The Mountain Is So High, It Reaches to the Sky

We heard a song at Waldorf this year that the Grade One class sang at an assembly that is just too perfect for where we are staying in Portugal.  And yes, we sing the song regularly while we hike the mountains!  Everywhere we look around us, there are mountains.  And they are indeed so high they reach the sky.  Yes, there are larger mountains out in the world.  But the ones in this area are still an impressive sight.  They provide so much natural beauty and stunning views no matter where you are standing or what direction you are facing.  It’s breathtaking.  I imagine the locals are used to it and immune to the beauty, but we marvel over the views every day.

One of our big goals for our year away was to get our health and fitness back on track.  It is hard, living in the chaotic, busy world of two full-time working parents with all the associated obligations and responsibilities, to find ways to maintain your health and fitness.  We eat well in Canada, but regular exercise is an ongoing challenge.  We knew we wanted to walk/hike 10,000+ steps at least five times a week while we are away.  And 4 weeks into our vacation, I’m happy to say we are meeting (and exceeding!) our goal.

We love the natural beauty here, and it definitely provides a plethora of scenic and serene hiking routes.  We have very rarely done the same hiking route more than once.  Though of course we have our favourites, so there are exceptions to that!  Though I think we will all be grateful to get to do some level hiking trails in future destinations.  We expected that by walking so much, we would get used to all the steep inclines and build up more stamina and endurance.  And we have.  But I don’t think there will ever be a day when we don’t find the 30+ min steep uphill climbs exhausting!

It’s also interesting to see how our step count compares on flat vs mountainous terrain.  It could just be that our iPhones aren’t the greatest and most reliable in this respect.  Or that our pace is so much slower going uphill than level.  But we have found that when we have done level walks, we cover 10,000 steps in about 1 hour or just slightly longer depending on our walking pace.  However, when we do the intense hikes up the mountain or down into the valley and then back up, we will hike for 1.5 hours and get in about 6000 steps.  We do know steps aren’t everything and we don’t just rely on that.  But it is a random and interesting observation we have made.

Throughout our hikes all over this area of Portugal, we have marvelled over the cute cobblestone streets, the animals everywhere (mostly dogs, some cats, all of which our children ooh and aah over and try to pet – they are quite the animal lovers!), the beautiful nature, the gorgeous stone houses and ruins, the huge boulders everywhere (which our children are constantly climbing!), and the friendly and relaxed locals. 

We try to get out in the mornings to get our hike in while the temperatures are lower.  Afternoons are for siestas, not hiking.  We made the mistake once when we had a lazy morning and decided to get out and do our hike in the afternoon, which we will NOT repeat!  Obviously, there are days we do longer day trips away from home and we are out and about exploring in the heat of the day, but there are plenty of cafes, beaches, rivers, cafes, and other things to do to escape the heat for breaks.  And often those are more leisurely paced walks where the heat is less bothersome.

All in all, if you love nature and are up for some challenging climbs, we recommend the NW of Portugal in the Porto region.  It’s a gorgeous area!