Retrospectively: Óbidos | Lizzo Day 310

[This long-overdue tale pertains to a trip undertaken back in a November Saturday, to a place known as Óbidos.]
As we were supposed to get the train to meet D.&T., the time to be spent at the station helped the useful purchase of a children's book on the topic; as it turned out, this included an audiobook, which very much speeded up the passage of time in the car, on the way to our destination:Unfortunately, I can't exactly upload the cd's contents, as this might oversimplify the tale's perspective; still, I can share some of the story behind:

Óbidos is known as the "Wedding City" and was the traditional bridal gift of the kings of Portugal to their queens, a custom started in 1282 by Don Dinis and Dona Isabel. It is a very small town, completely enclosed by lofty walls, and although much was rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, Óbidos retains a medieval feel: cobbled alleys, withewashed houses framed with bright blue and yellow borders, and steep stairecaseswinding up to the exposed ramparts for distant views. 500 years ago, when Peniche was an island, the sea also reached the foot of the ridge on which Óbidos stands and boats were moored below its walls. However, by the 15th century the sea had retreated, leaving a fertile green plain and the distant Lagoa de Óbidos with its narrow, shallow entrance to the sea.

[as put by my Rough Guide to Portugal, p. 185]
Let me demonstrate:
Other than the royal tradition and the views, we've come to learn that this is a place famous for its chocolate Festivals and its ginjinha em copos de chocolate [chocolate-cups-cherry]:

...and such was a perfect late autumn's Saturday (:

P.S. Oh, and Here's the Castle, in case you were wondering about that lil' detail..