Porto to Póvoa de Varzim 10/30/25

 

Today’s hike was along the Atlantic Ocean, and the entire day was spent on a boardwalk with numerous historical statues and informative displays. The sound of the crashing waves was so peaceful.  Glorious!

Tragédia no Mar

Tragedy at Sea

The placque read, "Inspired by a painting by the famous Augusto Gomes, a great artist from Matosinhos, the

sculptural ensemble "Tragedy at Sea", by José João Brito (2005), remembers the greatest

nautical tragedy ever recorded on Portuguese waters: the tempest of 1-2 December

1947, in which several fishing boats sank off Leixões Port, causing the death of 152 crew members

 and pain and despair in the whole community. 72 widows and 152 orphans came out of this tragedy.”

Stall after stall of freshly caught fish.

The monument in Leça, a beachside community, was by a poet, Emmanuel Rodrigues da Rocho, a much-loved Portuguese poet who died in 1977.  Although I was not here at sunset, he was so inspired by Leça’s dazzling sunset that he wrote a prize-winning poem.  This part of the poem is translated

Oh Leça of the warm afternoons,
of people passing by! 
Oh Leça of the sun’s warm rays,
oh my Leça without compare!

According to the plaque, "The Boa Nova Lighthouse is the second-tallest in Portugal, with 46 meters(approximately 153 feet) and 225 steps, and came into operation on December 15, 1926. Its construction has enabled greater security in what was considered until then the most dangerous and tragic coastal area in the country, known as the Black Coast due to the large number of wrecks and bad traffic

lights. The white light from this lighthouse reaches approximately 28 nautical miles (32.3

miles) and the luminous signal is distinguished by three bright flashes every 14

seconds. Until the 1960s, the lighthouse worked with oil lamps, but was later converted to electricity."

On January 16th 1913, the great English steamer Veronese, carrying 221 passengers, ran

aground here, against the rocks called "Lanhos". The steam vessel of 7877 tons, built at

the shipyards of Belfast in 1906, came from Liverpool bound to ports in Brazil, Veñezuela

and Argentina: The violent weather conditions made the rescue operation difficult and

risky, and about 190 passengers were saved. The salvage operations, headed by the

Volunteer Firèfighters of Matasinhos-Leça and the local lifeguards, led by José Rabumba,

"O Aveiro" and Manuel António Ferreira, "Patrão Lagoa", were filmed by Invicta Films and became one of the biggest hits of the silent film era.

"The Obelisk of "Memória" marks the spot where, on July 8th 1832, King Pedro IV and the

7500 men of his liberal army disembarked, marking the end of the absolutist regime that

had hitherto dominated Portugal. After landing, the Liberation army advanced to the city

of Porto, which would be kept under siege for a year (the Siege of Porto). The first stone

of this monument was laid on December 1st 1840 in remembrance of this event, under

the auspices of Queen Mary I1, daughter of Pedro IV. After several delays, the obelisk was

finally completed in 1864 and classified as a national monument in 1880."

The man looks tiny against the magnificence of the ocean.

Just as I was thinking about heading to the bushes for a nature break, I saw this warning: 

VIPERINE WATER SNAKE OR VIPERINE SNAKE Being a species typical of aquatic environments,.it can be found all over the country. It is identified by the brownish or black spots on its back. This excellent swimmer (SWIMMER - as in the ocean?) feeds mainly on amphibians and small fish.”  Yikes!

Beautiful!

This little fishing village was a delight.

If you look in the window, the barteder is waving!

Interesting church.

If you can’t read the plaque, it says “D. Pedro IV; King Pedro the 4th, the 'Liberator' Bust made with garbage collected from the beach.  This garbage was carried here by the same waters that brought liberation to Portugal."

The included dinner was at the hotel, a buffet. As buffets go, this was pretty good. The most dangerous thing on a hike is having dinner at the same time as a bus tour.  And there were two bus tours.  These people will hurt you on their way to unlimited food.  Looking at some of these people, I was pretty sure it had not been long since their last meal.  No starvation in this group. I started with a salad, some excellent grilled peppers, and a vegetarian crepe.

I had about a dozen entree choices - WOW!  I chose the eggplant bolognese, which was terrific.  I would have called it Caponata, but that is Sicily.  It was full of eggplant, onions, and olives in a rich tomato sauce.  I also tried the Bacalhau à Brás, or crumbled cod with garlic, olive oil, and eggs, "Bras style,” as well as veal stroganoff.   I am not sure what the little fried thing was, but it was terrific.

For dessert, I chose the carrot cake, a little denser than our version, plus the Petit Gatèau, also known as molten lava cake.  It was chocolate enough to melt your fillings.  Yum!

I try not to whine in my first few days, which is tempting.  I swear every bone in my body hurts from 18 miles of trekking on a boardwalk.  No give there, it wasjust as hard as concrete. This scenery was incredible, and the ever-present sound of the waves was just the tonic I needed.

So until tomorrow, goodnight and sweet dreams.

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