Miradouro de Ázere

Today we took a drive to the Miradouro de Ázere. It was a bleak day, windy and cold, but we have been cooped up inside a lot lately, and just wanted to get out. Between my doctor’s visits (for my fractured wrist) and all the joys of waiting for deliveries and what not involved in moving into a new house, our time during October was not our own.

We picked this Miradouro (Viewpoint) because the drive was just under two hours, and we thought we’d see some beautiful countryside along the way. We didn’t expect to be outside for long at the Miradouro. On Google Maps it just showed a wooden stage overlooking the three rivers that meet below. No need to be out in the cold for very long.

In the video of the drive from Custoias to Miradouro de Ázere, we get 35 minutes of highway driving (on A-Roads, like Interstates in America) and then the camera overheats and had to be cooled down. By the time we get that sorted out, we are on a lovely, winding road with much better views of the countryside. It’s a shame we missed so much of this road on the video, but I guess we can be happy with what we captured.

When we arrived at Miradouro de Ázere, we followed the road until we got to a fork. To the right was a dirt road that went off into the trees, but the sign on the fence in front of us told us that the pedestrian entrance was to the left, so we went left. After about 50 feet, this road was blocked by a closed gate. However, there was a person-sized gate on the side, and it was unlocked. So, we got the dogs and the camera and headed down the road. We walked all the way down to the rivers but didn’t see any sign of the overlook. Perhaps we should have thought before going down to the overlook, but we didn’t. We simply followed the road. After reaching the bottom, we turned around and headed back up. There, we maneuvered the car back to the dirt road we had ignored before and that is when Chris noticed the overlook ahead of us, down the dirt road. A quick reconnoiter told us that we still weren’t in the correct place. I parked the car and we set off on foot again – to the gate across the road (the one we had just left). However, this time when we walked through the person-gate, we turned off the road and followed a dirt path that led us to the overlook platform. Up there, at the top of the mountain, we could see the rivers converging below us. The surrounding mountains, covered in trees that twisted in the wind, held the rivers in place. Even the chill in the air could not detract from the beautiful scene laid before us. I hope the video does it justice.

All in all, it was good to get out and see something new. The dogs enjoyed themselves, and we enjoyed the fresh air and beautiful scenery.

Nola