Ericeira is an hour bus ride, complete with hairpin turns, from Lisbon. The town, in many ways, is like Lisbon. All of the roofs are still red and it is still hilly. Unlike Lisbon, the buildings are all white and there are waves. Lisbon is on a peaceful bay; Ericeira is on the Atlantic's rebellious side.

Ericeira is one of the world's “surf reserves.” This is a special designation that basically means it is safe for wild surfers. The special protections in place to provide this habitat include a beach bus (with a board trailer) to transport the surfers to various surfing spots, plenty of board shops to replenish wax supplies, and acai smoothie places to refuel both the body and soul. Equally important, there are hostels everywhere with sufficient Wi-Fi to upload surfing videos, and all drugs are decriminalized.

Because the beaches in Ericeira is for surfing, the sand is not nice to lay on and the water is not nice to swim in. These beaches are not for lounging. Surfing is an extreme sport, not a holiday. The sand is gritty. The water is kinetic.

Despite being summer time, summer time, the Atlantic is cold. The water is so cold you have to wear a wetsuit. Of course the Portuguese do not mind, because this cold water is necessary to produce the only thing the Portuguese like more than Sardines, Cod. In order to produce the waves required by the surfers, the beaches are rocky, not pebble-y, rocky. The beaches are cut out from massive rock cliffs. This adds an element of intensity to the surfing that can only be found in sports like bull riding and gun fighting. Wipeout is a fun word, getting smashed against a rock cliff, less so.

But when you are on the board, none of these concerns matter. Surfing, as it turns out, is never safe. You can break a board and your back hitting the water wrong, no need for rocks or coral. It is like life in that way. You could die tomorrow, in the most boring of ways, or on the next wave. All you can do is enjoy the ride.

This piece on Ericeira is part of a larger, and mostly unpublished, series on travel to inspire exploration.

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