Coast of Portugal

June 20, 2014
North of S. Pedro de Moel

We've been wandering our way southward through the sweetest rural villages and coastal towns camping near the beaches. The coast is not built up like in the States. Just a few beach towns with condos. I'm sure it gets worse the further south we go. People are friendly and honk and wave. Some stop to chat, but if they don't speak English the conversation is short. The fruits we're finding along the way are how I remember them from my childhood. Peaches and nectarines dripping with juice as I eat them. Delicious sweet black cherries. Yummy plums. Just wonderful. And always an enjoyable exchange with the vendor. I'm finding often French is their 2nd language and I haven't forgotten too much from my summer abroad 45+ years ago.

I'm having some leg issues. Pain above and below the inside of my left knee. And it goes between a 4 and a 10 in pain levels. I've learned some muscle releasing techniques to use on "pissed off" muscles (as my muscle guy refers to them). And I've begun leg strength balancing exercises he taught me before I left. And then there's ibuprofen! I think the 2 months of hiking first has messed things up but I feel confident I can resolve the problem. Won't be able to take any time off for another week when we get to Lisbon. Then we should have a week off the trikes between Lisbon and London.

June 23, 2014
Peniche, Portugal

We got rained on yesterday for the first time in forever! Decided to quit early when it stopped for awhile and found a great wild campsite nestled in some pine trees. Even put up the tarp to sit under.

A quick jaunt to the cliffs' edge and we came upon this view.

Imagine photo here...it won't upload, again...

And later, back for sunset.

And another here...

Today though was such fun. After winding down the coast breakfasting at an overlook, we wandered into another quant Portuguese town. I put our destination of Obidos into Google Maps Walking to see the route it would give me. We've wandered down the best back roads doing that:). But this area has been hilly and I worry about doing too many of them. So I stopped a guy and asked. He wanted us to take the main road and gave me great directions. But it skirted a city and I didn't want to. So I didn't. And away we went. And the route was fabulous! Towards the end we see this castle high up on this rock. Big castle. Long fortress walls. The road up is steep so we ditch the bikes and walk up. We come into a medieval village replica and sign that a festival will be here next month. Then we notice you can walk the fortress wall. There's a sign warning that it's dangerous. Personal responsibility. What a novel concept:). So up we go! And what's on the other side, in the castle courtyard? A whole village! Obidos! We didn't know. The cutest place ever!!!


And a cute picture of me here...

Love surprises like that!

And tonight, after waiting out a thunderstorm in a gas station cafe...talk about timing, we'd just stopped for water...we're in an industrial coastal town in a campground. Not too bad and not too expensive. No toilet paper in the johns, just a bidet. Guess I'm going to learn the Asian hand method whether I like it or not!


Livin' the life,

BagLady