Hi Everyone! This is my first post upload on the blog. I hope you guys enjoy it! This post is about when my family and I went hiking on Serra da Estrela, a group of mountains in North-Central Portugal.
“Serra” is the Portuguese word for a mountain range, so the whole name means ‘Mountain Range of the Star’. I know it sounds strange to have the first post on a British blog be about Portugal. But I already planned to go on this trip for a while and thought it was too good of an opportunity to pass. Plus, it lets me talk to you a bit about my proud Portuguese heritage.
We started the trip off driving at around 5 PM. It was a nice short drive — only took us four hours. The last 30 minutes or so were spent staring at the crimson sunset and listening to Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Loved the vibes. We got to this cute little town nestled in the mountains called Loriga.
All around us were eucalyptus, pine and spruce trees. Some strange international tree mingling. When we stepped out of the car, the scent of eucalyptus and pine was everywhere. It was like stepping into a giant natural perfume shop. Only it didn’t give my nose and throat regret.
The next day we took a taxi up to the highest peak of Serra da Estrela: Torre. A name that translates to ‘Tower’. It’s also Portugal’s highest point (not including Pico in the Azores islands).
We drove up but then walked all the way back down; I wanted to do it the other way around. Our taxi got us all to the top of Torre. At the top, it isn’t so much a summit but more of a plateau. Wide open ground carpeted in cardoon thistle (Cynara cardunculus), matgrass (Nardus stricta), and heather (Calluna vulgaris).
Two months ago I went to the Cairngorms in Scotland while on a field trip for my zoology course. And honestly, it is absolutely dwarfed by Serra da Estrela. Torre by itself makes Cairn Gorm mountain look like a mole hill. But as my therapist keeps telling me, size isn’t everything. Torre has more life on it too.
One of the first things I spotted was a southern scarce swallowtail butterfly (Iphiclides feisthamelii). A massive butterfly with an even bigger name. Fun fact: swallowtail butterflies are named after their tapering wing “tails” because they look like the forked tails of swallows. And because every time I see one I think it’s a bird. That’s how big they are.
There were other butterflies, and loads of bees. Two that caught my eye were the moss carder bee (Bombus muscorum) and the bilberry bumblebee (Bombus monticola). The bilberry one has an ass redder than a tourist in the Algarve.
While walking down from Torre and across the rocks, I saw an Iberian rock lizard (Iberolacerta monticola) laying in the sun. You wouldn’t believe where I found him…
….on a rock.
As we continued our hike, we kept finding these rocks stacked in a pile. Hikers build these rock stacks and use them as indicators to tell them they’re going in the right direction.
By the time it was noon, it already became scorching. It was so hot that some of the lichen on the rocks had literally burnt to a crisp. Reduced to charcoal.
Eventually we came to the bottom of this valley where a few rocky outcrops stood out in a sea of grassland. There weren’t any shrubs or trees to give us shade. On the bright side, we found some lunch.
A little further ahead and we immediately ducked for cover. Resting on this outcrop just a few hundred feet from us was a griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus).
I was so surprised it hadn’t flown off after seeing us. Dying to get a closer look, I circled around the outcrop until I was at the other side of it. From this angle, I couldn’t see it anymore. Since my balls were feeling pretty heavy, I decided it would be a good idea to start climbing this outcrop.
When I saw it again I almost stumbled back and fell off. Now it was no more than 20 feet away. It’s one of those animals you only fully register how big it is when you’re standing right in front of it.
The whole time it was staring straight at me. Because I didn’t want to disturb it, I crouched and hid behind a rock. My hands were literally shaking while photographing this majestic giant of the skies. Didn’t seem bothered by me or the heat. Someone didn’t tell this guy it was over 30 degrees Celsius because he just stayed there in the sun. I think it was a guy.
Afterwards we moved on, and left the vulture and the valley. This is when the terrain started to get really rough. Trekking on an old dirt path, on our right was more rocks and mountain; on our left…a cliff. Not a light fall. A 200-foot drop to certain death. I remember looking over the jagged edge and thinking “Do not fall or you’re gonna make that vulture’s day”.
The path was getting steeper and steeper. At some point when you’ve done like seven miles of walking, jumping and climbing, your legs feel like they’re turning to jelly. My legs were now made up of 10% muscle and bone, and 90% cramps. They felt like they aged 50 years — I’m only 21. Don’t judge me.
Luckily it wasn’t too long before we reached civilisation. How did I know we were back? I saw a “House For Sale” sign.
Then there was a Delta café on the side of a road. For those who aren’t aware, a good Delta café is the glue that keeps us Portuguese together. Without it, society crumbles.
And this one was selling ice creams! I desperately needed one to stop my insides from boiling. So I got the coolest one they had: a lime Calippo (an ice lolly). It was like an orgasm in my mouth. For the next 15 minutes I just sat on that chair in pure bliss. Anyway, moving on.
Later that night, I found this little guy hanging about outside our hostel:
A Moorish gecko or common wall gecko (Tarentola mauritania). The second name makes much more sense. Sorry if the photo is a bit blurry. It was at 11 o’clock at night and I was a tad tipsy from cider.
This was such an amazing experience, if not bittersweet. I got to see so many things I wouldn’t be able to in the UK. But it made me realise how poor the UK truly is in terms of species richness. The British government needs to sort out its priorities.
In any case, I hope you guys enjoyed this first post of mine. I’ll see you in the next one. Stay straying!