Bussaco National Forest and Tomar

[Mon 5/15 - Tue 5/16] 

We were on the road from Pinhão before noon, retracing our path along the south side of the river for the first 30 minutes or so. Stopped to quickly check out a dam until we realized it also had a lock to allow boats to pass through, so ended up staying to watch a boat be raised about 90' in a single, gravity-powered lock - very cool. 

'Elevator going down' - this guy entered the lock after we watched a smaller boat get raised

Continued southwest for about 3 hours then decided to check out Buçaco National Forest, a park with several historic buildings, including a Carmelite convent from the early 1600s that is now a luxury hotel. The grounds were once maintained as an arboretum with trails to several smaller religious buildings. We decided to walk a bit and found ourselves on a trail of several small chapels representing the stations of the cross.

The convent of Santa Cruz - now a luxury hotel

Gardens behind the hotel

We took a brief stroll through the hotel before we were asked to leave (oops)

One of the stations of the cross buildings with a statue depicting the scene inside

An overlook in Buçaco National Forest

Drove another hour to the town of Fatima and Our Lady of Fatima, where Mary is said to have appeared to 3 shepherd children in 1917. The site was initially marked with a small chapel and statue, but now is home to two massive basilicas and is a popular destination for Catholic pilgrims.  

Basilica of our Lady of the Rosary

Stained-glass windows inside the beautiful basilica

We drove another 40 minutes to our final destination for the day, Tomar. Navigated some insanely narrow streets to drop bags at our hotel, Casa Dos Oficios, parked and checked in. We walked the small but charming town for a bit then had a delicious meal on the riverside patio of Beira Rio restaurant.

The beautiful town of Tomar on the Nabão River

Tuesday we grabbed a quick breakfast in the hotel, then walked a long uphill path to the main attraction in Tomar - Convento de Cristo. The convent is housed inside a former castle that was headquarters of the Knights Templar from it's founding in 1160 until the order was dissolved in 1314. It later became home to the Knights of the Order of Christ, who were responsible for funding Portugal's maritime discoveries in the 1400's.

Church of St John the Baptist in Tomar

Hike up to the castle; it was easy to imagine knights on horseback climbing the same hill

A well-protected castle (on a beautiful day!)

We walked along some of the outer wall before going inside

Ceiling in one of the smaller chapels

The Oratory

So many beautiful touches

Central courtyard

Afterward, we stopped at the hotel to clean up and check out. We grabbed a couple delicious roasted pork sandwiches from a small cafe, then walked the town a bit more before hitting the road again - heading south to the Algarve. We all loved our brief time in Tomar.