In the north of Portugal, Peneda-Gerês National Park lies between northeast Minho and Trás-Os-Montes regions. This protected area is known by its beautiful sights, diversified wildlife and flora and great value of its ethnographic traditions.
When we arrive the clock ticks 7pm and the sun starts leading its way to the yellow moon. We set up a tent, prepare a light meal and go to rest since a lot of adventures waits for us in the following day.
Early in the morning we awake surrounded by chirping birds, we prepared our backpacks and start wandering through a free trail, which at the end would sum about 14km. The walk is punctuated by several pauses to observe and draw on what is around us. The most important thing is to be here and soak up the landscape.
The dam in the river is full of water due to this year’s generous spring rainfall and so the riverbanks are much higher than we were anticipating. We kept forward and through pine trees and shrubs of gorse we went peeking into the river. Rapidly we decided to go to the north bank, in the foot of Sierra Amarela mountain range, trying to see the ruins of a mythical village that went underwater by 1971 due to the dam but returns to the surface every time the water level drops.
On the next day, we pack everything on our backs and walk through a portion of the Roman Hose, in a 12km hike. This time we follow the Albergaria woods, a true enchanted forest where centenary oaks prevail. Human presence is controlled so that disturbances on the ecosystem balance are minimized. The cascades flow abundantly and we can’t resist refreshing ourselves.
Being with nature allows us to relax and pause from life in the city. Time is only measured by sunlight, rather than by the clock. Drawing enables us to look and try to reproduce what nature has once drawn. Sound recording lets us stop and listen, understanding silence and detecting from where the sounds arise. Despite tiredness, we always come back full of energy, creativity and an eager to return once more, since the world by foot is a much larger place with so much more to discover!
by Cláudia Salgueiro & Vítor Guerreiro
2016
