Costa da Caparica

 

Once again, moving day had arrived.  I would have stayed longer in that apartment in Cascais, but it wasn't available.  Besides, I figured it was time to see more of the city.  Though I wish I had moved the day before since the morning started off cloudy and gray.  Despite having great weather the rest of the week, a light drizzle began just as I was leaving the apartment.  Great.

Grabbing an Uber, I traveled across the bridge from Belem to what I thought was Setubal but alas, no.  The apartment I chose was a bit farther from Setubal than I thought it was, being located in the city of Costa da Caparica.  Totally my bad, but I had to make it work ...

Once I got to the right place.  The driver dropped me off in front of a pizza joint as the GPS couldn’t get him to the exact address (an issue I’ve encountered more than once in Portugal).  I figured the apartment was just across the street but alas, no.  I contacted the host to let them know my location.  The response I got back was ‘see you soon.’  Not sure if that meant I should go to them or they would come to me, I decided to start walking.  Better to walk in the rain than stand in the rain (learned that lesson in Bulgaria).

Why do I have so much stuff?  Seriously, what is all this stuff?  I dragged all my crap down the sidewalk in what I hoped was the right direction (again, GPS is wonky in this country).  About five minutes later, a car stopped across the street and the driver stared at me.  Turns out, the hosts, a husband and wife, had jumped in the whip to come get me.  Beyond grateful, I waited for them to turn around and then hauled my damp behind into their car.

The couple didn’t speak much English (AirBNB has a handy translation mode on their messaging system), but we managed to communicate just fine.  The apartment set up was on the first floor (convenient for the bags) but located behind a door that would plague me for the rest of the week.  I don’t know if the weather made it stick or not, but it usually took a bout of hulk-like strength just to get that bad boy open.  I hated that door.

The apartment was nice enough if a bit cold.  The décor, not the temperature.  Too much white on the floors, the kitchen, the bathroom.  It made the place feel like a hospital.  Not my favorite.

The hosts, though, were top tier.  Not only did they show me how everything worked in the place, but they had also amassed a ton of brochures about attractions, a card for a private driver who lived nearby, a list of recommended restaurants, a map of the area on the wall marking the grocery store and other vital places, and a schedule of busses along with directions on where to catch them.  Very thorough and not something you get with every home.  Making sure I had the wife’s number on WhatsApp, they left me to it.

Once situated, I went off to explore.  The rain had finally slacked off enough, though the sky was still gray.  Honestly, there wasn’t much to see there.  The apartment is in another maze of buildings with some restaurants and businesses scattered around.  There’s a huge camping site across the street near a decent sized park.  Though I found the small grocery store, I was still surprised.  There wasn’t even a Pingo Doce in walking distance.  What?  That store is everywhere.  At least, it will be everywhere I stay from now on.

The small mom and pop store did at least carry my wine.  And, at 3.69 euros as opposed to 4.19 in greater Lisbon, it was a bargain.  Sweet.

While there wasn’t much to see on foot, the beaches were still the main draw of this area.  Me being me, I made a beeline for the water.  The nearest easy access point was about a mile away and the route wasn't nearly as scenic as in Cascais.  A long walk, but worth it in the end.

The ocean in this area was pretty epic.  The winds are high there so the waves can be massive (not Hawaii massive, but still).  It was very moody with the gray skies.  I kept hearing U2’s New Years Day when I looked at it.  The video for that song was taped in the winter with no water in sight, but the gray scale of the video reminded me of the waves.

There is a nice boardwalk area dotted with the usual restaurants and surf shops.  The beaches are broken up by rocky outcroppings.  Those were a bit sketchy to walk on in the middle of the high waves, but still made for some great shots.

With nothing else to do, my routine stayed the same.  Job search in the morning (still sucks), walking to the water for lunch and exercise, then back to the apartment for study and as much writing as I could get done.  The rain was intermittent all week, making it easier to stay inside and focus. 

On one of my daily explorations, I walked along a stretch of beach that was covered in washed up jellyfish.  Fascinated, I took as many pictures as I could.  I probably looked like a madwoman, but … wouldn’t be the first time.