The title pretty much sums this day! Morning came, and the crazy winds from yesterday were replaced by a soft breeze; so off I went to finally enjoy some beach time. On the other side of the river that finishes its course here, a few more beaches were waiting to be discovered.
Praia do Cabedelo was one of them, a known beach because of the good surfing conditions. Very decent accessibilities, with a well organised parking lot, and wooden walkways to access the sand without going through the dunes, in an effort to protect that delicate ecosystem.
Some things haven't changed from the day before, such as the ice cold water. And mid morning, while I was laying in my towel, heard a familiar chore and... oh, happiness!!
If there is a pastry that associates with beach, it's Berlin Balls! One of my childhood memories at the beach was to hear the vendors that would walk the beach screaming who wants Berlin ballssssss! Unfortunately we don't see them as often nowadays, so another reason why I couldn't let the opportunity slip by. I wasn't the best I've tasted, but still felt like wonders!
Comes the afternoon... and the wind. I checked the beach in front of the hotel, but it was clear that although the wind was far calmer than yesterday, it was strong enough to ruin any idea of a decent beach afternoon.
Alternatives? To check the rivers margins for #featheredfriends! I had noticed flamingos as i drove to the beach in the morning, and after a quick search found out there was a small bird observatory and a hiking trail near the salt flats.
The time of the day wasn't the best for sure, and although I could hear a few different species, they where nowhere to be seen.
Wait, flamingos!!
Oh... 😁
The observatory could use some tlc, although there were nice imphographics detailing the different species.
After brief moments, decided to continue the trail, and go nearer the river margins. After walking a little bit, it was clear some birds were feeding up ahead.
As as a token of gratitude for my stubborness... had one of my best flamingos sightings! I had never been so close to them in the wild, and I'm proud for not having startled them. Do you want to see how close? Well...
This one was taken with the smartphone!!
I spent probably a good half an hour swapping between the binoculars and the zoom camera. If only a fraction of the photos I took are good, I'll have some of my best flamingo photos for sure!
There was still time to go back to the beach, and bask in the late afternoon sun; here, the wind was not strong.
To finish the day in style, a wonderful dinner, and some unexpected messages! This was written below the coffee I took at the end of the meal:
The translation is If not today, some day it will be!. And with all the thought process in this past week, as these vacations come to an end... I couldn't agree more! 😉