April 20th
Portugal’s April at its best. The cool morning seems to be turning into a reasonably warm day. It rained last night, and that’s something we all like. Everything that rains before Midsummer goes straight into the bin. Just a reminder for fellow travelers in Finland. Perhaps those who coined or recorded the saying didn’t mean snow and sleet showers happening during these times! I’m completely sure that the snow will melt from the whole of Finland by July.
In the morning, we got ourselves ready to go. We waited a few minutes for Maria to arrive, and at 9:30, we set off driving from Porto northwards – to Esposende. Maria has a holiday home here, where we parked Tellu in the yard. The hostess has really busy times with work and visiting relatives, so we took our bikes from the rack and started exploring the surroundings. The gentle breeze blowing from the Atlantic kept the weather pleasant – downright suitable for cycling. Sunglasses are a necessary accessory!
We settled for breakfast at a local café. The staff was really friendly (including a Russian lady), and a great combo of bread rolls with toppings & lattes x 2 cost a total of just 5 €. I think we’ll come back to the same place for breakfast tomorrow too. Maria and I gave her a rundown of the house before she left for work in Porto.
Eva washed the car, we sorted out the issues with the hot water boiler, got it working. Then it was time for a bike ride along the northern coastal path. There we found a restaurant with a sea view, where we got some sea rice takeaway, wine (surprise?), and for dessert, in honor of Chilean memories, Pisco Sour! Lovely and skilled people working at the restaurant, and the bartender was a true artist. We gave him the applause he deserved!
Fed and fueled by wine, we explored the beach life in front of the restaurant. Beautiful water-worn stones as far as the eye could see, soft sand higher up, and Saturday crowd – younger and older. There was also an excellent angler present. We didn’t share a common language to speak, but both of our phones had pictures that spoke more than a thousand words. Fishermen have an exciting bond everywhere!
From the first beach, we continued our trip further north. There we found a beautiful clear stream flowing gracefully into the ocean. Plenty of beachcombers on the sandy shore revealed by the low tide.
The return journey went swiftly with the tailwind. Back at the cottage, we got the electricity working in the car, settled down to write the blog, and soon we’ll go check out the sun sinking into the Atlantic waves. It’s starting to feel like a vacation bit by bit!