Change of Scenery
Spain-Portugal Stage 9 – Fri 20th May 2016 – Sagres to Aljezur (45 Km)
Weather: 15⁰C min – 25⁰C max, fine, cloudless
” Never use your face as a brake pad “ ~ Jake Watson
Ken Done, Billabong, Boomerangs, Gum trees, Patterson’s Curse, Dandelions, Masterchef, Coffee Latte … guess which country I am in right now? No I am not in Australia, but the Algarve region in the south of Portugal. All of the above pieces of Australiana have been encountered in the last few days, making me feel a little bit nostalgic for my homeland.
I have now turned the corner … I am not alluding to the fact that I have not had an alcoholic beverage for 17 months, but I have now geographically turned the corner in Portugal. After heading westward for the last few days, I reached the SW corner of Portugal yesterday and today headed in a northerly direction into the unspoilt western coastline of Portugal.
Choosing a route to travel today was easy because after getting out of bed this morning my back locked up with a spasm. I was therefore not looking for any more bone-shaking, rocky bush tracks (or lifting bikes over fences) so elected to go the most direct route, all on smooth main roads, to my destination of Aljezur about 45 Km north of Sagres. Once I mounted my bike I didn’t experience any more back spasms. I am still walking gingerly, slanted to one side, but there is no problem at all when I am pedaling along.
I was not perturbed by busy traffic and the lack of a decent shoulder to ride on, because as I have mentioned before the motorists here respect cyclists and give them at least three meters clearance, not a begrudging one meter (accompanied by vociferous abuse) as happens in Sydney. When a big truck tooted me frantically from behind he was simply warning me that he was unable to give me the normal clearance because there was a car passing him on the other side. How refreshing to hear a horn being used as a warning device rather than an instrument of abuse!
There was a marked change in landscape today, right from when I left Sagres this morning. Instead of built up areas with impressive houses contrasting with stark rugged bushland, I was treated to lush green pastures, pine forests and lots of gumtrees. Even the wildflowers had changed, but still just as beautiful. Dandelions painted the meadows bright yellow and the hillsides were covered with bushes of cup-shaped white flowers with exactly five petals, each petal dotted with a black spot. From a distance the hills looked like they were covered in snowflakes. There were still plenty of the pink daisy-like flowers, but there were also vivid pink Livingstone daisies and bright orange nasturtiums. You will even notice in one of the photos some cork trees with bark stripped from the trunk.
Today was all about natural rather than man-made beauty. Three of the five traditionally recognised methods of perception, or sense, were treated well today: hearing, sight, and smell. First there was the sound of the birds singing joyfully, secondly there was the sight of fabulous countryside and spectacular wildflowers, and thirdly there was the smell of clean air tinted with pine and eucalyptus. At one point I stopped to crush a gumtree leaf and there was no mistaking the fresh smell of eucalyptus.
The only village I passed through today was Carrapateira, but what a delightfully pretty village it was. Conscious of the fact that I was likely to arrive at my destination too early to check in at my guest house, I stopped for quite a while in the little village square where I enjoyed a latte (and of course two Portuguese tarts) while observing eight old mates sitting together on benches in the sunshine.
Lunch consisted of fresh bread and Havarti cheese that I bought at the Sagres mercado this morning, followed by a banana and some dried apricots and nuts … enjoyed sitting on a bench under a clump of gumtrees.
My overnight stay is in Aljezur, an ancient Moorish town situated in a lush green valley and built on either side of a river that runs through it. Although very small it is impressive and the guesthouse where I am staying has almost everything I could wish for, including a balcony looking out over the town. The only thing missing is a kettle to make myself a cup of tea!
So another day of delightful riding except for your back spasm. Hope it does not get any worse. Along the road seems fairly quiet but also beautiful with the various flowers along the way. What were doing in the bushes? Saw your healthy lunch bananas nuts etc. Your sure look after your self but if you don’t no one else will!!
No gym today but tomorrow for sure which will give me five days worth of gym work out.
Happy and safe riding tomorrow.
I hadn’t realised you weren’t drinking alcohol, At least you are enjoying the Portuguese Tarts. Looks like another lovely little town. The Moors had a big influence in that part of the world. The mosaic tiles and paving designs everywhere. Around Sintra, North West of Lisbon are numerous mountain top castles from that time. Way too hilly for a bike ride but Cascais, a flat coastal ride west of Lisbon, would be a nice ride (or a train ride)
I might fall off the water wagon when I get to Porto and do the boat cruise up the Douro valley wine area (where the noble drink of Port originated). Tomorrow I have a nice climb of 500 m up to the town of Monchique, which will be testing.
Carrapateira, one of our favourite villages in SW Portugal. Will read next about the climb to Monchique – have only cycled down. Shame you’re missing the tasty Vinho Verdes.