Cycling day 2 - Espinho to Aveiro

11:11 AM shot today.

I tried to post yesterday, but was so exhausted that it had to wait until this morning! …. 

Once again, the forecast looked threatening.  The winds were coming from the south and therefore it would be in our faces.  As we were enjoying the tasty array of the hotel’s morning spread, our discussion was on wether or not we wanted to try our luck and take on the windy/rainy adventure. Or do a combo train and cycle or should we plan on taking the train the whole way.  Half hour later we were on the road enjoying the great bicycle trails, but not loving the fierce 

Fortunately we were able to find a store awning, doorway facing the north or in this case a bus stop to shelter us from a downpour. During one of the downpour breaks, I checked the map and looked for train stations nearby and possibly alternate routes. Unfortunately for us, an alternate, shorter route was found and we decided to proceed. It started off good, on a semi-quiet path sheltered somewhat from the wind that ran adjacent and to the train tracks.  We were greeted by each passing train with toot. There were large puddles that we had to manage around… but even that was not bad. 

The exhausting part was when we turned away from the path by the tracks and had about a mile of thick sand, it was unridable due to the weight of our fully loaded bikes. We were beat by the time we got out.😩

We endured the sand pit.. now it was direct headwind at 20mph. Seeing (but not riding on) the cobblestone lined streets of the small cities and villages was neat, and noticing the unique tiles on so many of the homes, businesses and churches made us appreciate being on our journey. 

Our journey included a ferry ride across the  São Jacinto. It departs every hour…we mustered  up energy (that we did not have) and got to the ferry with a few minutes to spare. We were absolutely exhausted. 

Once off the ferry we still had about an hour ride to get to Aveiro. Aveiro is a very cute touristy town made famous by the traditional boats, called “Moliceiros”. These beautifully brightly painted boats line the canal  for tourist rides. Maybe we’ll ride one another day. 😉 

When we tucked our bikes into the hotel storage area and crated up all our belongings we then checked our daily stats. We were shocked that the mileage only showed only 40 miles because it felt at least double that. (Maybe  triple!) The 20+ mph headwinds were relentless. What a blessing to get to that hotel room. 

Cycling Day1 Porto to Espinho

Our first day on many of our tours has included some major challenges. That was definitely true on the Prague to Budapest trip,  on our Missippissi River cycling tour and on our California coastal tour. Seems reasonable to accept the challenge Mother Nature is offering today. We will get wet, but we plan to shoot for the 2 hour block of less rain around noon to two. Fortunately the ride today is a short 15 miles… so the 2 hour block should certainly be enough. The forecast shows that we have some blue skies to look forward to by Friday. 

We found the window of opportunity opened for us around 10:30. 😅 To avoid steep, wet cobblestones we chose to take a longer route out of Porto (oops- quite a bit longer🤣). 

By 11:11 we were over the Douro River and looking back at that magnificent bridge. 

For many miles we enjoyed the smooth and easy to follow red bike path heading to the coastal town of Espinho. 

The coast here reminded Tim of the Oregon coast. 

As we got closer to Espinho, the beach revealed the impressive Senhor da Pedra chapel built on the ocean rocks. 

We arrived at the hotel just in-time to beat a downpour.

We were shocked to be at this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Hotel, but unfortunately it was a couple miles from the town center. We decided that maybe this was a sign to lay low and relax. We immediately ate the chocolate on the bed , then checked out the amazing spa amenities. 

We decided to don the bathrobes and spend some time in the sauna. 

A nap was in order, followed by (for us) a late dinner at at 7:30 - that’s when the restaurant opens.. Food was delicious and service was top notch. 

 

Free day 3 in Porto Sunday 9/11/22

11:11 shot of the day. Arriving at Matosinhos
Beach … about a half hour bike ride from our hotel. 

We found a great bike path that took us to the Atlantic, and were thrilled to see the crowds of outdoor enthusiasts of all ages enjoying the wide range of activities on the boardwalk and on the beach. There were karate clinics, soccer clinics, roller skating clinics, surfing school, as well as experienced surfers,  beach volleyball and beach pickle ball, big group Zumba, spin classes, and a 10k running race.  There was a climbing wall, an obstacle course and a ropes course set up for today.  One of the permanent structures was the par core equipment. Tim was eager to try out his attempt at the iron cross! I was impressed! 

We got back to the hotel in the early afternoon and decided to ditch our bikes and investigate yet another unexplored section of Porto.  

Porto is an ancient city with lots of reconstruction happening in the most precarious places.  Check out the supports needed for this neighborhood crane project! 

We’ve seen quite a few street entertainers, but the old guy with the air mattress was quite clever to play his air organ using the air  from his mattress!  

We crossed one of the very high bridges crossing the Douro River and had some amazing views. It was yet another warm and spectacular day. 

Most restaurants close between 3-7 to take their break and prepare for dinner crowds. We were lucky enough to have our late lunch/early dinner in this narrow alleyway at 4ish!  The monkfish,shrimp and rice dish for 2 was delicious! To top it off we were entertained by the playful banter of a local customer and the  4 year old little girl that was the daughter of the owner.  So cute! 

On the journey back to the hotel we happen upon a beer garden  with music playing and lots of (young)people. We enjoyed a sampler of their beers …instead of seeking out another gelato place! 🍻 

Free day 2 in Porto Saturday 9/10/22

11:11 AM shot of the day

  

Today we decided to explore Porto by foot. We left the hotel around  9AM and didn’t get back til after 6PM. Our route took us down to and along the Douro River.  It is always fun seeing a city as it begins to wake up. In addition to seeing many runners/joggers doing their morning workouts, we saw fishermen setting up and casting multiple lines and crews of  rowers gliding up and down the Douro River. 

 One focus of the day was to to find a Riverboat cruise company that had space available tomorrow to take a ride up river to see  the worlds oldest wine appellation.  We searched both sides of the river,  but we were unsuccessful with that. Fortunately, we were successful in our other quests:  barbecued sardines,  tawny port tasting and dark chocolate gelato (for Tim sweet tooth). Additionally we happened on a few fun things… farmers markets and crafters stands, a communal place to wash and hang laundry (we didn’t take advantage of this opportunity), a parade of traditionally dressed Portuguese working class people, and the anniversary of Real Companhia Velha. It was founded on September 10, 1756 and to celebrate their 266th year of uninterrupted port production, free museum tours and tawny port tasting were provided on this day only.  We were happy to partake. 😄

We were given a coupon for a free port tasting by one of the River boat agencies and enjoyed that, along with a flight of tawny ports and a wonderful (and too huge) cheese platter. 

We sought out gelato which provided us the boost we need to get back to the hotel.   All said and done, we enjoyed the gorgeous warm and sunny day, walked 11 miles with plenty of hills and filled our bellies. It was a good day. 

Free day 1 in Porto

Thank goodness for a good nights sleep! We woke up refreshed and ready for coffee and the plentiful breakfast buffet offered at our hotel. Calories burned as we explored Porto on foot. 

We got so warm on the morning exploration that we decided to change to cooler clothes and give the bikes a “go”.   The bikes are very heavy, but are well equipped.  We road for a few hours… on major roads, busy city streets, cobblestone side streets and alleyways By the end of the day we were sharing the sidewalks with pedestrians coming out to celebrate a Friday evening. 

While we were out and about … we tasted a flight of port at Taylor tasting room.  

We saw a bunch of music venues being set up … maybe we’ll find the energy to check one or two out tonight.  😃

Hello Portugal!

It was a long 12 hour non stop flight to Lisbon followed by more than 5 hours layover in the Lisbon airport and a quick 1 hour flight to Porto and the long shuttle ride to the hotel.

We made our way across the street to Capa Negra restaurant for francesinha, a traditional comfort food of Porto. 

Time for SLEEP! 

What to bring???

We booked our self guided trip with Pedro at GoCyclingPortugal about 3 years ago. The company provides us: 

•. mountain bicycles with panniers (each bike has 2 panniers that hold about 10 liters each) 

• hotel stays along the way 

• a GPS device that will direct us (some roads and some bike trails)  on the safest and most scenic route to our daily destination,

• a list of  suggested sites and attractions to take in along the way

On this tour we will be cycling from Porto to Lagos, covering about  650 miles of asphalt, trails, and unpaved roads in 17 cycling days, an average of less than 40 miles a day. Prior to starting we have a few days to explore Porto and have arranged an extra day in Lisbon midway. . 

Packing is challenging … space available in our bicycle panniers is limited yet we want to bring the right clothing for the various possible weather conditions. Of course packing light is preferred, but being prepared and comfortable is  important.   Decisions… decisions😄!! 

We fly out in 6 days… Wednesday September 7th!!!

 

Getting ready for an adventure in Portugal September 2022

Home Again!

From the time we unpacked and assembled our bikes on July 5th to when we packed them up on the 20th, we put in just over 750 miles for an average of 62 miles per riding day.

Cathy's parents welcomed us at the airport and Jamie greeted us when we got to their home. We appreciate the care and attention they gave Jamie during our vacation. They even had special signs made for the doors and gates to remind everyone to keep them closed since Jamie was visiting.




We had a wonderful time touring, seeing family and friends but it is always great to come home!

Cathy's garden, yard and house plants are still healthy thanks to the regular attention they received neighbors Marc and Barbara. We were even greeted by a mammoth sunflower that measured almost 15 feet tall!





Home Sweet Home!


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Location:Rock Forge Loop,Angels Camp,United States