Portugal 2016 04 28 Vila Real de Santo Antonio and the Coast.

Today we had a relatively long walk (16 km), but it covered an incredible diversity of terrain.  The roads were more quiet, with less population, but the abundance of roadside wildflowers  continued to amaze me.

From our initial stop, we got an overview of a river lagoon, which bore the first signs of the diverse fishing industry.  Here, oyster beds were nestled in the calmer waters.

After some walking, we descended onto a beach, and what a beach!  You can see how badly crowded it was.... 

July and August bring the hordes of tourists, and apparently this place just crawls with humanity then.

In the meantime, one could see local fishermen going after shellfish, and signs of sea life like this jellyfish.

Lunch was special, held at a local restaurant supplied by local fisherman.  We literally placed our order three hours ahead so that the fish could be caught freshly for us.

After lunch we were joined by local nature guide, who showed us things like the shark egg case below, and wild asparagus.

We finally ended up in small town while we waited for the bus.  We could see Spain across the river.

The local town square was quite attractive with decorative paving and further random pieces of art. 

Now it’s time for the bus ride back to dinner (huge) and a drink (almost huge).  And t:he famous dessert:  Camel Drooling!