{"id":23223,"date":"2025-10-11T04:59:45","date_gmt":"2025-10-11T08:59:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aleta.life\/?p=23223"},"modified":"2025-11-01T04:12:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T08:12:18","slug":"douro-valley-daze","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aleta.life\/index.php\/2025\/10\/11\/douro-valley-daze\/","title":{"rendered":"Douro Valley Daze"},"content":{"rendered":"
Position: 41\u00b009’16.7″N 7\u00b046’57.1″W<\/a><\/h6>\n

Another four days of Atlantic churn meant we could tick off a barrel-sized item on our bucket list: wine tasting in the heart of the Douro Valley. But first we had a hoped-for date with monster waves in surfer\u2019s paradise. That meant hiring a car. Steering wheel in hand, we headed through the chaotic, squirrely streets that cling to the hills around Porto and made a beeline for the motorway south.<\/p>\n

Nazar\u00e9 Redux<\/h6>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The first two times we sailed the coast of Portugal, one of our favourite spots was the surfing mecca, Nazar\u00e9. Some of the largest waves in the world form at the promontory and we figured with a full-blown hurricane stirring up the Atlantic, things would be even livelier than they were during our first visit <\/a>(q.v.)<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Disappointingly, Nazar\u00e9 has been discovered. The great unwashed oozed through every side street, nook and cranny. Menus in three languages adorned the caf\u00e9s and racks of sunscreen propped open the shops. Toiling up the hill to the old town and crowd-surfing down the road to the lighthouse was like participating in a group therapy session for agoraphobia.<\/p>\n

Fog swirled and obscured our view, driving us further towards the cliff\u2019s edge. Then suddenly it lifted, revealing waves that looked suitable only for beginners. The Atlantic swell rolled in but never turned into anything significant. Nothing like the 100\u2019 monster waves we\u2019d hoped for, and only half the size of the ones we had witnessed on our first visit. Now, we were stuck for the night in a crowded tourist hotspot that we couldn\u2019t wait to get out of. Curse Instagram!<\/p>\n

\n\n\t\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t
<\/div>\n\n\t
\n\n\t\t<\/a>\"\"\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>
\n\t
<\/div>\n\n\t
\n\n\t\t<\/a>\"\"\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>
\n\t
<\/div>\n\n\t
\n\n\t\t<\/a>\"\"\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>
\n\t
<\/div>\n\n\t
\n\n\t\t<\/a>\"\"\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>
\n\t
<\/div>\n\n\t
\n\n\t\t<\/a>\"\"\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>
\n\t
<\/div>\n\n\t
\n\n\t\t<\/a>\"\"\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>
\n\t
<\/div>\n\n\t
\n\n\t\t<\/a>\"\"\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>
\n\t
<\/div>\n\n\t
\n\n\t\t<\/a>\"\"\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>
\n\t
<\/div>\n\n\t
\n\n\t\t<\/a>\"\"\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t\n\t