We arrived in Lisbon just in time for our 1:15 tour to Obidos, a town whose history dates back to 308 BC. Ken climbed the walls of the Obidos Castle, a 12th Century fortification that played a major strategic and military role in Portugal’s emergence as a nation. He walked the full mile of its exterior walls and enjoyed some fantastic views.
Meanwhile, Pam checked out the town’s trademark Ginja, a liqueur made from sour cherries grown in the area using a recipe developed by a local 17th Century monastery. The liqueur is served in edible dark chocolate cups, adding to its lusciousness!
Narrow cobblestone streets of whitewashed buildings that play host to well-established bougainvillea give the city its captivating charm. We visited Parish Church of Sana Maria in the town’s Pillory Square offers, whose interior is decorated with the blue and white tiles Portugal is so well known for.
It was a nice little town, and we were confident we had plenty of time to complete our visit and make it back to the ship in time to join friends for a sunset river cruise we had scheduled for tonight. What we didn’t know was that what was originally billed as a 4-hour tour had been changed to a 5-hour tour, and that traffic would make that 5-hour tour a 6-hour tour. Uh-oh!
We didn’t find out until we arrived at Obidos that the length of the tour had been changed. We immediately emailed our friends to let them know that we would be about 30 minutes late meeting them. When we began our return trip Google maps said we’d be back at 6:00. We were originally planning to meet our friends at 6:00, so we breathed a sigh of relief – allowing time to run back to our cabin to drop things off and pick up some additional layers of clothing we should only be a few minutes late. Ken continued monitoring the route as we drove. Now it said arrival at 6:15, then 6:20, then 6:35, then 6:45…. this was not good. We emailed our friends and told them to leave without us. Ken had already called ahead to the boat rental company and told them we’d be 15 minutes late; now we wondered if we would make it at all. Just as the bus pulled into the port parking lot at 6:45, friends of ours were exiting a taxi. Pam flagged the driver down as he pulled away and arranged for him to take us to the river cruise. Ken stayed with the taxi to be sure he didn’t drive away while Pam ran to the cabin for the extra layers. Our awesome taxi driver raced to the sailing pier while Ken took a call from our friends and assured them, once again, we were on our way. We finally made it to the sailboat at 7:25, and off we went.
Oh my gosh! It was so much fun! Pam has always sworn she would never get on a sailboat for fear of sliding off. Turns out those fears were legit! They say you need wind to sail, and we definitely had that! It was a blustery 60 degrees as we headed out; good thing there was green wine (yes, green!) and beer to keep us warm. The captain raised the sails and the tilting began. Our friends Rich and Bob were on the wrong side of the boat for that and found themselves hanging on for dear life. It was hilarious! Pam was on the opposite side, but her turn was coming. We laughed so hard we cried and witnessed a beautiful sunset. It was well worth the effort to get there, and we’re so glad we made it!
A literal library of sardines! 
JodockWorldTravel 
Gorgeous photos. Sounds like such a fun day!
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