June 4, 2007
As the days dwindle down to the final few, we choose to enjoy our experience as fully as possible. We are in a magnificent little beach town just south of Lisbon called “Villa Nova de Milfontes.” It is a picturesque village situated right on the coast. The buildings are all painted bright white. They have red roofs and the traditional window and door trims are painted blue or yellow. This is the coast of Alentejo. We will be staying here for 6 nights. Thanks to Duarte, our accommodations are once again perfect and a little plush…we are staying in a 2-bedroom apartment, complete with living room, full kitchen, a private patio and private parking. Such an apartment would be way beyond our means in the U.S. but in Portugal it is just right. Geninha is with us as she can’t bare the thought of being without her grandchildren for one second while they are in Portugal. We are having a good time.
There are beaches a plenty to choose from each morning. We have a selection of beaches on the river estuary that feeds into the ocean or oceanfront beaches with dramatic cliffs overlooking them. Many of the beaches lie below a large national park that stretches up and down the coast so the access is more challenging and there are few tourists. The river estuary is nice as it is only a ¼ of a mile from the ocean but the water is more calm and nice for the kids to play in. Oceanfront is excellent as the water has waves and is nice for the grown ups to play in. Duarte and I are equipped with surf kayaks, sea kayaks and a surfboard. Oh, life is so good. With a babysitter – Geninha – we are able to get out and play and the water temperature is just right.
Portugal isn’t overdone really in any way. Even with hordes of tourists along the coast, there is no mass production of anything. Franchises and chains are rare. Every restaurant is unique with its own personalized dishes and every bar has its own unique flare. I love this about Portugal. We enjoy long lunches in open cafes under umbrellas sipping sangria, eating olives (what else?) and eating whatever the speciality of the house is from grilled shrimp, fresh fish or snails cooked in a garlicy sauce. (Note: Jenna loves snails!) The kids nap in the afternoons tired from sun, sand and water. We either nap with them or get out for a run along the high cliffs overlooking the grand ocean or cruise the river in our kayaks. At night, we walk from our apartment to one of the local hot spots “budha bar” or “bar blue” (which actually aren’t so hot at this time of the year. It is still the low season for tourism. Wherever we go, we are sure to find a flurry of local color. Those living here are out and about as abundantly as the Portuguese and British tourists who are also here. This vila has 4000 residents in the winter. In August there will be 60,000 tourists visiting this beautiful place!
I had another surf lesson and felt quite validated when the instructor watched me ride the first wave and proclaimed that I didn’t need a lesson. He said that I needed to go buy a board and surf some more. Well…ok!! Marcos benefited from a surf lesson as well. He stood up with no trouble at all with the very first wave he caught. He made my day when he beamed up at the instructor after his ride and exclaimed “THAT was GREAT!!” The instructor asked if he wanted to do it again and he said “YEAH!” We have another surfer in the family.
I think we need to start playing the lottery and move to the beach
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