An early morning visit to Obidos

Obidos, a lovely whitewashed town which is totally enclosed by a medieval wall, is hugely popular with tourists. I always wanted to visit Obidos, but not when the 1000's of tourists decent upon this medieval gem.
So a plan was hatched, arrive early in the morning. So on this particular morning, I arrived well before 7AM at the deserted carpark outside the walls of Obidos. So all looked good, no cars means no tourists.

The sun was trying to break through the morning clouds, so it looked like it was going to be a great day again in the Oeste subregion of Portugal.
I entered the village through the main gate "porta da Vila", which houses a tiled oratory.

From here, I wandered into the deserted main street "Rua Direita" which is lined with gift and craft shops, all of which were closed during my visit. The smell of the many flowers filled the town under the morning sun.

Walking along the Rua Direita, I reached the main square. Trees provide the little square with shade, the Igreja de Santa Maria sits quietly in the morning sun waiting for the busloads of tourists. The interior of this small church is build with blue 17th Century tiles.
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Walking further along the main street, it becomes apparent that Ginja (local cherry liquer) served in a chocolate cup is one of the main tourist offerings, but I just had to satisfy my thirst with the bottle of water I brought as it was only 7AM.

Ones upon a time, the coast reached as far as Obidos, which at the time would have seen fishing boats awaiting the next catch of the day below the city walls.
Obidos is also known as the marriage town, this as the town would have been given to the kings new bride as a wedding present.

Walking further along the Rua Direita, I reached the Pousada Castelo de Obidos, one of the accommodation options in Obidos which is located in the old castle in Obidos. From here, I climbed the steps bringing me to the top of the medieval city wall, opening up views towards the early morning sun, the vineyards and the Santuario do Senhor da pedra. 

When I visited Obidos, preparations were under way for the Obidos medieval festival , a huge festival which sees knights, jesters, medieval banquets and knight games take over the area around the castle.
Having walked around the entire wall, I was delighted to find the local pastelaria just opening it's doors. So, after a coffee and a croissant, it was time to leave this amazing little town before tourists decided to take over the little streets.

Walking along the town wall is fun, but care needs to be taken as there are plenty of trip hazards around. These walls encircle the entire town, and the views of the terracotta tiled roofs, the small gardens and the whitewashed houses is fabulous.