Lady Liberty Smiles Once Again

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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 might be blowing in, so Bill and I grabbed a lunch of bread and cheese and apples (we are oh-so-European) and are just chilling. We hope to walk into town for a few groceries and will prepare dinner here for ourselves this evening. We offered to cook for our hosts, but they have other plans. Their plans include a game of bike polo (yes, bike polo) beginning at about 10 p.m. Normally, I'd be sound asleep by then, but the culture here is quite different from the US, so Bill and I plan to walk to the event and see just how that game is played.
Tomorrow will find us back on the road again. We plan to bike first to Sintra, which is a World Heritage UNESCO site, an ancient town with both Celtic and mystical history. We will probably just walk around the town and then head to the coast for Ericeira or even onto Torres Vedras, depending on what time we leave in the morning, how many times we get lost, and how hilly the terrain is.
See ya later!

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