Nazare

Nah-Zah-RAY

We are making our way north to Porto, Portugal, and stopped for a day and half in Nazare, a coastal town famous for surfing.  After our great trip to Hawaii and 50% of our family considered surfers, we had to check it out.

At times of the year, the waves are 60-70 feet high and considered the largest in the surfing world.  The following picture was taken more than 70 feet above the sea level, so I guess the waves can jump as well.

Portuguese cuisine features a lot of seafood and there are lots of seafood restaurants in this town.  We ate at one of its best.  

To make a point of letting you know which fish you are about to eat, they bring the fish out on a platter and have you choose.  The fish is fresh caught and the staff are quite happy to display the fish.  I try not imagine our fish is looking at us and saying 'Not me'.  

After a great meal and good conversation with the wait staff, they generously offered an after dinner drink.  

The drink is a new one on us and is called Abafado and is excellent (tasting).  They gave us a couple extra rounds after kidding them about their generosity.  The size of the drinks reminds me to speak in favor of another small favorite of Portugal, the custard pastry called pastel de nata.  For us, it is the perfect size.

On our second day here, we woke to the peaceful sound of waves hitting the shoreline.  This is the view from our room.

This is a popular small town, so we are off heading to the upper portion of Nazare accessed by funicular.

Shortly after arriving at the top, we have our Labor Day picture taken.  

We were told at our hotel to use a Tuk Tuk (pronounced Tuke Tuke) to get around due the steepness of the terrain.  Unfortunately, the best we could do is stand close to one.  All were booked for the day.

We did see one of the world’s smallest churches.

And we had good views of the lower part of town where our hotel is.  Here are a couple

If you want to see the BIG waves, you need to come in the winter.  I can imagine the sound of the waves hitting the rocky part of the shore and the lighthouse.  I asked how fishermen dealt with the waves years ago.  Unlike the surfers, the fisherman were not thrilled and many lost their lives.

I’d like to think this sandcastle is a tribute to those taken by the sea.