In May, on the day we arrived in Tomar, we stopped for lunch at the end of a lengthy climb, beside a church in a town named Chaos. It felt a little chaotic. Some of the group was riding with COVID. Someone was having issues with flat tires and I was riding a normal bike - my e-bike having broken down the previous day. After lunch we had a glorious ride down nine kilometers of steep downhill. I remember (it may have simply been my imagination) saying, "I wouldn't want to ride up that hill." So....how did our fifth day of riding begin. We rode up that hill where we stopped for a selfie by the church where we'd eaten lunch. Had we been smart, we would have stopped there and given thanks for the blessings of travel and the ride - quit and come home.
My brilliant inspiration in planning for this trip had been to follow in reverse some of the routes we'd used in the spring. I thought, it'll be nice to be in somewhat familiar places. All that worked. The roads were great for riding on. There was little traffic and we could see how spring had moved through summer towards fall. The gardens had grown. There was perhaps less colour now as plants faded towards winter hibernation; but it was an interesting contrast to the earlier trip. So we moved forward. Pedalling towards our next destination - which was a little east of the route we'd followed in the spring. In preparing I'd looked at the map and found roads that seemed to work for the trip - and they did work in that they eventually got us to where we were going.
Somewhere along the way where in the spring we'd come from the west, we took a right turn onto a smaller country road. All was good. It was a pretty ride. Stone fences. Olive Trees. Few houses and even fewer cars. The terrain began to change and we rose towards the top of a mountain where a summer forest fire had devastated the landscape. We'd heard about the fires in Portugal and Spain during the worst of the heat this summer. On this day we got to see it first hand. We could see where the crews had moved in and eventually brought the fire under control. At the top of the mountain we could see the scars of the fires around the communities in the valleys hither and yon.
The road dropped into one of those valleys and as we came around the bend the GPS indicated a turn ahead. It was onto a cobble road. I groaned at the bouncing and hoped that it wouldn't be for long. What I'd missed in my planning was the next kilometer at grades of 12-16 percent. I was ok. I put the motor into sport mode and up the hill I went. Sandy had to walk. Her bike is working perhaps as well as we can expect, but most of the cyclists we know would balk at 16 percent grade for any length of time. I wondered how much trouble I might be in for following this route - not that I'd certain there were better alternatives. I lay my bike on the road and walked down to help Sandy with her bike. As we came to the peak pushing the bike along came a car. I wonder what they thought. Sandy has Canadian flags on her shirt and we're clearly out of place. I signalled to warn them of my bike laying in the road. They slowed, weaved around my bike and continued on. After a short rest at the top we continued on towards the unknown. The ride was an adventure - beautiful and unique - but it's not a route I'd recommend to anyone riding the Camino. Perhaps stick to the the tried and the true. I might have chosen a route further to the east that was closer to the Camino proper. We had an adventure and did eventually find our way there - but it was one of the most challenging days of cycling we've had in Portugal...cobbles, 16 percent grade, don't do this at home folks.
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| Sandy's walking somewhere down there |
Once at our destination, Alvaiazere, our accommodation was simple and basic. It was an Alberge the traditional stopping places for pilgrims on the Camino. The bed was hard and small - a second single bed provided us with sufficient room for the night. Our meals were in the adjoining restaurant which opened at 7pm. We arrived and our meal consisted of soup, a choice between fish and meat (chances are, in Portugal, meat means pork) and desert. The price for the two of us, including wine, was 28 Euros - the least expensive restaurant we've eaten in this trip. To be fair the prices in most of the restaurants are reasonable. It is rare, with the exception of tourist centers like Lisbon to pay more than 100 euros for a full three course meal - appetizers, entree and desert with wine.
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