Portugal3

(Cont)

11/29/2023 Tomar (Templars), Coimbra (university), Porto
11/30/2023 Porto – Clerigos Tower
12/1/2023 Aveiro canals

11/29/2023 Tomar (Knights Templar)

The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a military order of the Catholic faith, and one of the wealthiest and most popular military orders in Western Christianity.

The Knights Templar settled in Portugal in the 12th century to help the first Portuguese kings in the Christian Reconquest and to continue the Crusades. The castle they founded in Tomar in 1160 was inspired by the fortifications of the Holy Land, and at the time was the most modern and advanced military stronghold in the kingdom. But nearly two centuries later, in 1312, the Order was dissolved by Pope Clement V, who was intent on ending their fame and power. In Portugal, however, the Order of Christ was created, as the true heir and custodian of all the Templars’ spiritual and material wealth, preserving its crusading spirit during the Discoveries.

The Templar complex. The King of France had borrowed so much money from the Templars that he could not pay it back. So, to avoid having to pay it back he launched a podrom against them, calling them unchristian. The church agreed, tortured them to get false confessions, and burned many of them at the stake. That effectively ended the Templars and saved France from debt.
The King of Portugal protected the Knights Templar in Portugal and their complex was saved here.
The Knights used to ride their horses into this structure and, all facing inward, said their prayers here.

Coimbra (university), Porto

https://www.uc.pt/en (University where Harry Potter was set)

Student selling graduation ink pens.
Inside the chapel.
Organ!

City of Porto
The country of Portugal was named after the town of Porto.

Porto is a coastal city in northwest Portugal known for its stately bridges and port wine production. In the medieval Ribeira (riverside) district, narrow cobbled streets wind past merchants’ houses and cafes. São Francisco Church is known for its lavish baroque interior with ornate gilded carvings. The palatial 19th-century Palácio de Bolsa, formerly a stock market, was built to impress potential European investors. ― Google

According to the tale, a landowner in Barcelos had stolen silver and the inhabitants of that city were looking for the thief. A man from Galicia became a suspect, despite his pleas of innocence. The Galician swore that he was merely passing through Barcelos on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela to fulfill a promise. Nevertheless, the authorities arrested the man and condemned him to hang. The man asked them to take him in front of the judge who had condemned him. The authorities honoured his request and took him to the house of the magistrate, who was holding a banquet. Affirming his innocence, the man pointed to a roasted rooster on top of the banquet table and exclaimed, "It is as certain that I am innocent as that rooster will crow when they hang me." The judge pushed aside his plate, deciding not to eat the rooster, but otherwise ignored the appeal. However, while the pilgrim was hanged, the roasted rooster stood up on the table and crowed as predicted. Understanding his error, the judge ran to the gallows, to discover that the man had been saved from death thanks to a poorly made knot. The man was immediately freed. This tale, according to our guide, happened here, the man was to be hung on this monument and the feast was in this plaza.
Refrigerator magnet - rooster.
Train station
Boat rides across the river to the wine tasting.
Indoor mrketplace for all kinds of food.
entry to the port wine tasting and museum.
Back in Lisbon , college girls saranaded us as wer crossed the river on a ferry.
Dinner of octopus.