Tomar was so restful and so interesting. Did you know that the Knights Templar were the first international banking system and that they were only disbanded because a king owed them money and convinced the pope that they were a horrible? I could easily have spent days wandering the grounds and the passageways. There were courtyards for travelers with places to stay and eat. There was a courtyard specifically for baking and giving out bread to the poor. There were orange trees that you could wander around and they planted lots of trees after the fact for tourists not to get over heated. We wandered the castle first which is free to enter, but it's also under renovation. They're cleaning the sculptures on the outside walls and fixing parts that the roof has caved in. We then went behind the castle and wandered in the woods there. We saw a remnant of an aqueduct and some more modern rooms that are in disrepair. Then we turned around because we couldn't find the way into the convent from the back and left the castle, went down the hill and found the front of the convent. That was neat. To keep the king from seizing their assets when they were closed down, they gave everything to the Convent of Christ and then joined their order.
My mind was alive with imagination, calm, wonder. I loved the openness to the public and thought that it was appropriate. An order that operated to help people find safety and rest is still a place of safety and rest. If what we saw was anything like what the knights were, no wonder there are tales of noble Knights and the protects they provided as they travelled from kingdom to kingdom. Everything was built to be shared and safe.
As soon as we went to the convent, you could tell that it was built for cute little old ladies. There were seats EVERYWHERE. Lots of places to sit and contemplate/rest throughout the entire building.
They had these street performers. One playing medieval music and another dressed as a knight. Of course, we had to take a picture and give them some money. Seth talked for days about how he got to hold a real sword.
There was even a spot where we could see them restoring old windows and the frames.
This was a room that they would make a large fire and then it had holes in the walls to pipe the heat into the rooms on the entire floor. It was pretty cool.
Up the chimney of the heating room.
I think that the dining area was my favorite. It gave out Harry Potter vibes, but it also gave me some King Arthur or Taming of the Shrew vibes.
This is part of the kitchen. It looked like it was where they would cook over fires. There was a completely different room for baking.
This corner has let in some moss/viney things.
This was one of my personal favorite days and outings.
