Going out to eat

Mileage: 162072

After spending four days in the same place, it was time to move on.

So we packed our things in the morning and skipped breakfast—except for coffee, chamomile tea, and two biscuit cookies. By the time we had everything ready, packed up the furniture, drained the wastewater, and filled up on fresh water, it was already noon.

Now we set off with Gary to finally go eat at our desired restaurant, 'Monte do Mar.’ It looked exactly as we remembered, even though the prices on the menu were now a bit above the local average. We had our choice of tables as the restaurant was still empty, except for the two servers who were still having their lunch. When we were invited to the quiet terrace at the back, which seemed new to us, we learned that the owner had changed a few years ago. We looked at each other and hoped this wouldn't negatively affect the quality of the food. We ordered a platter of appetizers and for the main course, fish for Ines and chicken in Brie sauce for Sebb. When the appetizers arrived, we realized we might have overestimated our appetites. After the large platter, we were almost full, but the main course was still pending.

The Brie chicken was, as expected, very flavorful and almost intense like Gorgonzola. That was how Sebb had imagined it. Ines, on the other hand, was not entirely satisfied with her fish, as the sauce was so heavily salted that she left a substantial portion behind. When the waiter asked if everything was okay, Ines had to express her disappointment. We were both too full for dessert, but when we ordered our espressos, the waiter offered Ines a complimentary dessert to apologize for the overly salted meal, which we couldn’t really refuse. Unfortunately, the menu no longer had the (once fantastic) chocolate mousse, so we ordered an almond cake, which was indeed very good. After about two hours, we left the restaurant, not thrilled but satisfied and headed to 'Praia do Paraiso.'

We arrived just at the change of the tide and the water reached far up the beach. We found a dry, sandy spot for our blanket a little above the beach, on the rocks. While Sebb sat on the blanket and digested in a sleepy state, Ines went for a swim in the cold waters of the Atlantic.

After 16:00, we made our way back to Gary as we had to check in at the next site by 18:00 to get through the gate.

The drive was short and took about half an hour on country roads, whose asphalt was so narrow that one car had to go onto the gravel when meeting oncoming traffic.

We drove back to Ferragudo. Near the fishing harbor, there was a campsite located between railway tracks and shopping centers. It didn’t sound particularly inviting, but the price was reasonable, and we were where we wanted to be. When we reached our destination, it looked just as we had imagined it. However, we were surprised by how many campers were there; up front, all the spots were occupied by day visitors with chic, new motorhomes. As we drove a bit further, we found a spot for us, in the area where one or the other had settled in with their mobile home. We parked directly opposite a Hymer, similar in age to our Gary. It already felt a bit like the camper site at home in Connewitz.

When we went to the bar that evening to pay for our pitch, we couldn’t help but order a drink as well. The atmosphere in the former railway station building was so inviting and friendly that we even ordered a few tapas to enjoy while watching the Benfica Lisbon football match being broadcast on the screen next to the bar.