ÜBER & Tornados – LUZ DE LISBOA
LUZ DE LISBOA
A Homie Vacation
Text / Photos – Thomas Gentsch
Video – Julian Lopez
LUZ DE LISBOA
A Homie Vacation
Text / Photos
Thomas Gentsch
Video
Julian Lopez
Winter can really lead to depression, especially this last one. Dark, short days, grey skies, temperatures that chill you to the bone. A vacation was needed, but where to go? And how, when you’re on a tight budget? I remembered the words of Mac Messerschmidt, founder and owner of Drop-In Surf Camp in Lourinha, Portugal: “If you ever want to take a vacation, come on over, you’re always welcome to stay here as our guest.” Plus, he had mentioned that I could bring a few guys along…
As already mentioned, my week in Portugal was supposed to be more of a vacation. So first of all, I asked one of my best homies, Marcel “Loco Papi” Rieger, if he’d be down to come along. Loco was enthusiastic about the idea and down to come right away. We thought about who else we should take along with us, and it quickly became clear that Münster’s Jan Rehring would finally have to go on his first real tour. Then, when we were at the Morphium X-Mas Jam, I told a few other ÜBER and Tornados team riders what we had planned… Josh Junkes and Victor Bass said they were free and down to come along – and just like that, my vacation had pretty much turned into a tour. Now, of course, we needed a filmer, who was quickly found in Julian Lopez. The tour was planned for the first week of January, even though we knew that Portugal, at this time of year, is anything but a guarantee for good weather. But the forecasts looked quite good. Not so much in Germany, though. We had to watch our plane getting de-iced before the take-off from Düsseldorf. Mac had agreed to pick us up at the airport, and when Jan and I left the terminal, we quickly spotted the rest of the group waiting for us – in the sun, wearing t-shirts!
Josh Junkes – Nollie bs Heelflip
Jan Rehring – bs Lipslide
Victor Bass – Boardslide
Max Messerschmidt – Crooks Revert
Loco Papi – Crooks
The drive to Lourinha took about 45 minutes, and when we arrived at the Messerschmidts‘ house, we could hardly believe our eyes. In addition to five double rooms, we were greeted by an excited Max (Mac’s son and ripper par excellence), a skate park with floodlights, and incredible hospitality from the entire family. We quickly headed to the beach, ten minutes away, to watch the sunset, and we immediately felt at home.
Lourinha may not be around the corner of Lisbon, but that made the trip even more interesting. With Mac and Max, we had two real locals who also knew their way around the surrounding towns, such as Cadaval and Torres. The wind was still a little chilling on the first day, but it was pleasant enough to be out in the sun and gaze into an all blue sky.
Josh Junkes – Switch fs Flip
Jan Rehring – bs 5050
Loco Papi – fs 5050
Victor Bass – fs Lipslide
Throughout the week, it never got colder than on the first day – and on Wednesday it was so mild that Mac gave the boys an early morning surf introduction. Everyone was visibly stoked, and all we could do was to express our gratitude to our host, once again. After our surfing adventure, we got back on our concrete sled sticks, though. Getting up early every day, and being fed with Josh and Juli’s delicious homemade (vegan) food, definitely felt good. We probably all lived healthier on this tour than we had ever done before.
Considering that we visited Lisbon and Almada four times, as well as them towns mentioned above, you can imagine how quickly the six days passed. The amount of tricks the guys pulled off was pretty amazing. We’ve also had a barbecue, played cards and „Leberschuss“, drank a beer bong for the first time in ages, and marveled at Giorgi’s daily posts from snowy Berlin. When Mac drove us back to the airport on Sunday morning, it was pouring rain for the first time of our whole stay. In the days that followed, the entire region was hit by severe storms, and once again, we realised that we had done everything right. Thanks to the Drop-In Surfcamp, the Messerschmidt family, and all my homies who made this trip so unforgettable. Somehow, it still turned out to be a vacation after all!
Jan Rehring – bs 180° fakie 5-0
