Friday, 23 September 2011

Fatima, Nazaré and Obidos

I joined a tour to Fatima - the funny part is that when the guide invited us to introduce ourselves - all of us were from Toronto! What are the odds!!  We headed out of Lisbon to the Sanctuary of Fatima - a very important site for Christians in particular Roman Catholics - it is the site of the marian apparitions by 3 children.  In 1917, the children were visited by a woman now known as Our lady of the Rosary of Fatima. The lady is to have imparted 3 secrets to the children.  It is an interesting story - just google Our Lady of Fatima.  The Basicila has a huge square - the leader said that today was quite a slow day - Sundays are busier but the dates around May 13, June 13 and Oct 13 - the crowds are huge. 



We then went to the 14th century Batalha Monastery - very impressive gothic architecture.




We had lunch in Nazaré - stunning views from the cliffs overlooking the town and then from below near the ocean - the surf was up and mesmerizing.





Following along the coast line and passing beautiful views we then came to Obidos - a quaint medieval village surrounded by castle walls with narrow streets, beautiful flowers and its own castle (now a hotel)





my Canadian tour mates...




Overall a great day in beautiful Portugal.

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