A series of low rumbling storms blew in over the night, waking everyone and giving the place a much needed soaking. Our hosts said there had been no rain for 6 months.
Morning was the usual breakfast of bread, ham, cheese, fruit, custard torts and very delicious orange juice. OJ on the Iberian peninsula, the home of Valencia oranges, is much better than in the US. My guess is that US oranges have been bred to be more watery, because selling water for $4/lb is a very profitable business model. Spanish and Portugese orange growers seem to be sticking with varieties that yield the most flavor, rather than the most water.
Longuiera, where we were staying, is a bit off the Trail. Our hostess drove us down to Almograve, saving us a mile of road walk.
We headed down to the coast following a boardwalk. Low clouds and fog still cluttered the coast, remnants of the nights storms.
The sun broke through to varying degrees, casting spotlights on waves and rocks backed by deep shadow. It was a meditative sort of light, one that slowly let the day emerge a bit at a time, rather than all at once. A kind of light that is very hard to capture in photos.
The geology continued to be reddish dunes that support lush and varied plant life. Climbs up to higher ridges back from the water took us into deep pine forests for a stretch.
We were back to the coast soon enough, passing along the edges of one cove after another. But there were few beaches and no safe access to them. A shame, as the walk turned long and hot, and a wade in cool water would have been just the thing.
Another stork’s nest. Apparently this is the only area where storks nest along the coast.
The last couple of miles were a roadwalk into Zambujeira. It was not particularly scenic but there was a dedicated trail off the side of the road, so at least we didn’t have to be dodging traffic.
