Not much to report other than the weather =) We’ve been in Baleal for about a month now, surfing, hanging out on the beaches and checking out the local nightlife. In the hopes of learning Portuguese, I’ve only managed numbers, thank yous, basic greetings and how to order beer (crucial lol). I’m off now to ride into Peniche and run some errands.
July, 2009
3
Jul 09
Day 264-274: Surf’s Up
To quickly catch up to speed, after I couch surfed in Clermont-Ferrand at Candice’s place (Thank you so much Candice, Ben and Max! I had an awesome time!) I did a 700 KM journey to Bilbao. There was a summer solstice festival going on throughout the city and people were lighting big ban fires all around. I took a long stroll through the city and visited the Guggenheim and got some great pictures, but can’t upload them now because the internet here is awful. After Bilbao, I stayed a night in Salamanca. I went to a local bar while there and watched a football (soccer) match between USA and Spain. USA won 2-0! I was tempted to start cheering, but didn’t have enough beers to convince myself it would be funny. Then I made the final leg of the journey to Baleal, Portugal. Since arriving, I’ve met up with my friend Pablo and we’ve hit the surf as much as possible. We also found a great deal on an awesome apartment on the Island of Baleal (Ilha do Baleal) where we will stay through August. Again, I would upload pictures but the internet is terrible and it’s prepaid so it’s expensive. I picked up my surf board and wet suit yesterday and ditched the rentals I’d been using and am anxious to get out and try it today, but first I need to get the motorcycle battery recharged as it is our only means of transport between towns (AKA grocery getter lol).