A couple of days roaming about the local area around the weekend meant we saw more of the wider vistas, and we met up with some friends to boot.
It was our friends who moved a bit further away towards Óbidos who suggested meeting for a coffee and the location of Óbidos was perfect. We hadn’t been there for some time.
Anyway we got there and our friends had been waiting by the entrance for us for about 15 minutes so we headed straight for a cafe for a coffee and catch-up. We spent quite a while and enjoyed a couple of drinks and grabbed a bite to eat there too.
You can’t help switching to tourist mode while you are there, as there are so many different little shops and boutiques to peruse around. You start to meld with all the tourists. The locals will try and encourage you to visit their place, and as we passed on marked as a ‘market’ it peaked our interest.
It was just someone’s house really with random nicknacks for sale in every room. It might also have been a B&B as there were a bunch of people sat down having lunch in one of the rooms you had to walk through. Quite bazaar really.
It was really good to hear from our friends and how their move had gone and what projects were on the go etc. It was also nice to stroll around Óbidos once again and see what subtle changes there were compared to our last visit. This time however, we decided to avoid climbing the walls. (Apart from the girls did a small section).
As we were leaving the village there was one small seller who had some trinkets fashioned from wood. Mostly from old pallets by the look of it, and one particular piece which was basically a whole pallet with cut outs and a planting trough added captured our bestie. She bought it on the spot and me and Phil dutifully carried it back to the car, wondering if it was going to fit!
After a few minutes we eventually managed to shimmy it into the back after removing the head restraints in the back and Netty swapping places as she has fitted under the overhanging pallet.
Our next roaming experience followed the following day where Veronica had seen a waterfall on google maps and being waterfall geeks we set off to try and find the said waterfall. We eventually followed the sat-nav which weirdly took us down an unmarked track to a factory. We spotted some public parking a bit further back with a signpost showing a map, so retraced our steps and parked up to have a look. It turned out that the water fall was indeed behind the factory building and turned out to be the source of the river which comes up from caves and was fashioned to supply the factory, which turned out to be owned by the company that produces toilet paper here in Portugal.
The factory is still used although the bit next to the man-made waterfall looked to be derelict und unkept which is a shame. It doesn’t stop visitors though, and while we found our way behind the factory we came upon a group of cyclists who were having a well earned dip. Also a few other couples were making there way there while we were leaving. So it does seem to get quite a few visitors. Probably due to the images on Google Maps!
Being a bit dissatisfied with just finding a factory built edifice, and not a ‘proper’ waterfall, we decided to visit Santarem, as it’s one place we haven’t been yet. It was getting hot again, so we parked up and made our way to a cafe in the public park next to a Franciscan convent near to the church of Santa Clara. Santarem is a typical Portuguese town built around a medieval old town and the main attraction is the moorish castle remains overlooking the river Tejo and surrounding plains.
After looking around that place it was time for another drink. (cider and toastie – yummy). Then back through the town and back to the car. Once back, the car decided to throw a wobbly and throw up a load of electrical and engine faults. It’s a bit bazaar, as it has done this on several occasions. It is usually really hot wether together with rough surfaces which cause this intermittent anomaly which seems to disappear once parked and the engine off?
Anyway, time to bite the bullet and pay a visit to the Audi dealer. next stop Caldas do Rainha!
Our Portuguese Life 