Chapter Eleven: Traversing Templar Tomar

Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report

Chapter Eleven: Traversing Templar Tomar

Day Eleven: Hanging With The Templars, Barely Beating The Crowd, Window of Opportunity Shut, Traversing Tomar, Forest Tuckered, Weeping Water Wheel, The Match Game, Danger Of Death, Checking Out Tomar’s Heritage, My New Almost Girlfriend and Bohemian Rhapsody

Time to explore a little of historic Tomar. Near our hotel, we ventured across the bridge with three names … Old Bridge, Ponte Velha or Dom Manuel Bridge, which may or may not have been built over an old Roman Bridge, crosses the Rio Nabão. That was a lot of information to digest after only one cup of coffee. In any event, our destination was that big fortress on top of the hill in the distance, the Convento de Cristo.

Once again, the sky was that deeper shade of blue that almost looks fake.

Our goal along the way to the castle was to visit the late 15th-century Igreja de São João Baptista. We reached the Praça da República where the church commemorated by Henry The Navigator is located, and much to our disappointment the church was closed for renovation with scaffolding covering its exterior. Instead, we took a picture of the square with the statue of the founder of Tomar (Guildim Pais) standing tall in the center. Only a few of the Tomar pigeons greeted us.

Continuing our walk through town …

… we reached the hill that provided views over Tomar. All that walking in Lisbon and Sintra had paid off, as the walk up was of no difficulty.

Besides being a UNESCO World Heritage site, Convento de Cristo was also the second of the places we’d see on the World Heritage Route (Mosteiro de Alcobaça and Mosteiro da Batalha being the others). The combo ticket we had purchased the previous day at Alcobaça gained us entry. First we explored the New Sacristy.  Although Convento de Cristo was founded in the 12th century by the Grand Master of the Templar, this was part of the 16th-century rebuild when the second church was consecrated.

                                                                                          

We have no idea where this ceiling photo was taken, but it was right after we entered snd it was either in or near the New Sacristy, although it seems more rustic. Oh well, nice shot.

Since we had gotten a late start on the morning, we barely beat the tour busses and in order to dodge the gathering hordes, we did not visit the Convento in the order we should have. There were lots of cloisters, so I hope I don’t get them too confused. I think this one is the Cemetery Cloister where friar knights and others in the convent were buried. We were deftly attempting to stay one step ahead of the crowd, but they seemed to be gaining on us.

                                           

The Claustro de Lavagem (Wash Cloister) is the two-story cloister where the monks washed their clothes. Unfortunately, I left all my quarters in the states.

                       

By now, I was completely enamored of those beautiful blue azuelos, and plenty could be found here on the second floor, including this colorful corridor. It was constructed at the time when Prince Henry the Navigator was Grand Master of the order in the 15th century.

                                                 

* This article was originally published here