Fatima – God’s home in portugal

That morning, we were in Lisbon. To get to Fatima, we took the metro to Jardim Zoologico metro station on the blue line (very convenient from where we were staying near Avenida metro station), and from there walked to Sete Rios, where we took the Rede Express bus to Fatima. The bus station had the usual beggars and misfits, all vying for your attention and money. There was a little book fair on when we were there. We passed time outside with the smokers, where there was nobody around to hassle us, before the time came for our bus to depart.

We left the grim outskirts of Lisbon (aside from the pretty centre, it really is a miserable looking place, full of soulless concrete apartment blocks) and hit the highway north, where, after an hour and a half, we arrived at the small main bus station of Fatima.  I attempted to navigate the gauntlet of the station bathroom, manned by a wrinkled hag who told me to leave my small suitcase outside (apparently it couldn’t get through the turn-style) and that she’d keep an eye on it for me. I knew we were now in the Godly city of faith and miracles and good deeds, but bus stations are a different breed entirely; more like small cities within cities of trickery, thievery and greed. From Damascas to Kigali to Medellin…they’re all the same really, attracting the same rogues and ne’er do wells. I wasn’t going to leave my case outside. I’d need to wait a bit longer for the toilet.

We asked around and were pointed in the vague direction of our hotel. It seemed quiet here. Relaxed. Cars drove more slowly than in Lisbon or Porto. We walked past some small Bangladeshi-owned mini-markets, a Chinese/Japanese ‘fusion’ restaurant, a pizzeria, some bland-looking hotels and guesthouses, endless tacky souvenir shops selling exactly the same tacky religious mementos….plenty of shops selling port wine. There were some pretty-looking cafes. A few enterprising beggars sat on strategic corners, undoubtedly making a decent living from the well-wishing tourists. Fatima, then, is a 21st century version of a medieval pilgrimage site. After 10 minutes we came to the Hotel Santo Antonio De Fatima. A three star beauty only 5 minutes walk from the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, the principle ‘attraction’ in this town. We checked in, dumped our bags, and headed straight back out to explore.