64.05-64.10 Portugal: Some highlights (at least 6 hikes) from Peneda-Geres National Park...pure delight (wet).

We love the views of the lake (Canicada) which we see from all the mountains and other viewpoints. It's always been the case that when one has to struggle to reach a position, one never tires of the views. Added to the fact is the size, shape and position of the lake/dam is most attractive.
Never a dull moment...Vilarinho da Furna reservoir.
A typical "dull" day often experienced, but always interesting, often exciting and for some reason, always meaningful and uplifting.
Perhaps something to do with the rain?
Route PR3, anti-clockwise, opens with an immediate 1,700 feet incline over a short distance. We are close to the top accompanied by a couple of dogs, one in view.
Love the view looking directly down on the treetops. 

 Vilarinho da Furna reservoir in its splendor.
Can't say whether she was singing in the rain. Funnily enough, we have enjoyed the wet weather.
Bit of a tricky place to play 'hide-and-go-seek' unless you're hiding and not scared of bogeymen.
A view of Lake Canicada from the south side after crossing both bridges (only one in view).
  We were approached by a 'nameless' organization to help in tracking down a group of Ku-Klux-Klan members who could stir up trouble in Portugal. The idea was to infiltrate a cell and try to establish a rapport. Jen found these garments which are as close a match to the genuine outfits (give or take). In addition, they are quite good in wet weather, too. 

  While searching for the cell, we came across a cave which we deduced is not too dissimilar from a cell. We decided to base ourselves there in the hope that it would not be too long until the group arrived for an outdoor meeting. We were tipped off that it (cave) might be a place of interest. In any case, as it was raining, it seemed sensible to take shelter in the cell...um...cave. We also were weary; it made even more sense to rest notwithstanding the less than stellar weather. But hey, we were undercover for a worthy cause.

'Who are you calling dense?' "Well, very colorful, too."

Talk about trendy. Fashion dictates that pants should be tucked into socks, belts are history and boots (wet) should be worn at all times. Socks should not color match either.
Jen turns her back on my beautiful lake which is not accepted gracefully. This is a rest stop on our way down from the peak.
Subtle Falls.
Jen contemplates her new role as a mole, a wet one.
Haunting and quite lovely, a very peaceful and wet time.
'Are you joining me? Then hurry it along.'
The lake loses its reflections from this side.
Jen continues to plod in technicolor.
Jen heads down for a closer view at 750 metres altitude, after returning from the peak of PR6.
We reach the second viewpoint at 450 metres, and look over part of the town, 1,000 feet lower than above photograph.
Another magnificent view of the lake and forests but from the opposite mountain to the opening photo.

Brave girl.
Did we happen to mention much rain?
or upside-down mountains?
Possibly where my brother attains his perspective for building model railroads and towns.
Cheers, 

Jenni and Jeffrey 

 We view our apartment building from on high. (The building in front of the large open parking lot (middle of picture)).

64.03 Portugal: Geres: Lake Canicada (dam), via the PR 5 trail.

The word 'stunning' is just adequate, we think. Lake Canicada (dam).
Not the highest but more than testing. Anyway, Jen's getting older so it makes sense to give the 'old girl' a break. (Truth be told, she's not intimidated easily...(snakes, bears, cows since Nepal 1, leeches, excluded.) 
Vegetation is thick and colorful.
We haven't seen much 'sun' since this view.
A view of a corner of the lake from the less common (and attractive) viewpoint. Requires some rock climbing off-trail.
A delightful place to call home.

Jen takes it carefully as she approaches the off-trail peak.
While the 'boy hero' tries his rescue act on a damsel in distress.
We reach a meadow on the mountain top as we head, unbeknown to us at the time, to the formal viewpoint overlooking Lake Canicada.
Jen heading into the unknown.
In the distance, one catches a glimpse of the lake from the first peak.
Once again, we try to understand the concept of trees and forest or is it wood for the trees?
The Portuguese word for 'drought' has been deleted officially from the dictionaries. It is superfluous in the north.
Another view of Lake Canicada which should be contrasted with the photograph below it.
On another hike, we view the lake from the opposite mountain, giving a different perspective (no sun).
Looking down at part of the town of Geres, a very attractive place to live. The lone grass patch across the way is the 'Futebol' field, a place we pass on one of the hikes.
  We never lack for excitement on our days of Hike-about. It is a wonderful result from our activities, more like adventures, which at times can become a little too adventurous. While the periods in the wilderness would appear to be the places where we might suffer (enjoy) the most risks, it appears that’s not the case. Bothersome occurrences 'really' take place in towns and cities more frequently. I wish the correct word was ‘rarely’. I suppose it makes sense that we obviously prefer living in the wilderness or near it as opposed to the civilized world. One day, I think I’ll revisit a dictionary to try to understand what the word civilization means—I really believe I misunderstood some of the schooling undertaken. (I suppose I’m straying…again.) 

  The airline did well in getting us to our final destination, Lisbon, despite some poor weather. That our luggage was not mislaid as in our last flight with said airline was another bonus. However, we were late because of heavy clouding which meant a night arrival, that the rental car company might panic fearing ‘a no show’, and we’d struggle to find our apartment for a single night somewhere outside Lisbon, in the dark. ‘Meet at the Vodafone Store’, was the instruction, at which place someone would collect us and take us to the depot where the car would be awaiting us. We arrived at the said store, but it made no sense as it was even before we cleared customs and immigration. We decided to seek a Vodafone store on the other side of the guards who keep ‘illegals’ from entering the country. 

  'On the other side', (officially in Lisbon), we found the store but felt pretty silly standing around trying to be found. We approached a fellow holding a phone and clipboard, entered into discussion about language and then whether he would help us. Like so many people we have spoken with and needed help from since arriving in the country, he was obliging. Long story short but a little complicated, he managed to contact our rental supplier who told us to meet across the road. How we’d recognize each other, where exactly, how long it would take, are matters of detail—information we did not have. Action required! I dodged around trying to find the appropriate white car or van while Jen guarded our luggage. After a while, a woman approached us and identified herself. Fantastic. 

  She took us to the depot and after a refreshing discussion during and after the short journey, (she spoke English fluently), we headed for Casa Maria. The GPS was loaded with information, instructing us to head north. Great. I didn’t know what day it was, nevermind directions. Jen settled me, thankfully. She reminded me to switch to offline as we had not purchased data—the last thing on our minds. Car loaded, Jen holding the phone, both my hands on the wheel or one on the stick-shift or gear lever, depending in which country one was born, and we revved up and off we drove into the long-passed sunset. 

  We were looking for an address with number 40. We had reached the correct road. Lo and behold, there wasn’t a ‘40’. I asked Jen whether we should try 41, after all, it was only a single digit difference. We noticed a young couple walking down the street and made an approach. As a reminder, European roads in the towns are challenging, being most tactful. That tend to be extremely narrow and invariably, very steep. The couple were most helpful. They pulled out two phones and got busy. The young woman mentioned we should be in the next village, some ten minutes back. The guy thought we should continue up the mountain while trying to avoid scraping the car against the walls of the houses which abut the roads. 

  We chose the guy’s recommendation because after all, it was more convenient. We also asked them to kindly call the landlady which they did. We don't know the outcome, but it seemed we should just roll with the car. We departed but soon realized we had tried the route earlier. Perhaps we missed something. Suffice to say, we were back where we had begun but tried a few turns and twists including utilizing some dirt roads, too. 

  Jen spoke about having to sleep for the night in the car prior to us heading up north the next day to Geres, our destination. The baggage/luggage could find its own venue. While that was a brave comment, the thought of a night spent as envisaged was terrible. We’d have to find an hotel although we’d paid for the night’s accommodation in advance. We tried a few more tricks but to no avail. Then we saw another group of men standing about. I approached and asked whether they would mind calling our landlady again. An elderly woman whom had indicated something to us earlier, which did not appear to be friendly, made some gestures that once again were unwelcoming. She was the only negative person we have come across although it might have been because she seemed a bit odd. (Jen reckons that's quite funny coming from me.) The fellow, one of the few without good English, did the trick. 

  Ten minutes later, after parking the car on the side of the road, which was a type of miracle in and of itself, a taxi approached. A woman alighted from the vehicle who turned out to be the magic person. “Don’t worry,” we said, “we’ll pick up the tab for the ride.” Turns out that the driver was her husband, and she turned down our offer of compensation. We followed the car to their casa which was lovely. We enjoyed a restful sleep and would have enjoyed staying put, not having to face the world for a few more hours. 

  It began to rain prior to loading our car with the luggage for the continuing journey. (Hasn't stopped). We set off for Geres which is a 4-hour journey without stops. Would our GPS get us onto the right route, more importantly, did we have the correct address? Fortunately, we arrived safely and on time, too, but once again, the address was not entirely accurate. We noticed two women standing beside the entrance to a building that supposedly, was close to where we were headed. Turned out they were the cleaners for the apartment. 

  After the previous night, any mountain challenges we'll face, we think, might be easier than our entry into Portugal. 

  Jen's final approach to the town via a self-termed 'Lovers Lane'.
Cheers, 

Jenni and Jeffrey

64.04 Portugal: 'Autumn has broken, like the first Fall': A quick introductory peek into the new season.

  At this stage of the trip, we have hiked much more in rain than on clear days. Full sunshine is not something we've seen much of and partial can mean 2 minutes of appearance within an hour. Nevertheless, Geres is proving to be a mystical spot, a magical place, well, to express it bluntly, a wonderful town but far more importantly, a treasure in the wilderness. 

  We wrote a few days previously about autumn colors and what we might expect relative to the state of Utah. Preceding today's formal posting, we included a few photographs from a big hike, mostly in rain, to offer a comparison. Although we are not at all discouraged by the poor weather, actually enjoying being wet except behind the ears, it does affect the views. That can be a bit of a downer and yet there still are compensating situations.

 Numerous waterfalls: never seen more on a single mountain. (Of course, 'married', that's different.)
Might be termed 'in the thick of things'.
Gets worse or better, depending on one's perspective.
The 'wet look' before deciding it might be intelligent to at least cover the backpack.
Jen about to enter the thicker parts of the forest and having to cross numerous waterfalls.
We have never before had our boots and lower legs covered completely in water on so many occasions during one hike. Be grateful you cannot smell our boots.
Not autumn colors but where do you get such 'greens'? 'Stupid question, Jeffrey, aren't you in Geres?'
Cheers, 

Jenni and Jeffrey