DAY ELEVEN
We drove into Portugal. Our road was going amongst hills and woods. We passed through cork trees plantations. It is a very interesting plant. Men cut tree bark in specific time lapse, then it dries in the sun and finally goes to cork production.
Another interesting place – huge lake. We were looking for water to wash dishes and maybe take a shower. But we drove on our four wheels through the lake! It was almost all dry.
Portugal is home for lynx, what road sign showed us. There are many storks as well. Their nests are on many pillars and even road signs.
Our direction was Sao Teotonio. Happy is living there. He comes from India and he is a very good friend of mine from restaurant Scandi in Copenhagen, where we used to work together. His visa was over so he moved to Portugal. Nobody knew when we could meet again. That’s why we decided to visit him during our journey.
We met on Intermarche parking. It is the only big store in the neighborhood, so it was easy to spot. It was very nice to see each other again. First, he showed us a beach in the area – Zambujeira do Mar. One of the more beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen. Especially in the evening or in the middle of the week, when there are no many people. It is quite small, surrounded by cliffs and washed by waves of the ocean. Perfect beach for me.
We were recollecting past while drinking beers. After sunset, Happy invited us for a dinner. Together with a friend, he made some Indian food – tortillas, rice, and chicken in spinach. Delicious! He let us use the shower. We were very grateful for that.
DAY TWELVE
The next day in the morning we took Kaprys for a walk. We planned to make a small circle. But we got lost and finally, we had to go back on our own troops. At least we visited the town. Sao Teotonio, as most of the cities here, is built from small, white houses with red roofs. The frames of windows are painted in many colors. There are plenty of flowers at the entrances. All of it looks picturesque and calm.
Together with Happy and his friend we went to a beach in Milfontes. This one was very big. We found the place hidden behind the rock. We were hoping the water here will be a bit warmer. It wasn’t. Anyway, we couldn’t miss the chance of swimming in the ocean. Very refreshing!
We were lying in Portuguese sun, drinking beer and chatting. It was getting late, so we drove back to Sao Teotonio. Happy insisted we eat dinner with him. But we didn’t have much time, so he ran to the shop, to buy at least something for us for later.
Farvel was sad, as usual. But I am very happy we met after two years. And I needed such time after ten days on the road. To slow down a bit, relax on the beach with a beer and gather new power to the second part of the trip.
We couldn’t drive far, as it was late already. We stopped in the road bay by the ocean not far from the town called Almograve. Sandy road was going on the cliff along the coast. On the left dunes were spreading, on the right, the ocean was humming. We went down to the beach. The sun was going down while we were enjoying the chicken bought by Happy for us. It was very well seasoned and tasted excellent. Thank you Happy for your hospitality!!!
We were sitting there a while, drinking a beer and admiring the view of the ocean and the lights of the town in the distance. The moon appeared in the sky and it was casting long shadows of us onto the sand. We came back to our house and for few more moments, we were watching the stars. It is best to watch them in such circumstances – far away from the lights of the city. There were thousands of them and each shone its own unique glitter.
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