When I shot these set of pictures of the Castle of the Knights Templar and the Convent of Christ in Tomar, I was in my way back to the city, coming from the Aqueduct of Pegões. These photos were taken from some distance but they look closer because I used a proper lens to do that. I was at the end of my holidays and had shot thousands of pictures of my home town, but I never tired of photographing these gems of the world heritage.
The Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar in its full glory, shot from a certain distance.
I shot this picture of the Convent of Christ and the Castle of Tomar, near Estrada de Leiria
Another angle of the Castle of the Knights Templar and the Convent of Christ in Tomar, when I was coming back from a short journey to the Aqueduct of Pegões located a few kilometres away
Having a view to the Castle of Tomar is often considered like having a sea-view for people who live near the beach, and my sister in law Lucinda Moura is lucky enough to enjoy this scenery from where she lives at Rua Alexandre Herculano in the City of Tomar. This is an old area of Tomar which as a whole is a cultural and tourist centre of international prestige, that was built in the medieval times.
This photo with a view to the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar, was shot from the top of a house at Rua Alexandre Herculano, in the old area of the city
Similar photo in a slight different position. This shot was taken from the attic of an old house in the old area of Tomar, a few days before our return to Australia
Same place in the attic of an old house near an historical area, at Rua Alexandre Herculano. This is a closer shot of the Castle of Tomar, photographed in October 2010
This set of photos of the Castle of the Knights Templar in the City of Tomar, were shot from the Old Bridge, also known as Ponte de D. Manuel (Bridge of King Manuel I). This is possibly the oldest point for crossing Nabão River from one side to the other. This bridge seems to have been built by the Romans, but later King Manuel I, ordered some repairs in 1480 and 1550 and King João V did the same in 1710. Anyway the Castle of Tomar can be perfectly seen from this ancient bridge
The Castle of the Knights Templar on top of the hill, seen from the Old Bridge of Tomar, also know as the Bridge of King Manuel (Ponte de D. Manuel). This King took great care of this bridge when it needed repairs
Another view of the Castle of Tomar in the distance, picture shot from Ponte de D. Manuel (Bridge of King Manuel). On the right is Nabão River and water falls can be partially seen in this picture
The Old Bridge which in Portuguese is known as Ponte Velha. This ancient bridge was originally built by the Romans and in the distance is the Castle of Tomar.
Three photos of the Castle of the Knights Templar and the Convent of Christ in Tomar. The two close ups of the castle, were in fact taken from a good distance from my mother’s apartment. I just used a Zoom 55-200mm lens to make the castle and the convent look closer than it was. The other one was taken from nearby, at a flight of cobblestone stairs which are an extension of Rua da Cascalheira. One of the good things of Tomar and there are many, is that wherever you are, you will have a good chance of spotting these two famous Portuguese historical monuments in the distance.
This photo of the Castle of the Knights Templar and the Convent of Christ, was shot from my mother's apartment at Travessa da Cascalheira. There's a very good view of these monuments from where I stood
I shot this photo of the Castle of Tomar, in a different angle. Since there is a good distance from where I stood and the subject, I had to use a zoom lens to capture this monument
This shot was taken near my mother's apartment but from the street. I was at a flight of cobblestones stairs which is an extension of Rua da Cascalheira in Tomar
When my family I climbed the flight of 286 steps to visit the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Piedade, situated in one of the hills that surround the City of Tomar, we had the pleasure to enjoy beautiful views to almost any area of the town, and one of the them was the Castle of the Knights Templar and the Convent of Christ. At this stage of climbing I hadn’t reached yet the top of the stairs, but the views were magnificent and these listed monuments in the UNESCO World Heritage, were probably the most significant subjects around to photograph.
Photo of the Castle of Tomar and the Convent of Christ in the distance, shot from the huge staircase that leads to the Chapel of Senhora da Piedade at the top on an hill in Tomar
Shot taken from the same spot, but now you can see more clearly the Castle of the Knights Templar on the left and the Convent of Christ on the right
Much closer photos of these magnificent UNESCO World Heritage monuments, on top of one of the hills surrounding the City of Tomar in Portugal
As previously mentioned the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar and the Convent of Christ, are a constant feature from almost anywhere in my home town. I shot these three pictures from Mouchão Park (Parque do Mouchão) and in one of them you can also see Nabão River (Rio Nabão). The first photo shows one of the entrances to the island park as well as the wooden water wheel underneath the willow trees which are present all over Nabão River. In the second photo, that white building is the central post office in Tomar and in the third photo you can see the river, a weir, Vieira Guimarães building and the start of the street known as Corredoura (Rua Serpa Pinto).
The Castle of the Knights Templar in the distance seen from the island of Mouchão Park in the City of Tomar. You can also see a traditional wooden water wheel near the entrance to the park
Another view of the Castle of Tomar from Mouchão Park. The white building is the main Post Office in the City of Tomar in Portugal
When I shot this photo of the Castle of Tomar in the distance, I was near Bela Vista and Nabão restaurants but still at Mouchão Park.
You may have already noticed that the Castle of the Knights Templar and the Convent of Christ, can be seen basically from anywhere in the City of Tomar. These are important historical monuments, which are even listed in the UNESCO World Heritage, so it’s only appropriate that photos from these masterpieces of architecture frequently appear in my photoblog. The first photo is a close up of the Castle shot from the street Rua Marquês de Pombal. In the other two shots, taken from the same street and Alameda 1 de Março, you can also view the Castle of Tomar in the distance.
Photo close up of the Castle of Tomar, shot from the street Rua Marquês de Pombal
Castle of the knights Templar in the City of Tomar, seen from Rua Marquês de Pombal
This photo was in fact shot from Alameda 1 de Março, which was behind me. In front of me is Rua Marquês de Pombal and the Castle of Tomar on top of the hill
These three photos of the Castle of Tomar in the distance were shot from Corredoura, which is the old name of the street, now called Rua Serpa Pinto. Corredoura is probably the most important street in Tomar, located in the centre of the city, and you can always spot on top of the hills the castle of the Knights Templar, which was built by Gualdim Pais in 1160.
Photo shot from the old bridge of Tomar. On the left you can see the building where the tourist centre of Tomar is located and on the right is Vieira Guimaraes building
This photo was taken at the start of the Corredoura (Rua Serpa Pinto). The castle of the Knights Templar of Tomar can be seen in the distance
This is a close up of the Castle of Tomar, seen from Rua Serpa Pinto (Corredoura). Notice the old street lamp and balcony on the left