Wrapping it all up - Biking down the Portugal Coast and Arriving at the "End of the World" (Sagres and the Cabo San Vicente Lighthouse)

We left the Herdade Touril hotel a bit reluctantly as our short time there was so rich and enjoyable. Before actually pedaling away I had a visit with their resident donkeys and wished them a good life:

Yes, I do want a donkey...

Our 75k ride to Casa da Pedralva was a challenging one. Strong headwinds and big climbs! Not to mention two rear-wheel flats for Peter. Luckily they were the only ones we had for the whole 566k tour.

Four peaks in one day!

We were still staying on the good side of the weather gods despite the wind - it always seemed like rain was imminent but then it cleared away.

We had a beautiful coffee stop at around 25k near Odeceixe - sunny skies and spectacular coastline. Peter and I spent extra time there just mesmerized by the waves.

Entering Odeceixe with the beach in the distant background.

The amazing surf at Odeceixe - at any given moment there were 6 bands of waveforms coming into shore. Totally hypnotic.

The countryside was changing as we progressed south.

We fell in love with these trees - their shape was so compelling and reminded us of some Thomas Hart Benton landscape paintings we love.

After fixing flats, eating lunch and battling headwinds, we arrived at Casa da Pedralva outside of Vila do Bispo. It has a fascinating backstory. In brief, the village had been all but abandoned over time and fell from over 100 residents to just 7 in recent years, living among the ruins. A private party decided to buy the entire village and restore it as accurately as possible to its authentic roots. It took him a total of 4 years to buy out all the families after intensive searches for heirs/absentee owners.

Pedralva Villsge is now a tourist hotel, and the "rooms" are actually restored cottages.

Cozy under the roof of the second level bedroom.

The street where we lived - Peter loved the scale of the doors and streetscape.

Regrettably we did not have a chance for more pictures - it started to lightly rain as we finished biking and by the time we were cleaned up and ready to explore the heavens opened! We spent time just hanging out in the reception common space with our travel mates and had another lovely meal together.

Lots of fun and conviviality! And LOTS of food. Good food.

So, the next morning - and our final day of biking - arrived with slate-gray skies.

It was only a 44k ride, but the winds were in our face once again, and there were just enough raindrops to convince us to start out wearing our rain jackets.

Well, we ran out our string with the rain gods. By the time we arrived at Vila do Bispo at the 10k mark it was really raining. Some of our biking group had left earlier and did a "lollipop" loop that started and ended at Vila do Bispo. Peter and I, and Nadine, were stopped by Luis P. and the van and it was suggested we stop for coffee and warm/dry surroundings while the others completed the loop. 

We ended up spending almost 2 hours at coffee watching it pour buckets while our poor buddies got completely soaked. Some opted from that point to just take the van the last 20k to Sagres, while some rode.  I'd had enough coffee and enough sitting to make me think the rain would likely abate - not!

John gets hot coffee and hospitality - he was soaked.

Poor Luis C. was the lead chalker/biker. Some of our group road with him directly to the hotel.

Peter and I along with the "two Ians" from Owens Sound, Ontario set out for the 20k to the Cabo San Vicente lighthouse and the "end of the world" - the farthest point west in mainland Europe. And it POURED. Each time I thought it was about to let up, it would redouble in intensity. Pretty hardcore last ride of the trip!

But, we made it, and happily the rain stopped a bit before we arrived at the lighthouse so we could enjoy being there.

Ian Donaldson, June and Ian Thompson keep their smiles despite sogginess!

Spectacular cliffs and breakers.

Reminded us of the Cliffs of Moor.

Great to enjoy the views at the end of the tour!

Peter and I rode the last 7k of the tour to our hotel, got clean and dry and explored town. We did visit the Sagres fortress site - sadly the Museum of Discoveries was closed for renovation but there were still some super vistas:

After our group met for a final celebratory drink and farewell dinner (Portuguese seafood stew - amazing) it was time for saying goodbye to our new friends and to Portugal.

Two spectacular views from our hotel of Sagres harbor at sunrise.

So after 566k (350+ miles) over about 10 days of biking we are now at our airport hotel. The adventure isn't quite over for us yet - we need to be at the KLM check-in at 2:30am (not a misprint!) to ensure our departure on a 5:05 am flight to Amsterdam - the security workers at the airport are striking at midnight and if we want to make it through on time we must be EARLY. So goodnight and farewell sweet readers, and hopefully we will be home in St. Paul Thursday afternoon...xoxoxo.

Resting in Vilanova da Milfontes and Day 9 - Biking through Costa Vincentina National Park

Our day in Vilanova da Milfontes was a true rest day - we stayed off the bikes and enjoyed time to see the local sights and read a bit from those books we lugged with us.

We walked down to the ocean overlook - this statue expressed the spirit of exploration for the Portuguese people - made of many "found objects" including some horseshoes!

Looking back at the town and our hotel.

Great ocean views and awesome surf.

The visitors to this beach are compelled to create rock sculptures - very eerie.

Peter among the rocks.

There is some gorgeous flora on the coastline.

View of Vilanova da Milfontes.

Peter's rendition of a streetscape near our lodgings.

View of the coastal inlet from our hotel balcony.

The castle in photo and watercolor - once protecting the inlet port and river, now privately owned.

We have been carefully watching the weather - lots of rain in the forecast but fortunately we keep eluding it on our rides. We arose Sunday to windy weather but the clouds seems to keep their distance. Our ride was a short 45K and relatively flat:

Our first stop was at some spectacular coastline:

Nadine, Nora and Paul with a gorgeous backdrop.

Biking buddies - guide Luis C., me and John. 

Of course there is always a coffee stop.

Guide Luis, Vicki and Ian enjoying a break and still good weather.

The first big treat of the day was a picnic at a fabulous beach overlook in the National Park area.

Peter admires the spread - sardines, chips, salad, bread, cheese and more.

Super views enjoyed by Martha and Michelle while guide Luis P. works on the picnic sausage.

Grilling sausage with the Portuguese version of a George Foreman grill!

The grilled sausage was a real treat.

Our hotel for this evening is a wonderful rural tourist hotel - gorgeous grounds with the Atlantic visible from our patio.

Peter did some studies while sipping wine and enjoying the sun:

We had a really fun afternoon - guide Luis P. gathered us in the hotel kitchen and as a team we made stuffed tomatoes.

June, Deb and Nadine stuff tomatoes.

Paul and June stirring the stuffing concoction.

Ready to bake! The skewers are marking our individual creations.

But the best surprise was after dinner - a live fado performance arranged by the guides for us! It was fabulous.

We had not had a chance in Lisbon to listen to live fado music (the signature music of the Portuguese people) so this was a fantastic gift from our guides. Thank you Luis, Luis and Loic!

Big biking day on Monday with an iffy forecast - we will be off the grid until Tuesday night. Hope you continue to enjoy our travels!

Portugal Biking Days 6 and 7 - Lots of Kilometers!

Day 6 of our adventure brought the longest biking day yet - 92K. There was one very memorable climb that is easily identified on the profile map:

As these last two days brought us through lots of rural areas in the central Alentejo region, I will be presenting more of a photo essay than a written one (audible sigh of relief).

Typical coffee stop on the route - the van had wonderful pastries waiting for us, baked fresh from guide Luis P.'s wife that morning!

We share our stops with the locals - Peter never loses his enthusiasm for the uniform of the "plaza guys" - cap, v-neck sweater or vest, and a button-down shirt. Always!

The day was about the ride - not much history but lots of goats, sheep, cattle and cork trees. Also blissfully devoid of traffic, and the few cars we did encounter were very deferential.

Peter disappearing down the road...

We overnighted at a tourist farm - they are a newer trend in the Alentejo region to help supplement the cork, olive and sheep farming.

Peter and John (from New Zealand) enjoy beer and rest after a long 92K of rolling terrain.

Martha (Montana) serves up some welcome refreshments - beer!

Our spacious digs at the tourist farm - room for more!

Peter had some time to wander the grounds and captured the cork oak groves after harvest:

We had a "modern Portugese" dinner together in the nearby town of Grandola. The feature was kebabs that included squid, pineapple, shrimp, sausage and peppers:

At our briefing for Friday, the guides described our next bike leg as not the longest, but the hardest - 75K that started with a 20K climb. We could have opted to shuttle to the end of the climb but we did the whole ride!

Again, Day 7 was more about the biking than anything else. We captured the feel along the way:

Lots of quiet backroads.

Amazingly huge windmills - prevalent as we neared the coast.

The cattle are all so calm and we love their coloration - coordinates with the landscape!

Those of you who have followed previous trip blogs I've posted know I always carry an apple or sugar cubes awaiting one lucky horse. There were good numbers of horses along the way these first 7 days, but this was the very first one to be waiting for me right at the fence line :)

He cannot believe his good fortune.

After finishing the apple, he followed me down the fence line as far as he could. Wished I had more to give him - he was a sweetie.

We made the full 75K ride to the coast - our first glimpse of the Atlantic since leaving Lisbon on Saturday 10/15!

Peter sits across the road from our waterfront hotel - there is an estuary in the foreground and the Atlantic Ocean waves were crashing in the distance.

Our hotel HQ for 2 nights.

Later in the afternoon our group went on a lovely boat ride that traveled up the estuary - saw lots of bird life and beautiful landscapes.

Vicky (Ontario) disembarks at the end of the boat tour.

Once again we were fed royally at a local restaurant - I was really thrilled to have traditional seafood stew that included monkfish, shrimp, mussels, clams and rice in a fabulous broth. I have eaten so much on this trip! What a relief to be biking and stem some of the damages :). The desserts are all too good.

We have a rest day today (Saturday 10/22) in Vilanova da Milfontes - an optional ride was offered but we are actually really resting instead! Tomorrow we are heading south along the coast with 3 more biking days left. More adventures await us!