ON THE PENINSULA

Ryan, the Kiwi who can fix any bike and makes a mean mulled wine.  

Olivier, the Frenchman who taught me the wonder of camembert and honey for breakfast. 

Peniche Harbor

Daniel the Swede, whose love of surfing is only rivaled by his love of desserts.   

Brad, the mischievous American with beautiful ombre dreads.

At Bar de Bruno, the best cafe in Baleal. 

THINGS I LEARNED IN PORTUGAL:

1. Portuguese sounds like Russian.

2. When living in relative filth (camping) I turn surprisingly domestic. I suddenly felt an overwhelming need to "deep clean" the kitchen and would set the dinner table each night as though a tablescape is necessary when eating ramen mixed with tuna. 

3. Pangs of homesickness strike at surprising times. After ordering an iced coffee I practically flipped the table over in a rage when the server arrived with a tiny cup of espresso accompanied by tiny cup of ice. I was obviously expecting something that AT LEAST VAGUELY RESEMBLED a medium iced regula(r) from Dunkin Donuts: obscenely massive cup with at least 15 tablespoons of sugar. C'mon, Portugal. However, they did make-up for it with this. 

PORTUGUESE STORMS + SUNSETS

Since I was in Portugal during November, it wasn't always sunny surf weather. It was often chilly and rainy, making for some slippery bike rides and rather rustic igloo living. 

On the bright side, the storm clouds did make for some killer sunsets. There's a metaphor for life in there somewhere... but let's not get too deep and just enjoy the photos. 

BALEAL, PORTUGAL

Two weeks in Portugal were spent on the little island of Baleal, a small surf spot off the peninsula of Peniche. I worked at a campsite/B&B to sleep for free in an igloo and have access to the surf gear.

I wasn't kidding about the igloo. 

There were 7 workers and only 1 guest at the B&B (Daniel, from Sweden), so Daniel became one of us and we all did the only 2 things there are to do in Baleal: surf and ride bikes. It was a simple and relaxing two weeks: we'd wake up, eat a big breakfast, ride our bikes down to see if the surf was good, maybe surf (I use that word loosely, more waves rode me than I rode them) or maybe ride bikes, work for a few hours, cook dinner and then get creative with YouTube for evening entertainment (we followed the Rosetta Mission Comet Landing and watched a dated Behind The Music on Dr. Dre - both equally fascinating). 

Daniel, the best guest. 

Our group included an Argentinian, Spaniard, 2 Italians, a Swede, 2 Americans, a Frenchman and a Kiwi. 

It was like being a kid on summer vacation. Which I'd now definitely recommend to any adult.