I took these three photos from the garden of Varzea Pequena in Tomar. At the time I had just come down from the staircase of the Chapel of Senhora da Piedade, and since I am trigger happy with my camera, I got some interesting photos of people walking around near this area, or just being somewhere, just like the teenagers on a platform at Nabão River on the Island of Mouchão Park.
I shot this picture from the garden of Varzea Pequena in Tomar. At the time I was leaning on a rail that protects people from falling into Nabão River. Those people in the distance are tourists who had just got out of a big bus
Still on the same spot at Varzea Pequena, I shot this photo of those teenagers sitting on a platform on Nabão River
Just three gentleman walking in the middle of the garden of Varzea Pequena in the City of Tomar
Some shots of people walking around Tomar and in different areas of the town. The first photo was taken at a small bridge for pedestrians in a zone of the city called Flecheiro. That’s a gentleman highly concentrated on reading his morning newspaper, while crossing the bridge. The second photo was shot near the entrance of the Seven Hills Forest. A lady crossing the street which leads to the Castle of Tomar. The third photo is a lady and an older gentleman near Rua dos Arcos and the Judicial Tribunal of Tomar at Varzea Grande.
Gentleman reading his morning newspaper while crossing a small pedestrian bridge in an area of Tomar called Flecheiro
Lady near the entrance of the Seven Hills National Forest, crossing the street that leads to the Castle of Tomar
A lady and an older gentleman near Rua dos Arcos and close to the Judicial Tribunal of Tomar at Varzea Grande
These photos show us a busy bridge in the City of Tomar, being crossed by lots of people. This is the Old Bridge of Tomar, apparently built by the Romans, but it is also called Ponte de D. Manuel I (Bridge of King Manuel I) because this Portuguese King ordered the bridge to be repaired at the end of the 15th century and again in the middle of the 16th century. The fist two photos were taken on a busy weekend during some cultural events in Tomar but the third was shot on a normal weekday.
Photo of lots of people crossing the Old Bridge of Tomar on a weekend. There were some cultural events happening in town which attracted a good number of people
Although this bridge is a bit narrow due to its antiquity, cars can also cross it from one side of Nabão River to the other but it's mainly used by people
This is the other side of the Old Bridge being crossed by people coming from old areas of the town of Tomar. Those white buildings in the distance are at Avenida Primeiro de Março
As I mentioned before, my camera was always with me when I spent 45 days in Tomar in 2010. This allowed me to capture a lot o people going about their lives. In this case I had the opportunity to photograph people at Praça da República with the illuminated Castle of Tomar in the background, I captured students of the local Institute of Technology (Escola Superior de Tecnologia de Tomar), dressed in traditional black vests, at Rua Infantaria 15, and I took photos of people at Rua Serpa Pinto near Café Paraiso.
People at Praça da República in Tomar at night. On the background is the building of the Town Council and on top of the hill, is the illuminated Castle of the knights Templar
At this street in Tomar, called Rua Infantaria 15, I captured a group of students of the Institute of Technology in Tomar, dressed in their black academic outfit
People of Tomar going about their lives at Rua Serpa Pinto in Tomar, also known as Corredoura. I shot this photo near Café Paraíso where I was about to go to enjoy an espresso coffee
These are people from Tomar or at least people who were in the City of Tomar when I shot these pictures. They are all around Nabão River (Rio Nabão), which in ancient Roman times was called Nabanus. If you visit Tomar, you will notice that people are always doing things around Nabão River. They walk near the river with their families, they sit on benches near the river, they follow with their eyes the large shoals of fish in the river and they watch sporting activities like canoeing in the river that flows through Tomar.
Husband and wife with their daughter walking around Nabão River in Tomar at Mouchão Park, right across the soccer field and near the kids playground
Two teenagers crossing a small dam that divides Nabão River, and links the Municipal Swimming Pool Vasco Jacob to the Island of Mouchão
This was a day of canoeing competition in Tomar and lots of people gathered near the river to watch this sporting event. These are people and a dog watching the contest on top of a small bridge at Mouchão Park
I recently visited a site about different countries, and in the pages that mentioned Portugal, someone called Fiona, said that the Portuguese people were (quote) “absolutely nice” and that she “would like to convey to every person who visits Portugal, just how special the Portuguese people are and how important it is of getting to know them”. I agree with her and the people of Tomar are no exception. They are nice, they welcome everybody and they are proud of being the citizens of such a beautiful and historical town. These photos below show the old streets of Tomar and people of the town known as Tomarenses, walking on them.
Mature gentleman walking in an old street of Tomar in Portugal. This street is called Rua dos Moinhos, which in English means "Mills Street"
Despite being a narrow street with narrow footpaths, this old street of Tomar is usually busy with people. It is popularly know as Rua do Cinema (Movie Theatre Street) as there is a movie theatre nearby, but it's official name is Rua Infantaria Quinze.
Two ladies coming out of a shop in an old street of Tomar. I know where this street is located in the City of Tomar, but I can't seem to recall its name
While I am taking photos of landscapes, houses, etc, sometimes I am also drawn to taking pictures of people I see on the streets. If I see someone doing something interesting I can’t help but try to capture the moment with my camera and I often get interesting shots. Since I am building a site about Tomar, the town of the Knights Templars (Cavaleiros do Templo), which lodges the Castle of Gualdim Pais and the UNESCO listed Convent of Christ (Convento de Cristo), I think that the people of Tomar or those visiting the town, should also have a special place in this photoblog.
Two young ladies and backpackers at Mouchão Park, heading to the Camping Park of Tomar. On my left is the entrance to the soccer field. Notice the chemtrails in the sky
Father and daughter near the soccer field of Tomar in Portugal. As you can see this gentleman is pushing a pram with a little lady in it, possibly his daughter
I met these three friends (The Three Amigos) at Mouchão Park in Tomar, while they were playing guitar. Initially they thought I couldn't speak Portuguese and tried to start a conversation with me in English. In the end I took a few photos of them and I left as the fourth amigo.
While I was shooting photos around the City of Tomar in Portugal, I happened to capture people with my camera doing normal things, going about their daily lifes, enjoying the landscape and local attractions, keeping to themselves, walking, thinking, looking, etc. These three photos were taken around Nabão River near two of the most popular restaurants in town (Bela Vista and Nabão Restaurants). In this area you can often see people watch and feed ducks, fish and pigeons or kids running around surrounded by lots of columbiform birds.
Someone at Bela Vista Restaurant looking at me while I was taking this photo. He may be the owner of the restaurant.
A couple, possibly visitors to the town, looking down at the ducks and the fish swimming around in Nabão River.
Happy kid in Tomar, Portugal, running around, surrounded by pigeons. Two adults looking on