I woke up this morning and cranked the shade up.

Sun again, beautiful day. I can hear Michael down stairs making coffee. Today finds us on day six of our “vacation from our vacation”. That sounds funny but that’s exactly what it is. Time for Mike to slip from behind the wheel, put Betty (the GPS) in the glove compartment, scrub the bugs off the windshield, do some laundry, write a few words and go to the beach.

Baleal is a surf Mecca around 1 hour north of Lisbon. Unbeknownst to me Portugal is a famous surfing spot because it is the western most spot on continental Europe. You won’t see Baleal in a lot of guide books unless you’re interested in Supertubos beach in near by Peniche (which you may find in the guide book). The attraction is obviously the swells and different breaks, and the weather which is sunny. Beleal is known for challenging but consistent long waves, surf camps and surfers galore. Very entertaining, did I bring out the wet suit?

No, not today, so far I’m entertained by walking the long stretches of beach and watching others struggle into their wet suits and fall ass- over- tea kettle into the surf. The beaches are home to quite a few snack stands, restaurants,

beach bars, and lots of nooks and crannies to roll out your blanket and soak up the sun. I have noticed most of the sunbathers construct a little wind break, (it does get windy here) but I had to laugh, those things would take off like a sail and poke your eye out on our beach in Mexico. Anyway to say the least we are enjoying our vacation from our vacation here in Baleal.