Locked up with the Templars

And there we were, locked up by the Templars in the Portuguese town of Tomar. We only wanted to visit the famous monastery Convento de Cristo, but then we were suddenly locked up and could not go anywhere.

Locked up

We had heard from other vanlifers that we really had to visit Tomar. The city where the Templars once lived in the monastery Convento de Cristo, one of the most important Portuguese buildings from the Renaissance. We really wanted to see that! After we had installed ourselves at the free, but busy abandoned city camping, we decided to first visit the monastery garden. Then the next day we went to see the monastery from the inside. At the entrance of the garden there was a large gate with a sign with the opening hours from 09:00 - 16:00. Despite the fact that it was 15:55 we decided to give it a try like two real Dutch people. They wouldn't close the gate without checking, would they?

Harry Potter key

At exactly 4 pm a car with someone of obvious Portuguese descent comes towards us. However, he says nothing and just lets us walk on. Some time later he drives up from behind again and since we are inside thick garden walls we get a bit nervous. We don't feel like having to stay here for a night. We stop the man and ask if we can still get out. The man only speaks Portuguese and after a lot of hand gestures of gates and keys he makes it clear to us that we have to go back to the gate to open it. However, the man just drives on. Once we arrive at the gate we see that it is indeed locked. Where has our Portuguese friend gone? Fortunately the man comes back a few minutes later and produces a gigantic Harry Potter key. Within two minutes we are freed and we thank the man. Obrigado!

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Secret societies

The next day, as mentioned, we also visit the monastery itself. We are surprised by the enormous dimensions and how beautiful it looks from the inside. We also wonder what happened to the Templars and what about all those other 'secret' societies such as the Rosicrucians, the Illuminati, the Freemasons, etc. Okay, here is a short overview for those who find it interesting:

The Templars (click on the arrow on the left for more info)

Were active for two centuries (1120-1312). This order consisted at that time mainly of French knights, also called crusaders. Around 1118 the brotherhood made vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. They waged a holy war against the Muslims. Some details about this far-reaching order:

• They are named after the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem.

• The Templars were recognizable by their white cloak with a red cross on the left chest.

• They lived mainly monastically, i.e. a religious way of life in which one devotes oneself to spiritual work.

• The Order of Knights was recognized by the Catholic Church in 1129.

• They were the first bankers in Europe to introduce bills of exchange and lend money at sky-high interest rates.

• Templars are said to be in possession of the Holy Grail.

• On Friday, October 13, 1307, all the Templars were arrested by order. This was seen as the end of the Templars. Hence our unlucky day, Friday the 13th.

The rumor that the Templars continued to exist in secret after their dissolution has been circulating for hundreds of years.

Masonic

Freemasonry originated in England during the Enlightenment 1650-1800 in a Christian context. They are regionally organized in lodges (meeting places) and strive for spiritual and moral elevation, mutual appreciation and mutual help. They are known for their secret rituals and are still active worldwide to this day. Some special features:

• Although membership is secret, there are many well-known Freemasons such as: Willem Drees, Albert Heijn, Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt.

• The masons work with degrees. Each degree is accompanied by an initiation ritual.

• The all-seeing eye is also often associated with the Freemasons.

  

• The Founding Fathers of America were Freemasons.

• The all-seeing eye is depicted on the American one dollar bill.

• The symbolism of Freemasonry is based on architecture and goes back to the very first master builders such as Hiram, who built the Temple of Jerusalem for King Solomon.

Rosicrucians

The Rosicrucians were a closed society from the 15th century. The movement was founded by Christian Rosenkreutz in 1407 and they were said to be in possession of a huge treasure of secret knowledge. It became a mystical movement that sought moral and religious reform and combined alchemy and natural philosophy. Some special features:

• The Rosicrucians believed in literal invisibility and claimed to be able to communicate with spirits and angels.

• They were said to be in possession of the elixir of life and therefore immortal.

• They claimed to be able to decide for themselves when their time had come to go.

• They also claimed to possess the Philosopher's Stone, which made them infinitely wealthy.

Illumination

Illuminati, also called the Enlightened, is a secret society of wealthy people that rules the world. It was founded in 1776 by the British Weishaupt. Its success is partly due to the local Freemason Lodge on which the Illuminati based its organizational structure. They do not deny the existence of God, but believe that rationality is the key to understanding the world. Some details:

• While the Freemasons mainly appear in The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown), the Illuminati mainly appear in the book Bernini Mystery .

• A popular conspiracy theory about the Illuminati is that they are bent on world domination.

• Celebrities such as Madonna, Obama, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, according to theories, make extensive use of 'hidden' Illuminati symbolism.

• It is said that these stars sold their souls in exchange for fame.

Secret Societies Today

Even today there are still mysterious societies:

• There is the Bilderberg Conference. The Bilderberg Conference is a political meeting where international image formation and ideas are central. Participants are influential figures from the Western world , mainly from business, politics, science, media and the financial world. Our royal family and Mark Rutte (in his role as MP) are also participants in these conferences. Nothing discussed during the conference may be made public. This is a good breeding ground for conspiracy theorists. After all, you do not know what is discussed behind closed doors.

"Little secret; something you tell everyone, but no one is allowed to know"

Research

In our ''research'' into these various secret societies we were confused several times. The various societies, especially Freemason and Illuminati, use many terms and symbols interchangeably.

Back to Tomar. We really enjoyed this special place. We felt like we were back in time. That was not difficult, because the city is full of Templar symbolism.

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Where are we?

4,428 km since our departure. We drive a beautiful route to the Serra da Estrela, the highest point of Portugal. At the highest point itself it is very foggy and we see nothing. After Serra da Estrela we drive to Tomar to visit the monastery there. We continue our route to Nazaré which is known for the highest waves in the world.

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