When you have one of those days …

Started off with a city bike tour, the fun was climbing hills with an electric bike. Great views from many vantage points of the city … unfortunately the content of the tour was a let down. We will be back so a walking tour is earmarked.

The infamous Portugese tarts are a must taste here in Lisbon and to up the anti to purchase them from the original shop located in Belem. It wasn’t hard to find the shop, just follow the crowds, or look for people with the white paper bags with the blue writing Pastries de Belém. In no time I’m lined up to purchase these famous tarts. It’s about 4pm the shop runs like a well oiled machine … I join the take away queue and within minutes I have purchased the tarts. A park is near so we devour this tasty morsal under the shade of trees. Tick, tick.

Next is a train to Cascais, some 30km from Lisbon Central, a lovely train ride as we hug the coast and little towns/suburbs along the way. It’s 5pm we ride through the very touristy streets and up to the marina, the beaches are busy, it’s not too hot today, mid 20’s enough for the sunseeker and swimmers. It’s a very attractive town and coastline, we split between cycling and the train back to our hotel. My favourite part of today was lovely Cascais and cycling part of the coastline.

A lovely clear day as we rode down the hill to the bus station past the coast. It’s 8.30am the sun is low, no wind and the sea is shimmering in the morning sun. A couple of boats are heading off for a day’s pleasure on the sea.  All is quiet for a Saturday morning, the markets along the boulevard are just setting up, a long day of selling colourful beachwear, bags of all shapes and sizes.  Then the stretch of boat tour booths every 100m for like seems forever. Tours offering local trips around Ponta da Piedade and speedboats going 20km east to the renowned Benagil Caves. They will be operating soon to attract the first comers from buses and trains.

The bus goes on the Expressway no chance of seeing the west coast. We stop at Portimao and across the bridge see a large flock of white flamingos, they are not coloured up in their striking pink, it must be the wrong season.

The expressway took us through the hills, it’s very dry, sort of reminds me of the Australian summer country. Closer towards Lisbon grape vines spread for miles. After 4 hrs we arrive in Lisbon, we have a 20km ride to our hotel in the west side of town. Although Lisbon is known for it’s hills, I have managed to avoid them. This place is big as we head south skirting through the city centre with great cycle ways.

The river is in front of us then we are heading west on a long wide promenade and into a strong headwind and cobblestones, thankfully we get some reprieve on smooth tarmac. The 10km of promenade is a mix of restaurants and monuments. The April 25th Bridge is a standout 2277m long. We have lunch at a restaurant just below the bridge and are astonished by the noise of the traffic and train.

I see a very tall monument on the other side of the river, ‘oh!!! So that is where it is!, I say … memories flooding back of my Contiki trip in 1978, I remembered the monument but didn’t link it to Lisbon. It’s the Santuary of Christ the King monument and shrine and stands 110m.

The promenade was busy with walkers, cyclists and scooters. It’s the weekend a couple of bike bars we pass along the way, full of very happy lads trying to sing haha.

Our far away hotel needed a small hill climb but nothing serious, there is a lovely park nearby with sporting grounds and parks, it is home to the national sporting centre.

Google maps lead us up more hills as we walked for dinner. A lovely local restaurant serving a Brazilian dish, piranha steak, simply delicious.

We set off today to the markets, fish on the ground floor and a small amount of fruit and vegetables, nuts and spices on the first floor. Not a regular busy local market like we expected … I would think that the main population here is tourism. A restaurant van is parked outside loading polystyrene boxes of fish … that is the menu for today.

We are booked on a boat/kayak tour today. A lovely clear day, perfect for kayaking. The boat takes to the Ponta da Piedade where we walked yesterday. Now we are at sea level kayaking around the protruding rocks through caves and grottos. The cliffs are way above and we see the minuscule people above as they wander on the trails and boardwalks. We pass a couple of beaches, it’s hotter today and the tiny cove beaches are very popular. The water is crystal clear and swimmers are amongst the water traffic close to the shore. Amongst the sea traffic are other kayakers, large catamarans, and boats. After an hour we paddle back to the boat and enjoy a swim and jump off the top of the boat.

A nice way to finish our time in Lagos and tomorrow we will fast track to Lisbon by bus.

I think we’ve hit the jackpot …

A lovely day in Lagos, the thunder is still rumbling and it’s trying to rain but only a few spots now and again then more rumbling and spots until about 1pm. Fortunately it didn’t stop us from adventuring off on our bikes to the Ponta da Piedade (we are thankful for our bikes daily) a long 2km walk for some a 5 minute job for us. Securely locked to a post and off exploring we go … John immediately apart from ‘wow’, said, ‘we made the right decision’ that was to stay 2 extra nights.

The rugged limestone coastline is a sight to see. Caves and grottos seen from ground level is amazing. There are stairs down to the sea level which we climb. Endless walking tracks and boardwalks give us amazing views of the coastline in both directions. We climb down to Camilo Beach thankful it is not high season, there are a few people here on the small beach, the water is crystal clear as well as very calm seas, we see boats and kayaks here on tours discovering the beauty on the water.

We leave this wonderland and now the sky has cleared we go to another beach past the marina, no cliffs, lovely long sandy beach, it’s time I tested the water, ‘It’s colder than Perth’, John says, ‘yes I did my research only a couple of degrees’ it’s very refreshing and I’m able to stay in the water for a long time … so it ticks my box for being a good temperature. The beach is the best I’ve see so far on this holiday … tick, tick, tick.

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That was cheaper than Perth …

The wonders of this place didn’t stop, we leave by the marina, spectacular views and another world at the marina, candy coloured apartments and matching coloured shops. The streets are lined with tipuana trees so the bright glow of yellow on the trees and the ground is striking.

We find ourselves mainly on the national highway again as we pass through a couple of little villages. It’s quite humid and not the regular blue sky. Our lunch stop at Portimao, John sees a barber shop displaying €5 haircuts … 10 minutes later he’s had a haircut, eyebrows and moustache trim. ‘That’s cheaper than Perth!’… he’s chuffed the barber hadn’t had an Australian client before. There is a nice boulevard along the marina, not a lot of people here, a long attractive shopping mall.

In the middle of conversation, John says, ‘you look perplexed’ ‘I think I heard thunder’, I say … 10 minutes later after further rumblings and lightning big tropical drops begin, a mad rush for Cafe owners to bring in things … 5 minutes later it has stopped and we were off. 23km to go to Lagos, we copped another short shower of rain on the road.

The old town is busy tonight, the weather has cooled down a little and windcheaters, scarves and jackets are out. The cobblestones in the streets are attractively laid in patterns of white, grey and tan. It is not as crazy as Albufeira or did we miss something?

Started on the EuroVelo very disappointing route over rocky ground then onto the busy national road until we came to a lovely coastal village Quarteira, on entry the streets were lined with pine trees, a waterside park, ‘hey John it’s open’ (deaf ears) lovely ride along the wide paved boulevards, sunseekers filling the beach. A nice day in the high 20C a little humid in the morning? Lovely lunch in the mall.

We took a chance with EuroVelo and surprised it was 99% good … I can live with that. A few climbs to get to our accommodation in Albufeira, a short walk down the hill and the long beach and old town, very compact. The beaches are full, lots of apartments and hotels to cater for the tourists from all over.

The cliffs are very imposing from the beach level, even a lift going from street level to beach level. Through a tunnel a cellist is busking, wonderful ascoutics. Now the old town has emerged, shops selling, beachwear, leather bags, restaurants displaying menus, a few enjoying a cocktail taking advantage of happy hour.

We retreat to the top deck of our complex and sort out our next few days. The views are lovely and its very relaxing, then we hit the streets for dinner.

Now I know who lives in the hotels and apartments … they are all in the old town tonight eating and drinking … I’ve never seen so many restaurants and bars in such a small area … every alley has become alive with food, drink and live music … we retreat to one of the quiet area to enjoy a meal. Yes, as small as it is, there are quieter area in this incredible town.

There’s not enough hours in the day … we have added 1 … 25hrs today …

A nice ride through the Old Town before catching the ferry to Portugal and onward to Faro.  Just a small ferry and only a 15 min crossing the river.  They like their cobblestone streets.  It is a public holiday today, however there is no sign of it, a clothing market, the narrow streets have table and chairs set up for a good day’s trade.

We are on the national road (not freeway) a good shoulder to ride on.  It’s quite pretty with the orange trees laden with oranges, ready for picking.  Fruit stalls selling bags of oranges 3 for 5€, ‘that’s cheap John!’  ‘They would last us the whole trip’, he says, ‘not the way I’ve been drinking 1 ltr a day!!’

We stop in the lovely fishing village of Tavira … oh those cobblestones!  Met a lovely couple from Vancouver, Canada who are staying for 2 months here.

Desperate to go on the EuroVelo I see a sign, John is hesitant ‘remember yesterday that rocky road?’  We get on a lovely road heading to the coast … we stop to talk to Gabrielle, from Austria and Martin from Germany … funny guys on a pilgrimage of sorts.  Then the EV turns, John spots a rocky road … ummm … they haven’t mastered the EuroVelo yet, back on the national road … getting warm and lacking lustre.  We arrive in Faro to see the sights.

What a little gem … we pass the small marina, a few day trippers are coming back from the islands.  Their is no beach to think of just some mud flats, it is low tide.  Way out through the tributaries there are stretches of sandy beaches where the tourists go for their sunseeking these are the islands.

Back at the marina the restaurant and bars are getting trade with pre dinner drinks.  We see a stork with branches in it’s beak and follow it to a lamppost in the middle of the street, it’s building a nest.

We enter the Old Town, shiny cobblestone streets, a cathedral, little windy street and squares with restaurants.  One square hits the jackpot for us, Portuguese music playing, 3 restaurants, One with the music looks very vibrant as staff are busy with clientele, food looks well presented and the blackboard menu looks inviting.  Yes there is one table vacant with our name on it.  What a lovely experience, lovely friendly young staff, joking about while on duty, lovely food, very flavoursome, nice wine … this place ticks a lot of boxes for our first dinner in Portugal.

What a great day; what a great 6 weeks; adios Spain, grassy arse …

A nice ride today, a mix of tracks and road. We passed through lots of orange orchards and olive groves over rolling hills. Even a crop of sunflowers, one was open. Strawberries were even amongst the fruit bowl. Ayamonte was an easy 60km, weather warm but not scorching.

Passing through the little town of Lepe, John says, ‘do you want a cool drink or something.’ … it was 11.40am a beer later and a hand full of olives … we are acting like locals.

We are staying at a hotel on a golf course today, the room is lovely, a nice pool, what more could a girl ask for. The pool is refreshing … do we take the afternoon off and relax? Of course not, there are things to see. We are on an island … sort of the river and the sea and a bridge over.

With map in hand we go exploring on our bikes to the beach at 5pm. We are surprised at the number of beachgoers and swimmers. The beach is sandy, our bikes are the star attraction as we ride along the beach. Then up on the bikes path to the end where the river joins the sea, passing through upper end hotels.

A small marina and fishing village. It’s 9pm we stay and have a local type of paella ‘arroz de marisco’ delicious. a seafood broth rice, John was most impressed. That’s enough for the day, we head home at 9.30pm and sneak in another swim.

Transformation …

It’s Saturday, stepping out the hotel into the Cafe chairs only steps away under the trees … what a life!  Apparently the hotel was originally a private mansion in the 19th century. 

A slight cool breeze, very quiet at 9.30am, I was told yesterday that Seville has long days, they take advantage to escape the heat so night time is more active into the wee hours  … we are adjusting slowly.  The Saturday markets are just setting up.   Elsewhere in Europe the markets are in full swing with sellers and buyers at this time. A 42C day and 44C for next 3 days … in the heat of summer here it is typically 50C+ … ouch.  Reason for moving on to the coast.  Lots more to see but little towns tick my boxes.

The bus is full, looks like people going to the coast for the weekend … the autovia is also busy …it’s a direct highway to Huelva, a nice drive through the country lots olive groves, vineyards, almonds and sunflowers.  No milk run today.

I’m playing spotto today from the , on the lookout for Toyota CH-R they are very popular here in Spain they are all the hybrid models …Rav4 hybrid are also around. John points out a stork nest on a big power pole … then more we spot at least 20 nests now it’s spotto for storks.

We are soon at Huelva and unwrapped the bikes … we keep the travellers amused for at least 10 minutes seeing us wrap or unwrap the bikes.  We have time to have a quick beer and tapas outside the markets.  Less is more, a paella and croquettes … sufficient.  They have the spray mist jets keeping things cool.

We have booked a room in an apartment … never again … trying make contact with landlord … we had half the neighbourhood involved … well … 3 obliging men … a fruiterer in a shop and two others … plus google translate.  A frustrating time and we are very apologic 45 minutes later we are in the room.  This will be an interesting review.

What does this place offer … we go down to the riverside … lovely manicured lawns by a wide paved promenade, great cycle path along the river also a board walk. A long covered wooden jetty. The Rio Tinto Pier (Spanish: Muelle de Rio Tinto) was a commercial pier formerly used for the trade of material from the mines of the Rio Tinto Company in Andalusia, Spain. It is situated on the River Odiel in the city of Huelva. An estimated 150 million tons of ore were shipped from the pier over its life. Closed in 1975, it is now a popular tourist attraction and fishing spot. The pier is 1165 meters long, although part of that is built on reclaimed marshland. Not a person in sight!!

Except for some fishers Huelva is deserted, we ride through some streets, shop are closed, tables and chairs are out, where are the people. It’s hot but not that hot, back for a siesta and admin … we emerge into the streets at 8pm, I map a restaurant I found with a good review on google, a little despondent we start a walk straight down the road only minutes away. People are one the move, bars are starting to show signs of life, the shopping malls are alive and vibrant. So many bars and restaurants the transformation since earlier today or did we just not see this part of the city. We had a lovely meal, staff were very friendly and restored my faith in this town.

I always feel better after a bike ride, no siesta today.

What a wonderFULL day … the operative ‘full’ . Started with a google search ‘breakfast near me’ it is one of the first searches that come up on my google history. ‘John, 80m and there is breakfast’ we were going on a city bike ride for 10.30am and we slept in … had to do my Wordle at least, quaordle, octordle and sedecordle can wait.

We are just out of the hotel and next door is the Cafe … perfect! 20 steps! We are both like locals today, freshly squeezed OJ, coffee, tostada. John ham and cheese, me smashed tomato (this is soooo Spanish comes with everything in a jar just use as much as you like, same as olive oil. And avocado … the bread rolls are toasted and very yummy.

Now our bike tour a quick ride to the markets … we are early … surprisingly very quiet … at 10am it is early here for the markets, a few fish mongers open filleting, slicing. Bakers prepping their wares.

10.30am and off we go … lovely group and the guide also nice young Spaniard uni student. We get a bit of history, culture while we ride for 3hrs and always happy with the company.

On our guide’s recommendation we go to a tapas bar not far away for lunch … it’s hot so we go inside, what a menagerie of beasts displayed on the walls. This is a real treat for the eyes great little place and good tapas … beer is welcome.

Now off to the Bullfighting Ring … there was a fight last night! We visit the museum and sit in the stands of the ring … we reflect on when John got bailed up in hospital in France near Bastille Day and we had to stay in a very little town Maussane-les-Alpilles and saw their local festivities in the street and arena … such fun we had.

Back to today … the Real Alcazar aka the palace … no queue it’s too hot, shiny faces everywhere and hand fans. It’s the best place to be on a 42°C day … the exhibitions in the old buildings are cool … a lot of information about ceramic tiles dating back forever. There was no audio apart from phone if you had mobile coverage but all signage was in English (tick, tick). We could relate again to the Alhambra in Granada, the gardens were lovely again good for a hot day.

We get back from our day out at 6.30pm it’s 39°C … time for admin and drink before venturing into the heat for an evening meal.