We've come over 1000 miles to fetch up in a part of Portugal we couldn't have imagined. Serendipity we're calling it because we were going east after Belmonte (which was literally an overnight stop) towards the Portuguese Spanish border BUT we'd seen some signs to the Estrela Valley and thought it needed further exploration.
The first campsite was a no no, and how lucky we were. This one has been wonderful - right by a flowing river, with a weir to mask all other noise bar the water. What a place to rest and reflect by! This has been particularly relevant as our dear friend David Reeves died recently.
The owners are lovely Dutch people who invited us to a local market on Sunday. Small by French standards but not tourist-driven. In fact some visitors might have been off put by the livestock being sold; from adult chickens and ducks to one day old chicks and little ducklings, partridge, pheasant, etc. (Not so nice were the canaries and other finches which are still kept in cages). All this next door to a huge undercover barbecue where separate stall holders were busy cooking chicken to eat!
I couldn't blame Mike for succumbing as we've mostly been having veggie meals. Not difficult with a tiny, but packed to the rafters, mini supermarket just outside the campsite. Their motto seemed to be "If we don't have it you don't need it."
We have enjoyed two or three river walks which gave us great views over the Estrela Valley and Mike has actually swum in the river, which he says was so cold his marriage equipment nearly disappeared!
We've booked to hear some live Fado music so are leaving for Coimbra tomorrow. And then we will be heading east, where the next blog will come from.
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