Peneda-Geres National Park

In the morning the sun shone on the surrounding mountains, so nothing stood in the way of a hike. We started through the village, soon we left it behind or below us. We marveled at the extensive stone paths and irrigation systems. Again and again we passed cows, sometimes a chicken coop, remote small stables and isolated inconspicuous houses that we would have moved into immediately.

Halfway through the route it was downhill, past vegetable gardens and soon we passed the announced waterfall. The pool below and the good 30 degrees invited to swim, it was wonderful.

Back at Louise's the cows were joined by a horse, which was very happy about our little carrots.

For us it was a few kilometers further to a very quiet campsite at the end of the valley. After a short walk to the Porta do Sol viewpoint, our grill was allowed to put its skills to the test. The beef tasted great! The sunset and the subsequent starry sky were just fantastic.

Since the rainy day, temperatures have risen significantly, and this trend should continue up to 36 degrees in the next few days. It was quite bearable in the shade in the mountains, so we extended our stay by a day.

We used the cooler morning for a bike ride. First to swing on a giant swing, then to a church, from which we suspected that the special ringing that we had been hearing since our arrival came from there. So we sat in front of a church in an almost deserted village and waited spellbound for eleven o'clock to come. When the time came, nothing happened. Hmmm, but that has to come from here. The attached loudspeakers also indicate that... And boom, at 11:03 a.m. it started ringing, Portuguese punctuality.

We climbed another mountain and wondered about an amusement park, until it got too hot for us. First siesta!

There is a river only about 100 meters from the square, so put on your swimming trunks and down to the bathing pool. That was a wonderful cool down. There was even a natural slide at one point, which of course we both had to try. I couldn't imagine being cold that day, but the extensive bath made it possible!