Life in France: Obidos - an unexptected surprise

We left Porto early even though Lisbon is not that far. However, it was 31 Dec and first we wanted to avoid a busy afternoon road and second, we were not sure if we'll be able to find a restaurant that is not fully booked. JL warned me in Porto that he thinks the restaurant that we have booked before leaving home might be very expensive, after we saw the price of a Christmas dinner in Salamanca. And since we have received a mail from the restaurant while being in Salamanca, requesting our credit card details for the booking, we had to phone them. Which I did from Porto. Just to find out that the dinner will be a fixed menu, 7 course, at the cost of 100€ per person. Needless to say, I've cancelled the booking.
So along the road we were speculating whether we'll have to buy ham and bread somewhere in Lisbon and do a picnic in the room or whether the hotel will have a table available.
While JL was driving I was studying my tour book and the map to see which of the two possible roads will be the prettiest to take to Lisbon. By then we were driving between plantations with not much to see, sometimes you'll see some farms or houses. I've decided that we'll take the one closer to the coast, which means we'll have to change from one highway to another. We've missed one turnoff and I had to study the map again to see how we can link up further. The change over turned out to be a nightmare as the GPS is outdated for the road changes that took place and we turned around a few times, taking wrong exits, before eventually finding the right road, to be almost immediately confronted by a toll gate. Different from the ones we have seen to date. To the left was something written in Portugese, to the right something else, I was thinking to the right is going onto another road, so I told JL to rather take the left. Which he did. No boom, just drive straight through. To realise after we have done that we have just taken the road for people with equipment in their car to go through toll gates quickly. The other ones that had booms are linking up with our road again, we were suppose to take those to take a ticket, as in France. Horror. We couldn't turn around. I was a bit angry at the Portugese that they only put signs in Portugese and how can they not put in boom in front to avoid one taking the wrong entrance?! I told JL to continue, we'll just have to please explain at the exit. He passed one exit, but before he got to the second he told me he'll rather exit now, explain and then get back to the highway. Which my dear husband did. To stop in front of the boom, pressing the help button, waiting a while. To find nobody on the helpline can speak French or English. The more he tried to explain what happened in French and in English, the more the guy speak Portugese. With his bit if Spanish he gathered we have to pay 18€ to exit the boom. A rip off if you consider the rate should be about 2€ max for the distance we drove. And JL started to speak Spanish like I've never heard him spoke before, refusing to pay 18€ and asking them to let us through, we have the proof of the last gate that we have exited, they can see we shouldn't pay so much. Eventually we've won the battle and they let us through, paying nothing (although we do not know if they took a photo of the car to send us a fine by mail, as they warn at the exit on a sign that your car will be photographed if you refuse to pay - not that we didn't want to pay anything, we just didn't want to pay 18€!). So we could get a ticket going back onto the highway. I was laughing, as he was forced to very quickly brush up his Spanish (between Spanish and Portugese there are many similarities so you can understand each other more or less). However, sitting there in the car with a boom in front of you and somebody who cannot understand you and you cannot understand him - that was no joke!
So I've checked for a town close to the highway where we can lunch and saw that the village Obidos will be perfect. Reading in the book that it is an 'enchanting hilltown' I told JL we'll have lunch there. I didn't finish reading in the book, so didn't see the last phrase 'popular with tourists' until after our visit...
When we arrived at Obidos we realised it is a village enclosed by a wall (14th-c) - we had to park on one of the 3 car parks available (and pay for parking). The closest one to the village completely full. Fortunately the 2nd one had a spot as somebody pulled out just before we've arrived. It seemed as if the whole of Portugal decided to descend upon Obidos to celebrate the new year. My heart sank into my shoes as none of us are fond of huge crowds. But we were there, hungry and decided we'll just stop at the first restaurant, eat and go. JL told me I am not allowed to even glance at the stands along the road leading towards the entrance, selling sweets, toys, tourist things (I managed to get a glance...)
However, once through the entrance gate we fell under the spell of Obidos. It truly is an enchanting village!

The first restaurant was fully booked, fortunately the next one is the one the tour book recommended (I have to add my book is more than 10 years old..) and we've managed to get the last table, at the window with a lovely view. We were laughing at the name, it sounds a bit like a terrorist group...

We've decided to be prepared for a worst case scenario the evening in Lisbon and rather have a good meal here. Food in Portugal is good and cheaper than in France. I've ordered a typical Portugese starter - goat's cheese with honey on toast. My mouth water just thinking of it again, it was soooo gooood!! For a main we both ordered the cod, as our first choice was no longer available. And turned out to be very good as well. The wine was less good, but it was still the beginning of our time in Portugal and we still had a lot to learn.

After the meal we've decided to explore the village before continuing towards Lisbon. We ended up spending 2 hours there, but we've really enjoyed it, not expecting to run into such a pretty village and to have such a good meal!