Puppy love in surfer's paradise

The alarm clock went at 5.30am, ripping two tired but happy ladies out of their sweet dreams. An hour later, Steffi drove off to the airport in a cab and my human went to the gym for a couple of hours.

After a hearty breakfast and a couple more hours at the pool, she also checked out and we drove a bit to the North of the city, where the Ponte Vasco de Gama and the Vasco de Gamma Tower can be found, site of the 1998 World Expo.

The bridge is the second longest in Europe, spanning over 17 km across the Tagus river. It would be a lie to say that the bridge is a highlight. It runs very low across the water, almost looks like it would be flooded at high tide! But the 145m high tower standing right next to it, housing a fancy hotel, of course, is quite a sight.

After some wandering around the never-ending promenade (which you can also ride along for a couple of kilometers in a cable car some 20m above ground for some reason), a quick lunch and some food shopping, we left Lisbon behind and headed for Cabo de Roca, the western-most point of Europe. It was very busy when we got there, emptied a little in the late afternoon, just to see another surge of people for sunset.

We had a good chat to the gentleman at the info point about some nice walks in the area. Unfortunately, a lot of break ins happen here at the car park during the day and also all around the area of Sintra. He said that almost every day windows get smashed and cars broken into. All while there are hundreds of people around. He advised to take all valuables when going on a hike.

Something none of us had ever witnessed happened just after sunset - people started clapping. Like after a plane lands. This awkward, half-hearted kind of clapping with the odd enthusiastic one cutting in between. What was that all about? It didn’t seem to matter to the sun, anyways, she had set and was gone for the day, no extra show, sorry!

All those little dots there around the obelisk - people!

After a quiet night with only a couple of other campers, I sang my human a little birthday song and because I have such a beautiful singing voice, she then packed Carmelo and all her valuables (but me) in a hurry and off they went on a hike along the coastline, leaving me to fend for myself. Which, of course, I’m perfectly capable of.

They were gone for three hours and nobody approached me too closely in that time. After they got back, we drove a few kilometers up a hill to an old fortress. From there the did another hike through a beautiful forest. I had a little nap until they got back. Two ladies returned to the car park at the same time and one of them approached us, asking if we had seen anything, because one of their side windows was smashed!

She said her friend had left her handbag on the seat. Not clever, of course, but still not an invitation, is it? So this was first hand, or rather second hand - luckily, proof of what we had been told the day before. For that reason we decided not to check out another couple of spots in the area, as we had planned, but got on the road to Ericeira.

The parking spot we had in mind was full. No surprise, there are only four spots. So we parked to the side of it, checking online for spots nearby. And as a birthday present, on of the vans left while we were doing that. Not two minutes after we parked, the next van arrived. Sorry, guys!

After a little stroll through the pretty town and a walk on the beach, my human cooked us a tasty dinner and we enjoyed it with a glass of wine while watching the sunset from our vantage point. So she spent her birthday with two of the past times she loves best - walking and eating.

The night was super quiet and after some sunrise Yoga and breakfast, they took off on another walk along some of the most famous surf beaches of Portugal. The surf is not exactly pumping yet, but there are plenty of people in the water and it’s good fun watching them ride the waves - or not.

They spent the afternoon at the beach again, possibly one of the last times to do so. The weather is getting cooler, the sun is loosing some of it’s power. Summer is over.

In the morning we called ahead to our next preferred spot, a private place less than 30km away. Nuno was happy to receive us. So were his three dogs, one happier and cuter than the next. This garden is his outdoor man cave, in a way. He is trying to grow vegetables in a very sandy soil, brewing beer, learning how to build houses with bottles, straw and limestone. All of those things rather successfully, I may add.

Not long after we arrived, he invited us for lunch and we had a lovely chat. The same happened the next day. That kind of guy, just awesome!

We spent two days here, just hanging out, chilling in the hammocks (not me!), cuddling the dogs, some running and biking. My human helped a bit on one of the houses, just sanding down the outside so the next layer of paint could be applied. Which left her dusted in yellow from head to toe.

Yep, this is made out of glass bottles

We left Saturday morning for another short drive to Peniche, another surfer town along the coast. Normally a big RipCurl surf event happens here every October. Not this year, still due to the pandemic. Quite a shame, really, that would have been cool to see.

Instead we saw the Museum of Resistance and Freedom, dedicated to the struggle for liberation of the fascist regime in Portugal. This fort was used as a prison for political enemies until 1974, when the last men and women were released.

The names of over 30.000 prisoners are inscribed on this very, very long wall

These are cells!

And of course Berlengas, a small island some 10km off the coast.

The island is a biosphere reserve with a tiny fishing community, living in some three dozen houses. There is a small fort built in the 17th Century, a lighthouse and many caves which can only be seen from the water. Above water is suits as nesting ground for many birds, and many species of fish call the surrounding waters home.