When the temperature stays at the mid to high 30 degrees it is always good to go somewhere cool.
Our best spot locally is at the top of a mountain - The Serra da Estrela.
Typically it is at least 10°C cooler up there, depending on the time of day, even if the sun is still shining.
We recently took a trip during Janet's two-week holiday.
On arriving at the Torre at around 10am we set off for a walk near the ski slopes, no snow in June though!
We encountered a number of plants and various bodies of water ranging from small puddles to quite large ponds.
Not all of the life was wild.
Even from some distance away, we could hear the frogs calling from the small lakes.
We made our way down to the water's edge and saw hundreds of frogs leaping into the lake, scared by the approaching humans. It was a surprise to see so much activity at an altitude of around 6500 feet (1980m).
We kept quiet and still for a while and the frogs soon forgot about us and carried on with their noisy activities.
Here is a short video of the action (it was not possible to shield the camera from the wind so the sound is not top quality).
After some effort, working up an appetite climbing back up the hill to the Torre car park, it was time to eat.
Once again, the restaurant did not disappoint with another excellent lunch.
Then it was time to relax, we took another walk out into the wilderness to watch the birds of prey soaring effortlessly on the updrafts.
We spend an hour or so sunbathing and returned to the shops for the obligatory purchase of cheeses.
A great day out, escaping from the heat.