Ericeira, a surfer’s paradise 

Pronounced: Err-ē- sara, Ericeira is not a small seaside town, it is a World Surfing Reserve.The sounds and views of the crashing waves as we walked into town were awesome.But first, our 24k walk. We had some coffee before leaving Sintra and headed to the Natural Park towards the west and the Atlantic Ocean just before 8am. We passed farms and small towns. We encountered candidates running for local office while we stopped for a delicious chocolate and walnut muffin and a second coffee.The landscape and our walk were filled with many sweeping up and down twists. We walked on pavement, sand, cobblestones and tiled sidewalks. We saw the signs of early autumn with leaves changing colors along with fruit and pumpkins ready to harvest. We even stopped at an odd antique/junk collection.There is a festival for the Nossa Senhora de Nazare over the next few days and many towns and homes along our route decorated with blue and white flowers.We crossed a small river and watched a couple SUP (Stand Up Paddle) before we arrived at the surfing mecca around 1:30 with smiles.Wandering around town we stopped for breaded olives, a shrimp and pineapple calzone, and beer. What a life!Surf school was in session but no student caught a wave while we watched. You have to zoom in pretty close to see the black dots of students trying to catch the surf. Watching the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean is a bit of a twist, but easy to accept. Cowabunga and Bom Caminho!