Big waves. That’s what Nazare is famous for now. It was a fishing village and a summer beach destination. It is still both of those things, but the surfing layer has been added on top. I suspect the surfing layer is what has brought us here, not because we are surfers, but because we are attracted to natural phenomena, and the mechanics of wave amplification makes this place unique in the world.
We had little hope of arriving when conditions were ripe to produce the big waves so we weren’t disappointed when they didn’t show. But we hoped to walk out to the point from which they are viewed and get a feel for the area.
We enjoyed a slow morning. Cooked a breakfast, had tea and were out the door about 9:00am. Our place is right at the foot of the hill that leads up to the ridge line that runs out to the point of Nazare. There is a path of cobblestones that leads up the slope. From it the views of the beach town are amazing. We took our time climbing up, enjoying the scenery and the sun. Once on top we entered the sister city of Sitio. A wide cobblestone paved path walks along the edge of the cliff that drops back to beach of Nazare, again with great views.
We made our way down the point to the iconic lighthouse at the end, perched 100’ above the sea and paid our €2 each to enter the stone building. Once I side you can access the terraces on the ocean side and climb onto the roof for great views.
No big waves today. We saw some surfers being towed into waves north of the point, we suspect in preparation for next week’s tow-in surfing competition, but generally a quiet day. There were quite a few tourists like us checking out the place, but it certainly couldn’t be called crowded.
Sally has been dying to try barnacles as a dish. As we walked back up from the point we passed a restaurant on the edge of the cliff with a fantastic view and barnacles on the menu. They didn’t open until noon, about 20 minutes away. We decided to stroll around the delightful public square, view the tourist truckers for sale in the booths and wait for them to open. At one point I bought some nuts from a older woman with the traditional 7 skirts on just so Sally could get some pictures.
Back at the restaurant we found out they didn’t have barnacles so we returned to town, regrouped at our place as we passed by and returned to the beach front to find lunch. We did find a beachside cafe that had barnacles and sat down for lunch.
The last time I ate shellfish I turned beet red. I am ignoring shellfish while here until I ascertain just how allergic I am becoming to them. No need to go into anaphylactic shock while here. I had an omelette, fries and a salad. Sally had barnacles and crab. I became a target of shellfish detritus as she squirted barnacle juices on me and flung crab shell pieces about as she hammered, pinched, twisted and contorted the shells to expose the meat inside.
After our meal we walked the shoreline a bit, then returned home to rest and warm up. It was 38° when we ventured out this morning. It had now warmed up a bit, but the sun had disappeared behind thick clouds and the wind had come up.
I made a run to a grocery for a few items and ended up walking quite a bit of the town searching for a grocery store that carried Pepsi. Nothing like having a mission to get you out and exploring the area.
We cooked stir fry again for dinner. I cooked up all the vegetables we had left from last night plus a few we bought today. It made a pan full twice the size of what we could eat. No way to transport it until tomorrow so it ended up in the garbage. Bummer.
It rained pretty heavily off and on during the early evening. We were glad to be inside content to research tomorrow’s destination, Sintra just outside Lisbon and it’s iconic castles perched on hills. It was nice to have a mellow day as our trip winds down.
Nazarè as seen as we ascend the slope to the top of the hill north of town
Someone placed a swing along the path. Nice spot.
On our way up
Town and beach from the top.
Walking down to the lighthouse
Up on the r oof of the lighthouse building
View from the roof. No big waves.
I buy nuts from the local lady with the seven skirts on
Sally’s barnacles. They look like aliens.
The wreckage of Sally’s meal, beach and ocean
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