These green areas in the City of Tomar are at Varzea Grande, which is also known as Largo 5 de Outubro. Varzea Grande doesn’t have many green spots as it is mainly an open space, but these ones are the exception. This set of photos were shot near the Catholic Convent and Church of São Francisco, which was built in the 17th Century by Franciscan monks, which started in 1628 and was completed in 1660.
Green area at Varzea Grande, close to the Convent of São Francisco in Tomar, which is that white building on the right
Small garden at Varzea Grande in Tomar. On my left is the Church of São Francisco. There's also a forest on the other side
My wife and son sitting on a bench under a palm tree, right across the Convent of São Francisco st Varzea Grande in Tomar
I spent an entire morning at the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar and in the Convent of Christ and shot more than a thousand photos of the monuments and the green areas around. I’m a kind of a quick shooter. I don’t spend much time in one place trying to frame the best possible picture. I just take lots of photos in an instinctive sort of way. In this occasion this was the result of three of my photos outside the Castle of Tomar and the Christ Convent.
This is an area just outside the Convent of Christ in the City of Tomar. From here you can see the beautiful green hills around. This is possibly the views that the Knights Templar saw centuries ago
This is the garden inside the walls of the Castle of Tomar and outside the Convent of Christ
Another green corner in the Castle of the Knights Templar in the City of Tomar.
There was a time that to cross Nabão River from one side of Mouchão Park in Tomar to the other during winter, you had to use either the small dam near the swimming pool Vasco Jacob or go around through Rua Marquês de Tomar. This was so because they would build a wooden bridge here for the entire summer but during winter, they would dismantle it to avoid being washed away by possible floods. So one day, the Town Council of Tomar got tired of building and taking down a bridge every year, and decided to build a permanent one, which you can see on the pictures below. This is a beautiful green zone at Mouchão Park and this quiet small bridge stands out in the area.
This is the permanent bridge built by the Town Council of Tomar that crosses Nabão River from one side of Mouchão Park to the other. Before this bridge there was temporary one for summer days only
The temporary bridges built here in summer, were much closer to the water of Nabão River and thus subjected to floods if they were left there during winter
Beautiful green area around this bridge which crosses Nabão River from one side of Mouchão to the Island. This is a now a permanent bridge, rather than the temporary summer ones that used to be built here in the past
As far as I know, this green corner in Tomar doesn’t have a name and I suspect that most people who live in this city don’t usually come here. In fact when I lived in my home town many years ago, this area was somewhat inaccessible. Now you can come here through Rua de Santa Iria coming from Rua Marquês de Pombal, then turning right to a road that didn’t exist in my time. Once there it’s easy to find this area, which is situated at the banks of Nabão River, between the New Bridge and the Old Bridge. So you can have a better idea of where this spot is, please click HERE.
This is an old house near the banks of Nabão River, between the Old and the New Bridges in Tomar. This is a very quiet area near the centre of Tomar as not many people come here
Another view of this old house and green area in the City of Tomar. This is a very relaxing spot and a small paradise for those who want to take a few picturesque photos
A close up of the same house in a green area of the City of Tomar which is surprisingly beautiful. Behind me is Nabão River and on my right and left sides lie two bridges that connect the town
Sometimes I am a bit reluctant to show places in Tomar that involves commercial enterprises, but what can I do, when those places are beautiful areas of the town I was born? Should I just ignore them because this site wasn’t built with money in mind? So here is another green area of Tomar, which happens to be near Hotel dos Templários, but you can also see the beautiful Nabão River and the luxuriant vegetation around the area of Mouchão Park.
Willow trees on the foreground, overlooking Nabão River in Tomar and at some distance Hotel dos Templários. This photo was shot near an area called Varzea Pequena
Photo of Nabão River and Hotel dos Templários taken from Mouchão Park in the City of Tomar. Notice the river in this area full of aquatic plants
This green area of Tomar, was taken from the Island of Mouchão Park. I used a zoom lens to get this close up. Though you can't see it, between the trees and Hotel dos Templários lies Nabão River
Just a bit of history. The concept of urban gardens seems to have been popularized in England by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the late 19th century. Howard believed that overcrowding and the decline in quality of life in cities, needed to be addressed. That’s when urban gardens came to life in unhealthy cities. Well, Tomar is the opposite of an unhealthy city as it is covered with public and urban gardens as you can see in these photos below at Alameda Primeiro de Março and Rua Coronel Garcês Teixeira.
This is an urban garden right in the middle of the avenue Alameda Primeiro de Março in Tomar. This avenue isn't far away from Rua Marquês de Pombal where I used to live
This urban garden is located in front of apartments at Rua Coronel Garcês Teixeira in the City of Tomar. This area is near the Supermarkets Modelo
Same urban gardens at Rua Coronel Garcês Teixeira in Tomar. This cobblestone pathway heading to the apartments, shows the workmanship of the Portuguese cobblestone layers
I suspect that many people living in Tomar have not yet discovered all the beautiful spots of this town. This area is probably one of them. It is located between two bridges. The Old Bridge of Tomar which you can see in these three photos and the so called New Bridge which, from the position I shot these pictures, was more or less behind me. This is a perfect location in Tomar for you to spend a few relaxing moments without anyone around. I was there with my wife and son, and only saw a solitary angler trying his luck in the waters of Nabão River.
Beautiful green and somewhat isoolated area in the City of Tomar in Portugal. In the distance and between trees you can see the Old Bridge of Tomar
Between the palm trees you can view the Old Bridge in Tomar, as well as the calm waters of Nabão River. This is a perfect place for you and your family to relax
A different perspective of the same green area in the City of Tomar on the banks of Nabão River. Part of the Old Bridge of Tomar leading to an intersection of three main streets can be seen at some distance
The City of Tomar in Portugal is renowned for several matters and one of them it’s the beauty of the town, full of green areas, green pleasant corners created by both mother nature and the care of the local council gardeners, who we also have to thank for keeping Tomar so remarkably picturesque. In the first photo, between branches you can see Nabão River and water falls, houses in the distance, among them Vieira Guimarães House and on the right the Castle of Tomar. The second picture was shot in another area of Nabão River and Mouchão Park where palm trees and other vegetation is fairly abundant. Finally the third photo is of a Mouchão corner near the kids playground and the soccer field.
Nabão River and its waterfalls at Mouchão Park in Tomar. At a distance you can see houses, especially Vieira Guimarães House and on the right the Castle of the Knights Templar
Abundant vegetation and trees at Nabão River and Mouchão Park in the City of Tomar in Portugal
This photo was shot from Mouchão Park near a children's playground and the soccer field
The City of Tomar in Portugal is a garden town filled with green areas like the Mouchão Park (Parque do Mouchão), the Seven Hills Forest (Floresta Nacional dos Sete Montes), Varzea Pequena near Hotel dos Templários, the Nabão River, etc, all this in the midst of an historical atmosphere. However one of the features that presents the town with even more beauty are the hanging flower baskets spread in different areas of Tomar. In these photos below you can see two hanging flower baskets located at Varzea Pequena, one of them with the Castle of the Knights Templar in the background and the other next to the Templários Hotel. The third one seems to be placed near the old bridge.
Flower hanging basket in the ared of Varzea Pequena with the Castle of Tomar in the background
Another hanging basket, also at the garden of Varzea Pequena and in the background you can see Templários Hotel in Tomar
This flower hanging basket seems to be located near the old bridge in the City of Tomar