Tomar - Castles, Conventos and Knights Templar - Part 1
/We don’t really remember why Tomar came up on our radar. Maybe it was a discussion we had with Michael and Catherine when we visited with them before we started the Camino. Maybe it was a conversation with John and Pam, American ex-pats, whom we met in Ponte de Lima. Maybe it was simply the lure of the Knights Templar history, legends, and legacy. As we discussed the possibilities of where to head after Porto, Tomar made the short list and became our next destination.
We booked a ‘direct’ Flix bus, which was kinda direct, but certainly not non-stop. Three and a half hours later, we arrived in Tomar under gray, cloudy skies that threatened imminent rain. We’d seen glimpses of the Templar Castle from the bus window and were keen to visit, but the rain commenced on our way to our rented apartment and kept us captive till the late afternoon.
Our apartment, by the way, was clean and comfortable with an odd-shaped layout, a well-stocked galley kitchen and a large patio with an orange tree, lots of ripe oranges and a juicer!
The rain let up around 4:30 pm, and we decided to check out the Castle. We climbed the stairs up the steep hill upon which the Castle sits to discover that everything was closed for the day, though their website hours indicated they would be open for another hour or more. Standing outside the massive castle walls built in the 12th century only strengthened our desire to peek behind them.
No worries, we’d try again tomorrow. In the meantime, we got our bearings and walked as far as we could around the perimeter of the castle, admiring the arches of the elevated aqueduct. Constructed between the 16th and 17th centuries, this aqueduct is 6 km (3.7 miles) long with 180 vaulted arches and reaches as high as 30 m (98’) at its highest point. A major achievement in engineering and ingenuity.
Templar Aqueduct
We stopped halfway down the hill at the 16th-century Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Hermitage of Our Lady of Conception). Designated a Portuguese national monument, the hermitage was conceived as a funerary pantheon by King John III (João III). It’s in pretty rough shape, and no entry is allowed.
Views from our vantage point above the city were great.
We returned to town and strolled the streets until dinnertime. The Roda Hidráulica do Mouchão (Water Wheel of Mouchão), located in Parque do Mouchão, is one of Tomar’s iconic landmarks. Located on a small stream off the Rio Nabão, this traditional wooden waterwheel was originally used for irrigation and powering grain mills and oil presses. Five-liter clay buckets fill and release water, which turns the wheel.
We noted two interesting statues in the park as we strolled through. ‘Two Fernandos’ are Fernando Lopes- Graça, one of the best Portuguese composers and songwriters of the 20th century, and Fernando Ferreira, an ecologist, journalist, and an inspired poet. These two friends met in the park frequently for chats, and the statue immortalizes their friendship.
Views of the town and the arched Old Bridge, aka Dom Manuel Bridge, across the Nabão River were stunning. This medieval stone bridge was originally built by the Knights Templar in the 12th century. It’s surmised that it might have been constructed over an ancient Roman bridge using some of the original materials found there. In fact, the current town of Tomar itself was built on the foundations of the Roman city of Sellium.
Pretty much wherever you walked in the Old Town, you could view the Castle sitting regally on the hilltop.
The Knights Templar cross was everywhere… in the town sign, in the shops, the street art, and even in the cobblestone sidewalk design.
The best street art we saw, however, was Projeto Matilha. She was quite stunning!
Projeto Matilha
It was time for dinner, and there were any number of cafes and restaurants from which to choose. Snails were on one menu, and since we like escargot, we ordered some as an appetizer. Though we enjoyed them, we weren’t quite expecting what was served. We ate them with toothpicks!
So many and some looked as if they were still trying to make a run for it! Not quite as expected.
Enough for one day. The rain started again, and we made a mad dash back to the apartment. A good day of reconnoitering. Next time, we head to Templar Castle to wander and explore. Join us! Maybe we’ll meet one of the knights.