Hi,
Saturday was gloomy. Cold, windy, and overcast. We had wanted to head back to the mountains to drive what is reputed to be the most beautiful road in Portugal. We had even planned to record the road. But the grey sky made us admit that maybe on a sunny day we could get better pictures. So, we skipped the epic journey and instead, had breakfast at Chamy Café Bar (7R32+9J Friúmes) and went to a park in a nearby town on Sunday when the weather was a little better. The weather was not great, but it was better. And since we haven’t been out much lately, we were willing to take the risk.
Mealhada is not far from Fornos. We’ve driven through it various times, but we have never stopped at their city park. Parque da Cidade of Mealhada (9HM2+FQ Mealhada Municipality) is worth a visit. I’m sure we will be back in the future. The grounds are expansive, with flat wide trails and plenty of trees to shade you from the hot sun (which I am sure will be useful soon!) There are also open fields for sporting (frisbee, football, etc.) as well as for simply lying in the sun and enjoying the smell of fresh-mown grass. There is a playground area, a café, restrooms, and, most importantly, a Megalithic Sculptural Ensemble (https://share.google/ZE1zcnZzqO1KAhRU6).
We were surprised to find it here, because these standing stones are barely a decade old. The park was not built here around some ancient stones; these were added later. They are quite impressive and let us know that some designs not only last for seemingly forever (i.e., Stonehenge), but they are desired by the modern community. Truly stunning.
Nola