Back to Lisbon----again

November 29, 2017

What a difference a day makes! Today was sunny, with a blue sky, and with a strong wind that accompanied the weather change. Of course it was a headwind for the ride to Lisbon.

I left the hotel at about 9. The breakfast that was included in the room rate was not good, disappointing for an otherwise nice hotel. I had a bit of trouble finding my way through the one way streets down to the waterfront, and finding a suitable route. My Garmin didn't help when it sent me down the esplanade on a route that ended with a tall staircase. I had to turn around and backtrack.

No, Mr. Garmin, I'm not going up those stairs. Time to turn around.

I was on the busy national road for a while, took advantage of a few sections of bike trail, on a narrow shoulder-less and trolley-tracked road for a bit, and finally got to Belem, where the trail into Lisbon starts. It wasn't bad, for a ride into a European capital, but I wasn't really able to appreciate the waterfront.

Kilometer zero of the bike path near Belem. I spent the rest of the ride dodging pedestrians.

I wondered about someone doing push ups on the bike trail until I realized this was a dead end.

I'm back in Lisbon to catch a train to Porto tomorrow. I'm staying in another hostel, the Destination Hostel which is located in the Rossio Train Station. It is not the train station for the train to Porto, but it's a bit calmer than the other hostels I've been in in Lisbon. I booked a single room using the hotel's own booking site, and got a very strange confirmation for a triple room at twice the price of the single. I spent too much energy obsessing about it, but it turned out okay. There was an error on the site, and they did put me in a triple room by myself, but at the correct single rate. The single is just 5 Euros more than the dorm, but the dorm is expensive as hostels go.

After checking in, I went out and wandered for a bit. I've learned my way around this part of town. I bought a t-shirt, excited to anticipate a full load of laundry in Porto and be able to wash both of the t-shirts I've been alternating.

Live ballet to help sell underwear in Lisbon.

Today's ride: 30 km (19 miles)
Total: 1,036 km (643 miles)

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