BASED on my title comment, I am anticipating that this entry could be a little shorter than others.
Breakfast was great, chatting with owner Fatima, and a Polish motorcyclist, a German hiker, two Parisian tourists and two Portuguese tourists. Many languages and countries covered.
The forecast suggested 0.1 mm of rain at 9 am but until 930 or 945 it was absolutly pouring cats and dogs, so I delayed and hung out in my room hoping things would improve. One weather website said it wasn't even raining, and another said there would be a good chance of showers every hour or so. I liked the first one, to be honest.
After pouring rain and booming thunder, the rain started to taper to a drizzle then actually stopped and I could see to the southwest that skies were brighter then patches of blue and finally clear skies! So, it was time to load up the bike and go.
I walked the bike down through the old centre and to the water's edge where I had gone yesterday and then started following my thin purple line which was the EV 1 route. It was really busy in the city and once I crossed the river and passed the marinas, it started to quiet down, and when the route continued on a designated cycle route the only other traffic was one touring cyclist going the oposite way.
The route was flat and followed alongside the railway track and sure enough one two-car train came zipping along at one point. Initially paved, the route became a dirt road but having rained earlier, and being used by fiherman to get to the water's side, there was quite enough mucky spray onto the bike so that once I was back onto paved EV I stopped to use clear stram water to rinse the grit off the bike. This was to both make it look better as well as to keep the drivetrain from destroying itelf.
As I got closer to Portimāo the traffic continued to grow until i was on a fairly busy road. The route turned off the busier one to work its way to the centre, but it, too, got busier as I went along. As per my norm, when I approached the centre I switched my GPS to the address of my guest house and once I entered the old city I figured I was close, and sure enough - I was.
The guest houes faced a nice little city park with cafes, trees and a fountain. I went up to the door and rang the bell and a pleasant woman opened up and signaled for me to carry my bike right in the front door and up the stairs to the first floor. With the bike setr in a wide area in a hallway, she proceeded to check me in though it was still early - she said the room was ready so said it was no problem. When she showed me the breakfast room she pointed out a tray of pastel de nata and to take what I wanted - I have to admit I took one and it was delicious.
The owner showed me my room, and oh my, is it ever a cute room. I just want to sit in it and admire it! But I didn't. I went out for a walkabout and found the fish restaurant I enjoyed in 2019. This time I did not have to wait in line to get in and once I ordered a beer and a tuna hamburger, it was not long at all until it was brought to my table. And once again, it was amazing. Tuna and a type of mayo with garlic, chpped tomatoes and lettuce, on a delicious Portuguese roll. Fabulous. It didn't look that big but I was stuffed when I was done.
Next up was to wander around the old town and along the water's edge across from my guest house from last time. Some areas were fairly busy but others were pretty quiet so I could explore in peace. I started to get a bit tired so I returned to my guest house and on the way I noticed a group of Canadians across the road in the little park. I chatted with them a wee bit then returned to my room where I sinally cleaned up and did a bit of gear cleanup as well after today's messy paths.
I ended up dozing - surprise! - until all of a sudden it was evening and was raining outside. Oh well.
Tomorrow I am off to Albufeira. I already heard from my hostess who encouraged me to arrive early so she could check me in. Thus, after the inlcuded breakfast here I will head off to tomorrow's spot where I will be for two nights for a day of rest and maybe a barefoot walk on the beach in Albufeira! The same beach where I built a pyramid when our family was there in spring 1982.
Finally out of the crazy traffic I was through fields of citrus, almonds and greens of some type. -- Lagos, Portugal
Bill ShaneyfeltLooks like peanuts
https://poplargrove.org/discover/gullah-geechee-2/peanuts/#:~:text=Peanuts%20are%20most%20often%20associated,medieval%20worlds%20of%20West%20Africa. Reply to this comment 3 weeks ago
Hard to see in the pictures but in this field are a number of poles all of which have stork nests on them. There must be fifty or more oif them and each nest had one or two storks in it. Some were flying around. Some were picking up sticks or food on the ground. It was awesome, and other people thought the same for many were stopping to stare in wonder and snap photos. It seems it is a place where conservationists bring them for nesting. -- near Portimão, Portugal
Kind of a dull photo but if you look closely at the signpost you'll see the direction for the racing track. As in the location of the Portuguese F1 race including during Covid when other tracks were closed. -- Portimāo, Portugal
https://poplargrove.org/discover/gullah-geechee-2/peanuts/#:~:text=Peanuts%20are%20most%20often%20associated,medieval%20worlds%20of%20West%20Africa.
3 weeks ago