Fatima, Nazaré and Obidos - 16 May

Lovely breakfast at sister hotel (okay I took my Vegemite with me) and ready for an 8.30 pick up for our full day small group tour. Ther are already a couple from Brazil in the van who do not dpeak any English so that means Phillips, our driversnd guide will have to translate everything twice. Next couple we pick up are Canadians from Toronto. Oh Canada! Blasted Canadians are doing my head in. What the ??? It is supposed to be Americans who know everything and everything is bigger and better in the good ole US of A... This guy sits in the front next to Phillipa and within 1 minute starts asking her questions and it simply doesn't stop. Julie and I are at the back with the Brazil couple in the middle along with Oh Canada's wife. We can't hear much of what is being said, which is really frustrating as this now makes it a private tour for him. Mrs Oh Canada tries to include us and repeat some of what is being said up front but Julie has given up all hope and I'm simply saying 'thank you' every time she says something. The poor Brazilians have no idea what is happening until Phillipa in a loud voice interprets things to them. If she used the same loud voice in English I would hear her! Changing scenery along the way, as we head out in a different direction to our 2 previous trips.

Anyway, after more than an hour we finally arrive at Fatima and are taken to the equivalent of K Mart for Catholics! It is a huge department store that only has rosary beads, candles, icons, statues and quite literally God knows what. Unsurprisingly I wasn't tempted to get my wallet out, but Julie was on a mission for sparkly rosary beads and a candle. We got through the shop in record time so went for a coffee and at that time I told Phillipa that we couldn't hear her atthe back of the van so hoped she would speak up and include us in the conversations. With purchases made by the remaining faithful we then drove the short distance to the church. The civil parish has been permanently associated with Our Lady of Fátima, a series of 1917 Marian apparitions that were purportedly witnessed by three local shepherd children at the Cova da Iria. The Catholic Church later recognized these events as "worthy of belief". A small chapel was built at the site of the apparition in 1919, and a statue of Mary installed. The tombs if the 3 children are inside the church but there is no mention of how old they were when they died so I'm a bit sceptical if their bodies are actually there, as the tombs were small, but I digress. The chapel and statue have since been enclosed within the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima, a shrine complex containing two minor basilicas. Associated facilities for pilgrims, including a hotel and medical centre, have also been built over the decades within and around the Sanctuary. The city has become an important international destination for religious tourists, receiving between 6 and 8 million pilgrims yearly. Thankfully it wasn't jam packed today.

An hour there was certainly long enough so back in the van and we head to Nazaré which is a seaside village that has a lovely beach front. It is our lunch stop so Oh Canada wants to eat at a restaurant Phillipa has suggested so they get dropped iff there, and Brazil and the Oz contingent have a 10 minute drive through very winding hilly streets down to the beach front. I spy a little hole in the wall that provides us with the light lunch we both wanted. My Italienne baguette was delicious and Julie claims here quiche as the best she has had. The glass of wine, not so much. Lol.

We have been told to be ready for pick up at 2.45. We as usual were a bit early at the designated pick up spot. Phillipa was there with the van, but where is Brazil? At 3pm she has to druve back to the top of the hill to pick up Oh Canada. I tell her that we will wait for Brazil as they win't know that you have gone but will come back, as their phone went to message bank. At 3.15pm Brazil wanders up without a care in the world. Julie is trying to explain that they are late and we have been waiting half an hour for them. I just use hand movements to get them to stay put. I contemplated the use of my angry face but that could have started an international incident when Mr Brazil crossed the road to get a selfie of himself by the beach! 5 minutes later Phillipa is back with Oh Canada. Phillipa tells Brazil that they were late and he just shrugs his shoulders and laughs. I motion for them to sit in the back which Mr Brazil wasn't happy with but I wasn't about to give ground. We then head back up to the top of the hill and are told the Legend of Nazaré which has it that on the early morning of September 14, 1182, Dom Fuas Roupinho, alcalde of Porto de Mós, Portugal, was out hunting on his domain near the coast, when he saw and immediately began chasing a deer. All of a sudden a heavy fog rose up from the sea. The deer ran towards the top of a cliff, and in the fog Dom Fuas was cut off from his companions. When he realised he was at the edge of the cliff, he recognised the place. He was next to a small grotto where a statue of Our Lady with the Infant was venerated. He prayed out loud "Our Lady, help me." The horse miraculously stopped at the end of a rocky point suspended over the void, the Bico do Milagre (Point of the Miracle), saving the rider and his mount from a drop of more than 100 metres, which would certainly have caused their death. Dom Fuas dismounted and went down to the grotto to pray and give thanks for the miracle. Then he ordered his companions to fetch masons in order to build a small chapel over the grotto, so that the miraculous statue could be easily venerated by all as a memorial to the miracle that saved him. There is a lovely painting of the legend in the nearby church, surprisingly painted by a woman.

We then walk to a cliff overlooking the little lighthouse. This is where the Big Waves are. the last few years Nazaré, Portugal has become THE big wave surfing mecca. Today its rides are home to claims of "biggest waves ever ridden" and the big wave chargers like Kai Lenny and Justine Dupont pushing the boundaries of what is possible on XXL swells. A previously quiet little fishing town is now home to multiple big wave events every year and is predicted by many to be the place of the first 100ft wave ever ridden are. No big swells today but still a great view.

We then walk back to the church, which like many others in Portugal, does not have much of a facade, but inside is lovely.

At this time when we go to get back into the van, Julie tells Oh Canada that we aren't sitting in the back any more, but she us goung to sit in the middle and I'm up front. Oh Canadaisn't happy but eventually grabs his bags out of the front seat. Mr Brazil makes moves ro sit in the front but we block him and Julie directs Brazil to the back seat. Sothe only ones happy with the seat coup are Julie and me. Off our merry little band then head for Obidso. There has been light rain along the way and when we arrive at the tiny little place, umbrellas are required. Julie and I take up Phillipa's recommendation to try the Ginja which is a cherry in a cherry liquer inside a little chocolate cup. Not keen on cherry liquer but the dark chocolate cup was yummy. The rain was heavier now and steady but we were determined to spend the hour seeing as much as possible. The little shops were all beautifully presented but we weren't tempted to buy anything. The Sardine shop was displayed like an olde world library, just delightful.

The aquaduct is about 14 km long and a great example of engineering of the day. Back in the van again, we were ladt but still within our hour, with me up front, Oh Canada sulking in the middle and Brazil steaming in the back. te he he... Our drive back to the city was uneventful and the rain meant not much opportunity fir good photos but the changing landscape was still enjoyable. Lots of eucalyptus tree plantations, used for paper, pine trees, vineyards, cherry crops and olive trees.

Traffic was horrendous the closer we got to Lisbon. Much of the time it was a parking lot! The traffic lights are spaced very close together and are the opposite of synchronised. Pedestrian crossings had longer to cross than green lights for traffic. We were due back at our hotel around 7ish but it eas slmost 8.30 by the time we got within a block of our hotel so we told Phillipa we would get out there, which she was thankful for. As we were close to the main mall with lots of eateries we decided not yo go back to the hotel, but find somwhere for dinner. Many of the outdoor settings had been closed up so we found a little restaurant where we enjoyed our last bottle of Portuguese wine. I had breaded chicken, fries and salad, while Julie had sardines.

It was 10.30 by the time we were back in the hotel, packed and ready for bed. It has been a great few days in Portugal and we agreed that we would have liked one more day just to do our own thing in Lisbon, but it was time for lights out and dreams if our upcoming tour of Italy.