Obidos

Today we explored the great walled city of Obidos. Obidos was originally a Roman settlement dating back to the 5th century. It is located on a hilltop, encircled by a fortified wall. Duarte and I had been there before with Marcos when he was two years old and Jenna was in my belly. Our previous visit was fun but this visit was extraordinary.

Upon entering the walls, Marcos and Jenna’s imaginations exploded. Immediately they were searching for knights and soldiers, kings and queens, unicorns, fairies, enchanted gardens. And you know what, we found evidence of them all.

First we spent a few dollars to encourage their fun. A wooden sword for Marcos and a wooden wand for Jenna along with painted wooden shields for them both was all it took. The fantasy grew from there. They jumped from doorway to doorway seeking enemy invaders. With swords and wands they successfully battled all evil that stood in their way.

We explored back alleyways. We found an enchanted garden and Jenna looked closely on the ground for unicorn footprints. We saw one! It was white and shaped like a small horseshoe print. We saw deer and of course, they were enchanted as well. Jenna decided that they must be the prince and princess transformed into deer by “bad guys.” It was our quest to change them back to their true forms.

More hiking and exploring revealed magnificent purple flowers-which most certainly housed sleeping fairies. We found carvings on the medieval walls as we climbed to great heights to overlook the miles and miles of land surrounding the walled city.

Today was one of those rare days we have as a family where we all enjoyed the fun of fantasy and exploration. I saw the world in my children’s eyes. Marcos is of the age where he knows our stories aren’t real but he’s not ready to release the idea of fantasy just yet. Jenna was fully engaged. The two have become the BEST of friends since arriving to Portugal. As a parent this is wonderful but a bit worrisome as they scheme and tell secrets and have a world of their own just between them.

Beautiful memories today.