October 15, 2022
A Very Lucky Break on the Way to Mertola
Alcoutim to Mertola
What a fabulous day. We are loving the Alentejo. The scenery, the people, the very quiet roads, the random old stuff. We are also starting to see other cyclists. All on organized tours of one form or another.
Breakfast at the Hotel Alcoutim was excellent. Well fuelled we headed out. Keith is having some trouble with his derailleur and did a little tinkering before we left. It seemed to do the trick. We rolled into Alcoutim to do a wee explore of the town, and Keith made a quick purchase of WD 40.
The first 13 kilometres were on a beautiful surface with equally beautiful views. We saw exactly one car the entire time. It was very up and down, with some pretty good climbs and the reward of amazing views each time we reached the top. It was sublime. It was pretty much everything we love about bike touring.
We made a turn off this fantastic road onto an equally unused highway and then were routed onto N122. There was light traffic, but always so respectful and careful. Keith had sent me ahead and I stopped and waited for him at the top of a longish hill. He had something to tell me. He had stopped for a drink, and out of habit patted the pocket where he zips his wallet. Wallet not there. No biggie, patted his other pocket. Now there was some consternation. Not there either. He looked over his shoulder, and he had ridden about 18 km with it sitting on top of his rear rack where he put it while stowing his purchase in Alcoutim. A very lucky break. We do have an AirTag in it and we could have biked up and down those hills again looking for it, but we were very, very happy we didn’t have to.
We stopped for a cold drink on the route. We had the nicest thing happen. A man on the patio started to smoke, and Keith, who can’t tolerate smoke, went to move. The smoker told him not to, and went for a walk instead. Keith thanked him for his thoughtfulness. The smoker rushed over to Keith when he realized we were leaving. He wanted to give us a two litre bottle of ice cold water. It was so kind, so unexpected and so appreciated. I am going to pay it forward at the first opportunity.
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2 years ago
After our break the ride was straightforward and continued to be just fabulous. We love the landscape. Even the flies were more cooperative today. When we came around the final curve into Mertola we were stunned. It is just gorgeous. We are just loving the Alentejo.
After checking in to our hotel we had a cold drink. Keith is happy to be back in SuperBock territory. We chatted with two cyclists on a group tour. They did a loop from Mertola today. Then another couple arrived from Canmore. They are on rented bikes for a few weeks. And then, just to add to the great atmosphere, the cyclist from Holland that we met in Alcoutim this morning arrived. He is on a self guided mountain bike tour.
We tore ourselves away from all this fun and walked up to the church, the castle and a restoration of a traditional moorish house.
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2 years ago
Then we did a boat tour on the river to see the town from a different angle. It was a real treat.
We then enjoyed wine on our huge terrace overlooking the river and contemplating dinner. It has been a full, fantastic day. Our mountain biking friend is right next door, and we suggested he hop the fence between our rooms and help us polish off the bottle of wine. We were so comfortable we elected to have dinner at the hotel and it didn’t disappoint. Why do we always forget to take pictures?
We feel very lucky, and one of the men on the supported tour told us how lucky we are that we both love to do this and can do this. We couldn’t agree with him more. He is on his own on this tour because his wife has no interest in biking, which is fair enough. We are so fortunate and so grateful that we both love this.
Today's ride: 40 km (25 miles)
Total: 1,530 km (950 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 11 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 3 |
Did you end up in Serpa or choose another destination? Hope you had a pleasant ride, i really did.
Have a good Europe7, and try to not skip Holland in nr8.
2 years ago
2 years ago