Óbidos
Óbidos (altitude: 70m/230ft)is probably included in every tour of western central Portugal. Because of its prettiness and general attractiveness the whole town has been declared a national monument. This also means that in order to preserve the original townscape there are no big hotels in Óbidos, although there are several small, deluxe establishments inside the old walls. The number of beds is therefore extremely limited, and it is almost impossible to get a room here in the summer months without early reservation. In earlier centuries the Lagoa de Óbidos, a big lagoon with a narrow opening into the sea and now more than 10km/6mi northwest of Óbidos, reached almost to the little town. This Atlantic dimension made Óbidos strategically important and it was therefore strongly fortified in Moorish times. Already a place of great attraction in the Middle Ages, Óbidos was frequently chosen as the queen's dowry, and it was a favorite residence of St Isabel and other queens and kings of Portugal. Queen Leonor lived here for several years, mourning her only son who had been killed in a riding accident. |
 |
 |
Alcobaça
Alcobaça (altitude: 42m/138ft.), about 20km/12mi south of Batalha and known by the Romans as Eburobriga, is charmingly set between two little rivers, the Alcoa and the Baça, below the ruins of a Moorish castle. Its principal attraction is its magnificent Cistercian abbey. Alcobaça is the cultural and economic heart of a large and fertile agricultural region (fruit canning), first brought under cultivation by St Bernard's monks in the 14th C. The town is noted for its blue painted pottery which, with other handicrafts, can be found on sale in the square fronting the abbey. |
|
