00:00A nation full of ancient tales of queens and kings, medieval times, and conquering
00:08the Moors, the central region of Portugal offers a combination of history, culture,
00:13and adventure. I began my journey in the ancient town of Obidoche. A stone wall
00:21encloses the city lined with cobblestone streets and a castle that majestically
00:26sits on the top of the hill. Adventurers can actually climb and walk along the
00:32wall, at your own risk of course, or you can just explore along the cobblestone
00:38streets where you will start to see a theme here, books. Obidoche was declared
00:43the 19th UNESCO City of Literature in December of 2015, so you'll see books and
00:49bookstores everywhere.
01:05This is the castle of Obidoche. Now the village was overtaken in 1148 by the
01:11very first king of Portugal and as a gift to his wife he gave her this castle. Not
01:17bad. He actually set the bar pretty high. These days the castle is a luxury hotel
01:22and that's where we had dinner for a typical Portuguese meal. The Monastery of
01:30the Dominicans of Batalha is a gothic style cathedral built to commemorate the
01:35victory of the Portuguese over the Castilians at a battle in 1385.
01:48It was the Portuguese monarchy's main building project for the next two centuries.
01:52There are several cloisters here, but only one is guarded. The tombs of the unknown soldiers.
02:11And every 30 minutes you can witness the tradition of the changing of the guards.
02:26The building was classified as a World Heritage Site and the
02:56building was built in 1983.
02:57Next, we're off to Tomar for the Convent of Christ.
03:09Originally designed as a monument symbolizing the reconquest, the Convent of the Knights of
03:17Templar of Tomar was originally created to protect the pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem.
03:22The UNESCO site is in great shape and is the largest in Portugal. It's also one of the largest in all of Europe.
03:29There are seven cloisters intended to be a replica of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
03:39And the ancient halls are full of stories of the monks who used to live there.
03:44Finally, my journey brings me to the Monastery of Alcobaca.
03:51It was founded in the 12th century by King Alfonso I.
03:58Listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1989, this magnificent monastery is one of the finest and most impressive examples of Sestercian architecture in Europe.
04:11Though parts of this glorious building were destroyed by the French invasion, it remains an impeccable condition.
04:18The church is the largest primitive Gothic church in Portugal in the Middle Ages.
04:27Portugal has 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. My journey only took me to four.
04:34So for all of you lovers of history and culture, give yourself a little more time to explore the medieval sites that will take you back to a time that once was.
04:44We've been cleared for landing.
04:48We've been cleared for landing.
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