10.31.24
There’s a part of me that is so grateful to be going home. The mattresses and pillows have been horrible and getting a good night’s sleep has been impossible. I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed with my own pillow. As a result I got up prior to my sister which was around 5 something, meditated shortly, shaved, and finalized my packing along with checking the apartment to make sure I hadn’t left anything (which I don’t think I did). I was a little worried about taking my board bag downstairs but it was actually pretty easy and didn’t present any problems. I went outside around 6:45, was greeted by Monica at 6:57, and we left for the Lisbon airport. Twice was pretty bad and it took over an hour to get there but check in was not bad and I was able to eat a little something before boarding the plane.
Overall the flight was uneventful and we landed in London Heathrow without much issue. I was worried about security as I felt interrogated the first time I went through. This time (maybe because I put my liquids in their plastic bag) things went smoother and they didn’t have to check my bags. I took the tram to C Gates, had some Starbucks, and am waiting to board our plane which had already boarded groups 1 and 2.
The flight from London Heathrow to LAX was not bad and mostly uneventful. I must have ordered special meals because they brought me a vegetarian dinner which was jackfruit biryani which actually wasn’t half bad. I stayed awake for most of the flight and dozed off for about an hour or so. It was perfect because when I woke up I watched (I think) the beekeeper which took me all the way to the landing
I caught my PickUpRide which was super simple and got home around 21:00, went to get some taco bell, and fell asleep around 23:00 which is usually late for me. I slept about six hours which felt great! Well anyway I’ll be looking into the next adventure soon!
10.30.24
I decided since this was the second to last day of the trip and it would be impossible to surf tomorrow that I would go this morning. I woke up at 7am, had second thoughts about going, and ultimately decided to go surf. The mornings have been cold and I surfed down towards the other jetty where it seems to have a little more punch. I got a few good lefts and maybe one good right that I was happy with. I then when back to the apartment, rinsed off, tried to find a way to quickly dry my wetsuit (still not seeing a good solution) and went to eat at dear rose. I had what they called a smashed avocado (guacamole) on toasted bread with cucumbers, tomato, red onion, and balsamic vinagarette which was surprisingly good! I was also hoping to have a cinnamon roll but maybe the fact they didn’t have it was for the better. I did get to try a cortado and funny enough I had just researched what this was as it was mentioned in a series (Titans) that I was watching yesterday. It was not bad. Although I could see that the coffee to milk ratio could make a big difference which it did. Take a look!
For the rest of the day I will be lightly packing and making sure that any loose ends are taken care of. I was about to text message the Chill in team and they let me know tomorrow would be my last day and to put the key on my pillow and to pay any outstanding charges. Now you would think that since they are sending the message that they would know if I had any outstanding charges. Well good thing was I didn’t and I confirmed that Felipe would pick me up and takes me to the airport. That was another fiasco because it was initially 45 euros and changed to 60 euros (don’t know why since he used the van before) but whatever. I tried to see if other services would be cheaper and I wasn’t finding anything so I just went with him (wasn’t sure I could trust Uber or Bolt). After all that nonsense I decided to take a long walk and either wanted to go to Lizandro or Ribeira – both were about equidistant – with the walk being 41 or 42 minutes respectively. I chose to go to Ribeira and man that was a long walk! Along the way I found a reef break that I might have surfed had I had a car which it seems like I might need to do if I ever come back. I took some pictures at the top of Ribeira and was going to walk down but that looked exhausting so I rested a bit and walked back to the apartment. I watched some videos for a while and then got ready for dinner at Pepe which I was really excited for!
Tonight I had Salda De Rucula and Boscaiola which was mushroom and sausage pizza which was pretty good! Take a look
10.29.24
Today I woke up, read a few articles, then decided to take a look at the surf in person. What I saw was not much different than yesterday – either at the point or further on down the way – so I decided to go get some breakfast. I was going to a new pastelaria but their kitchen wasn’t open and I wanted a toasted sandwich. Instead I went to O Paozinho das Marias and had a toasted sandwich with cheese and tomato along with a double espresso (sorry forgot to take a picture) and will more than likely wait to surf Ribeira later on today
After eating I checked emails, responded to a few, and then checked if we were going to ribeira and found out they changed the time and location to 15:30 at Sul so I opted out. I walked to Sul one more time and it was pretty bad so I went back to the apartment, watched some Netflix, and chilled for a bit
I got a little bored so I decided to have lunch at Kebab Da Villa where I got a #1 Doner Kebab (with mixed chicken and beef), with a coke, and fries
After lunch I went back, took a nap, and watched a little Netflix. It was a lazy day and later I had hoped to have a vegan dinner at this market/cafeteria called Be U. Unfortunately they only had empadas and I decided to get some granola and I had hoped they would have the pear and apple drink but it was only apple which I got anyway. I will probably just eat a bit, and turn in early
10.28.24
I woke up early today, was going to go surfing, decided to wait a bit and then in the end ended up surfing. I got to surf the point today which was nice but the waves were slow and didn’t have much push. I couldn’t say that I rode any one wave well and I’ll have to decide if I go to Ribeira this afternoon. I was thinking about going to Dear Rose for breakfast but they are closed Monday and Tuesday which I didn’t realize. Instead I went to Casa da Fernanda and had the Ouricos and what the lady behind the counter called “milk bread.” I had two ouricos and one milk bread along with two double espressos
After I finished I walked around a bit
I was thinking about renting a car since I may not be able to visit supertubos or nazare. It seems like it may be more hassle than it’s worth so I looked into uber and it seems it would be about $31USD from Ericeira to Peniche which would be about 1hr 20min approximately. I also checked from Peniche to Nazare and that’s an additional 50 minutes so I don’t think I’ll be doing that. Later today the beginners are going to ribeira but looking at the cams no one is catching anything. I was gonna go but I decided to stay and maybe go with the intermediates tomorrow at 12:30
I was going to watch some Netflix and I thought to myself “let’s go for a walk” – so I did. And I went to the far end of Sul where I usually surf. I may go there tomorrow morning depending on the tide. But the real reason I went for a walk was to clear my head. Prior to me leaving I had an interview with Providence to be a hospice social worker and I really want this job. One of the questions I could anticipate them asking me is “why are you leaving your current job” to which I may respond by saying that “there are no opportunities for me to become a part time or full time employee.” Now the granularity of what I’ll say is uncertain, but I can cite examples that show that I have tried and have been unsuccessful. My worry is how I say what I need to say without seeming overly negative. I guess I’ll feel my way through it
I took a little break and watched a couple of movies – one of which was a black clover movie and the other was going to be another anime but the subtitles were in Portuguese so that didn’t make sense. Once I finished with that I got ready, changed my fins out, and then went to eat. Tonight I am going back to Red Chilli to have Indian as it seems like a lot of places are closed and I want to save Pepe’s for the last night
10.27.24
Last night the neighbors downstairs (or possibly other loud people in the alley) were talking loudly but I was somehow able to sleep decently. I woke up at 07:00, meditated, read articles for a while, and then had a banana with granola flavored with chai along with keifer which wasn’t bad. I checked surfline to see what the tide was doing and it seemed like it was riding so I went right away. At first I thought “maybe I don’t need booties” but I thought better of it and went back to put them on – especially since I had them. I surfed for about 2 hours, went back and rinsed off, then went in search of coffee which took me to Nalu Bowls which is right on the beach. I had a J-Bay which was peanut butter based with banana, blueberries, and granola and a double espresso which was helpful. Take a look!
When I finished I had plans on going over my ballot choices only to find out they had disappeared and I had to go through it again which was kind of a waste of time. When I finished this time I made sure to generate my poll pass which will hopefully will save my choices. I then took a break and watched some Netflix (Hellbound Season 2), saw there was an announcement from the Chill In – Activities WhatsApp group to surf Ribeira tomorrow at 08:00 (later changed to 15:30) and I’ll see if I can go. I took it upon myself to edit my photos so that I could input them into my blog and will go and eat dinner at Mizu. I was hoping to have soup but instead I am going to have Thai Green Curry, rice, and an appetizer (ate it too quickly and didn’t take a picture)
10.26.24
Today I woke up later than usual which was around 08:00. It was raining so I waited for a bit, went back to O Paozinho das Marias and had a latte with soy milk and a cinnamon roll to go because it was busy inside. Once I finished I went to an organic market called Be U and got Kiefer, some matcha granola, 2 bananas, and a pear and apple drink. It started to rain on my way home but I also stopped by a separate market and got a large water. I then started looking at propositions and making my voting choices, worked out a bit, and just relaxed. I tried to go out around noon river but it started raining again so I turned around and ate the rest of the garlic bread and watched some Dragonball Daima. I finished the first round of my votes and will need to go through it a second time to verify my choices. I got tired of that and decided to watch some Netflix (supacell) until dinner. Tonight I’m going to Mar a Vista to have some seafood and I got a cataplana de marisco which was a mix of shrimp, lobster, clams, and I believe mussels but I could be wrong. I got that with rice
10.25.24
I began the day by packing, putting my items into the garage of unit 15, and then catching an Uber to Mafra to see the Mafra National Palace. I arrived at about 08:45 and went to have some coffee and a pastry which I didn’t take a picture of. There was some discrepancy between three ticket time (09:00), Google (09:30), and when I went to the palace the opening time was 09:30. I walked around a bit and took some pictures
When the palace opened I was able to walk around and what I kept thinking was “this must have cost a lot of money.” I was curious about how they cooked as there was nowhere the smoke could go out. I asked one of the docents and she got a little upset because I spent so much time with the other guy – but they see helpful in explaining that the chimney was removed. I then went to the basilica which was enormous and very beautiful. I was there for maybe a half hour or so then went to the gardens and walked around for a bit
In total I spent about 2.5 hours there from 09:30-12:00 and then went to have lunch at Restaurante Improvavel where I had a water, espresso, and mushroom and shrimp risotto which was pretty good!
I then caught an Uber back to Ericeira, tried to check into the apartment, but instead walked around for a bit. I went from the main surf house and went left towards the big jetty
When I went back to the surf house I had to wait an additional 20 minutes to be taken to the apartment. This is what it looks like.
I settled in a bit and began researching ballot measures and candidates for the upcoming election – along with watching a little Netflix. When it was time to eat I decided to go to Pizzeria La Pecora Nera which was Italian run so I was expecting a lot. Unfortunately I thought the crust to sauce/cheese ratio was not great, bit the dough/crust overall was good. I started with garlic bread with olives, had a margherita pizza, and a water
After that I just chilled until it was time to go to sleep but it was difficult because people were partying. I tried to sleep in the master bedroom, bit of was way too loud. Instead I slept in a double and that seemed to be better
10.24.24
Today I thought that I could surf early which was not the case. I watched the waves for a while then decided to go do laundry and have breakfast. I went to Lavandaria Self-Service and thank god for Google translate which helped me understand how to work the machines and how long the wash/drying cycle would take. I then went to O Paozinho das Marias in search of a pastry called pastel de nata which looks like so (the small one on the far right)
After breakfast I took a short walk and thought that I found Ribeira, but it actually is further down
Although it didn’t look that good. So I went back to the surf house, laid out my laundry to dry, and checked in with Christina about moving to the apartment tomorrow. There seemed to be some issues with them wanting me to stay till 10, bring my stuff to the other house, and then be back before 6 so I could grab the key and go check into the apartment. What we finally agreed upon is that I’ll have all my stuff ready, packed, and placed in the garage, I will text then to let them know my stuff is ready, and when they take the house cleaner later in the day they will drop my stuff off so all I need to do is go back to the surf house, pick up my key, and I could walk to the apartment. I’m not really liking this place as they make it seem like I should be hiring someone to take me to the apartment instead of trying to help me when they made the mistake…kinda frustrating if you ask me. After all that nonsense I went surfing and had a great time despite how small it was and that it was breaking pretty close to the shore. I came back changed, rinsed off, and then went to Green is Good for the gnocchi which I had read good things about. It was a sweet potato gnocchi and I was pleasantly surprised
After lunch I don’t remember what I did but I decided that I was going to go to Calaveras Mexican and have Nachos and I had a Chili con carne taco and a vegetarian pepper taco which was just ok
10.23.24
The mornings are so much different here than at home. The morning tide is 9.1’and there is almost nothing to surf. Even when I get up early there’s a lot of waiting. So I had some breakfast at the main house (look at where I stayed initially!),
did some research for work and for doorbell cameras, then went and surfed at 11:00. It was actually pretty fun today and I got some alright rights, but not my best. I didn’t realize how late it was when I got back so I rinsed off, packed my bag, and went in search for food. I was going to go to this green food place but forgot it was closed on Wednesdays. Instead I went to a place called California tacos and got two vegetarian tacos, a coke, and a water
After lunch I walked around a bit and took a picture of this view I saw the previous night,
went back to my room to take a nap, then I did some research on the Grief Recovery Institute and if the reviews on the book are any indicator I am not interested. I also re-watched David Kessler’s vlog on losing a spouse/partner which gave me some interesting ideas. After I finished with that I took a shower, went to look for the self service laundry place I looked up earlier which seems pretty straightforward, and went to dinner at Red Chilli which is an Indian place I’ve been wanting to try. I had a vegetable biryani and aloo gobi along with a pistachio ice cream for dessert and a water
10.22.24
I woke up at 5am and tried to go back to sleep but was having issues so I just got up. I meditated, read some articles, and thought about surfing but it was kinda weird out so I ate breakfast at 9 and went afterwards. The weird thing was I had been signed up for an intermediate lesson (which I didn’t do) and not more than five minutes later Adele came to get me and said that I was late. Part of me is getting frustrated with this place as the communication is poor and then they make it seem like it’s me. Instead I went to Praia do Sul and went surfing on my own. It was big (with some of the sets well over 7′) but it was mushy and slow and really hard to catch unless you see closer to the point which I was not. When I surf a new spot I try and stay on the outside and get a feel for who the locals are, how good/agro they are, and if people are respecting the lineup which it seems like they were. During the entirety of the session I was cramping up and I had a hard time stopping that. When I caught the two waves of the session both were not that good and honestly I was kind of disappointed. Guess we’ll see how tomorrow goes. I went back to the surf house, changed, went to the other surf house and met Flor and Christine. We went over the remaining charges, including the airport transfer, and what I found out is that I’m pretty much by myself in terms of going to other breaks unless I go with a beginner/intermediate group which I may do. Once that business was concluded I walked around town and had a poke bowl that was horrible.
After that I went back to the room, did some reading and research, and then took a nap. I got up in 15 minute intervals (total of 3) for 45 minutes and later went to have some pizza at Pizzeria Pepe Verde Ericeira which was amazingly good!!
10.21.24
We landed in London Heathrow a little after 9am and my 3pm flight wasn’t even on the board which was a little worrisome. I went to have some breakfast which consisted of eggs, baked beans, turkey sausage, roasted tomato, and guacamole, and a latte with oat milk. After I ate I walked around a bit and felt so tired that I needed to sit down and rest which I did for a bit and fell asleep. When we boarded the plane from LHR > LIS it seemed to take a long time. I had unfortunately been placed in the window seat which I dread. I fell asleep on the plane once again and we arrived in Lisbon workout much issue shortly after 6pm. I was able to check in and get a ride from the airport to where I’m staying but that seemed to take a while and we didn’t get to our destination until almost 8pm. When I arrived at Chill in Ericeira there was some confusion about the type of accommodation I had booked and I eventually had to go with something lesser due to a problem on their side and not having another apartment for me. I unpacked, set up one of my boards, then went for a short walk into town which was much bigger than I expected. There were far more places to eat but the variety seemed lacking with many places having burgers and pizza which may be ok. After my walk I came back, met some of the guys who are leaving tomorrow, and then started to turn in for the night because I was tired
10.20.24
I got a text early in the morning – around 06:00 – stating that my driver was on the way and if I could be ready at 06:30. My pickup time was supposed to be 07:15 so that was 45 minutes early. Now granted I had shaved and was mostly packed, but that left way less time than I had accounted for. When my driver arrived we left at 06:33 and headed to the airport. I had to check in because I either messed up my birthday or when I was changed from British Always to American Airlines they made the mistake. Either way I was able to check in fairly quickly, went through security, and went to my gate to sit. I was so early that a flight to Boston hadn’t left yet and I had the opportunity to see that flight leave. When it was time for our flight to leave it got delayed, not once but three times because they needed to change a tire (at least that’s what we were told). The final flight change was departing at 14:00 and arriving in Philadelphia at 21:15 which would have given me 10 minutes to get to my next flight. I checked in with the ticket agent and they told me to speak with customer service. The CSR said that I had an option of going through Madrid, which would have required me taking my bag from terminal 4 to the international terminal or flying American from LAX to London and British Airways from London to Lisbon which seemed like the best option to me. Because I had a little bit of time I went to grab a bite to eat and then we left from LAX > LHR