Day 10 - Day in Tomar

Took a day off the trail to tour, but still walked 8.9 km. Toured the Templar Castle and the Convento de Cristo (Convent of Christ).
- Briefly:
During the time of the Crusades, the Templar Knights (1128 AD) began as military escorts for Christian pilgrims on their way to the holy land. They originated in France and they were wealthy. It is said that King Phillip IV of France owed them a lot of money, but instead of paying them back, he had them arrested on false charges of heresy, blasphemy, idolatry, homosexual practices and financial corruption. Serious stuff. Reports say he had them tortured into giving false confessions, and then burned many of them at the stake. With pressure from King Philip, Pope Clement V disbanded the order in 1312. King Dinis of Portugal then created the Order of Christ in 1319 which inherited the Templars assets in Portugal. Some believe it was the Templars under a different name, others believe it was a new order. The Order then continued until 1910 when it was dissolved……and on and on.
The Templar signature attire was a white mantle with a red cross. Tomar seems to be quite proud of their history with Templar Knights. They display the Templar cross everywhere.
- Convento de Cristo became the home of the Order of Christ.
Tomar Castle and the Convent of Christ were headquarters for the religious and military orders of the Temple and of Christ.
The site, including the Templar Castle and the Convent of the Knights of Christ, became a UNESCO World Heritage monument in 1983.
(Info gleaned from many different internet sites)

Meals are interesting. Egg is added to many dishes. And when you order a meal in a restaurant everything is priced separately, including pats of butter. They will often bring some things like bread and butter and olives, etc. to the table to snack on while waiting for your meal. But beware, if you agree to take it, you will pay for it. And each thing is charged individually. So one has the right to refuse if you don’t want to pay for it. But you can’t refuse to pay if you have indulged.Leggi altro