I can’t lie, a part of me was really glad to leave the chaos of a big city and head towards a small coastal town. Just an hour and a half north of Lisbon, I was surprised at how easy it was to get there. I arrived in a very quiet bus station and made it out into what looked like a relatively simple town. The buildings seemed a bit more modern than Lisbon and there wasn’t the same sense of history that filled the streets, nor the people. But I mentally spoke too quickly. As soon as I turned the corner and looked over at the beach, the town became alive. Think Tramore, but also not at all. There’s a lot more turquoise waters, white sand beaches, a million and one local seafood restaurants lining the beachfront, and plenty of Nazaré paraphernalia shops. I was buzzing.

My hostel was cute. Not too much to it and no curtains on the bed which was fine given I was in a woman-only dorm, but I would’ve liked the privacy. Everyone in that hostel was cool though. There was more of a mix of nationalities (not as many Americans as in Lisbon) and so it was nice to listen to each other’s travel stories and exchange tips. After settling in and unpacking, I was really eager to go and see the famous lighthouse on the upper side of the town. They had a little tram that would bring people up and down, or you could walk up the cliff. I was tired though, so tram it was!

The upper town of Nazaré is arguably more beautiful. `It’s the old town and it feels more ‘lived in’ (if that makes sense). There were plenty of viewpoints to see the town from above, where its beaches stretched for miles and miles. I decided I would want a drink when I’d find my spot to watch the view, but due to minimum card spend, I had to buy two drinks (bummer!). I walked from the square down towards the lighthouse, with plenty of other tourists who wanted to see the landmark. I perched myself up on a rock not too far from the lighthouse, from where I could see the famous Praia do Norte (big wave) beach and the Nazaré beach. I popped open a bottle of cider. Though it’s off season, the waves on the Praia do Norte still were quite sizeable. I can’t imagine what it must be like during the storm season. Though there wasn’t much wind while I was there, you could still see lines forming far in the distance as waves gradually rolled in, creating a thunder as they would curl and crash. They were mesmerizing to watch. After a few hours, I headed back down to the village and roamed the busy streets well into the night, eventually treating myself to a fancy dinner (again, the joy of insignificance kicks in here).

The next day, I booked a surfing lesson. I don’t quite know why I was as nervous as I was. I had around 3 hours of sleep (there are lots of cats where I was staying and they regularly got into loud fights during the night), and I was nervous about the size of the waves that I might be surfing as each beach seemed to have 5-6ft waves, far too big for a beginner like me. I went to the surf village and my nerves were put to ease when I met the loveliest people. Around seven of us were lumped into a very old van, with surfboards loaded above the van and slid into just about every free space there was inside the van. Our surf instructor was the sweetest guy, warning us that the van needs about three starts to get going, but that morning it took five starts, a new record according to him! The surf lesson itself was less intimidating than I thought. The pros surfed the big waves, catching barrels and doing the tricks. Us newbies surfed in the white water. The instructors were so helpful. They constantly called us over to them and they would help us get on the board, go over the motions again, and then give us a big push before a wave caught us, allowing us to get into position. Towards the end, I was getting the hang of it and catching quite a few waves, which was such a fun feeling. I will for sure keep practicing surfing! My remaining time was spent at the beaches there, eating good food, and chatting to many other solo travellers, all who have such interesting stories to tell.

It’s getting so much easier to meet solo travellers. I was speaking with one fellow traveller about how people/society don’t really talk about making friends as adults and that can be quite an unsettling feeling. But everyone I’ve met so far has been so lovely. Everyone just wants to help and make sure that we are all having fun. And everyone wants to socialise! There are a few friend groups who don’t mingle in the hostels, but pretty much everyone else is up for a drink or a bite, so you are never ‘solo’ for too long. On to Porto next…the most recommended place so far! But enjoy these pictures of some of Nazaré’s cats.