Portugal
São Teotónio

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    • Day 6

      Odeceixe -> Aljezur (I)

      March 10 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

      Heute steht die letzte und längste Wanderung an. Hier die Eckdaten der offiziellen "Rota Vicentina":
      - Strecke ..................... 22,5 km
      - Dauer ......................... 5 h 58 min
      - Aufstieg .................... 155 m
      - Abstieg ..................... 153 m
      - Höchster Punkt .... 114 m
      - Tiefster Punkt........ 2 m

      ODEXEISE -> PRAIA DE ODECEIXE

      Um 8 Uhr starte ich nach dem kurzen und etwas wenig opulenten Frühstück in Odeceixe. Das Wetter ist ein Träumchen. Leicht bewölkt, KEIN Regen und kaum Wind 👌. Zuerst geht es den Seixe entlang und zwar dieses Mal auf der linken Seite - bei der gestrigen Anreise nach Odeceixe wurde das rechte Flussufer bewandert.
      Der Fluss schlängelt sich bis zum Meer vor seeeehr schön, Jedoch müssen die knapp 4 km auf der asphaltierten Straße gelaufen werden. Zum Glück ist da nix los um die Zeit.
      An dem kleinen Küstenort "Praia de Odeceixe" hat man eine tolle Aussicht auf den Strand, das "Mündungsdelta" und die gegenüber liegenden Klippen, von denen ich gestern bei Horizontal-Regen abgestiegen bin.
      Danach geht's links auf die ca. 40 m hohen Klippen durch niedriges Gebüsch. Los ist noch nicht viel 👍.
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    • Day 37

      The Fisherman’s Trail, the easy way

      April 30, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

      Following more of Evelien’s footsteps in Portugal we finally reach one of the areas of Portugal that we have much looked forward to to visit: Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina. The North part of this nature park still being Alentejo, the South part ending in the Algarve. A 100 KM stretch of Europe’s best preserved coastlines, known by surfers for its waves and ecologists and biologists all over the world for its unique flora and fauna. No mass tourism, no mass development - and hence the best way to explore this nature park is by foot while following a multiple day hiking trail through areas no car can reach. We come by four wheels, however, and therefore only partly follow the footsteps my sister and brother-in-law took on this trail some years ago. Doing the trail the easy way, one could say, although we do face some challenges of our own in there next few days. But more of that later.

      We take it slow and follow a similar route from town to town, while stopping wherever we can along the way to walk up to the beaches and cliffs from a parking lot. A couple of times we take longer hikes on parts of the trail, and other times we watch other people hike past us with their walking sticks and packed backpacks while we chill on the beach in our swimwear. The temperatures have finally risen more consistently and we enjoy the feel of summer on our skin and in our minds. Tim calls me crazy, but I even fancy a swim in the (chilly) ocean! The cooling sensation followed by a light nap in the sun feels like freedom.

      Our first day on the trail starts at Porto Covo, a small fisherman’s town with again little whitewashed houses decorated with blue or yellow borders. Mom, you asked us the question whether these colours have any meaning. We hadn’t given it much thought before but since you asked we start to share your curiosity as to why these towns consistently have similar looking houses across a wider region. We haven’t been able to find a conclusive answer though: some say it is symbolic to reflect the sky (yellow for the sun, blue for the sky that apparently looks more blue in Alentejo than anywhere else, something to do with the way light is reflected in this region in combination of good air quality). Some have heard that it’s protecting residents from malifice (be it spiritual or flies). Our camp ground owner shrugs her shoulders when we ask her the reason: “it is mandatory by government rules to do so in Alentejo, to protect the traditional landscape”. At least it explains why the tradition lives on even today.

      Still in Porto Covo, a first challenge arrives. The display of our car suddenly lights up: “check transmission”. We experienced some vague display warnings before, that after a call with the owner appeared to be solved by simply re-opening and closing the doors (it’s like when IT asks you whether you have tried to reboot your troublesome computer yet), so we try a couple of things but the warning text and beeps stay present. Looking at Google and the car’s instruction booklet it could mean a number of things: small to big, cheap to expensive, quick fix to long waits for specific parts… We aren’t getting any wiser. Thanks to some helpful suggestions of family members and another call with the owner, we eventually drill it down to a probable defect break light switch causing the cruise control to be out of order and more importantly, the break lights to not work. Instead of driving to an automobile repair shop 70 km away we try our luck at the local shop for automobile parts. It’s so small that it’s hard to spot and while it should be open according to the time table we find the door closed. Looking through the window and walking around the building we ponder about what we should do next. Right then, a car pulls up. Some neighbours must have warned the owner about two customers at the door, as the guy steps out of his car and welcomes us inside. And luck we find: of the specific part we need he has exactly one item in store and we can buy it from him for a decent €22 only. We replace the item ourselves and like that, are on our way.

      From Porto Covo we slowly make our way down (via trails and beaches) to Vila Nova de Milfontes where we have one of the best dinners we have enjoyed this trip at a small local restaurant. The owner is super friendly and welcoming, the food is even better. The guy isn’t particular about sharing his culinary secrets: when we compliment him about the mushroom dish he explains exactly how we can make it at home (“it’s very easy!”) and a little while later we hear him go into detail about another recipe at one of the tables. Thanks to the vibe and hospitality it feels like we are having dinner at a friend’s place. I am sure the owner is a good friend to have! At the camp ground we make another friend, feline this time. I meet her somewhere between the sanitary building and our van when she cheekily follows me “home”. Requesting cuddles and staring at us from a small distance when we’re getting ready for bed, it is hard to close our curtains on her. In the morning a surprise awaits when the first thing we see outside is the same two piercing eyes. The whole morning she stays right with us: chilling, sleeping, cuddling. The little charmer almost tempted us in getting Musang a sister cat, if it wasn’t for her fat belly and shiny fur showing us she is already living her best life.

      On day two we include a longer hike. It is on these cliffs that we witness one of this region’s unique natural features: this is the only known site worldwide where storks nest in cliffs. On various cliffs and sometimes in groups of three or more, we see nests inhabited by one or two storks. The breeding season usually starts in April, but we can not spot any chicks yet at the time of our visit. It is very special to see these giant and beautiful creatures against a backdrop of dramatic cliffs and waves. Nature continues to amaze us later in the day when we walk, swim, and relax on probably the prettiest beach of entire Portugal. Thanks to not being easily accessible it is almost deserted (except a few naturists scattered here and there) which adds to our joy. We end our day at Zambujeira do Mar.

      Day three takes us all the way to Odeceixe, where we enter the Algarve and continue our rhythm of hike, beach, repeat. The only two incidents to disturb our zen takes place in Odeceixe on the way to one of the beaches. The first happens a little bit by our own caused misfortune of missing the correct turn and getting stuck into town. The hill town of Odeceixe is a little over 40 square meters with less than 1000 residents. This translates to: tiny narrow one way streets that twist and turn up the hill in a steep manner. No place for a camper van like ours… we are lucky that the one choice of direction we have somewhere midway allows us to skip a street with a warning sign about its width being “>less than two meters<“ (we are more than 2 meter wide), but soon after, our luck runs out. At the final turn to the top of the hill, where we will be able to resume our way on a normal road, we find ourselves in a tricky situation.

      The turn ahead has a rough 90 degree angle to the left after which it’s a 20 meter long steep slope up (our estimate: at least 15%). To our immediate left are houses, to our immediate right a thin little wall at the height of our knees is separating us from the valley below. In front two old local men who see us coming and by the look on their faces they too foresee the trouble we are in. They pause their walk to witness how we make a first attempt to go up. Making the turn, we realise furthermore that the road is only half paved: big chunks of loose gravel slip under our wheels. Pressing the gas pedal does nothing more than spinning our wheels echoing a loud noise against the whitewashed houses, and letting it loose for just a little bit the weight of our van immediately pulls us back down. Tim has to react quickly to react on the van losing grip, jerking us dangerously close to the side of the houses, and manages to keep us straight but not up. Midway the path we have to give up trying to make the van move, and pause to restrategise.

      Partially out of strategy and partially out of worry, I get out of the van (I actually thought to take my phone with me in case I’d need it). I help direct Tim to drive back down in reverse avoiding walls on both sides, the two old men still standing at the corner down below, and not the least of my worry: avoiding the fast way down behind the thin little wall. Having backed up as much as possible, the two men walk past us up the hill we try to conquer and say something to Tim that sounds like an encouragement. Tim hits the gas to try again. My heart stops once when before moving up the van drops backward even more - using every little inch possible without touching the wall - and my heart stops twice when again, the van skids on the gravel midway the road. I can see the front wheels spinning and I can hear the engine roaring, while Tim tries to get grip and make a move. It all takes way too long for both our liking and just when I think it’s an impossible task… The wheels suddenly find solid pavement to get grip and our camper van reaches the top of the hill. A well deserved thumbs up from the two elderly men confirm our success. Ronald, it was a good use of the anti slip training you and Tim once did together! The residents of Odeceixe may find traces of our challenge for a little longer in the black coloured stripes we leave on the road… (yes - we checked the tires and they were still in good shape! :-)). We take a deep breath (perhaps a few!), laugh off our nervousness together, and leave the little town for the beach…

      The second less so zen moment is when we return from the beach to our parking lot, although we are actually lucky this time. A lady who just arrived in her camper van busted two guys smashing in the windows of multiple cars parked right next to us, stealing people’s belongings. Thanks to this lady arriving and bravely starting to shout and take photos they fled before they reached our van. Luck is on our side! With police on the way and some other locals staying with the lady until they arrive we leave the scene and find our camper ground for the night for a good night of sleep, fortunately not reliving any of the challenges of the day…

      These few days were some of the best of our trip (despite the setbacks) and we will long remember the beauty and peace this park brought us! We highly recommend it to all nature lovers, avid hikers or not.
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    • Day 35

      Azenha do Mar

      December 12, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

      Tolle Kulisse mit Blick aufs Meer in dem Restaurant mit gleichen Namen. Azenho do .Mar. Es gibt in dem kleinen Dörfchen wohl nichts anderes. Man landet automatisch dort und bekommt ausgezeichnete frische Ware. Ich habe mich heute für Oktopus entschieden. Ausreichende Portion sehr lecker mit Salat und Fritten für 10€. Bei gutem Wetter kannman hier sehr schön wandern oder Baden/Surven ....what ever. ES hat sich heute total zugezogen und regnet leicht. Daher konnte ich Hier schön verweilen.
      Achso Speisekarte auch in Deutsch...oh Wunder und sehr sauber. Den ganzen Tag geöffnet. Tip!!
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    • Day 46

      Beaches to Lisbon

      April 7, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

      Our final day with Rui, and we had a 300km/4.5 hour journey back to Lisbon, via the scenic coast road.

      First stop was the Cape of Saint Vincent and The Fortress of Sagres, on the most south westerly point of continental Europe. A noticeable line is visible where the cold waters of the Atlantic meet the warm water of the Mediterranean. It is also home to one of the brightest lighthouses in the world, its light visible up to 60km away.

      Lunch stop was the picturesque beach, Praia de Odeceixe (pronounced o-de-say-shu).

      Our last stop of the day was Pessegueiro Fort and nearby Pessegueiro Island (Peach Tree Fort/Island). The island also has an unfinished fort, and evidence of occupation dating back to 200BC. It was home to a small fishing centre, and has recently discovered remains of salting tanks. As there are no peach trees on the island, it is believed the fishing activities gave the island its name as a mistranslation of the Latin "piscatorius" (fisherman). Or perhaps it's the medieval French, where "Pêche" (peach) and "pêche" (fishing) are still homophones, as we saw in Morocco where Peach Juice was mistranslated as Fishing Juice!

      The cache of the day was in the quarry where rock for Pessegueiro Fort was sourced, while trying to avoid the stinging nettles which covered the passages. Extraction was done by bending a vine into a cradle and lifting it without setting foot on the ground.

      The remainder of the journey was on motorways and we arrived in Lisbon at 5.30pm for a night in an airport hotel before our flight to Madeira tomorrow.
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    • Day 75

      Wo Fluss und Meer sich treffen

      March 5 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

      Am Strand von Odeceixe fließt der kleine Fluss Seixe in den Atlantik. Die Bucht mit ihrem herrlichen Sandstrand liegt geschützt zwischen hohen Klippen, welche zu beiden Seiten in den Atlantik hineinreichen.
      Im Hinterland sieht man noch deutlich die Spuren der schweren Brände, welche vor drei Jahren hier gewütet haben. Es ist interessant zu sehen, wie sich die Natur erholt. Es ist wunderschön grün und sogar schwer geschädigte Bäume treiben wieder aus. Es waren hier hauptsächlich Eukalyptus Plantagen und Pinien betroffen.
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    • Day 5

      Zambujeira -> Odeceixe (V)

      March 9 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

      AZENHA DO MAR -> PRAIA DE ODECEIXE

      Es fängt wieder an leicht zu regnen. Das Cape schenke ich mir, die Sonne kommt bestimmt gleich wieder 😉. Meine "Atlantik-zugewandte Seite" ist in Sekunden nass, im Gegensatz zur "Landseite". Aber auch die hält nicht lange trocken. Dafür sorgt nasses Geäst, das in die schmalen Pfade hängt 😔.
      Die vorgelagerten Klippen geben hier ein starkes Bild ab. Störche haben sich wieder auf exponierten Stellen ihren Nistplatz zurecht gezimmert.
      Gegen halb zwei erreiche ich die Mündung des "Rio Seixe", direkt am "Praia de Odeceixe" (bin jetzt 5 h unterwegs). Die Aussicht von den 30 m hohen Klippen ist toll, wenn da nicht plötzlich, wie auf Knopfdruck Horizontal-Regen einsetzten würde. Die Sicht auf die Mündung ist somit stark getrübt 😔.
      Dennoch ein starker Aussichtspunkt!
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    • Day 5

      Zambujeira -> Odeceixe (IV)

      March 9 in Portugal ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

      SÜDSPITZE PRAIA DA AMALIA -> AZENHA DO MAR

      Der Regen hat mittlerweile aufgehört 👍. Man könnte schon fast meinen, die Sonne bahnt sich durch die dicken Wolken. Durch den starken Wind trocknet man im nu!

      Der Weg vom "Praia da Amalia" nach "Azenha do Mar" verläuft direkt an der Felsküste in einer Höhe von 30 - 40 m mit tollen Ausblicken - ja, ich weiß, sieht alles ähnlich aus! Aber nicht für mich, wenn man live davor steht 😉. Die knapp 4 km vergehen wie im Flug!
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    • Day 42

      Radtour bei strahlendem Sonnenschein

      October 27, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

      Azenha do Mar bei strahlendem Sonnenschein und gelber Wellenwarnung ist ein Traum. Bei der Aussicht frühstücken ist ein Privileg. Noch besser wäre orange oder rot. 😅
      Über den EV1 (er ist leider nicht überall entspannt zu fahren) wollten wir nochmal die malerische Mundung der Seixe in Praia de Odeceixe sehen.Read more

    • Day 5

      Zambujeira -> Odeceixe (III)

      March 9 in Portugal ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

      PRAIA DOS MACHADOS -> PRAIA DA AMALIA:

      Der Praia da Amalia ist schon der "Burner". Oben auf den Klippen thront eine Villa, die man mieten kann. Am südlichen Ende möchte ich den "Ribeira das Cobras" überqueren, um anschließend die Klippen zu erklimmen. Das muss ich aber abbrechen, da die Strömung zu stark und der Bachlauf zu breit ist. Schweren Herzens muss ich zurück und den ca. 3 km weiten Umweg über die asphaltierte Straße nehmen - wie alle anderen Wanderer. Außer mir ist jedoch keiner da 🤔.
      Der offizielle Weg an der Südspitze des Strandes Amalia wurde außerdem im Juni 2023 gesperrt, da es zu Erdrutschen gekommen ist und ein Sicherheitsrisiko für Wanderer darstellt.
      Von der anderen Seite läuft man hautnah am Abgrund der Klippen, bis es dann über einen schmalen Pfad zum Strand runter geht - wenn da nicht der überquellende Bachlauf wäre 😭.
      Gefährliche, durch Erdrutsche verursachte Stellen habe ich im übrigen nicht entdecken können.
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    • Day 5

      Zambujeira -> Odeceixe (II)

      March 9 in Portugal ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

      PRAIA DOS ALTEIRENHOS -> PRAIA DOS MACHADOS

      Der Regen lässt nicht nach. Dafür kommen mehrere Strandbuchten, wie z.B. der Praia das Bernosas, do Alvoriao, do Carvalhal und dos Machados - Namen, die sich keiner merken kann!
      Trotz des schlechten Wetters kommt Begeisterung auf - manchmal etwas Mad Max Endzeit-Stimmung 😉.
      Von den bis zu 50 m hohen Klippen, die man heute mehrmals vom See-Level aus besteigen muss - z.T. auf allen Vieren - hat man immer einen tollen Blick. Man muss nur aufpassen, das man vom Wind nicht umgeblasen wird 😉.
      Gleichzeitig muss fast immer an der tiefsten Stelle ein Bachlauf überquert werden, der aber durch den Regen zu einer kleinen Herausforderung wird.
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    São Teotónio, Sao Teotonio

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