Immigrants to Portugal who have stayed for a while have surely heard of a very unassuming town built into the mountains 80 kilometers north of Lisbon, known as Óbidos. It is a world-class 'City of Love' and has been listed as one of the world's top ten 'Wedding Cities'.
Ancient castle walls 'protect' love from interference
Óbidos is located 80 kilometers north of Lisbon, Portugal, built into the mountains, and has existed since 308 BC. As Óbidos is a castle town, one must pass through the Porta da Vila to enter, which is a medieval-style gate. Couples walk through the gate hand in hand. The Porta da Vila symbolizes eternal love; couples who walk through it are not entering a 'walled city' of marriage, but a kingdom of eternal happiness. The sturdy walls of Óbidos, which once defended against foreign invasions in ancient times, are now considered 'walls' that can destroy all factors that interfere with love. Regardless of huge differences in economic status, social standing, or age, people in love can find happiness by passing through the Porta da Vila.
Strolling through Óbidos, the reporter felt as if time had turned back, with well-preserved medieval streets, squares, houses, and castles scattered throughout the town. Not long after entering the town, the reporter learned about the 'love history' of Óbidos from local residents. Legend has it that King Afonso II of Portugal loved his queen deeply. In 1210 AD, to express his love, he gifted Óbidos to the queen. Since then, Óbidos became a traditional wedding gift from successive Portuguese kings to their queens, hence earning the name 'City of Marriage', and Óbidos is also known as the 'Queen's Village'.
Shops selling 'eternal love'
In the eyes of the world, Óbidos is filled with the aura of love, and many regard it as the 'City of Love'. Those in pursuit of romance come specifically to Óbidos to get married. On the narrow cobblestone streets of the town, the reporter saw several newlywed couples walking hand in hand, as if they were walking in a 'fairy tale kingdom' of love, enjoying their beautiful romance. These newlyweds come from all over the world, attracted by the atmosphere of the 'City of Love' to get married here, hoping to obtain eternal love just like the king and queen of the past. The palace where the Portuguese king and queen once lived has also been converted into a hotel for newlyweds to spend their honeymoon.
Several shops in the town are essentially 'love shops'. These shops sell 'love' to tourists, or more precisely, love souvenirs, such as various couple shirts, couple hats, and mugs printed with broken bread, which symbolizes that each person in a couple eats half a piece of bread, and the bread eaten by the two together makes a whole. A saying circulates in the town: 'Only in Óbidos can you "buy" eternal love.'
Chocolate Festival grants 'privileges' to bachelors
When it comes to love, chocolate is indispensable, and this 'City of Love' holds a chocolate festival every year, where lovers use chocolate, which symbolizes sweet love, to create shapes of their loved ones to please their partners. During the reporter's time in Óbidos, they happened to catch the town's annual chocolate festival, where the town of just over 3,000 people invites everyone to taste chocolate. At the chocolate festival, bachelors can taste any chocolate exhibited on the street. At that moment, you can feel the sweetness of the chocolate, which foretells that you will also find sweet love in the future. The Óbidos Chocolate Festival has a strange custom: the type of character-shaped chocolate a bachelor eats signifies that they will find a lover with a similar appearance in the future.