Still in Baleal – Looking for Surf Gear

I’m still in Baleal because this place feels so nice. I decided I’d give it a few more days at least since I’m not really in a hurry. The waves right now are bad everywhere including Spain so there’s not much point hurrying elsewhere because of surfing either.

A new home

I moved from the hostel to a parking spot close by on Saturday. It’s not especially pretty and it’s dusty, but there’s a very communal feeling there among the inhabitants. During the weekend the place was packed, but now that the surf has gone really small there’s much more room. I found someone else from Finland here as well.

The view toward the beach from my new spot
Filling Naranja with surf gear

I bought an O’Neill wetsuit on Sunday. It was a little more expensive than I had planned on spending on one, but it is also a perfect fit. I didn’t think I would fit so nicely in a LT size. I just have to do plenty of surfing and maybe skip some after surf beers to be able to fit in it later too.

My teacher didn’t end up selling me his old one, because he said it’s in too bad shape. So I’ve been board hunting for a few days now. First I concentrated on finding a soft board and nearly bought a cheap used one on Monday. Luckily I did a weight comparison with a newer board of the same type and changed my mind quickly. The reason for the cheap price was all the water that the board had swallowed.

I changed my mind about the board type. I don’t want to buy a new soft board and all the used ones seem to be in really bad shape. The thought of buying a brand new one has also occurred to me, because used big ones are hard to find and also not really much cheaper either. Hard boards are also less bulky and easier to fit in Naranja. I might go for a 7’8 Torq (something like this), but I’m still undecided. I didn’t expect buying a board would be this difficult…

Surfing goes on

On Sunday morning I went for a two hour session with the surf gear from Baleal surf camp. I got nice small waves and had a lot of fun. Monday I took a day off, but on Yesterday I rented a 7’6 Torq and tried my luck with it for three hours in small waves. It might have been smarter to get a bigger one for the tiny waves, but I wanted to see how a board that small felt like. I managed to get waves quite nicely, but their power just wasn’t enough to give me much speed. That was also the maiden surf of my new wetsuit. It felt really comfortable and I think I made a good choice.

In other news

I’ve been going out to eat a few times, but I have also been using Naranja’s kitchen more and more lately. I haven’t done many really complicated things yet, but more or less everything has been tasty

Mung bean sprouts, tomato, aubergine, onion and garlic. Spiced with salt, pepper and cumin and served with the remaining oats I still had from the home kitchen cupboard.
Simple and tasty

I have also been doing some other stuff here. I went running on Monday and saw some big pumpkin fields. The neighboring town of Ferrel is well known for agriculture. And the past few nights the sunsets have been amazing too.

Another Baleal sunset

I’ve also been very busy reading. I brought some books with me and I’ve already been able to swap some too. So far in less than four weeks I read the following books:

  • Sarasvatin hiekkaa – Risto Isomäki (Finnish)
  • Eleven Minutes – Paulo Coelho (English)
  • The Host – Stephenie Meyer (English)
  • Doppler – Erlend Loe (Finnish)
  • Boarderlines – Andreas Brendt (German)
  • (Half way through: Unensieppaaja – Stephen King)

An Intensive Week of Surf Coming to an End

This place is as amazing as I remembered. The conditions could have been better, but I’m not complaining. I also remembered again how painful it is to surf for four hours every day for five consecutive days. Especially if you are not as fit as you used to be.

A Baleal sunset
Rough conditions – whitewater training

On Monday we started in whitewater, meaning that we caught easier waves that had already broken. I felt a bit frustrated and felt like I should be out back catching real waves… On Tuesday the conditions were similar and I got a chance to go out and try the real waves. The man sized waves didn’t really want to carry me and getting back out after a wipe out was really tough.

I was skeptical of the teachers on Monday, but by letting me have a go on Tuesday they showed me the reason behind their choice. And I humbled myself and knew that with this size swell, my place is not out with the green waves. That hurt, but it was a necessary lesson.

Wednesday and Thursday real surfing

On Wednesday the swell went down and we had two sessions catching real waves. They were still too big for me, but still manageable. I got plenty of nice rides and cool new insights on what I need to do to improve. The battle to get back out was really draining though and during the afternoon session I needed plenty of breathers sitting on my board.

After the second session on Wednesday, we went to Óbidos, a medieval town close by. That has been on the weekly plan here as long as I’ve been coming here. I went along, but the weather was really foggy and there was a slight drizzle, so I just had a quick walk and then sat down for a glass of port in a pretty cellar bar.

A pretty house with a lot of flowers in Óbidos

Thursday the waves were smaller and that was my best day surfing, even if the morning session got canceled because of no waves with the low morning tide. We had a surf skate class instead and it was surprisingly fun. I’ve always dreaded standing on a skateboard, since for some reason I have always ended up going backwards while the board has sped out ahead. But I got the basics now and the turning on surf skateboards is really close to surfing in many ways and I might even buy a one of my own at some point.

A different dress code at a restaurant
Tired Friday

Today we had just one longer session of surf but even that was too much for me. I have absolutely no power left and everywhere hurts. My old friend left shoulder started bugging me on Thursday again like it almost always does after a few hard days fighting in the water. I also changed the board to a little bit smaller one and had some trouble finding the sweet spot on the board. I had a few spectacular wipe outs and swallowed plenty of salt water. After some time I just realized that there’s no point going back in. I had no strength to do anything really. Too bad really, since the conditions were really good.

Friday was really busy

Now I just woke up from a nap and in an hour it’s time for the camp dinner. We’re also watching a video made from this weeks lessons and activities. Afterwards the party continues in a cocktail bar close by.

What then?

Yesterday I made up my mind and I’ll hang around here until Monday or Tuesday and then I’m heading up to Spain again. I’m going to look fo a campsite somewhere close to a surf spot and if everything works out fine, I might stay there for some time.

I went to try on a wetsuit yesterday and it was a really good fit. I didn’t buy it yet, but I’m pretty sure I will. Also one of the surf teachers said that he might have a suitable board for me at his home. I’ll go and have a look during the weekend. I still have to figure out how to make the board fit into Naranja, but I think I’ll manage somehow.

Baleal Surf Camp – Another Home Away from Home

The plan was to visit Porto and I did that too, but without getting out of Naranja. I did find a pretty place to spend the night though and went to Nazaré to see the spot that’s famous for the biggest waves in the world. And now finally I’m in a very familiar place in Baleal.

Trying to get to Porto, ended up in a small paradise

I tried three places that looked like good spots to spend a night, but all of them were full. The first one was very close to downtown and driving there with a big car like Naranja was not much fun… The two others were campsites, but both had a “Sorry, we’re full” signs hanging above the entrance.

So, I decided that Porto could wait and continued south to a really cool campsite called O Tamanco. The place was like a small paradise. Below are some snapshots from there.

There was a small farmer’s market that sold eggs and other local products
They even had a small pool. I Didn’t go in though.
Two turkeys walked around the campsite.
This seemed to be a motto here and from the looks of it it works.
Next stop Nazaré

In the morning I headed to Nazaré, the town famous for huge waves. And before you ask no, I didn’t go surfing. I just wanted to have a look. But I ran into the same problem I had in Porto. No free parking spots anywhere near the beach suitable for Naranja. I ended up parking almost three kilometers from the beach.

So I got a lot of fresh air and a bit too much sun today. It was a bit cloudy and I didn’t realize until too late that I should have put on sunscreen. I ended up walking a lot, probably close to ten kilometers and I did get to the famous spot too. The only thing that was missing though were the waves. But that’s surfing. Many things affect the waves and in this case apparently the swell direction was wrong for the underwater canyon that normally causes the monsters.

On top of the Forte de São Miguel Arcanjo
View down to Praia do Norte (where the big waves normally break to) from the fort.
The sign wasn’t telling the truth today.
A sculpture that combines the history of Nazaré and the present.
The fort had an exhibition of surfboards from famous surfers who surfed in Nazaré. This green one is from Garrett McNamara.
After the long hike in Nazaré, the first Portuguese restaurant meal: grilled sardines.
Fishing boats on Nazaré beach.
Baleal surf camp

I’m now sitting in the common room of the surf hostel and typing this post with my phone. This place hasn’t changed much. I’m not sure if I mentioned this, but I’m ditching Naranja as my abode for this week. It’s parked right below the balcony though and I’ll go by every day. I thought that I’d do this week with the proven method, since it’s always been so much fun. And also, after being an asocial nomad for some time now, I do need the company.

I’m really looking forward to next week. I might not write during the next few days, since I’m sure I’ll fall into the familiar routine here. Surf, eat, surf, eat, drink, sleep and then start over.

That’s my feet pointing to the beach I’ll be taking on the Atlantic ocean tomorrow. Taken from our balcony.

Northern Spain Drive-by – Helpful Realizations

So, I took the detour that I was thinking about and at least so far it has been an excellent choice. Many cool things and new realizations have happened the past two days.

San Vicente de la Barquera

My first stop after Donostia was the town where I lost my surf virginity: San Vicente de la Barquera. I parked Naranja close to the Oyambre beach and had a look at the place. It seemed bigger than I remembered. Unfortunately there was a very strong wind and surfing would not have been much fun. I was tempted to give it a go anyway, but I think I made a good choice. Instead I unpacked my bike and rode to the town center. The seven kilometer distance itself was not bad, but the hills were…

San Vicente de la Barquera from a bridge leading to the beaches

I had my first menú del día (“dish of the day” popular for lunch) in the town. I had a Bonito steak, (bonito is a fish related to tuna). It was very tasty, but apparently and unfortunately I was too hungry to take pictures though.

On my way back I stopped at a campsite that may end up being my home during the next month or so. It’s not directly on Playa de Oyambre, but on another surfable beach between the town and the Oyambre. They didn’t give in to my haggling yet, but I’ll try to get a discount if I choose them. The price for a night wasn’t too bad, but if I end up getting a spot there for a month, I’m sure I can negotiate the price down a little.

I continued my drive after the exhausting bike tour to a close by gas station that had a shower. It was my first gas station shower, but I was surprised how clean and nice everything was. I might consider doing this again.

Salinas (Aviles)

From there I continued directly to Salinas, next to Aviles, the other surf spot I had thought about spending some time at. I parked Naranja at another municipal spot that wasn’t really the prettiest, but it was just twenty minutes from the beach and it had fresh water (my tank was getting empty).

I looked up some surf schools in Google maps and the first one I gave a surprise visit, the Salinas surf camp, was happy to give me a lesson for the next morning. Cool!

Victories in Spanish

Before I tell you about the surfing this morning, I need to brag a little. Well bragging is not quite right. I just want to share the good mood I got about using Spanish. I actually managed really well in a couple of situations sticking only to Spanish. I’m most proud about being able to buy a pre-paid sim-card for some extra internet data in Spain. And it seems the card works well too! I was quite skeptical about the usefulness of my “Duolingo-learning”, but it seems to have helped a lot. I’m really, really excited about this!

I was so afraid that I would switch to English very quickly, but I have been very consistent so far in sticking with Spanish as long as it is possible.

The first surf

I booked an early morning surf session and it was a bullseye! The beach was not crowded and there was almost no wind. The waves weren’t big, but it was exactly what I needed for the first day. I caught a few nice waves and remembered again why surfing is so amazing. The ratio of successes to failed attempts can be infinitesimal, but still you feel like you’ve had the best day ever. This time – even objectively speaking – I almost did better than ever. I absolutely can’t wait for next week in Baleal!

And now for something completely different: Santiago de Compostela

After surfing it was time to hit the road again. I looked at a few possibilities for the next stop and somehow ended up in Santiago de Compostela. As someone not religious in any meaning of the word that may seem an odd choice. Honestly and realistically, it was just a convenient place to spend the night before heading to Porto. But being the romantic I am, I think that in a way my tour can be seen as a pilgrimage of sorts as well.

I’m still in Santiago at the moment and the plan is to get to Porto in Portugal tomorrow. Below are some pictures of Santiago.

The cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
Praza do Obradoiro next to the cathedral. (Because I’m a bit of a language nerd, a quick side note: A big part of people here speak Galician instead of Spanish. That’s why it’s Praza and not Plaza.)
Beautiful small alleys everywhere
Summarizing this post: a confidence boost in many ways

When I was writing the last post, I still was torn between taking the straightest, most effective route and taking this detour. I’m so glad I did take the long way in so many ways. I already told you about the small victories I had with communicating in Spanish. That alone was a morale boost and it gave me real concrete hope of achieving at least one of my goals.

But that’s not all. I also realized that surfing and working can be combined nicely here. I hadn’t really planned well at all when it comes to these two goals. But the nice first day surfing, visiting the campsite next to San Vicente de la Barquera and looking around in Salinas raised my optimism about achieving these too. What was really good to know was that because this still is the high season it’s crowded everywhere, but in a few weeks time things will calm down a lot.

Crossed France – Now in Donostia/San Sebastian

Luxemburg

When I left from the Devil’s gorge on Monday after writing the last post, I almost immediately crossed over to Luxemburg. I really don’t have much to show for it unfortunately. The road was good but I needed to be very awake to navigate through the many exits and crossings that I had to take. I’m a little ashamed that I didn’t even stop for a picture at some point.

And then France

After Luxemburg I entered France. Since I hated the toll roads in Poland I decided to avoid toll roads in France. Because of that I got to see a lot of small towns but also some very rough roads. I ended up in Clamecy for the first night that I spent on a very pretty campsite on a long island between the Yonne river and the Canal du Nivernais.

While driving through all the small towns I really wondered that everything looked so quiet. I only realized the reason when I arrived in Clamecy and found no place to have dinner. Monday was a catholic holiday called the Assumption of Mary (or: Mary goes to heaven day as my mum calls it). But luckily Naranja has instant noodles as emergency rations just for situations like these.

The Yonne river in Clamecy

I had a quick run along the canal in the morning and then took a shower at the campsite before hitting the road again. I decided that I didn’t want to see bad roads two days in a row and discarded the Google maps setting that avoids toll roads. That meant the second day was mainly boring freeway riding. I made it a little bit more interesting by eating some bad fish I had on a salad bowl. It tasted ok, but I think it upset my stomach a bit.

The toll booths were as bad as I feared. On one I was supposed to have a card that I didn’t get on the booth before and had to call for assistance and tell them that I didn’t have it. That cost me 30€ extra… For the second night in France I stayed in Morcenx on a municipal camper spot. It wasn’t the prettiest place but it was free.

Entering Spain

In the morning I left early and got to San Sebastian (or Donostia in Basque) already around 10 AM. Thanks again to Park4night I found a cheap parking spot in the city. I wanted to stop here for a day, since I have such cool memories of the place from nine years ago. It didn’t fail me. This place is really one of the prettiest cities I’ve ever been to. I walked for hours, wore myself out in the sun and of course enjoyed plenty of pintxos (I’m using the Basque spelling because when in Euskadi, do as the Basques do). Below some snapshots from my walk.

Looking toward the Atlantic
Playa de la concha
Pintxos, I’ve missed you
People actually live here too
Some temporary art on the beach
Moving on from here

I’m now facing a dilemma. I could easily get to Baleal in two days, but I only have to be there on Sunday. Since I’m so close to where I actually want to end up, I’m thinking about taking a detour along the coast toward Galicia and then down to Porto. That would make it possible to check out the areas around San Vicente de Barquera and Aviles where I planned to spent the bulk of my trip. It would mean about 300 km extra, but I’d be riding along the coast most of the way. Now that I wrote this down, I don’t see a dilemma here at all. Detour it is.

Münster, Krefeld Linn and Goodbyes to Germany

I left Nordhorn on Saturday and drove to Münster to do some laundry and enjoy the pretty city. I went there plenty of times when I lived in Nordhorn and always liked it. After a night in Münster I drove to Krefeld Linn to do the last social call this trip. And the award for the last night in Germany goes to: Ernzen on the border to Luxemburg.

Münster

Saturday was my first laundry day on the road. It seems I have about 10 days worth of clean undies and t-shirts. For emergencies I do have some hand wash detergent with me too. I have never used a laundromat before, but it was simple enough and I managed without problems.

In addition to washing my clothes I also went for a beer in the Pinkus Müller brewery and just biked around the city. The beer was as good as I remembered as was the city pretty. In the morning I decided that I needed some exercise (and a shower) and went for a swim in the open-air swimming pool close to where I parked for the night. The shower in Naranja works just fine, but for a guy my size it’s still a bit cramped. Also, showering empties the fresh water tank and fills the gray water tank pretty fast. If I can find a good alternative, I’ll normally take it gladly.

There’s a beautiful bike route going around Münster
The Pinkus Müller brewery
Krefeld Linn

I had never been to Krefeld and had never even heard of the historical part of the town Linn before. Timo and Jenny, a Finnish/Venezuelan couple I know from my times in Nordhorn now live there. Jenny sent me a message after seeing the Facebook post about my plans and it was pretty much on the route I had thought about taking so I decided to stop there for a bit.

I know some of the Ruhr area quite well since I lived for some time in Bochum in 2008-2009. There’s a lot of industry and the area is not really famous for pretty cities. That was my expectation about Linn as well, but it really took me by surprise. It’s a really nice historical part of Krefeld that has a castle and beautiful old buildings.

Burg Linn
The castle from the courtyard side
Pretty buildings in the historical Linn
One hot (as in sweaty) tourist
Teufelsschlucht (Devil’s gorge)

Before I left Linn Timo showed me some pictures about a pretty place they’d been to some time ago that was more or less on my way. So I decided to drive to Ernzen on the Luxemburg border. I got there around nine in the evening and slept on the parking lot of the sight. The name of the place: Teufelsschlucht (Devil’s gorge) somehow rang a bell but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. During the two hour drive I realized what it was. There’s something quite similarly named close to Jyväskylä too: Hitonhauta (Devil’s grave). And the scenery has much in common too.

To beat the heavier rain I took a small hike very early in the morning. Unfortunately the drizzle and the lack of light made the photos a bit grainy.

The view back from under the first steps into the gorge
The way forward from the same spot as the picture before
The view up from the deepest part
The town of Irrel peeking through the bushes
Moving on to France

I’m about to head south through Luxemburg to France now. This will all be very new to me. I haven’t really been to France except for the airports in Paris. I’ll try to get at least to Auxerre today. The Park4night app shows a nice camping area there. I may go on a bit further too, we’ll see.

Nordhorn – Thoughts and Images

This has been a fun and relaxed week. I got to meet more people than I planned, but I also had plenty of time to look around the city and enjoy some of the things I have missed. I’ve eaten plenty of German bread rolls fresh from a local bakery. Those I definitely missed in Finland. There will be plenty of good food down south too, but I know that I’ll miss them soon.

It’s been wonderful to see all the water, the canals the Vechte river and the small lake again. The town markets itself with the phrase: “Nordhorn – Water town” and it’s no wonder. Everything has been even prettier than I remembered.

One of the my favorite things in Germany: bread rolls
Plenty of pretty bike routes along canals and the Vechte here
The Vechte river runs through the city
The Vechtesee (a small lake) seen from a cafe
In other news

The weather here has been good for preparing for the south. The past two days it’s been over 30 degrees Celsius and it’s going to be like that for the next few days too. Naranja has gotten really hot during the day and it has become clear that working from the car is not an option. I managed to find a table that I can use outside under the awning. I haven’t bought it yet, but I measured it and then measured the space under my bed and it should be a perfect fit. It is big and stable enough for my 27″ screen and laptop. The height can also be modified a little. I’ll buy it tomorrow before leaving.

I’m leaving town tomorrow and stopping over in Germany a few more times during the weekend to see some more people. On Sunday I may already leave Germany behind. But we’ll see how far I get. The next set date is the 21st and then I need to be in Baleal in Portugal. Funnily enough, it’s only around 20 degrees Celsius there right now and it seems to stay that way at least until I get there. Right now I really don’t mind that at all. Temperature-wise this has not been very easy or comfortable the past couple of days.

Back Home – That’s How It Still Feels Like

My old home town Nordhorn still feels very much like home. It’s been over six years since I left here but it doesn’t feel like that way at all. Some things have changed of course but except for a few new apartment blocks I haven’t seen big differences so far.

The way here

I decided to drive from Riga to Nordhorn with just two nights on the way. The day after my last post I drove all the way through Poland (over 750 km) and spent the night about 40 km inside the German border in Waldsee Camping. The roads were really good in Poland and in Germany and except for some toll booths in Poland that wanted my money there was really nothing to complain. No traffic jams worth mentioning and just a couple of short stretches that were under construction. I arrived in Nordhorn yesterday afternoon about a day earlier than I expected. The weird issues with Naranja have not returned.

The first day in Nordhorn

Yesterday I went to visit an older couple I know well from before, Hans and Gerlinde. I spent last night on their driveway and today I unpacked my bike and we went to a nice long bike tour around the city with Hans. We also visited the zoo here in Nordhorn. I’m not really a zoo-person normally, but this one is nicely built and I didn’t get the bad feeling I sometimes get about keeping animals in cages.

Now I moved Naranja to a city owned mobile home parking lot and bought a night here. I may stay more nights here too, but I’m not quite sure about the next days yet. I’m now waiting for an old colleague from the school I worked at here in Nordhorn.

Naranja’s new spot
The plan for the next days

I’ve got quite a lot of meet ups the next days here. I’m planning to leave Nordhorn on Saturday and then visit two other places a couple of hours south of here. I’m going to do another post with some more pictures from Nordhorn during the next couple of days.

Goodbyes to Ville and Riga – Back on the Road

Sipping cocktails

We had a fun night in Riga last night with some cocktails and visits to some cool bars. I really like the city. I’ve been there once around twelve years ago. Even then in February when the weather wasn’t very pleasing I remember thinking that I need to visit this city again. I still have the same feeling about the city and I kind of felt bad leaving today. Ville made a good choice to book a whole week right away.

A visit to the museum of the occupation of Latvia

It was raining this morning so we decided that it’s time for some indoor activities. We went to the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia and had an emotional tour there. It wasn’t fun, but we both enjoyed it a lot. It is pretty scary how much of what happened in Latvia before now sounds very familiar if you listen to the news from the Ukraine. The deportations, filtration camps and the Soviet idea of destroying fascism in Latvia really sound way too familiar right now. Somehow you’d think that people would learn from past mistakes and “evolve” past evils like that, but apparently not. That is

On the road again

Around three pm after eating some excellent fish for late lunch, it was time to move on. I thought about driving at least to Kaunas today, but since the roads were good and I still felt like driving I ended up 70 kilometers inside Poland. My spot for tonight is a parking area on a small river close to Augustów. It has already gotten dark, so I’ll have a better look at the place tomorrow morning.
Naranja has been a real sport today. No blinking lights or anything out of the ordinary. I’m really hoping that the issue was just some random one time thing that won’t repeat.

All Clear – I Hope

Just a quick post to update you on the Naranja emergency. The problem seems to be solved right now. What it actually was is a bit hard to say though.

I took Naranja to Autobrava motors and after they fiddled with the engine for about 90 minutes the problem has now disappeared. Apparently the secondary fan was where the issue was, but what fixed it remains somewhat a mystery. They switched the horn relay with the secondary fan relay and now everything works normally again, the horn included.
I would have preferred a clear cut solution, but I’m still happy with the situation now. I’m just hoping the problem stays away…

Also, instead of leaving Riga tonight, I decided to stay until tomorrow. The city is so pretty and the weather is just too good for driving. It’s about 30 degrees celsius and the sun is shining. Time to relax a little and enjoy the city.