Blogs from Portugal, Europe - page 148

Yes, this campismo is aberto (open). And this is Gerri back again, taking the blog writing from Lady who seems to think that she's doing all the work on this tour. Not so. In fact, as John Howard once said, "The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine." I do, however, appreciate Lady's being so cooperative as I change gears hundreds of times a day. We began the day climbing (no surprise there) out of Alcobaca in moderate traffic. We spent most of the morning riding through light industrial areas (a lot of brick factories, "ceramicas") and farmland. At a stop in a small town Bill bought a Coke and we munched on our stash of goat cheese, pao (bread), and apples. Many kilometers later we treated ourselves to the ubiquitous ice ... read more

This is Tramp, Bill’s bicycle! Bill’s a bit tired this evening, so I’ve decided to take over the evening blog update. Let me tell you a bit about myself. I am a green (yeah, it ain’t easy being green), aluminum Cannondale, made in the USA. I’ve got 27 gears, and though I may not go fast, I can climb hills carrying nearly 50 pounds of Bill’s stuff -- tent, clothes, bike tools, even the computer this blog is being typed on.. When Gerri named her new white Cannondale Lady Liberty, or Lady for short, it seemed only appropriate for me to be The Tramp, ergo, “Lady and the Tramp.” (I knew you’d like that!) So I was christened. Today, Bill and I, and Gerri and Lady rode west from Paco De Arcos, Portugal, to Estoril ... read more

Lady Liberty is smiling once again. She's all fixed up and rarin' to go. Kiko recommended a bike shop in a nearby town and Tina gave us fantastic directions, so off we went this morning. Julio, the bike mechanic, spent considerable time trying to fix the broken shift lever but to no avail. He could order a new one, but we're talking $200 and a 2 day wait. So, he found a slightly used one in the shop, installed it, and adjusted fit or under $50. We were there maybe two hours and then headed back here to Tina and Kiko's place. With Lady's new lever and no panniers on the bike, we were able to bike the whole way -- up some very, very steep hills!!! Right now it looks as if a storm ... read more

Well, we expected an adventure and certainly found one today. We knew that we needed to head down to the river and follow that road west. Somehow, however, we ended up north, way north, much farther north than we thought we could possibly be. After consulting with a couple of cyclists, we rejected their advice and found our way back to the river. The road was busy but bikeable. A few kilometers later, a taxi driver apparently did not see Bill's bright orange shirt or my lime green shirt. He turned right in front of me. I saw him coming but could not get out of the way quickly enough. Consequently, I hit his right side mirror and tumbled over. I fell softly, no injury to my body, but Lady Liberty has suffered the indignity ... read more

The sun is high, the weather is warm and the streets are cobbled. We’re in Portugal! Avoiding the touristy restaurants, we happily take a seat at a local spot and order the nation’s favourite- sardines! We thoroughly enjoy perfecting our technique stripping the flesh off the bones and tucking in to the most delicious sardines we’ve ever tasted. All encounters we’ve had with the locals so far has been incredible warm and friendly, including teenagers offering us seats on the train and strangers stopping to help us buy our tickets. We find our way to the main train station to purchase some tickets to Porto for tomorrow. The whole city is centered around a huge bay/port with huge ships. The streets lead off from here in to a valley at the centre of town with dual ... read more