Beech's 1st moho adventure

[Just smiffy]

We don’t mind the dull bits, there are so few travelling in Europe at the moment that it’s good to hear and see others travels....

your a good writer and the pictures are well taken... you don’t know it but you probably have quite a few of us looking over your shoulder and travelling with you vicariously at this time when many of us can’t....

keep it up and safe travels..

 

[Helen Ariel]

We don’t mind the dull bits, there are so few travelling in Europe at the moment that it’s good to hear and see others travels....

your a good writer and the pictures are well taken... you don’t know it but you probably have quite a few of us looking over your shoulder and travelling with you vicariously at this time when many of us can’t....

keep it up and safe travels..

Thank you that's a lovely thing to say!

 

[Helen Ariel]

This is how close the castle is!

And the gourmet sausage and mash went down well!

Forgot to say we also saw a huge flock of storks flying low over head in the evening light. I've never seen such an enormous bird in flight. Absolutely beautiful.

 

[Helen Ariel]

Well the castle was stunning! I wonder if Northernraider visited this one on his Portugal tour?

Then on to Figueira de Foz carpark style aire with services 5e. We jumped on the bikes and did a tour of the town to see if we'd like to stay longer than a night and I'm sure the great weather (22c and clear skies) helped but we also got a great vibe from the place and enjoyed being somewhere a bit more cosmopolitan (there's an Indian and a Japanese restaurant!) but not at all crowded and nice not to have to wear masks outside in the fresh air here.

2 bacon, cheese, ham and fried egg burgers with chips, large water and a coffee £15e.
Finished off with a bit of beach time with Beech.

I wasn't sure what the deal was with camping behaviour in the carpark aire but on return from the beach the Portuguese were out socialising so i followed suit

 

[Helen Ariel]

A pic from our spot by the castle last night

And some more pics of Figueira da Foz. The place grew on us more and more as we cycled around it.

So many buildings have these incredibly intricate tiles on the outside of them, including the big blocks of flats. Must have cost a fortune. No dodgy cladding put up to save money & risk people’s lives...

We were lucky enough to cycle past the Palácio Sotto Mayor which was unfortunately closed. If we’d been here last year we could have seen inside it on a tour for €3! It looked amazing from the outside.

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[Helen Ariel]

We also came across some more excellent graffiti and statues in the parks we cycled through.

In fact, we’re liking the feel of this place so much we’re going to hang about for a few days.

 

[Northernraider]

Well the castle was stunning! I wonder if Northernraider visited this one on his Portugal tour?
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Then on to Figueira de Foz carpark style aire with services 5e. We jumped on the bikes and did a tour of the town to see if we'd like to stay longer than a night and I'm sure the great weather (22c and clear skies) helped but we also got a great vibe from the place and enjoyed being somewhere a bit more cosmopolitan (there's an Indian and a Japanese restaurant!) but not at all crowded and nice not to have to wear masks outside in the fresh air here.
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2 bacon, cheese, ham and fried egg burgers with chips, large water and a coffee £15e.
Finished off with a bit of beach time with Beech. View attachment 431540View attachment 431541View attachment 431542
I wasn't sure what the deal was with camping behaviour in the carpark aire but on return from the beach the Portuguese were out socialising so i followed suit
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Yes I visited that one and stayed in the carpark below also ....that was 2018 I did that one

 

[Helen Ariel]

Yes I visited that one and stayed in the carpark below also ....that was 2018 I did that one

Yes, DH suggested staying at the bottom car park. When we looked down this morning from the ramparts we were glad we didn’t!

There was nobody there yesterday, not a single car...

 

[Just smiffy]

Are you going to go in to Coimbra..? It’s a bigger place but it is lovely and there’s a free Aire by the river....

 

[Helen Ariel]

Are you going to go in to Coimbra..? It’s a bigger place but it is lovely and there’s a free Aire by the river....

Drove through en route to checking out the MTB trails in Lousã. Doubt we’ll make it back this trip as heading south and hugging the coast for the surf.

We didn’t fancy hitting the road gap above on our bikes this time!

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[DBK]

Forgot to say we also saw a huge flock of storks flying low over head in the evening light. I've never seen such an enormous bird in flight. Absolutely beautiful.

The storks will be heading for the Gibraltar/Tarifa area which is where they cross to Africa. Like you they are chasing the sun - just going a bit further.

Cranes from Northern Europe will also be on the move but most of them stop short of Africa and over-winter in SW Spain in the Extremadura region. This is on the Spanish side of the border with Portugal from where you are.

More info on cranes here:

The crane (Grus grus) in Extremadura

Every winter, about 75.000 cranes goes to Extremadura. This region is nowadays the main winter habitat for the european crane. Cranes cover in three weeks 3.000 kilometers from their nesting habitats in the North of Europe.

visit-western-spain.com

 

[Just smiffy]

Drove through en route to checking out the MTB trails in Lousã. Doubt we’ll make it back this trip as heading south and hugging the coast for the surf.

Well you will be spoilt for beaches all long the west coast... I have this one as my screen saver..

 

[KiwiKampers]

We also came across some more excellent graffiti and statues in the parks we cycled through.

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In fact, we’re liking the feel of this place so much we’re going to hang about for a few days.

I wouldn’t describe that as graffiti, I think it’s a mural, and a beautiful one at that. Those public works of art cry out to be photographed. Your photographs go to prove that architecture and public works of art all combine to make the visitor feel positive about a place.
Thank you for taking the photos of things I want to see, in places I want to go and with a dog I wish I owned (Except when she’s sick in the van)!

 

[Helen Ariel]

I wouldn’t describe that as graffiti, I think it’s a mural, and a beautiful one at that. Those public works of art cry out to be photographed. Your photographs go to prove that architecture and public works of art all combine to make the visitor feel positive about a place.
Thank you for taking the photos of things I want to see, in places I want to go and with a dog I wish I owned (Except when she’s sick in the van)!

Thanks for your lovely post!

Just to let you know that calling it graffiti is in no way belittling the skill involved or the artistic integrity of the work.

 

[Helen Ariel]

Actually KiwiKampers , you’re right. The big orange fish is a mural!

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[Helen Ariel]

Warning! Dead porpoise photo and other less yucky dead sea animals below!



Ok my mind is blown. Just had all you can eat Japanese 9.90e a person. Made fresh and dishes brought to you so no rubbish buffet style.

I was so excited i forgot to photograph half of what we had.

Far better quality than any uk all you can eat I've ever had and on a close par with my favourite expensive Brighton sushi restaurant.

Maybe the 8 mile walk burned some of that off? Luckily the dead porpoise on the beach didn't put us off lunch

Swim this avo. I think we could stay here forever at this rate

 

[Just smiffy]

That food looks good...

 

[2wheelwanderer]

Looks like your having a brilliant time, thanks for sharing love seeing all these amazing places.

 

[Helen Ariel]

Happy birthday princess Beech. 11 years old yesterday! Forgot to post up as had a busy day yesterday with walks on the beach, dip in the sea, mountain bike ride and then Friday night on the town with cocktails and an Indian. Any excuse for a celebration

Proper update to follow later.

 

[Just smiffy]

Did beech enjoy the curry..

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[KiwiKampers]

Beech is incredible. 11 dog years makes her a pensioner in human terms. She appears to be as fit as the proverbial butcher’s dog. I wish I had her energy, and I certainly wish I was seeing the places she’s seeing.

 

[Helen Ariel]

So we may have fallen in love with Figueira da Foz. It’s got everything we want; surfing, MTB trails, some great bars & restaurants and sensible social distancing measures. It’s nice to be back in a decent sized town and get a bit of social interaction again, and we all feel very safe. There’s hand sanitizer at all the shops, restaurants & supermarkets and also it was good to see the staff employed at the market to marshall people entering via the one way system.

We came across more colourful murals on our walk around town.

We were able to check out the surf from inside the van at the spot on the front where we spent two nights. It’s been pretty consistent so far!

We used the Trailforks app to find a great ride in the trails above the town. Perfect conditions as the slightly hazy days we’d had changed to beautiful clear blue skies and temps in the low 20s.

The final descent popped us out right by the spot we were parked at on the seafront.

The trails were really fun. Just the right amount of tech & flow for us, plus they were in great condition. Were going to do more exploring this week.

 

[Helen Ariel]

We decided to go out on the town for a few drinks & a curry on Friday night. Again, the weather was fabulous, but it‘s getting fresher in the evenings so we took a sweatshirt with us.

Couple of capirinhas to start the evening with at a trendy beachfront bar that had some classic metal parked outside it!

Both were in excellent condition!

The evening light was lovely. We then went for a curry which was rich & aromatic but we both felt was small for the price. Forgot to get pics of the food!

 

[Helen Ariel]

We needed to do some more life admin so decided to head about 3 miles south to spend a couple of nights on a campsite so we could spread out, do some laundry and have a bbq. Before we drove down we visited the market in Figueira. An amazing selection of colourful fruit & veg, and loads of fish!

When we got here the lady on reception let us know it’s only open to new guests on Friday & Saturday nights and is closed during the week. Apart from the full-timers there were only 3 other guests on site, so we picked a spot right by the gate that leads to the glorious but wild beach.
Her hairy highness led the charge to explore the new surroundings!

I had the tough task of waiting for the laundry...

But Beech was keen to get back to see what MH was cooking on the bbq. We’d bought 2 lovely bream, 2 mackerel and were experimenting with cooking some chipirones!

It was a lovely clear evening.

The light really was gorgeous!

 

[Helen Ariel]

Beech is incredible. 11 dog years makes her a pensioner in human terms. She appears to be as fit as the proverbial butcher’s dog. I wish I had her energy, and I certainly wish I was seeing the places she’s seeing.

She is often mistaken for a younger dog in her behaviour and looks but she does hobble a bit these days due to arthritis in her elbows.

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[Oscar]

Our cocker spaniel Oscar who is almost 12, also does not act his age! He too has arthritic joints, weve been giving him YuMove for the last couple of years & they've definitely helped his mobility

 

[Helen Ariel]

Our cocker spaniel Oscar who is almost 12, also does not act his age! He too has arthritic joints, weve been giving him YuMove for the last couple of years & they've definitely helped his mobility
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Yes same here been giving them for awhile after Beech randomly started yelping in pain and running and hiding in the garden. Then she was diagnosed by the vet and ball throwing and longer walks were out. Also give her salmon oil and if she has over done things an anti inflammatory. This all seems to keep it at a bearable level for her as she's always raring to go in the morning.

 

[Helen Ariel]

Another sea front free park up last night with a stunning sunset view. Healthy veggie dinner.

Then a brilliant 2 hour surf session this morning. Our 1st for Portugal. The sea was a bit fresher than in Spain but it was a beautiful morning and we came out feeling incredibly revitalised.

Over one last all you can eat sushi for lunch I said to DH that the thing I'm discovering that I love about getting out for a surf is I come out feeling as though my whole body and mind have been washed clean and it's such a lovely way to start the day.

We're moving on from Fig Foz after another ride of the mountain bike trails tomorrow. Overall it's been our favourite place of the trip so far in terms of all round activities in one place though not as visually stunning as others.

 

[Podney]

I’ve only just found this thread..........and it’s wonderful! Nice to read lots of positive stuff,you never seem to moan about anything.
Thanks for sharing. You have so much energy,mind you all that lovely food helps! You are now in a country I love to visit and will be going early November,unless C gets in the way.
Happy days!

 

[Helen Ariel]

Podney Lol we do love our food and then burning off in fun ways is win win.. oops that sounds naughty
I hope you make it out. I think we will visit this country regularly now we have the MH.

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