needed any instruction!
The next morning, Sara ushered Chris and Janet to the terrace before coming to get me.
We climbed charmingly decorated streets to the fortress that has been turned into a four-star hotel.
The medieval walls enclosing the city remain intact, although like almost everything else in Portugal they were damaged in the 1755 earthquake. By now, I was beginning to seriously regret not visiting the earthquake museum in Belem when we had the chance.
Stepping outside the wall near its highest point revealed the neatly furrowed fields surrounding the city.
The wall also enabled me to get this aerial view from the other end of town which has just one major thoroughfare, Rua Direita. You can see the fortress/hotel, known as a posada, in the distance.
Although only 3,100 people live in Óbidos, it is home to 14 book stores. We visited two, including a branch of Ler Devagar located in a an old church.
I've added José Saramago, the 1998 Nobel Prize winner for literature to my reading list.
A small municipal museum had an interesting collection of local art works created 400 years apart.
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| Picture of Lady by Eduardo Malta (1953) |
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| Untitled by Abilio de Mattos e Silva (1941) |
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| St. John the Baptist (mid-15th century) |
We also wandered into a contemporary art gallery.
It was an unusually relaxed way to start our day.
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