From Evora we drove down to the coast of Alentejo, to the small village of Zambujeira do Mar. This last stop on our Portugal adventure is a departure: it's neither old nor historic. But what a lovely spot. The town is relatively new: a collection of whitewashed houses perched above a pretty beach. I'm sure it's very busy in the summer, but now it's very quiet and peaceful. After arriving we spent some time exploring around, then brought some wine and cheese out to a coastal trail and enjoyed the sunset from a bluff over the water.
There is a network of coastal trails in this section of Portugal: the Rota Vicentina. There is a slightly inland trail, the Historical Way, which runs for 263 km near the coast, a Fisherman's Trail which is 226 km hugging the coast, and then a number of loop trails taking off from various towns in the region. The Fisherman's trail passes through Zambujeira do Mar and we decided to walk a stretch of the trail southward from town. What a treat. The coast is made up of high rocky headlands with small coves and beaches (many inaccessible from land) interspersed. As Oregonians we're accustomed to a beautiful and dramatic coastline; this area blew us away.
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| Zambujeira do Mar |
At one point the trail passed a fenced area with these large critters, plus a herd of mountain goats, and even a couple of zebras.
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