Date of Events: April 16, 2019
I could not pass up an opportunity to go on a tour that was specifically about Order of the Knights Templar.
I was picked up at the square only 1 block from my hotel. And it was only a group of 6 plus the guide ... maximum allowed was eight.
Our first stop was Almoural Castle. The castle sits on a little island in the middle of the Tagus River.It was built by the Knights Templar in a former site of a Roman fort and held by the Grand Master of the Knights of Templar.
This boat took us out to the castle for a tour inside.
This castle served as an important vantage point and guardian of this section of the river.
The river is lower than normal and partially because of the dams.
We then made our way to Constancia. A lovely village.
This statue, in Constancia, is of a poet who was kicked out of Lisbon for sleeping with married women. Instead of killing him he was exiled. His poetry tells a great deal about the history of that Era.
Where the two rivers meet.
The town of Constancia is very quaint and we all agreed how nice it would be to stay a few nights here.
Our guide went to a local store and bought us these nice treats, so tasty.
Orange trees were everywhere and I couldn't pass up this photo opportunity.
Our next stop was in the village of Tomar. Here we visited the most impressive place and is one of Portugals historic attractions, the Convento do Cristo (Convent of Christ). This magnificent castle was founded in 1160 as the headquarters of the Order of the Knights Templar. The Convent of Christ is awe-inspiring and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
This foundation section of the castle was actually the quarters of the kings son who lived here.
A plate found on site that belonged to the Templars.
This is where the monks would eat.
This area was the cooking area.
This aqueduct brought fresh water to the castle. 😊
This hole was actually the septic systern.
In the village of Tomar the cobblestones are in the shapes of crosses representing the Order of the Knights Templar.
We stopped at a local restaurant and I had chicken with apple and cinnamon ... it was so tasty.
A wall mural in Tomar.
Our tour stopped at another Church that held significant importance to the Order of the Knights Templar. Unfortunately there was a funeral and we could only go inside a small portion at that time.
Our guide, Stanislav, informed us there was a strike by the company owners of fuel. So we stopped to fuel up before heading back into Lisbon.
Stanislav was a great tour guide ... great humor, included everyone and was very knowledgeable about the history of the Templars. An awesome tour.
After the tour I was walking down the street and bumped into Armando and Maria who were also on the tour. Next thing you know we were sitting down having a lovely conversation. They treated me to beer and dessert (pasteis de nata). Such lovely people ... we had talked about so much. We both said it was like family and they invited me to stay with them the next time I come back to Spain. I too invited them to stay with me in Nova Scotia.
