Castles and Beaches

 The remains of the legendary 10th century Moorish castle that sits above the town of Aljezur was the last castle to be conquered by the Christians in 1249.  It is also one of the seven castles represented on the Portuguese flag. 
About a 10km drive from Aljezur is Arrifana beach which is nestled in a pretty shell shaped bay.

 Surfers walk with there surfboards down a very steep and winding road to reach the beach but are rewarded with some excellent surf.

Leaving the beach and heading up to the top of the cliffs, looking northwards at this wonderfully rugged view.

Our next stop was the tiny village of Odeceixe and its stunning beach straddling the mouth of the Seixe River which runs into the Atlantic Ocean.

The ocean surf pounding onto Odeceixe beach.

We walked the cliffs and beach which is made of very fine sand before stopping for a hearty lunch. 

We found Darita Restaurant which overlooks the beach and ordered a local beer and wine 

Lunch was mostly delicious as we ordered octopus salad, garlic mushrooms and razor clams.  We had never tried razor clams before and we probably won't order them again.  They were tasty but a bit rubbery for our taste.  









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