Praia da Vagueira

Yesterday evening, John said his favourite time of day was the morning, when he ate his breakfast, and drank his coffee. For Angela it's the evening, After the travelling is done, the evening meal eaten, the blog written, and it's time to sit down with a glass of wine and a good book before bed.

First thing this morning we watched an elderly gentleman walk by. He meticulously watched each step he took. We both agreed that impaired mobility is a terrible thing, and that growing old is not for the faint of heart. Outside the nearby shop sat three ladies. They had replaced the men who were sat there yesterday when we arrived. As Marge was the only vehicle in the parking area, and with an English registration plate, we thought she was probably Included in their gossip as they waited for the shop to open.

Not long after setting off this morning, we found ourselves back up on the mountain road, and Marge did not like it, her engine going in to 'safe mode' whilst she was going up a steep hill in second gear. Luckily we managed to get to the top and pull over. These sort of incidents we do not class as our favourite part of the day! After this, we decided enough was enough. We all could do without the stress, and decided from now on we would stick to the coast, where the roads are flatter, and the area still enjoyable.

At lunchtime we stopped at the city of Aveiro. Made up some camembert and salad sandwiches, and set off to explore. Right beside the parking area, where we left Marge with a number of other vans, was one of the canals in the city.

We walked along by it, watching the traditional Moliceiro boats, originally work boats used to harvest seaweed for fertiliser, now used purely for transporting the visitors to the city on a forty five minute trip. This was the first time we'd stop somewhere large and busy for while, and whilst we enjoyed visiting the monumental and historical sites, we realised that the large shopping centre, (which we did not visit), dominated the city.

Tonight we are by the beach at Praia da Vagueira. Once again the Atlantic ocean is roaring like a lion as it crashes on to the beach. The area resembles places we have stayed in France, also on the Atlantic coast, and we like it.

There are lots of other vans here, mostly French. As soon as we arrived we took a walk out, and our conversation soon turned to the walk to Santiago, which passes this way if you start at Lisbon. Next year Angela will be 60, we have witnessed so many people making this journey from different directions, that it is starting to resonate with us. We are wondering if next year we might fly to Lisbon, and cycle to Santiago. We'll see. It will be something to think about over the winter months.