Obidos, walking tour (1)

There are many things to see in Obidos.
Without a proper guide, it's easy to miss one or two.
In my case, I didn't see some of must-sees.
That's one of the reasons I prepared this guide.
The next time when I visit this city will be around the Chocolate festival.

At that time, I am going to see all the 24 landmarks.
When you get off at the bus stop,
you should go to the information center
and get a map.

캡션 추가

1. The first must-see is Memorial Cross. 
The first King Afonso I took over this place from Moors
and to celebrate the victory he built this cross here
where his troops stationed.

Memorial Cross, this picture is from wikipeida

 

2. St. John The Baptist Church

The queen Isabel who got married in Obidos
built this church in 1309
and this place is now a museum.
There is a special exhibition called PO POVO AO REI,
meaning from people to king.
Free admission but no photo taking is allowed.

 3. Wine Cellar Bookshop
Obviously a bookstore, but I didn't see this place.
What a shame!

4. Aqueduct

To supply clean water to the village,
this three-kilometer-aqueduct was built in the 16th century
by Queen Catherine, John III's wife.
She sold her private lands around Obidos to finance this project.
And the water runs to the fountain in the middle of the village.

5. Town Gate

As you can see from the picture,
it looks like there are two doors.
However, the real entrance is only one.
The one with doors closed is a fake one
to fool the enemies trying to attack the village.

Inside the entrance, you can see a beautiful azulejo picture,
but when I visited here, it was under renovation.
The picture below is from the official village homepage.

6. Auditório Municipal Casa da Música de Óbidos
Auditorium and Music hall, I guess.
I didn't go in there.
The sign right in front of the building
implores visitors not to scribble all over the walls.

7. Camões Monument
This monument was designed by Raul Lino
to commemorate the great poet Camões.

In his Os Lusíadas, he mentioned this queen's village, Obidos like below.

Que cidade tão forte porventura

Haverá que resista, se Lisboa

Não pôde resistir à força dura

Da gente cuja fama tanto voa?

Já lhe obedece toda a Estremadura,

Óbidos, Alenquer (por onde soa

O tom das frescas águas entre as pedras,

Que, murmurando, lava) e Torres Vedras.

​

Luís de Camões, Os Lusíadas

[Canto III, estrofe 61]

8. Rua Direita

Rua Direita means Right Road leading to the castle. 

In this fork, the left road is Rua Direita. 

From the castle, this road is on the right side. 

Maybe that's why it is called Rua Direita. 

This road is the main road through the village 

so there are all kinds of interesting shops lined along it.