Our next stop was Nazaré, famous for the massive waves that have led to some world record, big wave surfing. It is also a busy beach town that still has a significant fishing industry. While we were there we took a day trip out to Tomar (Convent of Christ and the Knights Templar Castle) and the Monastery of Alcobaça. Both were a fascinating step back in time.
Nazaré
Nazaré sits on a beautiful bay flanked by massive cliffs on the north side of the beach. We enjoyed wandering around town, watching newbie surfers taking lessons, and walking the beach. The views of Nazaré from the village on the cliff, Sitio, were amazing.
Legend has it that in 1182, Dom Fuas Roupinho was on horseback chasing a deer in the fog towards the cliff in Sitio when he realized his momentum would carry him over the cliff. He prayed out loud “Our Lady, help me” and the horse miraculously stopped at the end of a rocky point saving his life. He created a small chapel to commemorate the miracle and it became a pilgrimage site. In the left picture below is the traditional interpretation of that event. On the right is a modern sculpture near where the big wave surfing competitions are held. Perhaps the deer that Dom Fuas was chasing survived the fall by surfing away on a big wave?
At the fort/lighthouse in Sitio they have an exhibit of surfboards that have been ridden in the big wave contest, as well as detailed explanations about how the big waves come about. We enjoyed reading about the people who are crazy daring enough to surf there.
The seafood was excellent in Nazaré, and we got to eat percebes, also known as gooseneck barnacles, that we had never had before. Apparently they are getting more difficult to find, and so we had to ask at multiple restaurants until we found one that had them. They are a bit ugly but very tasty once you pull them apart and get to the meat (blue arrow in the picture below). Nazaré has a massive fish market that was interesting to explore (upper right pictures). They also dry all sorts of fish on racks on the beach (bottom pictures). We wished could say we were brave enough to try the sundried fish, but we just couldn’t do it.
Tomar
Tomar is home to the Convent of Christ and the Knights Templar Castle established in the 1100s. It was the Headquarters of the Knights Templar Order in Portugal for nearly 700 years. The Templars started as knights dedicated to protecting people on pilgrimages to the Holy Land and quickly became extremely wealthy and influential across the Christian world. The Order expanded as they grew their power.
Adjacent to the castle is a convent and it housed a large number of people. The massive building was interesting, but we were fascinated by the kitchen to keep everyone fed.
Monastery of Alcobaça
We also stopped at the Monestary of Alcobaca that at its peak housed a population of almost 1,000 monks. The kitchen (upper right picture) was even bigger than the one at Tomar, including massive chimneys that allowed them to roast seven oxen simultaneously. As with all Portuguese buildings there are all sorts of tiles decorating the monastery. One tiled scene that stood out to us (bottom picture) showed the knights in a vicious battle in the background while the monks in the foreground (across the river away from danger) were doing the “harder” work of channeling God to help.
The Journey Continues
Our stop in Nazaré included some exploration of the area as well as R&R on the beach. We also had excellent seafood at local Portuguese restaurants. From there we continued our journey South to Evora.