Christmas ride, southern Portugal

[Pedro]

This isn't meant to be a commiserations thread, but riding my bike has literally saved my life over the last two years. I lost my wife to be months before we married, two years ago on February, and life hasn't been easy since. Riding a motorcycle is great therapy, and riding the motorcycle  that we both shared on trips all over takes me somewhere special. I wasn't feeling sad on these days, riding the bike.

Last year I spent Christmas week drinking wine and crying at home, this year I pushed myself to do something different, and I was feeling like going on a trip. The weather was crappy during Christmas Eve's day so I stayed in, but coming the 25th I couldn't wait anymore, and took to the road, taking small roads from my home in Azambuja to Faro, going the long way through deep Alentejo. Look it up in google Maps using locations I name, and it'll make sense.

 

Woke up late, and got on the bike even later, slightly tired and hungover, it was the 25th so everything was closed, I fueled the bike the previous day so I could ride for more than a day on slow roads, but my body was lacking an expresso. Found one after 11AM in Mora on a typical Alentejo lazy Xmas morning:

 

Rode on, and stopped exiting Mora to say hello to local farm animal life, the great thing about riding the December 25th is that I stopped for 10 minutes and no car came by:

 

My pictures are too big, I'll continue right away

 

 

 

[Pedro]

Carrying on, 

 

 

 

[Pedro]

I'm a little inept at this, I'll figure out a way to makes the pictures smaller and carry on in a little bit

 

 

[boboneleg]

I know that you said it's not meant to be a commiserations thread Pedro but that's so sad.  I'm sure I remember a ride report in the past where you were just starting to take her out on the bike you had back then (Transalp? )

I hope life is treating you better now.

[XTreme]

You don't need to.......the system resizes them down Pedro.

Click choose files below the editor then just drag and drop all the images you have into the box.

[Pedro]

So, carrying on with Pete's help...

 

Stopped at Arraiolos' Castle ruins, can you say vista?

 

 

This is Alentejo in it's best. It's known as being hot and dry, and indeed a lot of people only travel through it on motorways going to the Algarve in the summer, and see yellow dried out plains through a car window, to me both the Alentejo and the Algarve provide the best motorcycling roads Portugal has to offer, and although I'm from the north, I feel at home only with big horizons.

Shortly after, I stop for lunch. Knowing I would find little offer for lunch on the 25th December, I packed a lunch from home and found a stop to enjoy my crackers, spicy tuna, apple and almonds:

 

Shortly, back on the road:

 

Stopped at the Alqueva dam, huge manmade water reservoir, an amazing sight:

And stopped for another expresso next to the water. The lack of cars is refreshing.

Heading south from Alqueva:

 

Sun was starting to set, so I decided to stop and check booking for somewhere to stop. Although it wasn't late, this is deer and wild boar country, and it was starting to get cold:

 

 

 

Found a nice place to stop and sleep for quite cheap, parked and enjoyed hot shower:

Headed out for dinner and walked the deserted streets looking for somewhere open, after a nice unfruitful walk came back to the cafe closed to the hotel, and settled there. No pictures of the food, but I found it funny that their definition of "just a little more wine" was this:

 

 

Had an early night, cold deserted streets were not inviting so went to bed and watched some TV. Early on, got on the bike and headed out.

A lot of night moisture made for a wet bike with a wet cold seat. Made quick work of it with the hotel's towel since sitting on a cold wet seat wearing jeans is a nice way to ruin your morning!

 

 

I slept a little north of Mertola, but instead of heading straight there, took what looked to be the scenic way there, and wasn't disappointed. This was a dead end, but well worth it 

This reminded me of Morocco:

 

Except you have nicer roads here, heading to the Guadiana river:

Damn brits, they're everywhere:

 

Made way to Mertola via a really nice dirt road. The kind of dirt road you don't find often, grippy, moist, compacted well maintained dirt that is fun to ride but doesn't even get your bike dirty:

 

 

After Mertola, a little ways down, road was too good to stop for pictures, lunch stop in Alcoutim. On the other side of the water, you can see Spain:

 

 

Had some nice Biqueirão for lunch (don't know the name for it in english, small fish, with olive oil, garlic and vinegar, little bit of bread and there you go! We are after all arriving in the Algarve, so you have to go Mediterranean:

As soon as my plate arrived, these guys came asking for their share:

 

After lunch, I followed the Guadiana river south, but didn't feel like taking pictures. Starting to get closer and closer to the sea, I stopped in the hills a few seconds after crossing the top to see the ocean in the distance:

 

 

 

In the distance, you have Tavira, which is a charming Algarve town. Made my way to Faro where I would spend a few days, and went to the beach to enjoy the end of the afternoon while sipping something cold:

 

More to come...

 

 

 

[XTreme]

Absolutely amazing Pedro! Superb shots......and I absolutely love the bike!

This is what I was talking about in the "Why start this forum" thread........you just can't do justice to stuff of this quality on Facebook.

[Pedro]

The previous day, arriving at Faro, went for dinner at a friend's restaurant, and got properly drunk. Got home late and slept like a stone, just what I needed. The day after I woke up refreshed, and decided to go and see something new, got out of Faro via some great twisties, and made my way to Almodovar where I got out of the N2, Portugal's most famous road (and overhyped like all most famous things) and made my way West via some more interesting roads:

 

I pondered crossing this, but visions of being stranded on a riverbed and a burned clutch, made me not do it:

 

Instead, I made my way to Monchique using small tarmac roads, and was lucky to find the restaurant with the best view ever, some great food for a hungover stomach, and a free table outside:

 

Monchique hilltop is 900m high, with a straight view to the ocean. Makes for an amazing view, amazing experience, and if you are into it, amazing biking roads:

 

In the distance you have Sarges, the most south-eastern spot in mainland Europe

 

As always, had a coffee, nothing else to do and carried on back to the seaside, heading to Lagos:

 

And then back to Faro on the motorway. Took me 3 hours on small roads and dirt roads to get to lunch, and 45 minutes riding fast on a motorway to get back.

 

The next day I was really tired, so took to washing the bike, and taking a short ride to Vilamoura, to dry the bike and a spot of lunch:

 

As always, sunset on the beach, this time with a friend before some great sushi:

 

[Pedro]

Carrying on, coming back home, left Faro on a late morning, and headed north on N2, quickly got out of the main national road (which is by itself not a main road), and found that in the Algarve you can point your bike anywhere you feel like on the hills and find good riding roads:

 

A brief stop on the front steps of a church for lunch, the usual tuna with crackers and fruit (I've been on a diet), but with a view:

 

Heading back north, I took very few pictures, rode amazing roads, some of the same, and went to meet a friend in Estremoz for some dinner and overnight stay. Brief stop for a sip of water and a text announcing my arrival time, close to sunset the light was so pretty I couldn't help but enjoy it for a few minutes:

 

My spot for the night:

 

And some amazing (if expensive) portuguese black pig presunto:

 

This was now new year's eve. I left early from Estremoz and headed back to home to Azambuja, it was a really cold but crisp day, brief stop exploring Avis, near Portalegre:

 

Heading into the freezing mist, it was about 6 or 7º in the sunshine, a lot less in the fog:

 

 

 

 

After this, I was half freezing, and didn't feel like stopping for pictures, the last 60 or 80km are boring anyway, so just rode home for a hot shower. Arrived early enough to have lunch at home, and spend a quiet afternoon waiting for the year to pass. 

[Pedro]

1 hour ago, boboneleg said:

I know that you said it's not meant to be a commiserations thread Pedro but that's so sad.  I'm sure I remember a ride report in the past where you were just starting to take her out on the bike you had back then (Transalp? )

I hope life is treating you better now.

Y've known me for ages, dude. I took Maria out on the R1150GS I had a few years after the Transalp, to Morocco. Then got this current bike and went to Morocco as well, twice, where I proposed to her.

It's one of the reasons riding this bike means a lot, taking either short rides or longer one is just something that feel like home, and sort of normal.

Thanks for the wishes, though, I still feel sad most of the time but there is no way around that really.

[Pedro]

38 minutes ago, XTreme said:

Absolutely amazing Pedro! Superb shots......and I absolutely love the bike!

 

Your yellow R1150GS was the first BMW I ever rode, and that made me think of my previous very unreliable R1150GS, which made me buy this one. They simply are on another level when it come to handling rough roads with a passenger.

I've got a new set of shocks ready to go on this one, waiting for my mechanic to be open.

 

[Catteeclan]

Me and Mandi travelled through Portugal, Spain and France last year. Didn't manage to capture the pictures you have.
Great report as always. 
So sorry you lost your wife to be.

[Pedro]

Thank you @Catteeclan, nothing has ever been the same, she was my better half by far.

 

Next time you come by, ask where to go and I'll send you on some nice roads, or just follow the same rules as everywhere else, go for the places marked on free on maps and use white and yellow roads