E phatlaladitšwe: 01.09.2023
Sunrise doesn't really happen here, but the "lightning" was so beautiful that I went into the wind early in the morning to take photos. The first stop on the trip was at a car wash. The wind with the sand and the spray of the salt water had to be showered away first.
Over morning coffee we decided to take a detour to Orbidos, Portugal's oldest city. The spontaneous idea turned out to be great, the stop was worth it, even if the place is very touristy. Just walking on the wall that surrounds the city is spectacular and a little exciting, as there are no handrails or anything similar, even if you go a little higher. In addition to the alleys, the bright white houses with blooming bougainvillea are also a feast for the eyes.
At lunchtime we headed further towards the coast; we still hadn't surfed yet. The choice of places in Peniche is very rare, we chose the best option from a very modest selection. So we parked in a residential area surrounded by white walls, at least it was safe and the price was ok. Della didn't like the rat traps along the walls, you can't have everything...
After arriving, I quickly went on my bike looking for a surfing school. In fact, at the first school at 2:40 p.m. I was offered to attend a class at 3:00 p.m. If I were spontaneous enough,... don't know me ;-)
So I was ready at 3 p.m. with a board and neoprene. The two instructors did a great job correcting my self-taught faux pas from the French Atlantic coast.
The next morning gave me the most sore muscles I've had in a long time. Even in my toes and feet, mimimi... Since I had read in the meantime that Peniche is said to be one of the absolute surfing strongholds and one of the top 10 beaches in the world where you can best learn to surf, I went back to school and signed up again the afternoon course. Although the surfing conditions weren't really ideal due to the strong wind, we all fought our way through the waves. The second course unit was also great, the two instructors were simply great and super motivating. If any of you ever end up going there: Escola Surf Peniche. They infected me with this great sport :-)