~ Azenhas do Mar, 13.08.2023 ~

Azenhas do Mar and the adjacent Praia das Maçãs are coastal towns in Portugal, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean at the foot of the Sintra mountains.

The Atlantic is wild. The waves can get very high, and the air along the rocky coast is often hazy from the spray. There are only a handful of sandy beaches in this area, and it is easy to get swallowed by the waves.

A few footpaths along the cliffs run parallel to the narrow road, which branches off into neighbourhoods with recently-built villas and vacation homes. The area used to be almost entirely vacaction homes, but over the last two decades, more people have been moving here permanently. Real estate prices have shot through the roof accordingly.

A cluster of buildings sits most picturesquely on a rock in Azenhas do Mar, towering over a narrow inlet with a seawater swimming pool at the bottom. Beyond, the coastline stretches far into the horizon.

Fishermen can often be seen standing on rocky outcrops and casting their rods out into the gushing waves.

From Praia das Maçãs, I took the tram back to Sintra.