Fin de semaine au mer

It was only one week ago that I was enjoying this wooden trail and taking these pictures. We hopped into the car right after lunch on friday and took off to the S. Martinho do Porto bay, where we are lucky enough to have access to a beach house. The climate there is something of a gamble, really. You never know if it is good enough for the beach, but as there is so many pretty views near by, there's always somewhere to go and something to do. This weekend when we arrived, it was nearing 18h30m and too late to go to the beach, even though it was warm and sunny. But we had so much to do at home still, that we decided to leave the beach for the next day. Saturday rose sunny and warm, a beautiful morning, with a deep summery scent in the air. One of the main reasons we long for the weekends spent there has to do with going to the Caldas da Rainha market. The fruit and vegetables there are soooo good you cannot even imagine, and so affordable! It really drives me mad to return to Lisbon and have to settle with going to the supermarket where I have to pay a stupid amount of money for fruit and veggies that have been cold stored for months on end and tastes like dry paper - and please do not tell me to go to the local markets around my hometown, the price is as high or higher and the fruit is just the same, trust me, I have tried it. That is one of the facts that keeps nagging at the back of my mind making me want to move out there, aided by the less stressful lifestyle... oh well, maybe one day.

We normally rely on barbecuing or char grilling our food there, as we cannot do it back home, and we normally have salads as side dishes, or oven roasted potatoes with tomato and garlic, seasoned with rosemary - have I ever told you I'm kind of crazy for rosemary and use it for everything?

So Saturday afternoon we finally took off for the beach. Having a house in walking distance of the sea is probably one of the greatest perks there. No need to hop in the car and drive far, one can walk leisurely and carry the world in a bag - anyone who has small kids knows what I'm talking about, right? They kinda need the whole house to play with... - and in about five minutes reach the warm sand. Although I have to confess that I am rather particular to beaching on the other side of the bay, and that does require the car. We used to walk there, when it was just the two of us, but with the boy, it takes the car, really. So we hardly ever do it of a weekend, leaving that joy (you must see that part of the bay to understand what I am talking about) for our summertime vacations, in the mornings. Weekends there are made to relax and just soak in as much as we can. And that afternoon at the beach was really a much needed time.

Sunday morning dawned cold and misty, with a drizzle of humidity, which meant no beach. We took our time with breakfast and chillin' at home, and before lunch took a drive to the Serra do Bouro where the views are simply breathtaking. On a very clear day you can see as far as the Berlengas Islands. The lush greenery and the ravishing blue of the sea are so inspiring, and the atmosphere there is just so cooling I make it a point of always stopping there at least once to enjoy it.

After lunch, as there was the Medieval Fair happening in Óbidos, we decided to take a trip there, as our son adores this quaint little town, and walking around those narrow cobble stoned streets. It was quite hot and after we enjoyed our walking and our picture taking, we decided to head back home and go to the beach. Alas, as soon as we reached S. Martinho, the weather there was cold once more, and humid, so no beach for us. The funniest thing about that place is that you can be at Caldas da Rainha under a scorching heat and as you enter Salir do Porto the sun is gone and the heat is nowhere to be felt, it is such a microclimate!! But I love the place for this as well, it makes it special and unpredictable. Now I cannot wait to go back in August and enjoy our summer there, dreaming of the day when maybe, just maybe, we can move to that region definitely. And eat baby new potatoes every day!