June 30, 2019. Castelo Novo to Monsanto, Portugal
I reluctantly set off from Castelo Novo only 12 or so hours after arriving. It was another too-long stretch of driving, where I experienced the familiar road trip torture feelings of being desperate to explore the places I was in, yet too pressed for time to stop for long enough to sate my curiosity. I never learn.
That’s probably why I didn’t take the most direct route to Monsanto, according to my geotagged photos and sketches, which I forgot about.
I think I was curious about the Serra da Estrela national park and possibly casually riding the highest peak in Portugal. But seeing the mountains, I wasn’t super impressed — as a Pacific Northwesterner it takes a lot of mountain to impress me. Also, more unnecessary driving was not very appealing. I was starting to wise up.
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