To Mertola, Portugal

July 3, 2023

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Today was a short mile, and easy climbing day. We went to the provided breakfast. It was good. Meat, cheese, breads, yogurt. Typical for here. No eggs. Those are hit and miss. No sliced fruit, but we got a banana and an apple to go. It was included, so we thought it was a good deal.

I still would have gotten going earlier, but I appreciate Jacinto's company. He putzes a lot in the morning. He's moving, but it's not swiftly!

The olive groves of yesterday are gone today. We had short rollers over dry plains. Traffic seemed to pick up. Where it was going, I don't know. The road was definitely not of the quality we were accustomed. In some places the pavement had patches. In other places, the patches had bits of pavement. It reminded us of home in both the pavement quality and the amount of traffic. Portugal seems to have more normal sized pickup trucks for ranch work. We haven't seen as many vans pulling trailers.

What we have noticed in Portugal is that hotel check in is 3 PM and they are strict about it. In Spain, check in seems to be noon. In Portugal the restaurants don't seem to close as long in the afternoons, but sometimes they just don't open again in the evening. That is also true of grocery stores.

Jacinto got ahead of me on a climb, and I didn't see him until mile 25 at Sao Domingo, where he was waiting at a grocery store that had ice. We drank a cold drink, topped off with ice, and took off for the last ten miles. I had reread the Grampie's trip to Mertola where they talked about the big climb out of town. As I went down, down, down the hill, I wondered if I would be grinding my way back out tomorrow. Yes. I will. It's three miles back to our intersection. Damn. That's quite a hill.

Jacinto was waiting for me at the roundabout. We went to the first restaurant on the left, and sat at a table for maybe five minutes. They were slammed. The poor waitstaff. We didn't get a menu or anything. We went to the restaurant across the road. Same story there. We ended up leaving, thinking that a restaurant closer to our hotel might be less busy.

Here I was congratulating us on not getting lost for several days, but we took the high street when we should have taken the low street to the Hotel Museo. A happy note is that they had a snack bar. We both ordered a hamburger, and a chicken salad to share. Which led me to comment that I haven't seen chicken on the menu for days. Maybe we don't know what chicken is in Portuguese. Frango - Jacinto says that has been on the menu. It's a little late now. Mile 12 tomorrow and we are in Spain again.

When we first sat down on the patio to eat, the shade and fresh air felt good. By the time we could check in to the hotel, we were past ready. There was a line to check in. We were last, which was probably a good thing, as I gave the clerk my spiel about riding the bike, it's hot, I'm slow, it's a big hill, could I possibly get a to go breakfast. She spoke excellent English, and is on a training schedule for an event, and has a 3.5 hour ride herself tomorrow. She can't leave until she drops the kids off at school, so will be riding in the heat herself. I can pick up a sack breakfast tonight. Jacinto will stay and eat the buffet breakfast. I am estimating that it will take me an hour to get back up the hill. There's a gas station at mile 20 tomorrow for ice. I told Jacinto he needs to catch me by then.

Jacinto said he saw another bicycle rider checking in, but he didn't have any bags at all on the bike. Jacinto didn't ask questions, as the man was checking in. Our bikes are locked in the handicap bathroom. The breakfast attendant doesn't come to work until 7:45, but I know where the key is to the bathroom, so can get the bike out myself. Jacinto says the hotel door should open, so I can leave. I hope to be on the road by 7 at the latest, to try and make at least the first climb before it gets hot.

We start out from the hotel, not the apartments, which are down the street.

We saw about a half mile of poles with nests on top of every pole. I didn’t see any birds in residence. Perhaps they were hoping to encourage nesting?

This is an unusual church design for the area.

Mertola from the top of the opposite hill.

Today's ride: 35 miles (56 km)
Total: 682 miles (1,098 km)

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