15 October 2022 - Nazaré

Miles driven today = 0

Total Miles to date = 2,333

We absolutely love Nazaré.  I'm sure that it gets hellishly busy during the summer peak but at this time of year, even on a Saturday, it was just lovely.

The town is split into two distinct parts.  The main resort ("Praia") is situated down by the beach but we started with the old village part known as "Sitio" which is positioned on top of a 110 metre high cliff overlooking the beach.

There are a number of viewpoints.  This one is actually on a rocky overhang with nothing below it but 110 metres of void.

There is a charming town square with ladies in traditional dress selling nuts and handicrafts from their stalls.

We assumed there was probably a wedding going on judging by the number of people crowded onto the steps of the main church.

We wandered down the track which led to the old fort with more fantastic views.

From the track we could also see the North Beach of Nazaré.  This is famously the place where the biggest recorded waves ever to have been surfed occur, sometimes reaching in excess of 100 feet high.  The reason for the phenominal size of the waves is the Nazaré Canyon.  A deep submarine trough reaching 5km in depth just a few miles offshore which channels vast quantities of water onto the beach when the conditions are right.

This statue is a modern piece combining inspiration from surfer culture with some old piece of Catholic hocus pocus about a deer hunter being miraculously saved from hurtling off the cliffs in the 12th Century.

We paid our €2 each to enter the fort.

There are some interesting pieces of marine photography and sculptures.

There is also a collection of surf boards donated by well known surfers who have ridden the Nazaré waves with recollective and inspirational quotes from each of them.

As is often the case, the fort doubles up these days as a lighthouse.

Sitio and Praia are linked by a funicular railway, but as we had our bikes with us we freewheeled down the steep road to the promenade.  We cycled toward the far end of the beach, where the modern harbour is situated, and stopped for lunch at the Bussola Na Onda beachside restaurant.  I really should have learnt by now that Portuguese food portions are gigantic.  I ordered "Steak Chop" (€17.50) and was presented with what must have been at least a 16oz T-Bone.  The dish was the width of the table.  It's very rarely that I am defeated by food but I just couldn't manage it and I don't think I'm going to be able to look at another piece of steak for weeks.

We left our bikes locked up and strolled back along the prom in an effort to walk off some of the food.  There is a cultural centre where they keep up the traditional practice of drying a variety of fish and also octopus in the sun.

The whole process didn't appear to be particularly hygenic given the number of flies hanging around but plenty of tourists and locals alike seemed to be keen to try the end result.

There was also a selection of brightly painted traditional fishing boats.  These would be used to place nets a little way offshore.  An hour and a half (not sure why so precise) later the nets would be dragged by hand up the beach and the trapped fish would be bundled into baskets.  The high prows on the boats were to enable them to negotiate the waves.

We almost walked to the bottom of the funicular which you can see here disappearing into the cliff as it transports passengers to Sitio at the top of the cliff.

On the way back to collect our bikes we diverted through some of the alleys which run back from the beach.  Some are narrow enough for you to be able to shake hands with your neighbour across the way.

Others are a little broader with backstreet tavernas.

Bikes retrieved, we somehow managed to haul our bloated carcasses back up the hill to the van, where we are now sitting enjoying the last rays of another memorable day.

16 October 2022 - Obidos & a spot of technical bother