Trip to Tomar

This morning we headed out early to get some waves before going to the Templar city of Tomar. I walked around the cute little island of Baleal while Syd surfed. 
They built a road over the sand to drive and walk to the island. 
I really liked this colorful collection of nautical items along the road. This photo is looking back to the mainland. Syd surfed on the left. 

After the beach, we drove to Tomar. Syd and I have watched all 10 seasons of a show called Oak Island where they are looking for a treasure. One of the theories is that Knights of Templar visited the island and left their treasure there… some even think they buried the holy grail. While watching this show, our interest in the Knights of Templar has grown and so when we found out the Templar city was in Portugal, we were excited to check it out. You can see the castle and the convent up on the hill overlooking the city. 

This is a Templar cross in the town square. A brief history of the Templars from my memory and probably not 100% accurate: they were the protectors of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. The Pope denounced the Knights of Templar and told them they had to return their wealth to the church. Some think they did, others think they hid their assets in other places (possibly Oak Island). The King of Portugal at the time negotiated with the Pope to have a branch of the Knights of Templar protect Portugal from the Moores. And that is why the Convent of Christ was built in what is now the city of Tomar. 

We hiked up the hill, for fear of no parking. Turns out it was totally empty and we could have parked right out front. Sight seeing in the low tourist season is the way to go!

The Convent of Christ is even bigger than I imagined. It is expansive, rooms and court yard after court yard. The Templars didn’t skimp on making the complex impressive. 
The place feels old. It was built between 1300-1400. I liked this Templar cross fountain. 

The alter in the bascillica. Very ornate and it’s amazing how colorful it still is. 

There were spiral staircases in every corner. 

So cool and so old!!

The entire complex was heavily decorated and grandeur, but the dormitories for the Templars themselves were small and only had a single window because they were sworn to a life of poverty.

After we finished exploring the inside, we walked the Castle Wall walk around the gardens. This was my favorite part.

We could see the largest aqueduct in Portugal (the wall with arches). The convent had an elaborate sewer and water system. 

This is a photo of me in the tower over look the city. 

Visiting the convent was pretty amazing. I can’t believe how big it is and thinking about how long it just have taken to build back then is mind blowing. We had fun exploring and I am glad we made the hike. Worth checking out when in Portugal even though it is a bit off the beaten path.