Pedro

So last two to three days:

Leaving Alcoutim we only have a very short ride to get to the sea, but instead I decide to cross the Algarve via inland hills to Sagres, check google maps where it is, as it's a special place for most Portuguese.

First, we had a lot of nice mountain roads, I love riding on the hills in the Algarve

 

We try to stop for fuel, get to the station and there is a sign saying "back by 10:00", it was 10 already so we went for an expresso at the local little cafe, run by a cool but loud old lady. Took the chance to buy a ham sandwich to have for lunch later. 15 minutes later, finishing our coffee and getting our sandwiches the fuel station guy comes to let us know he's going back to work, rural Portugal!

 

And thus, we make our way to Monchique, getting used to nice roads now, Sofia was not happy to have roadworks and a detour via 4 or 5km of dusty track, made a mess out of her Triumph, here looking like a rally bike.

 

Climbing high to get to Monchique, Algarve's highest point, we stop for lunch. I'm sure there is nothing wrong with a butter and ham sandwich, even to people with such weird tastes like you guys.

 

 

Proceeded up the hill and had another expresso  at what is arguably one of the best cafe vistas in Portugal.

 

Didn't feel like riding away from the cool weather, plus I knew a great restaurant to go for dinner here, so booked into an old mountain hotel, quite rundown but friendly, and with a great swimming pool. Had a dip, and soaked up before going to dinner, getting the previous days' extreme heat out of my memory.

 

 

My favourite thing after a ride in summertime, a cool glass of white wine at the end of the day

 

Dinner was a great cress and orange salad, and some kind of pork cut I can't explain, deliciously cooked with fresh coriander, and mint rice. I had a blast, and drank WAY too much, so by the time I got to bed lights went out quite easily.

 

We had such a great dinner, and enjoyed the mountain so much that it was decided to visit Sagres and come back for another night. Sofia took great joy  in this as the Triumph isn't at all elegant with the big bag in the rear.

Making our way past Odiaxere dam:

 

Now the thing with Sagres is that it is the southwestern most point in Portugal, and Europe as well, this is where we used to have the school that trained master navigators and pilots that would venture around the world on boats, you need only to have a little bit of romance in your heart to feel a sense of adventure coming to this place.

To help you, listen to this while you see the pictures, words won't mean anything to you, but this is probably the most portuguese of songs, about sailors missing home when out on sea. It's all about feeling, and that I'm pretty sure you can get from this:

 

Entrance to the Sagres fortification, the tip of Portugal is behind it:

 

Next visit was only 2 or 3km away, and probably my favourite building, it's the lighthouse at Cape Saint Vincent, pretty amazing place.

 

Going back to Monchique, I decided to show Sofia a spot with some great ocean views, takes a little dust to get there though:

 

And again, another cafe picture since that all I do, back in Monchique:

 

Riding back to the hotel, I take a little offroad detour to take a picture of my bike higher than windmills, as it's not that common you can do that:

 

Back in the pool. Let me tell you, a swimming pool or a dip in the ocean is something amazing after a bike ride in the summertime.

 

Dinner that night was octopus and sweet potatoes, slowly fried in garlic and olive oil

 

Day after, Sofia and I parted ways, she goes back home to work and I'll stay in the Algarve a few more days, in Faro to get some sun and salt water on my skin. Thing is, before going to Faro I needed to visit Sagres again. Sagres was my first trip with Maria when I first got the 1150GS, we came to the Algarve for my birthday, and rode down the coast in June. That was the first time I visited this bit of Portugal, and have loved coming here since then as you really get a feeling of adventure and history. However, the feeling I get when coming here is a huge amount of loss and grief, along with a good remembering of those days. So, I needed to come here alone, and I did.

I had a good cry sitting there by myself, and I think I needed it as it cleared my mind a little bit. Going away with Maria for a week on my birthday was the highlight of my year, and now these dates are specially painful.

A copule of hours later, rode along the Algarve's south coast to Faro, to meet up with my dad. Quick ride to the beach for 2020 first ocean dip, and then dinner on a very warm evening. 

 

 

Dinner was little clams, we call them "conquilhas" but I don't know the word in English for them. Cooked in a little white wine and coriander, with plenty of garlic, taste of the Algarve this is.

 

Then, just to revolt you guys, fish eggs salad. Delicious and fresh.

 

 

And this morning, back to the beach:

 

So, this is it, the end of my ride around Portugal report. I got to see a lot of new things over the last week, and am a little in love with riding in my own country and my bike, also it's always good for me to be on the bike and on the move in days like these, hope you enjoyed it too.

9 hours ago, Lone Amigo said:

Diane and I fell in love with Portugal when we went to Fatima.
It was always our intention to go back.

That's not going to happen

I know how that feels, brother.

Can’t you just take the abs fuse off for offroad?

Isn’t the ABS disconnectable for off road? 

Got that right @Grasshopper's Ride

Deal, it’ll be done properly!

Compile all pictures on the opening post, Pete, don’t be lazy!

There’s still time before june ends

Taken a few seconds ago

 

So, earlier today:

Woke up to a warm morning in the Alentejo region, lets guess around 27º by breakfast time:

 

After getting on the road, within some quick 30km or so we were on the Alqueva dam makes for the biggest artificial lake in Europe, with 250.000 square km. It's pretty bloody big.

 

After having an expresso stop 30km after today's start, we stop for a few pictures on top of the dam, were we meet this cool older dude on a ride with his 46 year old 2 stroke 50cc Famel, stylish as hell.

 

 

 

Another few kms south, and this is the spot where hills open up

 

On a dirt road that I didn't remember being dirt, Sofia stoops while I go ahead and check the road to see if it's fine for the Triumph

Here she comes

 

Brief stop in Mertola

 

 

From Mertola until Alcoutim we have just a few kms of great tarmac road, very smooth and a few twists. Managed to scrub a little of my tire off on the time

 

After securing a nice swimming pool for the remainder of the afternoon, I settled to it.

 

For dinner, some tapas and white wine next to the Guadiana river in Alcoutim, we had a friendly neighborhood dog come to ask for a little ham, which he got along with some nice bits of anchovies

 

 

 

He's going fast already, better get him some brakes.

 

10 hours ago, boboneleg said:

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, Octopus and Squid, yum yum yum.

Great photos and Happy Birthday Pedro, as for the tennis ball sized rocks, increase your speed and you'll find that you 'float' over them. It sounds odd but generally it works.

That’s what I did. My concern was cutting a tire as the rocks looked jagged and I’m riding on 11000km TKC70s, not really tuff. Also, the high heat was stressing me a lot.

 

 

You live in a really pretty place, to me that is what american mountains look like.

Great stuff!

8 hours ago, Sir Fallsalot said:

 

On purpose, took a few pictures before I could get a half focused one 

Earlier today:

some nice vineyards as research for Sofia's south Portugal tour

 

Had some average sandwich in a pretty sad looking place, which was unfortunate. However, it was very hot and we needed some food and water. 

 

 

Continuing on, we decided to split and meet up a little later, as I wanted to go via a nice dirt road, it started pretty smooth and great, 

 

However, ground turned to loose rocks, about the size of tennis balls, I was completely not happy with it, or confident. Bike felt too loose and I have little confidence in these tires holding their own against jagged rocks. To help things, it was now almost 40º and google maps decides to send me to a dead end. Ended up in some guy's farm, on a silty track amongst some vines. I was not a happy camper. Heard some voices so stopped the bike and went into the farm, where the dude was cool enough to point me the right way, on a nicer track that showed nowhere on my maps. Crisis was navigated successfully, and I manage to see the guy's alpaca 

Too bad for the bike, which is now covered in dust.

All's well when it ends well

 

We were quick to make a reservation to the nearest swimming pool, have a snack

 

And, after resting from the extreme heat of the afternoon, going out for dinner.

This is fried mackerel in one picture, and octopus in the other, you'll think it's weird, I think it's normal and yummy.

 

 

Again, too much wine  was needed, It's my birthday today, like I need an excuse!

That’s because you like boobies @Tym, nothing wrong with that, but I’m working my ass off taking all these pictures, better take some credit or a book deal.

Also, she’s got to be 16 or 17, don’t be creepy 

 Fries too, @XTreme

CRF250 rally, that’s my bet

Both yesterday

 

Like an adventure bike

You going for a traillie in the same style?

So, yesterday started well, not very warm by the time I left the hotel at around 9am, made my way to find some petrol as the bike was on reserve and in this part of the country you can ride for a while without fuel in rural areas, I mean 40km, not really such a drama. The big GS is quite frugal if you avoid motorways, and by the time I fueled up I had 600km on that tank with 50km range left.

Landscape is changing now

With a full tank I explore a little, there is no rush in going fast south, but I seem only be able to find dead ends, like this

 

 

The grass is a little too tall for my liking, it's now getting a little hot and windy so I decide to go back to tarmac roads. A hot catalytic converter and tall dry grass is a great way to start a wildfire, and there has been enough of that over the last years. The road is good, though, I try to stick to small ones:

 

See that on the other side of the river? That's Spain

 

It's steeper than it looks

 

 

My favourite road so far, as far as fun handling a motorcycle, it's barely wide enough for one van, and rolling and weaving through hills, with patches of dirt thrown in to keep it interesting:

 

It was now getting hot, at around 11:30 it was over 37º, still I couldn't resist this dirt road:

It only lasted for a few km, not even 15 I think. By now I am getting hot and hungry,  so decide to find a small place for lunch. I stop at the first cafe that has shade outside, sit down and do a few calls and emails while I wait for my ham sandwich. Some water and a cold small beer go down a treat. Old lady in the cafe put some butter on the sandwich, "because I think this is your lunch, and you should have a proper lunch" 

 

 

Street scene, after these two dudes sat together having a drink inside, they proceeded to have a conversation outside while maintaining their social distancing , there's so much rural portugal in this picture ...

 

Old lady over there in the shade with her cane is wearing full black, and it's 37º, she's got the cane ready for when the cat comes to shit on her flowers 

 

Back on the road, and a few kms later I stop to check my itinerary and a mini castle. Most common big birds now are storks:

 

 

Pretty proud of myself taking this picture, and I go and put my thumb in it

 

Half an hour later, the roads are ok but the heat is barely manageable. I stop at a fountain and wash my head to cool down.

 

 

Last stop before getting to the hotel is Marvão and it's castle. It's very high up and worth it for the views alone. There it is in the distance:

 

 

 

 

 

Make it to the hotel, and quickly make my way to the pool, to finish the day. I drank almost 1,5 liters of water just sitting there, plus a couple of beers, before starting to feel less thirsty.

 

Sofia joined me for dinner, I had some greats cuttlefish and clams cooked in garlic and olive oil, it was amazing. Too much wine was had.

 

 

Today my bike was ridden on dirtroads in 38º, it was pretty nice. I ‘ll wait a few days beford choosing a picture, it might get better. It’ll probably get hotter.

OK, it's now 22:00 and I'm about to type this after drinking a bottle of pretty average to shitty white wine, I hope you degenerates appreciate this. I don't want to be a day behind or else I fear I may never pick it back up 

So, yesterday evening yours truly had a memorable meal with an amazing view to the Douro River at sunset. I made friends with the people that own the small villa/hotel, I think the wife runs it and the husband cooks. He's quite good, and their own wine is something to be appreciated indeed. I'll come back for two reasons, second is to pick up a few of those bottles wether they want to sell them or not, and the other is to find a home for the Argan tree I have growing in a big pot at home. Me and Maria picked a few seeds off of the ground in Morocco, and I started to grow one one of them before she died. I love the thing to bits and would like to have it planted somewhere where it can grow with proper ground to put roots on and plenty of sunshine and heat. Yesterday I found the place, and the lady to water it while it needs the care. I'd get a kick of visiting my own Argan tree in the douro region, and talk to it while drinking some pristine wine. To me, that's cool as fuck.

So, ate well, drank too much, woke up at sunrise to go back to sleep and show up for breakfast at 8:30, the place is gorgeous and this is it in the morning light (long after sunrise, so sue me!)

 

I had a nice light lunch, homemade yogurt along with fresh fruits, some oj, and plenty of great coffee. People there were pretty worried I would eat bread of bacon and eggs, but this here is a man making an effort!

Rode off to one the Douro's most scenic viewpoints, just enough time to warm the bike up before getting there. Here in the north we get a lot of scenery but usually not big vistas, this is not the case. I stopped the bike with nobody else there but myself and it is a sight to behold. I'll just post a few pictures for you to get an idea of it, this side is Portugal, other side (uglier ) is Spain:

 

 

Riding over I notice these huge birds, eagles and vultures, they're so impressive because so high up you can see them from what seems like very close up

 

I have just started the day, but am sitting down by my bike happy to spend an hour or two just marveling at the view, might as well take it all in in peace and quiet before I go. Just take a second or two and see if you get the sense of space I got, pictures are taken with my phone, not a proper camera so you get what you pay for:

 

As soon as I'm settling down on a wooden bench wishing I had another nice cup of coffee, a bunch of lycra clad twats roll in. with a Kangoo following, Kangoo twat decides to provide Lycra twats with beverages, and there goes my piece and quiet. Guys shouting at each other left and right, 30 seconds later they're asking for beer, and flying a drone. Eagles and Vultures scatter as soon as the drone starts flying, so now I got twats screaming and drone in the air, and I'm starting to wish I was @Tym and packing heat.

Here, noisy lycra clad twats to my left:

 

Riding off, I'm on nice tarmac, but decide to abort and ride what seems like a more scenic route on google maps, except it's not tarmac. No problem, because as far as dirt roads go, I've never been in one with a better view in Portugal:

 

 

I'm bumbling along smoothly in third or fourth gear, when all of a sudden a huge shadow goes over me, I stop and notice a bunch of birds on top and beside me. Now, please bear with me a little bit, cellphone pictures of flying birds aren't that impressive here, but they were quite big:

 

The land whale waiting patiently:

 

Alone on top of a mountain looking at views and birds, I'm having a happy moment

 

Birds get closer and closer

 

Suddenly, a lot more of them start to circle on top, and I wonder if they might think me and the GS are in trouble. It is a shaft driven BMW after all, with a decidedly unproficient rider ...

 

I counted 30 birds at one time, being a little cold from the morning air I take my time to put on a light sweater and finally ride on, those 15 or 20 minutes all alone on top of a mountain with a few birds for company felt like a special experience. 

Riding on dirt, though, was a little harder work and as soon as I got on tarmac I was ready to stop to take the mid layer off 

I picked a place with some road porn for you, this is what you can expect to get if you book one of @Sofia 's future northern rides, view to the left:

With this road ahead:

Now don't get any ideas, this is my kind of road, but it's broken tarmac full of character, patches of gravel or dirt mid corner, big drops, and on sundays and summer months you also get the 5 people inside a Peugeot 307 station driving on the complete wrong side of the road.

Road is a good one, though

 

 

At Barca D'Alba , home of some amazing wines, and as the river stops being the border between Portugal and Spain and turn into Portugal, I say goodbye to Portugal's (and arguably one of the worlds) great wine regions, cross it, and continue to head south. But not before stopping to clean an oil drip coming off the oil filling cap. Barca D'Alba:

 

Still the Douro in the distance:

 

Road remains pretty great if you like twisties. Little further down the line, with the landscape getting smoother and the temperature increasing, I notice an add in front of a house and remember @Earache pondering a house in a certain biking paradise. Here you get a gentleman's home, there are surely plenty up for grabs in the area, I hereby wave my finder's fee:

 

Road starts to get straight at times, and landscape changes dramatically

 

Management noticed a few of you liked old stuff and culture. I am not usually one to stop for old stuff and buildings, but here you go, culture and old stuff. A medieval bridge (quite exciting, for medieval times) in a little square all restored in honor of a master sergeant who died in battle in 1642.

 

 

I did this as a tease, because with all due respect to the master sargeant, things are about to improve regarding old things. But first, look how this small road is closed, it crosses into Spain in a couple of kms: 

 

Now, arriving in Almeida's fortress. It's not a castle, but I like fortresses more:

You'd be proper fucked if you were stuck between these walls with a locked gate.

 

After parking the bike inside, I go for a short stroll on top of the walls, and a smells starts to make me hungry. Behind one of those tree down there you see a beige awning, three old dudes grilling chicken down there. 

 

One of the old chicken grilling dudes' ride, a Sachs V5, 50cc two stroke:

 

Top of the walls:

Main road into town:

And guard's shelter covering the entrance from above:

 

From top of the main entrance building in the previous pictures:

 

Looking into the square, this group of tourists is trying to take a timed picture of themselves. Poor guy is running back and forward. 

Eventually I make it down there and shoot their picture for them, after 15 minutes of trying I get an aplause 

Here's something historical for you

 

Fortress entrance:

 

Read up, culture:

 

Made my way away from Almeida, 

 

Few kms further on, another castle. This area is full of them, being a border area with Spain near Salamanca, a very important city in Spain back then, home of their biggest University of old. Castelo Bom (translated to Good Castle) is a tiny fortification, a village squeezed within walls

 

I rode in and found a spot to park, space is not abundant:

And away again:

 

I stop to give this guy a nose cuddle, I think it's apreciated because of the temporary fly relief

 

Little ways further, I stop for lunch. Wind is blowing a warm breeze, I have a nice wee and proceed to eat my sandwich, kindly prepared by the nice lady in the hotel, a little ham, a little cheese, little lettuce and a little butter in dark cereal bread. Lovely lunch and location, two cars passed the whole time I was stopped

 

On the picture above you can really see the difference between this morning's landscape and where I am going.

Stopped for an expresso after lunch. No normal portuguese person can go by without an expresso after lunch.

 

Getting tired of typing, just look at the nice pictures of the great forrest roads after I had my expresso

 

Nature slowly taking back this previously tarmac road, turned out to be a dead end.

 

Now in a pretty great forrest area, in a nature reserve and always taking the smallest roads possible. That's why it's taking so long to cross this small country

 

Going a little further south, I pass Fundão, this is more or less the center of Portugal if you look at it from north to south, it's a pretty flat area stuck between hills, and fucking hot. Right now I'm in need of a swim after crossing that damm in previous pictures. Saw a couple of small cottages right on the water but early birds had gotten the worm, serves me right for not making plans. I divert from the road to climb a little village with a small castle on top in search of a view. Long story short, there was a little fender bender, a very steep very narrow cobblestone street, a hot Pedro on top of a blowing GS, and I didn't feel like waiting around, so there you go, you get this instead, another house for sale, this time smaller and more modest but with a proper view. Don't move here though, you'll melt:

 

By this time, I'm melting, I pass a fuel station with the fuel light already on but decide to ignore it since the town where I'm sleeping has a couple of hotels so should have a fuel station as well.

Make it to the hotel and the nice swimming pool beside it, and jump right in

two or three hours later, I regret my choice of location, this is truly a one horse town, everything's closed or abandoned, I am looking to find a small typical joint to eat in, but no luck, the only thing I find is a great oak tree, typical of the area, and an abandoned guesthouse overrun by swallows

 

Make my way back to the hotel, and have a mediocre meal washed down with some average (at best) wine, missing my friends  from the previous night and their wine.

Tomorrow is another day, probably a warmer day as well. Bike as done about 550km on this fuel tank, need to deal with fuel first thing in the morning.

 

See ya...