We finally arrived in Nazaré, after years of planning to come to this place in hopes of seeing the big waves that Nazare is known for. One of the joys of being here is meeting others who love waves as much as we do! Our new home for the next ten days was in the heart of Nazare just a minute’s walk from the main beach. It was pretty tiny but had everything we needed except for storage space. We didn’t know that “Carnival” was going to be happening during our time here. Carnival is an annual festival similar to Mardi Gras. It was fantastic seeing many people dressing up in playful, fantastical ways which included a lot of traditional dress. The festival lasts for 2 weeks and we really could feel the joy and aliveness that are expressions of Carnival. Here are some photos that we took on the day that many large groups of people gathered and celebrated with wine, dance, music and song!
Read MorePortugal and Morocco Through Our Eyes
Our Sahara time has been a plan in the making for the past few years. It was amazing to us that this plan was actually becoming reality, and we both felt eager anticipation to meet Brahim, our guide, Mohamed, our driver, and M’barek, our cook. When we met, we immediately connected with everyone. We parked our rental car where it would be safe while we were away and headed out in a 4x4 toward the desert. Our first stop was just as we were leaving Zagora to see the marker for the iconic start of the old camel trade route between Zagora and Timbuktu.