In brief: For a couple of days, we enjoyed seatrekking, hiking among schist towns, flopping, and even talking into the night.
It was a weekend filled with rivers and rocks. With eight other hardy, young souls we enjoyed a couple of days seatrekking, hiking among schist towns, flopping, and even talking into the night.
Saturday
The first day, we spent three hours on the pristine Ceira River near Coimbra, floating in just wet-suits thru deep channels or sliding over rocks, occasionally traipsing along rock-strewn paths or leaping from rock-faces into the water. Long into Saturday night, we explored inwardly instead – talking politics, philosophy, and personal challenges.
Here are a few images and very short videos from the day. (To see our post about a kayaking excursion on the Mondego River near Coimbra, click here.)
Our intrepid crew. Other than us, the eldest person was just 34 years old!
We float together down the river
A bit of back-paddling through the lovely landscape
This spillway leads to the highest point for jumping (where Nancy leaped) and a startling rock face
Nancy takes the great leap of 7-8 meters (some 25 feet) into the river below the waterfall. This was one of over a half-dozen (optional) jumps or swings into the river.
A typical canopy of treetops gracing the river float.
We slide through this natural channel with some bumpy rocks
One of a few walks through the woods toward the river
Sunday
Second day of our rivers and rocks weekend. We hiked among the villages of the Serra de Lousã (aldeias de xisto), whose hillside homes are composed of fragments of schist, or plate-like rock. And we ended in the inviting limpid pools of the Fragas de São Simão, a river beach in a canyon 400 steps and a steep path down (and then back up).
Entering the canyon of Fragas de São Simão. The river cuts through the gap.
The 400 steps into the canyon
River beach and pools at Fragas de São Simão
Colorful glade downriver from the beach
Plaza on the way into Talasnal, one of the “aldeias de xisto” or schist towns
Talasnal, as seen from our hike
Intersection in Talasnal
Home constructed of schist, with a hillside vista
Resting with our team leader
A very full weekend.
(To enlarge any picture above, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Portugal as of 2025, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page. To see a slideshow of photos between 2017 and 2024, CLICK HERE)
