The first half of our day was spent driving through the quaint towns of this part of Portugal, starting at the beaches of Peniche.

The city was built on a rocky peninsula which is considered by geologists as a unique example of the Toarcian turnover during the worldwide Early Jurassic extinction. They were some of the coolest, albeit rugged, cliffs we have seen.



Standing guard at the mouth of the harbor is the sixteenth century Fortaleza de Peniche (Fortress). It was commissioned during the reign of King João III when this little port was of great strategic importance to Portugal and its empire.

Peniche is known for its long beaches, which are popular for recreational activities and sports such as surfing, windsurfing, bodyboarding and kite surfing. These beaches are consistently windy and have good surf breaks with Supertubos (waves forming fast and powerful tubes), considered among the best in Europe. The area has been called the European Pipeline, after the Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii.
This is the view from where we took our morning coffee.

This was a cute town in which to spend a cool 'summer' day. Fun stuff.
Our next stop was in the very European-feeling town of Alcobaça to visit the Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Alcobaça. This monastery was founded in the medieval period by the first Portuguese King, Afonso Henriques, in 1153, and maintained a close association with the Kings of Portugal throughout its history. The church and monastery were the first Gothic buildings in Portugal. Due to its artistic and historical importance, it was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1989.

Oh but that is not the reason we came here.


The tombs here document the love story between Inês de Castro and King Pedro, a story better than anything Shakespeare has written. Prince Pedro, the son of King Afonso IV, was the heir to the Portuguese throne. When he was 19, his father had him marry Constança of Castile (Spain) in order to build an alliance in 1340. Inês de Castro, was lady-in-waiting to the Princess. Inês was a radiant beauty who stole Pedro’s heart and they quickly fell madly in love.
Long, sad story, short- the King wanted to end the love affair so when Pedro was away he decided the only way to stop this was to kill Inês. The King sent three of his courtiers who accomplished the task. Pedro waged war against his father for having killed her thus creating a Civil war until the Queen, Pedro’s mother, arranged a truce between the father and son. However, Pedro never forgave his father and when he became king in 1357, after his father's,  Pedro exhumed Inês’ body, built her a royal tomb, and crowned her as queen, claiming that they had married in secret before she died.
The legend says that after forcing the members of his court to kiss her decomposing hand and swear allegiance to their new queen, Pedro tracked down her assassins and killed them, ripping out their hearts with his bare hands and then eating them. Isn't that a great reason for making a visit here? History is pretty exciting in these parts.

As we were heading to our next destination, we were drawn to these concrete fermentation tanks and had to stop at the National Wine Museum. It is housed in a wine cellar built in 1875 by José Eduardo Raposo de Magalhães, an important wine producer of that time. He was successful in developing wine-growing in the region. The museum showcases one of the most significant collections related to wine-growing activity in the country. The building has several facilities, such as a warehouse used for storing agricultural utensils, a cooper’s studio, a tavern and several wine cellars. Oh and these wine boobs (technical name, I'm certain). One never knows what one will find around the bend. The adventure continues.