Road Trips, Hiking, and Healthcare

Owning a car, we have much more freedom and opportunity to travel around Portugal and Spain. A day trip to Viana do Castelo for some excellent Indian cuisine and a stop at a popular bakery for their specialty – Bola de Berlim. Sometimes the line can go half way around the block. We got lucky and walked right in. We finished our stay with a visit to the impressive cathedral overlooking the city and ocean. The last time we were in Viana was 2019? when we began our great adventure and completed the Camino de Santiago by bicycle along the Portuguese Coastal Way. Some nice memories.

A little trip to Geres National Park for a group hike along the Pouco do Azul trail. The terrain and climate of Geres reminds me of Northern Arizona or Eastern Oregon — high desert with lots of ponderosa pine. The hike led to a waterfall and swimming hole, hence the name Pouco do Azul (a bit of blue). The bright blue water provided a nice spot to rest and enjoy lunch.

We decided to start a hiking group to meet new people with like-minded interest in the outdoors. The first group hike we organized – PR5 – Trilho do Pincho near Ponte de Lima. Some nice views along the ridgeline portion of the trail but the highlight was the Cascata do Pincho (waterfall). It seems the Portuguese love hikes with swimming holes and this one fits the bill.

Our little car had a couple of issues – a slow-leaking tire and a mechanical issue that was causing a clicking noise at times. Since all used cars purchased from a car stand (dealer) in Portugal come with a warranty we reached out to the owner of the car stand. He is super nice and arranged for two new tires as well as scheduling the repair. He even gave us a loaner car for a couple of days while it was in the shop. I am blown away by the kindness and level of service.

A return trip to Viana do Castelo, but via a different mode of transportation – bicycle. I’m still learning how to build good cycling routes in Portugal. We decided to do a trekking route which is a combination of dirt, trails, cobblestone, and asphalt. I really hate riding on cobblestone. There is alot of it here 🙂 And not all cobble is created equal. Some is new and tight and more smooth. Some is historic and really rough. The route to Viana had some rough roads with some crazy steep ascents and descents. We made it to our destination — a seafood and beer festival! Nothing better after a long day of riding than good food and beers. We had a platter of crab and clams that was very fresh. A fun evening. And while munching on seafood and washing it down with some nice beer from Spain, we devised a new route back home for tomorrow. Smooth asphalt the whole way 🙂 Sure there was a bit more traffic but nothing that felt unsafe or too heavy. A very nice little bikepacking tour.

Back to the Ponte de Lima area for another group hike. The one followed a ridgeline with views all the way to the ocean. And meandered through a tranquil forest that gave off a zen-like vibe 🙂 Afterwards, we had some traditional Portuguese fare at Terra do Eido, including a bacalahu de nata served in a bread bowl. It tasted very similar to clam chowder — a nice treat.

To end this post, I’d like to recap a healthcare experience. I won’t go into too much detail but I required a minor out-patient surgical procedure. Nothing serious, I’m totally fine. But the whole ordeal was both a bit stressful and reassuring. Stressful in the sense we don’t yet have a strong grasp on how the healthcare system works here. Also stressful not speaking the language. Reassuring in that I was able to get in for a consultation and had the procedure scheduled and performed all within a 72 hour period. Reassuring in that the doctor, eventhough he didn’t speak English, took as much time as I needed with our phones and Google Translate until I understood everything and had all of my questions answered. No rush, no impatience, just very kind, attentive care. The procedure required full anethesia and everything went very well. The nurse even had hot tea and cookies waiting for me when I woke up. Total cost for everything $47. Not $470. Not $4,700. $47.