To Obidos: Romans, surfers and a prisoner

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Remarkable to think these mosaics date back to 139 BC. We wondered if anyone changed their minds and made them rip out the floor? This house had a beautiful courtyard,
This one was actually inside the museum but loved how contemporary it looks yet it’s hundreds of years old

Great roads in Portugal, but I can say that because Brant is driving. We had a hard time sorting out our stops on the way to Lisbon but opted against Coimbra (the former Capital) downtown as we felt we had enough city and downtowns are no fun to drive in. But we did make a stop at the Roman ruins on the outskirts. Once again we were amazed with the absense of tourists. These ruins were unique because of many intact mosaic floors which were left in place. Made it easy to imagine the home that went with it. And unlike the US the food served at the restaurants at the parks is very good and cheap.

I love the contrast of ancient walls against the “modern” church. They surmise the walls of the Roman town were built rapidly, likely due to approaching enemies. In their haste, they even took blocks from the surrounding homes to make the walls
Every home needs a water feature and they found clear evidence of fountains in the courtyard of this home. They have recreated the fountains and for 50 cents you can turn them on. I will try to insert the video at the bottom.
It was impressive how vast the area was (later we learned it was the largest in Portugal). A clearly organized settlement with the homes for wealthy and not so wealthy—-and of course a huge area for the Roman baths.

We also wanted to check out a surfer town so we stopped in Peniche. Unfortunately the fog had rolled in so it was not too photogenic, We decided to try for sun in the morning.

In the distance there are rocky cliffs you cannot see and the dunes required 3 flights of stairs to get to the top.
The fog did not appear to stop all the surfers. Or they are lost and unable to see the ocean directly behind them.

We had heard that Obidos might be underwhelming—-a bit too touristy and crowded others had told us. We had a plan though, to arrive at about 5 to our BnB just outside the city walls then walk the town, admire its lighting, and have a late dinner. It worked perfectly. Without people (or very few) it was easy to imagine the town in medieval times. At one point at about 6 or 7 I think? A large bus load of tourists suddenly walked into town together. It was very odd—-they were there for about 15 minutes then left! Just that one bus load destroyed the ambiance (for 20 minutes), I can’t imagine what more would do. There are very few people who live in Obidos so it makes for a remarkably peaceful place after bus tour hours.

We escaped to the castle walls until the bus people left. A perfect vantage point.
In the morning, the sun was out so we had to do another castle walk, Check out that bougainvillea.
That is one bougainvillea. That woman was enjoying posing.
The walls were wide enough to not be too scary (unless there was a horde of tourists) but the steps…..
…were a bit scarier. Especially with “no hands.“

The real gem was our BNB. It was in a home from the early 1600s. The owner greeted us with a shot of the traditional cherry liquer and said his wife had kidnapped him when they were in college together. He had been imprisoned their ever since. I think that was over 40 years ago. I believe the home had been passed down to her and previously owned by military doctors. (I hope I have this correct). All was reported to us with a bit of a grin. I don’t think he plans to request parole. We also learned that during his imprisonment, they had 2 children now out of college. And he also had his own business here helping businesses with computer set up and design—-thus explaining the excellent internet at Casa Picva. )

Nice spot for a drink outside our room with a view of the community outside the walls
They tried to preserve the details. Chair is from the 1700s, the tile is original.
There are so many chandeliers in Europe. I bet there is a chandelier cleaning service. This table has amazingly intricate inlay.
This piece is from 1650 and was used to store documents.
The gray car is ours. Note the castle wall next to our Casa Picva —-casa por la noche! We let th owner pull out our car—he had about a half inch to spare but it did it very smoothly.
A doorway cut into the castle wall…making it easy for us to go from our BNB to the town. At night the lights gave it a very unique vibe—-almost a bit spooky.

After a huge breakfast the next morning—homemade muesli, jams, lemon curd, fruits, breads, yogurt etc. We headed back to the coast. And the imprisoned host gave us and excellent suggestion for a coastal stop.

And the closing question: Would I go back? Maybe. I would like to see Coimbra and explore the surfer towns a bit more. There are also islands I’d like to take a boat out to. We really enjoyed talking with Alvaro and would like to talk more. He said he felt it was good that US people were moving to Portugal. Though he agrees it is likely to increase prices. Finally I think its very cool that you can hop off the highway, pull over next to the castle wall and do quick walk around…an unusual and beautiful hike. And it is all free.

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