From Lisbon we went east through the countryside to the city of Evora, which was a Roman settlement. There is still a portion of a Roman aqueduct and temple there. The Cathedral has an unusual statue of Mary as a very pregnant woman. An unusual display in Evora is the Chapel of Bones, which is a room lined with exhumed bones. It is interesting if a bit macabre.
From Evora we traveled back northwestward toward the coast and the city of Obidos. An educational stop was a visit to a cork farm. We learned about cork farming which was very removed from what we know of as farming. It was difficult to imagine starting a crop that likely only your children and grandchildren could benefit from!
Using Obidos as a home base we visited the Baroque-Gothic Monastery and large municipal market in Alcobaca and the high surf beach village of Nazarre.
Leaving Obidos for Coimbra we stopped at Batalha to tour the Monastery and the pilgrimage town of Fatima.
