Monsaraz and Évora

March 23, 2012

It's barely light - just a glow coming from the window - and I have no idea what time it is, although it's clearly very early. I open the wooden shutters and see the sky is a dim pink and decide to take a photo of it and venture outside, being careful not to make too much noise closing the front door to the guesthouse.

My watch says it's not yet seven, so, with it being set an hour fast, the actual time must be an hour before and it's chilly and the streets are obviously deserted, just like they were last night when I went for a bite to eat. My big Crocs make the only sound as I walk along the cobbled streets.

Breakfast is at 8:30. There's only me again. As usual, there's toast, jam, cheese and ham, but also some chocolate cereal, which I have two bowls of with hot milk.

The road out towards Monsaraz has few vehicles at around 10 o'clock. It's level for a while, just beside a lake, which a sign says is a river, then across a long bridge and up a climb to the hilltop village.

As I get close the walls make it look like a castle and I didn't know what to expect as I've done almost no research but recall Lonely Planet said it was a nice place, one of their top recommendations for Portugal.

The crest of the climb provides me with a grand vista and I can see the bridge by the lake/river that I crossed earlier. I've only cycled about 15 km, but it's been one of those days when my legs aren't working too well.

The streets of Monsaraz are all cobbled; the thin stones set in lines running cross-ways, with a single linear row running down the centre of the wider streets, forming, I guess, a drainage channel. It's bumpy and my bike makes a noise that sounds loud in the quietness of the village.

A few pairs of tourists are wandering around and I keep bumping into them as I wander about, taking photos. A Dutch couple stop to chat and ask about my tour.

The village is like in a museum, with no-one actually living in the place, yet it's a real village. It's too idyllic to be true; the homes are ridiculously cute, painted white as is custom, and have irregular features such as low doors and external stairs.

A truck delivering propane gas trundles slowly along one street, where I spot a shop and buy a cold drink.

It'as about lunch time so I find a place to eat tucked down an alley. There are a couple of locals inside, but I opt to sit outside and order a salad which gets served in the shade on a small piazza that's adjacent to a church. My bike is propped against the church wall.

I spend over two hours in Monsaraz. It's not a big place, basically two streets run the length of it, but I just like hanging around.

Initially I drop down the hill I rode up, but then remember there's a different way to get to Évora, at least for a while, so I pedal back up to the crest, get to the roundabout, then head for a place named Reguengos de Monsaraz.

I'm just at the outer edge of Monsarz when I see a loaded cyclist riding up towards me. Jan from Hamburg is on a two-week tour and riding a German-made bike sporting a Rohloff hub; his Ortlieb panniers look new. We chat for a while and he mentions the place he'd stayed in Évora, a hostel that he suggests and marks its location on the photocopy of the city map I have from Lonely Planet and I write the name down: Sant Antao Hostel.

Jan reckons the main road to Évora isn't too bad. After 20-odd kilometers, once I've made my way through the pottery town of Reguengos, I find out for myself. It's a narrow strip of busy road, with no shoulder to speak of and my tyres are close to the white line by its edge, with vehicles, including HGVs whizzing by and lasts a while, until it forms a wider, newer, road.

The last dozen kilometers are safer, but hardly enjoyable and I keep counting down the distance and it's a relief to see the town's church tower appear in the distance.

The sun is low and it's basically dusk as I make my way into the centre, searching for the square on the map - the hostel. It feels, once I'd carried my panniers and bike up the stairs, a place to stay a couple of nights. My old body is due a rest.

Today's ride: 80 km (50 miles)
Total: 776 km (482 miles)

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