Sally here.  I wrestled the iPad from John.  First a tribute to my old friends Tass and Bruce to “Live your dreams!” 

Everyone we have met in Portugall has been kind and helpful.  From the very start— our flight over — we chatted with Cristina and Oscar, a lovely Portuguese couple who told us to let them know if we needed anything.  Andre, our Airbnb host in Alfama, Lisbon, was equally charming.  The many random people we met were happy to chat in English, or if no English, teach us some Portuguese.  But it would be hard to surpass the welcome of an entire houseful of young internationals at the Surfer’s Den in Ericeira.  They were beautiful to a person, and took us old folk under their wing for a Friday night on the town.  (No, we didn’t stay out til 4 am clubbing, not even close.) Everyone should experience the Surfer’s Den but you won’t get to meet Christian, Alden, Felipe, Lynn, JohnJoe, Emi, Charlie or the rest.  Well, maybe Lynn, the Swedish goddess of moon and tides, will still be there.

We have had some idyllic days—ok, actually just one, with minimal time at the bike shop (addressing John’s tire this time) and calm winds northbound on EuroVelo 1.  For the record, we are going the wrong way(!!).  The prevailing winds…from the north… have been strong enough to push us off the path.  So, friends, as with Rte 101 on the west coast, ride the coastal tailwinds south only!  The beaches and scenery, north or southbound, have been outstanding and the many towns charming, if eerily quiet. For my naturalist and forester friends, I am working on some writing.  But being mostly tired as I’ve been, I ask for patience.

The route has taken us on the backroads and paths, with some stretches on too busy roads (no pictures), and others that an ATV would have trouble navigating.  Many people mentioned the Portuguese coast was hilly.  They weren’t kidding.  Hilly and steep—so steep that our weighted front wheels popped up at times.  Day 4 and our legs are beat.

Saturday night was what they call “wild camping.”  We found a perch above the Atlantic and busted out the tent for a first.  We hiked down for a dip in the ocean before dark.  The camp was a “10”—could the first camp spot be the best of the trip??  Stay tuned…