DAY 5 - LISBON TO ALVADOS:

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We packed up, checked out of the hostel and took the Metro from Pracoes stop to the Red Line, then on to Lisboa Oriente where we needed to pick up our rental car. The metro leg went smoothly enough and we easily located the Avis rental car office. They we had reservations, but we asked if we could pick it up a bit later so we wouldn't be so rushed to get back here from our last stop in Portugal, Monsantos. The guy said sure, no problem, you can pick it up as late as 1pm. So, we walked through the station and did some supermarket browsing, then on down to the oceanside. They has some really cool buildings from Lisbon's Expo, along with an oceanarium and a casino. After we walked along the ocean a bit, we returned to the rental agency around 11:30pm, having left our bags in the office there. When the guy went to do the paperwork, he said we hadn't paid yet but Manoli knew the charge had been made to our credit card. So, the guy called the AutoEurope number we'd booked through, and sure enough, they told us we had paid, but apparently they hadn't forwarded that information to Avis. They quickly faxed it to the office, did our paperwork and walked us to our rental car, a new Fiat Pronto. Sort of small, but nice and with plenty of room for just the two of us and our luggage. Unfortunately, it was a stick shift, but I quickly got the hang of it again after years and years.

We left the train/bus terminal, found the right highway and were on our way. It was about a 95 km trip on the main highway, almost an interstate, until our first turn-off, which we found with no problem. After that, the road was still good, but a bit small and tended to wind around and go up and down a lot. We passed through a number of small, quaint towns along the way, but kept on the right road until we passed Mira de Aire where I'd already used Google Map's street view to have a picture in my mind of the turn-off to Alvados and our hostel. Sure enough, a bit outside of Mira de Aire, I spotted our turn. I did miss the slight right to stay on the road that went right to the hostel, but we still ended up in Alvados and my map showed we just had to make a right at the main intersection, so we did. Sure enough a click or two down that road we reached the round-about where the hostel was located.

We had no problem checking in, and the young lady was very helpful, in broken English, explaining about the sights to see in the area. It was only about noon, but she checked and told us our room was ready, so we grabbed our stuff and headed up to our new room for the next 3 nights. Even though we upgraded from our last hostel to a private room with bath & shower, the difference between them was still amazing. This place was almost brand new, very modern, and quite luxurious. The only differences between this and a very nice hotel was the cost, at only 30 Euros per night, and the fact we had no telephone or room service. The only thing the last hostel had over this one was the vending machines for drinks and snacks, but they weren't always full anyways. Our room has a beautiful, clean shower with hot water and a toilet, two long but narrow beds, a table and chairs, and a wardrobe.

After storing our gear, we headed down to town, so to speak. Alvados is a very small town, with maybe 40 or 50 houses and a handful of streets. There is also one bar/restaurant and a tiny convenience store. We walked around part of the town, picked up some snacks and drinks from the store and headed back to decide what we'd try to do today since it was still fairly early. There are a number of caves in the area, including those of San Antonio, Alvados, Mira de Aire, and a couple others a bit further away. The San Antonio and Alvados seemed pretty close to each other and to Alvados, so we headed out that way. After a looong, winding and steep road, we reached the Alvados Caves, but they appeared to be closed, so we continue on to the San Antonio Caves. They also seemed desolate, but the sign said they were open and there were a couple of cars in the big parking lot, so we decided to check it out. Sure enough, they were open, just not very busy. Apparently, business is VERY slow except during the summer months of July and August, and those times tours and school groups come through. Oh well, no extra cost and were ended up being the only folks on the guided tour. The tour cost 4.50 Euros each, since we had the discount from the hostel (10%). Since it was almost 4pm by this time, we decided to eat something in the restaurant right below the caves. We had a couple of cappuccinos and sandwiches. Everything was okay, but nothing special, although the price was good.

The lady in the ticket office/gift shop asked us to please wait a few minutes until a couple of other tourists came out so she wouldn't have to lock the office. Sure enough, 5 or 10 minutes later, a guy came out of the cave entrance with 3 tourist in tow, and we headed in ourselves with our guide. Since they have so few visitors this time of year, they turn off all the lights after each tour, so she had to turn them on for us in each section. The caves were quite awesome. I've been in a couple other caves, but was happy I'd convinced Manoli to join me in this one. She doesn't normally do caves. There were no special effects except well-positioned lighting, but the variety of formations was quite impressive. We saw tons of stalagmite, stalactites, columns, curtains, and a number of unusual formations the operators had given names to. There was a very large chamber full of all sorts of formations. After at least 30 minutes, we ended our circuit and walked back to the surface, with the guide turning off the lights behind us.

When we left the Grutas do Sao Antonio, we decided to try to at least see the castle in Porto de Mos. After a grueling drive of only 20 or 25 kms, with the road again going up and down with lots of sharp turns, we entered Porto de Mos. Porto de Mos is a small town, but a lot bigger than Alvados. We quickly found a place to park and went looking for the castle. We got directions that led us up.... way up, to the castle, but lo and behold, it was Monday and they are closed on Monday. Oh well, it was a pretty sight, and maybe we'll stop another day. After walking back down to center of town, we got in the car and stopped at a supermarket on the edge of town to pick up some stuff for dinner and snacks. They had a nice tray of meat and cheese which we bought, along with some soft rolls, a few slice of premium prosciutto, and some drinks. After returning to the hostel, we ate some of the meat and cheese and I took advantage of the internet connection to get almost up to date. By tomorrow night, I should be caught up to date.

Tomorrow we're planning on visiting dinosaur footprints place, and either Tomar and/or Ouerem, at least.

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Comments

[JuJu]

Caves are so cool
Glad Manoli did the cave. Did they turn out the lights once along the tour? We went to an awesome cave in New Mexico once - Carlsbad Cavern in Carlsbad, NM, and they did just that. Thankfully for just a few very dark seconds. The cave you went into today looks very much like Carlsbad Caverns.