Praia das Macas to Lisbon (33 miles; 670 total)

 

At the end of my 2016 bike tour from Madrid to Lisbon, I had an extra day free while my companions rehearsed their trip tot he airport and verified that their airlines would accept their unboxed bikes. (In general, US airlines require bikes to be shipped in boxes or cases when leaving the US, but the same airlines will accept unboxed bikes as long as the drive train is covered.) That day, I rode from our Lisbon hotel to Cabo Roca and back. Thus, today's ride was mostly a repeat so I took few photos.

The seaside highway west and north from Lisbon might well be the most cycled route in the area. Fast road cyclists on high-end racing bikes, commuters, city rental bikes, touring groups on e-bikes, we saw everything. Lisbon's cycling infrastructure has been significantly improved, at least along the harbor and seaside. 

Not so much is the Alfama District, site of our hotel, where the streets feature large and rough cobblestones, trolly tracks, narrow roads, narrow sidewalks the are often blocked with poles and parked cars, electric tuk tuk carts, buses, taxis, scooters, motorcycles, delivery trucks, local in cars, and lost tourists in rental cars. Fortunately, John and I are both fairly comfortable riding in city traffic or simply pushing our bikes on the steepest hills.

Upon checking into our hotel, where we had stored our bike cases, the clerk said my reservations was for one person. Of course, we are two, so she had to "charge a supplement" for the extra person. I asked her to simply charge the same rate we paid on our 15 September check-in. She declined, looked up the "supplement", and actually charged us less per night. Clearly my error when making the reservation. Check all the right boxes!

Ocean view from our room. OK, a bit small, but it's a small seaside village.

The western-most point in continental Europe. Nice coast  down, then a long climb out. Visitors have left their decals on the sign. A Backroads hiking group was arriving as we departed. They had been walking footpaths along the coast. Seems treking poles were universal, at least among the women hikers.


Cabo Roca Lighthouse 





Approaching Lisbon along the seaside/riverside bike path. Entry to Lisbon was a via combination of bike paths and road riding on a divided 4-lane road. Traffic was sparse and drivers could easily pass in the other lane. 

I happened upon a large square surrounded by craft booths selling the usual Portuguese souvenirs. A number of people were going in and out of a large building to the east. Turned out to be the "Time Out" market. No place to safely park my bike, so I rolled into the entrance and took this photo before a security guard said, "No bikes". Here is the web description. I would like to return tomorrow, but after packing up the bikes, it would be a long walk.

Time Out Market is a concept created from scratch by the Time Out Portugal team with only the best ideas and business projects in Lisboa – according to the editorial team. If it’s good, it goes in the magazine, if it’s great, it goes into the market. 24 restaurants, 8 bars, a dozen shops, a cooking school and a high-end music venue, all with the very best in Lisbon (the best chefs, the best steak, the best hamburger, the best sushi and the best live performances, amongst others); on the other hand the market is home to some of the city’s best known (and longest-running) market vendors of meat, fish, fruit and flowers. The foodhall has 40 restaurants/shops served by more than 500 seats in a covered area and 250 more outside.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Porto to Agueda (58 miles; 435 total)

Image
 After a rest day, we both had life in our legs. The exit from Porto was about 85% downhill, rough street surfaces, and lots of traffic. Once we cleared Porto's suburbs, we enjoyed a light tail wind, bike lanes on the many roads, or separated bike lanes. That didn't mean smooth surfaces, and there were lots of patches, cracks, and bulges in the surface from tree roots. Overall very pleasant riding, mostly south down the Atlantic coast, then southeast to Agueda.  Hotels in large European cities are often not obvious. Reception is via the red door and all rooms are access by the door to the right, leading to the elevator with rooms on multiple floors. Serene Departure. Porto, looking northwest from the upper level of the pedestrian/cyclist/metro rail bridge. Team memorial to a former athlete. Many miles of separate bike paths along the Portuguese Coast. Miles of board walks over the beach sand and among tall reeds. Dog of the Day #1. Sitting outside the Lidl Store, the dog ...
Read more

Coimbra to Averio (40 miles; 327 total)

Image
 Our route today was northwest to Averio, on the Atlantic coast south of Porto, tomorrow's destination. The initial route out of Coimbra was on a bike path, then small roads. The river bottom fields of corn and bamboo transitioned to eucalyptus forest. Many more small villages today and the grape harvest is in full swing. Perhaps because it was Saturday, many of the harvesting crews seemed to comprise family and friends helping each other on their day off from work. Maria, Our Olive Street Guest House Host, Coimbra.   Coimbra cycling group encountered as we left town. One rider fixing a flat, 2 offering advice, 1 stand-off observing, and 4 uninterested. Typical. Everyone seems to have a plot of this type of kale going. They remove the older lower leaves, leaving tall, slender stalks with fresh stalks on top. A universal dish found in many restaurants comprises cooked kale leaves, black-eyed peas, and toasted break chunks cooked in olive oil or some other fat. Mixed harvest of...
Read more

Figuera da Foz to Marinha Grande (42 miles; 525 total)

Image
Today was a pleasant day of riding south on Portugal's Atlantic Coast, often following Euro Velo Route 1 (EV1), mostly a separated, roadside bike path. Rain was forecast but the probabilities kept dropping as morning approached. We stopped to chat with 4 members of a bike touring group, all from Belgium on e-bikes. We encountered a larger group the prior day, all on high-end Trek bikes, but they did not show any interest is talking to us. We encountered some mist but never rain. The prevailing 8-15 mph tail wind out to the northwest continued. The land was generally open, a mix of pine and eucalyptus forest, low shrubs, and large sand dunes along the coast. Figuera da Foz Beach on an overcast morning. Figuera da Foz is a busy container port. Our route south was over this long bridge, fortunately, with a separate pedestrian/bike way. The approach on the road was via a narrow shoulder, which ended. I stopped, unhooked my panniers, lifted the bike and panniers over the guard rail, and...
Read more