Final thoughts from Iberia

Last Port-o' call

Awaking with the dawn, I set forth on the final leg of this tour to Porto. I plan to spend the afternoon in Porto and only need to ride about 50km. As my couchsurfing host Jean-Marc is not available until 17:09, I take the more circuitous route along the impressively bike-friendly coastal road : beautiful coastline with extensive beaches all the way to Porto. 

I take the wrong bridge over the river from Gaia to Lisbon. This bridge is strictly for cars only, but it's Portugal so, hey, it's not enforced and I even pass by some traffic cops and the motorists try to make way as best they can for me. 

Jean-Marc is a Couchsurfing embassador which entails organising events, keeping the city's CS community safe and feeding back to HQ. For which he is paid nowt, except in karma points. He has hosted and travelled extensively and we compare CS stories and far-flung lands visited over some beers. There is a large festival in Portugal on 25th April each year celebrating the country's liberation from fascism. This being the eve of Liberation Day, there is a large concert and fireworks display in the city's central plaza. 

Despite Jean-Marc having only moved to Lisbon 10 days ago, he has already his favourite patisseries, bars and galleries: a real local guide. I spend most of the day with Baptiste, another CS guest who has just joined us chez Jean-Marc from his Camino de Santiago walk. Jean-Marc's apartment is incidentally on the Camino route. Baptiste has completed more than 90,000km hitchhiking, despite being only 24 and plans to make a video guide on how to hitchhike. He is now heading south to Morocco to do some more research there. 

We have a big dinner at home, full of colours and tapas-style and my calorie deficit from biking possibly goes back into the black after all these weeks. 

Furadoura, ferries are the best!

The problem with camping for me is that I fall asleep when the sun sets and then wake at about 4am, unable to get to sleep again. My body refuses to sleep more than 7 hours which means I am usually awake reading until sunrise... weird sleeping rhythm. 

Today promises to be nearly totally flat, but with the headwind picking up strength... always something to push against. Today's biking is relatively free of car traffic as there is a long peninsula with a ferry crossing at the end, meaning that cars usually choose the roads more inland to avoid the ferry costs. This happens often in Portugal and makes cycling a much nicer affair than, say, in Spain. 

As always, bringing a bike onto the ferry costs nothing extra and I meet four other Germans on bikes at the Gafanha da Nazaré ferry terminal. Two are on electric bikes, and I happily accept the wind shadow they provide for the next 15km, albeit at 25km/h. 

Finding a near deserted beach, or probably 30km of beach, is easy even though I am only 50km away from Porto. Last sunset needs to be thoroughly appreciated, so I set up camp early and stay on the beach a few hours. I am treated to an especially lovely sunset for this my last day in Portugal's "wilderness". 

Quiaios, a rocky road to another sunset

Leaving the Italians to voyage on south, I head north, remembering to keep the ocean on my left. It's hot and sticky today, with the ever present head winds.... I thought that the prevailing winds were usually south westerly, but maybe that's only in Ireland. I have the feeling that I have only had one day when the wind was in my favour this whole trip. I also find a few Eurovelo 1 signs... It has been a while. 

The goal is to make 90km today and find a nice dune to experience another sunset. This being Portugal, this task is easily achieved, albeit having to cycle off the beaten track. The beach is completely devoid of people and any signs of civilization. 

Nazarre, surfing Mecca

Once again I have planned not to do many kilometres today (60km), but it proves challenging nevertheless. I take a detour through the walled historic town of Obidos. It's very impressive with access into the city walls and stunning panoramas. Naturally also full with tourists and the ever present tourist shops selling mostly tat. 

It is hot, windy and hilly again today and progress is slow. Thankfully there is little traffic at this time of year and taking the main roads is relatively quiet. 

I had seen surfing videos about the epicly big waves being surfed in Nazarre. Imagine my disappointment when I find the town filled with tourists, cars and lots motorbikes. Maybe it is amazing here when the big swells roll in, but there are better, more quiet spots on the coast where the waves are just as good. I don't stay long and cycle further north to find my dune for the night. 

After setting up my tent, I meet three Italians who have rented a mobile home to go down the coast of Portugal. They generously invite me to dine with them and we chat until midnight under a nearly full moon.