The gang went surfing.
Now that we are so close to celebrating 2 (incredible) years of Nest Collective, we felt that it was important to reinforce the friendship and companionship we share among ourselves and spread it over to the new hatchlings.
With that in mind, we decided to organize something that would pull us out of our daily routines and of our comfort zone. Something that would kick some adrenaline right into our bodies (apart from the usual deliveries and deploys).
We went surfing.
No tech, nor nerdy stuff. Straight from a nightmare.
So we had to found the perfect place where we could relax, enjoy ourselves, and at the same time be close enough to the beach. Luckily we found a little haven in Maiorca, Figueira da Foz, just a 30 minute drive away from our Headquarters. Surrounded by miles of rice fields, typical in that area, the rural Hotel Quinta D’anta offered all that we were looking for and much more.
Besides owning it’s own Surf School, this place provides a beautiful swimming pool, a padel court, a couple of btt bikes and a playroom equipped with a pool table, a piano and a couple of guitars.
We arrived on friday afternoon and we stood by the pool just relaxing from the week that went by. A couple of drinks invited to a really nice dinner and some more fun throughout the night. (kept proposedly short to save some energy for the next morning).
Morning arrived and and we stuffed our faces with a proper breakfast, curing some residual hangover before we headed out to Cabedelo Beach, where our surfing lesson was going to take place.
And the fun began. Most of us had never surfed before so, as you may guess, there were a lot of wipeouts, random falls and salt water tasting. The surfing conditions were far from perfect for a bunch of noobs, but we dealt with it the way we always do when presented with a challenge: with a smile on our bruised pretty faces.
In spite all the fatigue, all the salt and sand in our mouths, and the gallons of dignity lost at sea, I can assure that by the end of it, all of us had a great time and met a basic goal: standing up on the board… at least once!
We went back to the hotel where a BBQ was waiting by the pool, providing us with the right medicine to replenish all that was left at sea. The afternoon went by, filled with laughs and pool dives, and suddenly so did the night as we all gather on the playroom revealing some unknown table pool skills and musical talent.
Sunday morning came with an improvised yoga session given by our own João Marques that helped us out with the rest of the healing process.
All of a sudden it was time to checkout and leave our amazing hosts. With the bags packed we headed out to Montemor-o-Velho Castle where we treated ourselves with an impromptu picnic, putting the cherry on top of an truly unforgettable weekend.
All in all our little adventure was a real success. We got to feel the adrenaline rush we were seeking and we got to spend real quality time with the amazing people with whom we work with everyday.
