Lisbon, beaches muito quentes

May 17 2015

by Léo Sabell

Lisbon. 13 hours. 30 °C in the shade. Mirador of São Pedro de Alcântara. The heat stings the eyes. The cobbled streets are deserted. In front of me, the city slopes gently towards the Tagus. So big that it looks like the sea. I am too hot. I have to go to the beach. Last night, I went to the bars of the Bairro Alto to find out where the gay beaches were in the area. In the end, they told me three caliente spots in the area. I decided to go and explore them. I don't know why, I have old standards in my head: "Summer will be hot, summer will be hot, in the t-shirts, in the swimsuits..."

Spot n° 1

Costa da Caparica, beach n° 19

This is the closest gay beach to Lisbon, on the south bank of the Tagus. On the coast of Caparica there are thirteen kilometers of golden sand for families, surfers, tourists, gays...

If you don't want to take the bus, cabs will take you there for 15 €. You have to cross the 25-April bridge, which looks like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Only not as big. You pass under the wide open arms of the Cristo Rei statue, which looks like the Christ of Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro. Only not as big.

Once crossed some suburbs a little ugly, we arrive on a road which goes along the beaches. They are numbered from 1 to 19. As always, the gays have chosen to live on the most distant one, number 19. But, one cannot reach it by cab. Mine stops me on the parking lot at the level of the beach n° 17. And then, you have to walk. Or catch the little beach train that serves the entire coast.

The terrace of the bar and restaurant Casa da Praia, the last beach establishment on this side, is already lined up with a bunch of handsome guys. I meet the fiery eyes of a real Ronaldo, dark, tanned, dark... "Sea, sex and sun... The sun at its zenith... 20 years old, 18... 17 years old at the limit... I'm coming back to life!"He quenches his thirst with his buddies. I go back to the beach n° 19 hoping that he will follow me. Missed!

Beach N°19 © Léo Sabell

Here and there, guys alone, in couple, or with friends, sunbathe quietly. I undress and realize that my white bathing suit with a red cross is worthy of Baywatch. Too bad! In the dunes, naked guys scan the horizon like lookouts watching the enemy. Those on the beach watch those on the dunes. they disappear in the bushes, they reappear, they cross each other, they look for each other... I start.

After an exploration of the habits of the local fauna, I decide that nothing is to my taste. When suddenly... Small, fat, coppery skin, black swimming trunks and matching glasses: a handsome dark-haired man appears before me. I follow him in his walk with his feet in the water. "It's love at the beach... Aouh, cha, cha, cha! And my eyes in your eyes... Aouh, aouh ! Kisses and shells. Aouh, cha, cha, cha ! Between you and the blue water... "

Spot n° 2

Cabo da Roca, praia da Ursa

To go to the Portuguese Riviera, car rental is mandatory. I follow the coast to Estoril, famous for its casino, the largest in Europe. I pass the charming seaside resort of Cascais, adorned with palm trees, and I go up towards the national park of Sintra. At the end of the road is the Cape of the Rock (Cabo da Roca): the most western point in Europe. Opposite, it is New York! Well, there is still the Azores archipelago in the middle.

But, for the moment, I am looking for the praia (beach) da Ursa. To find it, I have to follow a dirt road that makes the shock absorbers of my rental car suffer terribly. I pray for my deposit to be returned... I arrive on an improvised parking lot where other vehicles are already parked. Impossible to go further, it is the last platform before the cliff which falls in the ocean.

The landscape is sublime. Rocky peaks seem to emerge from the Atlantic. I ask a guy, putting on sneakers near his car, where the beach is. "Ten minutes down the road. If you want to go down in flip-flops, forget it..." I put on more appropriate shoes and follow him down a steep path. Ten minutes of descent in the rocks and here I am on a dream beach.

Praia da Ursa © Léo Sabell

A tongue of golden sand surrounded by cliffs facing the raging ocean. There is almost nobody there. A few guys scattered around, mostly alone, sunbathing on their towels. "The guy I followed shows me the rock in the water in front of us and explains: "Before it fell, this rock was shaped like a bear. That's why the beach is called Ursa beach"... I thought that Ursa meant sea urchin in Portuguese...

There, he plants me and goes to the right. At the end, I see a coming and going of naked guys who seem to come out of a cave. "My clothes weigh me down in a strange way. And suddenly, in my imagination... I see myself hidden, in the rocks. Naked in the sun. Completely naked in the sun..."

Spot N° 3

Sesimbra, naturist beach of Meco

My last exploration of the hottest spots of the Lisbon coast takes me on the road to Meco, forty-five minutes south of Lisbon. I was given precise directions: "After the lagoon of Albufeira, take the road to Alfarim and turn left before the village. This is where the most famous naturist beach in the region is located.

A true Eden of fine sand bordered by a shaded pine forest. I burn of impatience to discover it. "Naked, naked, we only think of the safari butts parties. Tanned, tanned, we're going to track the periwinkle, what a job!"

The parking lot is squarely in the pine forest where, it seems, there is quite a lot of action at nightfall. Well, the rest of the time too. A path slopes gently down to the beach, not very wide, which is backed by a cliff. Portuguese, Germans, English, Spaniards, French... We have the embarrassment of the choice.

My preference goes to the Lusitanians and I spotted two beautiful males languidly lying next to each other. I approach them. We talk quietly when they propose me to go swimming with them. The water of the Atlantic is a little cold, at the beginning, but we warm up quickly. "With full hands I take your hips... And you stop doing the board... Here is your stallion... Who takes off his pants... And it is with emotion... That I touch the fruit of the passion. "

Thanks to Eric Charden, Serge Gainsbourg, Niagara, Brigitte Bardot, Carlos and Francky Vincent for their help in the realization
of this report.