DRIVING

It's hot in Portugal today, real hot.  With the temperature hovering around 100 degrees, castles are the last thing we would be interested in climbing around.  So looking for something cooler do do, we climbed in the car and drove to higher ground.  Our B&B is in the small village of Mesquitela, which just happens to be a the bottom of the highest mountain in Portugal.  At just over 6600 feet we figured Mt. Torre would be somewhat cooler.  Well it was, but not by much at 90 degrees.  We did manage to get out and walk around some and we did see some beautiful mountain scenery and we mostly managed to stay cool.  Driving on Portugal's steep, narrow, twisty roads is plenty entertaining in itself, but to make it even more exciting, add some Portuguese drivers.

 

 

I have written before, on trips to Europe, about driving in foreign countries.  Of course there is somewhat of a learning curve when navigating in new places with different rules as can be expected.  Signage, after a little study, is pretty easy with just a few exceptions.  Of course there is the added bonus of many of the signs being in the native language.  I particularly like the one sign in both Portuguese and English that I saw today after beginning the steep decent down the mountain.  "Try your breaks now".  "Why now?  Shouldn't I have tried them before I started down the hill?"  For many Americans, the traffic circle or roundabout as it is locally known takes some getting used to.  Get in the inside lane in a busy city, you might not ever get out, but for the most part once you get the knack of it, it's pretty easy.

 

Here in Portugal as you enter any city, town or village the speed limit becomes 50 kpm or about 35 miles per hour.  There are a few surprises sometimes, like a raised crosswalk, that if you're going too fast will get you and the rental car alignment specialists attention.  Also Portuguese towns come with a signal light at various locations.  No intersection or crosswalk, just a signal that manages to turn red just as you approach it.  At some of these you may sit there a while wondering "why the hell have I stopped here?"  They are there to slow you down.  "Ok, I'm going slow now, can you please turn green?"

The most exciting aspect of driving in Portugal are the Portuguese.  Usually am tootling along doing the speed limit.  The Portuguese don't do the speed limit, unless they are driving a tractor. I can see them in the rear view mirror approaching at warp speed.  If there is room, I get over as I wouldn't want to slow them down.  But in most cases they arrive at my rear bumper and begin to draft.  I try to identify the make of the car, but they are so close that the brand emblem on their grill is not visible in my mirror.  Under normal circumstances they pass.  Normal circumstances have a different meaning to the Portuguese.  Blind curves, cresting a hill, and vehicles smaller than a semi are all normal and passing is acceptable.  If for some reason they can't past, they just stay there, about two feet behind me, saving fuel while my slipstream pulls them along.  If I slow down to get over, I risk them joining me in the back seat.  So I just maintain my speed until such time as they see an opening and they zip past me.  Then I pull over and get my heart rate under control.  If I'm lucky enough, I have pulled over in front of a bar.  Did I mention that the Portuguese make really good wine.

 

TURNING AROUND AND HEADING NORTH

I've been having trouble coming up with a post as I guess I'm suffering from writer's block.  So this will be a short update with some photos.  We are a little over a week before our return home and in all probably this will be my last post while on the road.

We left Sesimbra and our view of the ocean and drove the short distance to Sintra, near Lisbon.  Within and near Sintra are 3 palaces and a castle.  We had a B&B reservation in the heart of the city and as we arrived driving became difficult because of the narrow streets and the hoards of tourists.  After dodging the masses and arriving at the B&B, we right away became thankful that we were only spending one night.  The crowds took away all desire to visit any of the palaces.

We left the next morning and continued north to another oceanfront apartment/B&B that we found through Airbnb.  Just south of the coastal city of Peniche it is situated on a narrow peninsula with miles of sandy beach on one side and rocky cliffs on the other.  Our small apartment is one of three, each with a balcony overlooking the rocky shoreline.  We sit outside much of the time watching the surfers and listening to the waves crashing on the rocks below.  It is near here in Nazare that the largest waves in the world occur.  We went and took a look, but we picked the wrong day.  Normally these humongous waves happen during winter storms and some brave soles actually surf them.

After 4 nights listening to the surf, we tore ourselves away and made a right turn and heading inland.  We are in a funky B&B in a nature preserve, just a few miles from the Spanish border.  And it's hot, in the low 90's.  Our pick of lodging is just ok, a little run down and lots of daddy long leg spiders.  The pulse side is that our room is below the house and the 2+ feet thick stone walls keeps us cool.  On the top of the mountain above us is Marvao, a beautiful fortified walled town.  Within it's high stone walls, the town is full of whitewashed homes and business.  At the highest point is the castle, which is in excellent condition.

We got an early start for our visit to Marvao while it was still cool.  We were mostly by ourselves as we explored the town and the castle.  After about 3 hours, we found a small cafe with outside seating under a huge tree and a view of the landscape spread out before us.  With cold drinks and a cool breeze we lingered for over an hour before heading back down the mountain.

Tomorrow we continue north on the eastern side of Portugal.  We will spend 4 nights at our next stop and then return to Santiago and begin our journey home.

Well I guess, the writer's block has left me for the time being, but that's enough for now.  Enjoy the photos.

 

OUR VIEW

THE GALLERY WATCHING THE SURFERS 

 

THIS IS WHERE THE BIG WAVE ARE, WELL, NOT TODAY

 

NOW THAT'S A BIG WAVE

 

TRIED MY HAND AT SURFING

 

OUR BEACH

 

PENICHE COASTLINE

 

PENICHE FORTRESS 

 

OUR FUNKY B&B

 

MARVAO

    

 

    

 

LIFE'S A BEACH

As of tonight we will have been at the beach for 5 nights and Cathie's loving it.  We used Airbnb for the first time and we rented an apartment in a high rise, pretty much right on the beach.  We are on the 4th floor with a commanding view overlooking the beach at Sesimbra, a fishing village that also is a popular spot for tourist and locals alike.  We are told that due to it's proximity to Lisbon, about 30 miles south, most visitors are from the city.  Just south of us is, Arrábida National Park, with about 20 miles of pretty much unspoiled coastline.  I say mostly unspoiled because most parks in Europe sport a cafe or some eating establishment.

Also a few miles away is Cabo Espichel, a windy headland, with towering cliffs overlooking the Atlantic.  At the western tip of the cape sits the lighthouse, Farol do Cabo Espichel, which we heard was open to the public on Wednesdays for free.  Not to miss out on the free part, we headed out in the afternoon.  We were met by Pino, an officer in the Portuguese Navy, who is stationed, along with two others, at the lighthouse.  He led us to the top, where in his broken English, he explained to us the workings of the light, which included turning it on.  It was a nice personal tour.

Also on the cape within sight of the lighthouse is the Santuario de Nossa Senhora do Cabo Espichel, (Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Cape).  There is a chapel and was once a pilgrims hostel.  The chapel built between 1701 and 1707 became a destination for pilgrims and the hostel was built.  The hostel consists of two long two story buildings, with rooms for the pilgrims on the upper floor and shops and stores on the lower.  Even though pilgrims still come to the cape, the hostel is no longer in use, its' windows and doors filled in with cement.  You can still see sections of the aqueduct that brought water to the hostel.

We keep thinking about trying some of the seafood here, but it is difficult to decipher most of the menus to see how it's prepared.  As mentioned before, cod is a Portuguese staple and under most circumstances, I like cod.  But when my translator app translates a menu offering as "Cod boiled in sea water", I tend to shy away.

After listening to the waves for the past 5 nights, it's time to move on.  We will now turn around and begin our return to Santiago.  Not too fast though, still about two weeks to go.

 

THE VIEW FROM OUR APARTMENT

 

SESIMBRA 

  

 

THE LIGHT WITH SPARE BULB READY TO GO

PINO 

 

THE HOSTEL AND CHAPEL

 

INSIDE

 

 

 

THE CAPE

 

  

YOU HAVE HEARD OF WINE IN A BOX, NOW WINE IN A CARTON