PEI to Portugal

Sept 19 we once again we packed up Stumpy - the car - and headed to Tomar. This magnificent castle was founded in 1160 as the headquarters of the Order of the Knights Templar and absorbed a part of the Muslim settlement dating from 9th- 12th century.The castle became an integral part of the defence system created by the Templars to secure the border of the young Christian Kingdom against the Moors,which at the time occupied the area to approximately the Tagus River.Following the dissolution of the Templar Order in 1319,Pope John XX11 instituted the Order of Christ. So the castle now is known as the Convent of Christ.,and was listed in 1983 as a UNESCO World Heritage site.Walking around this castle I had such a sense of peace -it was almost like you could here monks chanting. Truly a beautiful place.
After our tour we walked around the town and did a little shopping.We stopped for lunch and had our usual refreshments. Plus I ordered a crab appetizer,thinking it would be like a Canadian version.Wrong.OMG-a crab shell full of liquid crab dip!.Just a bit too much.Read more