Today we are picked up for a private tour and will be dropped off at the end at Nazaré. Such a shame to not spend longer here. The apartment is so nice and Leiria is such a lovely little town.
Early morning walk for me up to the castle - most amazing sunrise.
Came back to collect MF and we walked around the back streets of the historical centre - the nicest laneways are close to where we are living. Had a coffee on the way - I’m not a fan of their coffee here - too much froth.
Relaxed start at 9:30. Gonçalo picks us up at the designated spot for our private tour today (we walk out of the historical area as his car would not be able to access our narrow street).
He seems affable and very professional. Turns out he was a paratrooper in the military at Tomar where we are heading to first this morning. He has fought in former Yugoslavia and Kosovo.
We talk of many things as we drive along including corruption: in 2013, a report by Transparency International revealed that political parties, parliament, the judiciary and the military are the most corrupt institutions in Portugal.
We also talk of the number of Eucalyptus we have seen; these were introduced for the production of paper - but they have also contributed to devastating fires in the region to the north of us - resulting in 66 deaths.
Our first stop today is Tomar: former seat of the Order of the Knights Templar. Here is the Convento do Cristo built in the 12th century: at the time it was the Kingdom’s most up-to-date and advanced military set-up, inspired by the fortifications of the Holy Land. Restoration works were ordered by King Manuel I in the 16th century when the complex gained the architectural splendour which earned it World Heritage Site status.
Between here and the historic centre below, one looks out at the attractive Sete Montes woods. All in all, quite splendid!
In the city itself, in the Praça da República, is the main church dedicated to St. John the Baptist. But it was closed.
It was 35 mins drive to Batalha where we called in on our Day 2 tour (when there was a wedding taking place). I had considered telling Gonçalo that we had been there (albeit briefly). Thank goodness I didn't. There was so much to this enormous complex that Alberto on our first tour had obviously no intention of covering - had we not had it included in today’s itinerary we wouldn't have known what we missed - and wow (!) this place is amazing - and wonderfully guided by Gonçalo.
In 1835, near the spot where the Monastery of Batalha stands, the Castilian armies were fought back (despite the Portuguese being greatly outnumbered) in the battle of Aljubarrota. This victory put an end to a dynastic crisis that had dragged on since 1383, since the death of King Ferdinand, whose only daughter was married to the King of Castile, an aspirant to the throne of Portugal. The future King João I ordered the construction of the monastery (which took place from 1385 to 1580!) as a symbol of the new dynasty. It is the biggest Gothic monastery in Portugal and obviously means a lot to Gonçalo as he grew up in this afrea.
Afterwards we tried a local sweet: Puding de Batalha.
Our last stop was Alcobaça - 25 mins drive from Batalha. Alcobaça lies in the valleys of the Alcoa and Baça rivers which according to some is the origin of its name. Alcobaça owes its fame to the monastery founded by the Order of Cistercians in 1153 on land donated by Dom Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal.
The church and monastery were the first Gothic buildings in Portugal; inside are the tombs of King Pedro I and his mistress, Inês de Castro, who was assassinated in 1355. It’s a very sad and famous Portuguese love story but the sculpted tombs are marvellous works of art. The complex also consists of a medieval library which was one of the largest libraries in Portugal.
The cuisine and confectionery have been strongly influenced by the local Cistercian monasteries and convents. The most famous sweet is "Pão de ló" cake, which took its name from the place where it is made - Alfeizerão. We bought some for later!
We arrived in Nazaré about 5:30 pm - a short drive from Alcobaça - past apple and pear orchards and then through industrial areas leading into the coastal town.
I have to say we weren’t over-enamoured by Nazaré on our first visit here with Alberto and I have since had doubts about returning so it’ll be very interesting to see what it’s like on a second go.
We find our accommodation and after a shower and short break we head to the beach (one minute away at the end of our street) and take some pretty pictures of boats moored on the beach before an early dinner (the biggest, fattest sardines plus frites for me) with white wine from the Douro as the sun goes down over the Atlantic.
By the end of the day, my feet were stuffed! It has been a hot day - 35 deg C - and although we haven’t done many stairs, we’ve certainly done many steps - 13 kms.
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