“This is so cool,” I said to myself over and over (and over and over) again as I spent the morning and early afternoon wandering around the medieval walled town of Óbidos, Portugal. This was possibly the best day of the entire vacation. An hour-long bus ride from Lisbon transports you to an historic town filled with white painted buildings, colorful doors and tiles, and books. Yes, books. Óbidos has been a UNESCO Literary City since 2015 and is home to 14 different bookstores. I mean, where else can you find a converted church where the altar is filled with bookshelves?
Óbidos is a town about 50 miles north of Lisbon and feels like a completely different world. This is the type of day trip I love, with few tourists and tons of photographic opportunities. I took the Metro to Campo Grande station at 6:30 this morning, where I boarded a coach bus to Óbidos. As we passed through the rolling hills north of Lisbon, the bus rolled past small towns and vineyards along the sides of the highway as the sun came up.
As soon as I stepped off the bus, I knew I was going to love Óbidos. The city gate is a “double elbow” style, with a small vestibule between the two offset doorways to slow down would-be attackers. Between the openings is a tiled arch and balcony where musicians often set up in a corner to serenade visitors.
Many blogs and guides suggest that an hour or two is plenty of time to explore the town of Óbidos. They clearly don’t know me. I had to walk every street, alley, and staircase in town. Every time I turned a corner, I was wowed all over again. I wandered through about half the town before taking to the castle walls.
Óbidos Castle (now a hotel) was built in the 12th century and its fortifications surround the town. Precarious stone stairs lead up to the wall in several places and you can walk almost the entire distance around the town on the castle walls. The cloudy skies were broken up by some sun and blue skies as I walked the walls above the town. It was one of those times where I was reminded of how grateful I am that this is my life and I can walk the city walls of a medieval town in Portugal on a random Thursday morning.
After descending from the castle walls, it was time for a snack. I headed to Óbidos Chocolate House where I decided on an iced cocoa with chantilly cream on top and a crispy salted caramel chocolate bon bon. Wow! I will be thinking of that iced chocolate for a long time to come. It was so thick and creamy, it was like drinking chocolate pudding. One bite of the bon bon had me knowing I’d be back again before I left for the day.
I still had many streets to explore and wanted to look in some of the shops before lunch. I knew there was a church-turned-bookstore in Óbidos. But little did I know there is a fireman’s hall-turned-bookstore and market as well. Both have the same owners and both are totally unique. Livraria Do Mercado is a former fireman’s hall which now houses stacks of books reaching to the ceiling, as well as a green market selling local fruits and vegetables. Livraria de Santiago is the former Igreja de Santiago, a church commissioned in the year 1186, now a bookshop which still preserves some of the church’s history.
Did you think I would go on vacation and only have pizza one time? A Janela is a tiny takeout pizza window with a patio near the town gates. A sourdough pizza with mozzarella, gorgonzola, and pistachios was every bit as good as it sounds. I’ve never had pistachios on pizza but they added a crunchy, nutty texture that was unexpected and enhanced the flavor of the other toppings. I was sent to the cafe next door to get a cider (Somersby, again, but at least I got some variety with the blackberry flavor today). I enjoyed an al fresco lunch on the patio as I soaked in the relative warmth of the Portuguese sun.
As I took one final stroll around Óbidos, all I could think was, “I can’t believe I have to leave this place”. But I knew my least favorite vacation activity was waiting for me back in Lisbon: repacking my suitcase. I stopped at Óbidos Chocolate House one more time and got two chocolates to go, this time a caramel with salted flower bon bon and pastel de nata brigadeiro. I brought them to the main town square and sat on a bench to enjoy them. I didn’t love the sea salt, but the pastel de nata brigadeira had a texture similar to that of a gum drop and was delicious. By this time the small influx of midday visitors/tour groups had left town and I felt like I had the place to myself again.
There was one more thing I needed to do in Óbidos before heading back to Lisbon: ginjinha. Ginjinha is a sour cherry liqueur found in this area, and Óbidos has many stands selling the drink in tiny chocolate cups for about €1,50. It should probably be noted that I am not a big fan of cherries. But “when in Portugal” and all that. I decided to get my ginjinha back where the day began at the little stand by the gates of the city. The verdict: I didn’t hate it. I definitely didn’t love it either. It’s probably not something I would choose to have again. And boy, was it strong. Thank goodness Somersby cider has a low alcohol content or I would have had trouble making it back to the bus!
You know how sometimes you visit a place and it doesn’t live up to the hype? Óbidos was not one of those places. I had read some reviews of Óbidos saying it’s not worth it or there’s not enough to do for a day. That was not my experience at all. I would come back here again and again and again to wander the streets and castle walls, visit the bookshops, and soak in the atmosphere.
Once I returned to Lisbon, I headed back to my hotel for a bit. I put off the packing and edited some pictures instead. Then I figured after already having had a cider and a shot of ginjinha today, why not go to a wine bar for dinner? I’m not a cherry person, and I’m also not much of a wine drinker. I’ll have it occasionally, but hard cider is my drink of choice. The Little Wine Bar gets rave reviews online so I headed there for my last dinner in Lisbon. I tried a sample of Vinho Verde (green wine from the northern regions of Portugal; not for me) and then ordered a glass of sparkling wine, a board of smoked ham, and a pastéis de bacalhau (codfish cake/ fritter). I was prepared to not like the pastéis de bacalhau but it was actually not bad, in a fried mashed potato kind of way.
There usually comes a time in a trip when I realize I’m ready to go home. For me, that time was this afternoon when I returned to Lisbon. It’s not that I don’t want to stay, it’s just that I feel like I’ve done everything I came here to do and I’m ready to be back home in my own space and familiar surroundings. Even if everything goes to plan, tomorrow will be a long travel day, but it will be worth it to have experienced this small taste of Portugal.
Traveling with Laura 