A trip to the beach that is 5 minutes away from Irene's house..

Irene felt super bad that we were stuck inside yesterday and I was so happy - she had a day off today!! So around 1pm we went to the beach that she is always recommending I go to. I can see it from where I'm standing, but I'm really bad with directions and it was always iffy trying to figure out where I am going on foot. So we walk together and I can't believe how close it is!! There are a few turns I didn't expect and going through 1 building but all in all it's like a 6 minute walk - jeez!! This would have helped the first week!

There are a couple of really beautiful beaches in Leca, and a prime surfing area in Matosinhos a few kilometers south. We walked along this beautiful, uncrowded promenade and watched families bike together, people laying in a strip of grass between the promenade and the sand, and families playing in the sand. The key word in Portugal is families - they are so uber-important and central to Portuguese life - it's absolutely awesome to witness.

Irene has a favorite beach but we had to get ready for a Habitat party tonight so we had about 2 hours to go to the beach, eat and then go home and get showered and dressed. We found a closer beach/cove to camp out at and all of a sudden I realize Irene has her swimsuit under her clothes!! I am so jealous! I knew we were going to the beach but I didn't realize we were getting in the water! Oh how I would've loved to lay out in my new African bikini!!! so I opted for taking some pictures and marveling at the clear, warm water. The Atlantic is notoriously freezing but there seemed to be a fairly warm current today so I walked around up to my knees in the water - yay!

Had to go unfortunately but what a calm and peaceful place to hang out. Had some lunch at a cafe nearby and went back to get ready for tonight's party!