Life's a Stitch

Last night we headed to the third restaurant recommended by our host, Retiro do Adelino, for traditional Portuguese fare. We shared cataplana for two: a tomato based stew of huge prawns, clams, seabass, white potatoes and sweet potatoes. 

We are in sweet potato country complete with a sweet potato museum and festival that we’ll just miss at the end of November. And they had our new favourite Vicentina white wine for e12 for the bottle, a new low price. We’ve seen it priced up to e24!

Back at the room we packed and confirmed our route for the morning.

Breakfast was leftover pizza, the last of our prosciutto, and melon. Really, the cold pizza and prosciutto is the same as a ham and cheese sandwich with tomato, although not nearly as appetizing in presentation.

We headed out of town up the steep cobblestone road. Chuck stopped at the windmill for a boot adjustment.

We decided on the Historic Route today as it was a few km shorter than the Fisherman’s Route and it would give us a change in scenery. That’s if you don’t get lost.

We walked through farmland with hills in the distance on one side. All went well until the 1.75 hour mark when the road split in two, not a trail marker to be found. It was 50/50 and we chose the wrong 50. We didn’t see a marker again until we hit the town of Rogil, where we knew the two routes joined. 

We stopped at a cafe and shared a suckling pig empanada and a delicious mini lemon cheesecake. Their coffee was outstanding and they had decaf, not something you always find when travelling in other countries.

The next hour was on a scrubby dirt road with occasional glimpses of the ocean, then past a campground with sites surrounded by eucalyptus and a grove of those broccoli pines across the road. 

We were in the hills along the coast.

Close to our destination there was a steep downhill

followed by an equally steep cobblestone street up, then down again.

There hasn’t been any wildlife other than birds and a dead bat, but we met the requisite trail cat and dog coming into Aljezur.

Here we met C’s sister and her husband who will be on the transatlantic cruise with us back to North America.

Overall a great day of hiking, I’d rate it an average terrain of 2/5, true to the guide. It took us six hours including lost time and an hour for lunch. The previous long day, with the scrambling and slightly less distance, took seven hours and a half hour for lunch! Tomorrow is a rest day.