Óbidos

Pentax K10D + Zeiss Planar 50/1.4

The small fortified town of Óbidos, in Central Portugal,was founded in the first century by the Romans and became a resting place for Portuguese monarchs along the ages. In the XIV century, king D. Dinis offered it to the queen as a wedding gift and since then, until the XIX century, the town was included in the dowry of all queens. This probably explains why Óbidos has been so well preserved and taken care of until today...

The main street leads from the main town entrance to the castle. It is usually full of tourists, busying themselves in souvenir shops that sell "ginginha", a traditional liqueur obtained from a bitter cherry, served in little edible chocolate cups (the ultimate in environmental friendliness).

The side streets, on the other hand, are uncrowded and quiet, oblivious to the main street action. Ordinary people live in these houses, not medieval reenactment characters. I often wonder how it feels like to live in such a place.

Pentax K10D + Zeiss Planar 50/1.4