This is an old street of Tomar at night, called Rua Silva Magalhães. This street took the name of António Silva Magalhães, known as the photographer of Tomar, who lived in the city at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century. Most old photos of Tomar were shot by him and later by his son Mário Nery de Magalhães. His first studio called “Typographia Photographia” was at the end of this street and opened its doors in 1862.
This is the beginning of Rua Silva Magalhães in Tomar, on the side of Praça da República.
At this stage I was possibly in the middle of Rua Silva Magalhães in the City of Tomar
This is the other side of Rua Silva Magalhâes. At the end of this street the photographer of Tomar called António Silva Magalhães, set up his Photography Shop in 1862
This was another summer night in 2010 at Praça da República in Tomar, where some people tend to go to relax after dinner. There are plenty of coffee shops around but the best part was lazying around in the square, sit down in one of the benches, and in my case take a few shots of the square and surrounding buildings. The plaza was illuminated as were the Town council building behind me and the Church of São João Baptista that appears in these photos.
The Church of São João Baptista and Praça da República illuminated. People relaxing around after dinner, in a summer night
Another photo of the Church of São João Baptista in Tomar at night. People walk around or sit on benches in the square
The front of the Church of São João Baptista in the City of Tomar was completely illuminated in this summer night of 2010
In summer nights it feels good to walk on the streets of Tomar. You go out, have a coffee in one of the old and traditional coffee shops and then head to Praça da República where the building of the Town Council is located. It’s here at this plaza in the City of Tomar that many events are organized, often at night. This area is basically in the centre of the city and close to historical buildings, including the road that leads to the Castle of Tomar, which you can see in the background.
This is Praça da República in Tomar at night and the building serves as headquarters of the Town Council. Though it's nighttime you can still see the Castle of Tomar on the background
The building of the Town council of Tomar at night and the statue of Gualdim Pais, a Grand Master of the Templars Knight who founded the city in the middle of the 12th century
Close up of the building of the Town Council of Tomar. At the time there were signs in front of the building promoting an exhibion of paintings of the Portuguese artist Nadir Afonso
This is the continuation of my collection of photos shot at night in Tomar, during my holidays there in September and October 2010. As we were going through balmy nights, especially in September, having an espresso coffee after dinner was a must, and as a result my family and I, used to walk through Mouchão Park almost every night to go to a coffee shop on the other side of the town, usually Café Paraíso or Pastelaria Estrelas de Tomar.
Mouchão Park at night. Those lights on the other side are coming from the soccer (football) field, which used to be a stadium. On the right is a children's playground
When I shot this picture at night I was walking alongside Nabão River in Tomar at Mouchão Park. From this spot you can see on the right the Old Bridge of Tomar, linking two parishes of the town
Another area of Mouchão Park at night. On my right are grass waves. They created on purpose an uneven ground in waves and covered it with grass. It's very interesting!
These are shots taken in Tomar at night, at Rua Serpa Pinto or Corredoura as many call it. While I was in Portugal, I got the habit of never leaving home without carrying my camera, even at night and some of the results were encouraging. The first photo below was shot on a Friday night and I submitted it to a small photography contest in Australia, called “Quick Shooters”, under the topic “streets of towns and cities”, I ended up winning it.
Photo of Rua Serpa Pinto in the City of Tomar at night. This photo won first prize at the Photo Art Gallery, Quick Shooters Competition in Australia
Shot taken at Corredoura in Tomar at night. I was heading to Café Paraíso, a 100 year old coffee shop, to have an espresso coffee with my family
Photo taken at the start of Rua Serpa Pinto in Tomar. That green cross on the left is a pharmacy called Farmácia Torres Pinheiro, and in the distance you can see the lights of the castle of the Knights Templar
In my walks at night in Tomar, I was constantly presented with new visual perceptions of the town. The lights at night gave me a fresh and different view of Nabão River, which is one of the most precious assets of the city. Below you can see the falls of the river, the reflections on the water and the illuminated houses in the distance. In the first and second photo, Vieira Guimarães House is prominent in the photo, and on the third you can see the rear side of the Santa Iria Inn (Estalagem de Santa Iria).
Photo of Nabão River in Tomar at night, shot from Mouchão Park. At some distance you can see the waterfalls in the river, the beautiful reflections on the water and the illuminated Vieira Guimarães House
I was crossing the Old Bridge of Tomar coming from Rua Marquês de Pombal, when I shot this picture. That road near the river is Rua Marquês de Tomar and goes to Hotel dos Templários and to a street called Estrada do Prado
This photo was shot from a garden known as Varzea Pequena, and in this case, I caught the rear of Santa Iria Inn which has views to Nabão River. This in is located at Mouchão Park
This is the old bridge of Tomar (Ponte Velha) at nighttime, which crosses Nabão River from Rua Marquês de Pombal to the intersection of Rua Everard (Levada) Rua Serpa Pinto (Corredoura) and Rua Marquês de Tomar. These two areas of Tomar linked by the bridge are the parishes of Santa Maria dos Olivais and São João Baptista and I remember that when as a young kid I lived for about two years at São João Baptista parish, people used to call the other side para além da ponte (in portuguese), which means beyond the bridge.
Old bridge of Tomar at night. On the other side of the bridge in the distance is the backlit Castle of the Knights Templar and the town centre. Notice the reflections of the lights on the waters of Nabão River
Cars and people on a busy weekend, crossing the old bridge in Tomar at night, from the parishes of São João Baptista to Santa Maria dos Olivais
Photo of the old bridge of Tomar (Ponte Velha) shot at night from Mouchão Park.
Walking around in the City of Tomar in Portugal, at night, especially in summer nights, is a very pleasant experience. I did exactly that almost every night in the months of September and October 2010. Going out to have an espresso coffee (bica) allows you to enjoy this charming town in a different way. One of the main visual attractions is of course the Castle of Tomar at night, which is often illuminated at nighttime, especially on weekends. These photos below were shot from Mouchão Park and near the old bridge of Tomar which crosses Nabão River.
Photo of the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar at night, shot from Mouchão Park
The Castle of Tomar in Portugal at night. Photo shot near the old bridge and facing Nabão River
The illuminated Castle of Tomar at night at some distance, standing guard to the town