Melres

This morning, we could hear the rush of the waves on the nearby sand.

The day dawned bright, and after breakfast we took a walk to the beach. It always feels special when we are away, to wake up somewhere on a Monday morning that is both beautiful, and with a fantastic view. It almost feels a privilege. However, last night was not a privilege. Without any warning, we were attacked through the night by a squadron of mosquitoes, who had sneaked in to Marge unbeknown to us. So tonight the insect zapper will be on!

At lunchtime we stopped at a pretty spot by the beach near to Porto. The wild waters of the Atlantic ocean foamed on the shoreline after they had crashed over and through the rocks. We watched them for a while, marvelling at the drama unfolding in front of us. Whilst we ate lunch, many walkers on route to Santiago passed in front of us. Porto is a popular starting point for the pilgrims. On the internet it says you should allow two weeks to reach Santiago, but three would be better. Being right at the start of their adventure, the pilgrims all seemed keen and in good spirits. Not that long ago we were near to Santiago, and we witnessed the strain and effort of some of the walkers as they approached their final destination.

After leaving the beach, we were propelled into the heavy traffic, and bad driving on the ring road around Porto. We could see how large the city was, and even though we know we maybe should have visited it, we had no qualms about not doing so. We have become used to taking our enjoyment from smaller more intimate of the beaten track places.

Tonight we are staying beside the small marina at Melres on the river Douro. To get here we had to drive high over the mountains, which was stressful and not much fun. At one point the road was so steep, and we could see more of the same stretching before us, we began to feel a little unnerved. Marge was in first gear, and we had nothing to fall back on. What was that we said yesterday about living in the present? At this particular time, we were not feeling it! After all that struggle to the top of the mountain we then sailed down, squinting a little as we steered Marge around some pretty tight hairpin bends

But here we are, safely ensconced in our riverside spot for the night.

The town here is small, and some of the shops look as if they are run from the front room of a house.

As usual some of the properties are of the traditional Portuguese style, with the outside walls being covered in tiles, something we don't find attractive at all.

Tomorrow we will probably head back to the flatter terrain of the west coast. The mountains are not good for Marge, we can feel the strain she is under, in fact they are not good for us either. Time to head back to the beach!