Sofia and Pedro´s Portugal trip 3rd installment: The South

[Sofia]

The Sun was out the next day, day 4, and we were going to enter a region that is very familiar to me. Although I am a gypsy, due to my Father's career, always moving around, Alentejo is where I have deeper roots. I worked in this area for a few years before emigrating to the UK, so I am, one could say, home and I love everything about it! 

 

A recreation of when my brother used to trow me in this very river!! 

 

Although this area it is relatively flat and a hill of 300 meters is considered to be a mountain, there is a big variation between towns and villages, that have their onw, very distinctive character. In one of them there is a church on top of said 300 meters of dizzy heights (!) with nice views all around and because Pedro didn´t know it, of course we had to go up there!!  Coming down was all off road and another achievement for me ( really not an off road fan ) and my bike with the Pirelli shoes!! I was very proud of both of us! 

Next stop was Estremoz, one of the “white cities” of Alenttejo, world famous for the marble extracted here and now also famous for some of the best wine produced in POrtugal. 

House of many kings and queens of Portugal, especially King Dinis and Holy Queen Isabel, Estremoz has a substantial heritage. Both in terms of culture and archaeology, which we can see in the many monuments spread across the city.

 Pedro went to the castle to collect Castle points, seeing that this day involved a lot of Castle visits!! And what a beautiful castle it is, the impressive Tower of the Three Crowns stands out. It is considered one of the most beautiful donjons in Portugal, made of marble, it is 28 metres high (92 ft). But this was not just a beautiful Castle, since its creation in the 12th Century it served as a base for troops fighting the neighbours to keep our independence. It's a recurring theme, right?! Bloody neighbours!!! 

 

 

Absolute sacrilege!! I put my bike inside the church entrance...

 

I am very keen on history, as you might have gathered, and wanted to see some of the Megalitic monumets still around in this region so we went to see a dolman. Pedro was unaware of what a dolman was and totaly missed all my jokes about dolmens! To get to it turned out to be 2 kms of serious off road,( Pedro disagrees)  so I went pillion to see it. Its unkept, left to its own devises, and not cared for. In some ways its a good thing its "free" to be itself and one doesnt have to pay a ticket to see it! 

 

 

 

 

 

We were on our way to the Alqueva, the biggest artificial lake in Europe created by a new  dam in the river Guadiana, designed to tackle the chronic drought problems in a region that could see 3 years without any rain fall. It has had an enormous impact on the environment, flooding vast areas of land and causing the displacement of 2 entire villages, but in fairness now there is water to irrigate thousands of hectares of farmland and no shortage of water supply in the homes. The lake that now exists is full of leisure activity, surrounded by beautiful hotels and great restaurants, serviced by incredibly good roads that link towns and villages that have been historically left behind in the past. 

A very special thing to do in the Alqueva is star gazing. There is virtually no light pollution, it is incredibly peaceful and with mild temperatures the majority of the time, spending a few hours laying on our backs looking at the sky is for sure a cool thing to do! 

After some deliberation, it was decided to spend the night in another medieval castle, perched on top of one of the rare elevations in this flat land, famous for being small and cute, but also fierce in its long history. Yes, you guessed it, used to help keep the spanish at bay and long  before that, in the Wars of Reconquest from the Moors while under the management of the Knights of the Temple. In the name of the King, of course!! 

 

Our accomodation for the night was the cute little stone house with the gorgeous terrace that was asking for a sunset drinking session! We proceeded to find

the Castle Wine Shop, an exhausting stroll of 100 meters, and returned with a bottle of wine and some local  cheese to enjoy one of the most memorable evenings of the trip. After that we did another exhausting stroll of 50 meters to the restaurant where great food was had,  finished off with one of my favourite desserts, a very light affair of lots of eggs and sugar, encharcada!! 

 

 

We left the Castle with great determination, aiming for ALgarve, but first we needed breakfast by the lake! 30 minutes later there we were eating a toast at the new Marina, in no big rush to move on, which was indicating our bodies and spirits were asking for a rest day after so much riding, so much beauty, so much emotion. 

But before we left, we signed the guest book and Pedro expressed his artistic side!! 

 

And so it was that when we stopped to visit a potential place to stay with the moto tours, the feeling of wanting to linger got stronger and stronger, we looked at each other thinking the same thought and Pedro asked for a room. Luckily, seeing it was a Friday and its a popular place, they had one. 

 

 

 

We had never been there, but in a funny way we knew already we would love this place. We both have enjoyed many bottles of wine produced there and it is a place that feels like home to me, the farm, the farmhouse, the land, the views, all are similar to places where I have spent a large part of my life. I was hit from the start with waves of nostalgia and they kept coming until the following day. 

After settling in, we enjoyed a light lunch while chatting to the owner, an architect that has a passion for historical buildings and has restored the house and outbuildings with ancient materials and techniques, respecting the traditional buildings to the core. All the small details are proof of how much care has been invested in this place. 

The pool had already “talked” to Pedro and he could not resist  a dip in the water. Afterwards, it transpired he was carefully engineering a way to throw me in the pool, fully clothed and all!!! Somehow I managed to outsmart him and spoiled his plans. 

 

Before diner we had a stroll around the vineyards.

Dinner was so, so good and the whole experience there was a great appetizer for when the moto tours are up and running!! 

 

 

Breakfast came with the special orange cake that my maternal grandmother used to make and that hit of nostalgia brought tears with it. Impossible not to, when after 25 years the flavour of a Grandmother's love comes back to remind you how special she was. As luck would have it, the lady that makes the cake was there and the recipe I would not be able to get any other way, is now in my cookbook and I will make it many times! The first go was already a success!! 

Life and its endless box of surprises. 

New day, Algarve on the horizon we set off refreshed and looking forward to the roads we did together in 2020 through the southern most picks of Portugal. It was going to be another long day on the saddle, but the temperature was very pleasant and from now on we would be in Pedro´s favourite territory, where he encounters inner peace while pushing the GS and the knobbles to the absolute limit! 

Here we find pieces of motorcycling heaven, roads that stretch in front of us weaving themselves up hills full of wildflowers, mini pine trees and lushness typical of Spring. This year it has rained a lot and this normally dry area is particularly beautiful at the moment. 

https://youtu.be/szpRQhyR5Ok

 

Mid afternoon we join the N2, the longest road in Portugal at 738 kms, from Chaves to Faro,  that is experiencing at the moment a huge interest and everyone and their grandma wants to ride, cycle, drive this road!!  Its the Portuguese Lands End-John O´Groats equivalent and for the most part is an interesting road, with some very boring bits, but as luck would have it, the best part are the 55 kms from where we joined it till Faro, where we were going to stay the next 2 days. 

 

Pedro went ahead enjoying his bike at a pace I could not keep up with and I enjoyed myself immensely at a pace I could handle with a very painful left arm due to the accident on the first day and far too much counter-steering on the tight corners and hairpins. In fairness this painful situation forced me to ride the bike in a different way and has helped me a lot to gel with it better, by shifting my bum more and using the upper body instead of counter-steering. Pedro says I look like Marc Marquez leaning on the bike ( only very slow!) and if that's the case, how can I be anything else but happy!!! 

 

We arrived in a very sunny Faro and did the usual, shower, eat and drink an aperitif and go out for dinner! What a life!! 

 

The last day was dedicated to finishing the route for the moto tours. 

We continued via the little ribbon roads all the way to the main road that links the 2 mountains and that I particularly love. I was able to push a little, negotiating the very poor road surface and trying to avoid the crack on the tarmac that last year launched me in the air while leaning at 120 kms/H… Managed to do that and It was very nice!! 

We had our mandatory pic-nic under 3 beautiful trees on the way to the top of the highest point in Algarve, Foia, at 980 meters. At the top we found a couple on a GS1250 with a little doggy in a backpack and was super sweet to see! Apparently the doggy loves to go on the bike and it's a happy family! 

From the top the view is quite spectacular, on the foreground the Algarve race track and further on the land ends and the Ocean shines in blue notes. Beyond is Morocco, but we cannot see it normally.

 

 

The end of the trip was planned for Sagres, Cape of Saint Vincent,  the most south-westerly point in Europe. Sagres means sacred and for 3 millennia this was the end of the World as Man knew it. The Cape for all the mediterean people was the frontier for the mare incognitum, the unknown sea, beyond which monsters would come out of the Sea to swallow the boats and enchanting mermaids would take the sailors soul to the bottom of the Ocean.

There are many reasons why this is a truly special place…  from the sacred spiritual significance of seating where the Earth ends, to the 50 meter straight cliff overhanging the sea, the fact it was the school of Henry the Navigator and where all the Portuguese Discoveries were planned and was decided how Vasco da Gama would go to India or simply how amazing it is to seat and feel the wind and the smell of the Atlantic breaking on the rocks below. 

 It is a must for anyone that likes maritime history to come here, so much of it has been written here throughout the centuries its mind blowing. 

There are 3 points to visit, the Fortress where the Navigator's school was based, the lighthouse and Ponta da Atlaia, where we went and it was a very fitting place to end a motorbike trip full of adventure through one of the smallest countries in Europe but with  so much variety, history and culture easily available for anyone to experience. 

 

This is, believe it or not, a summarized version of the week!!! True fact! So many more stories to tell… Who knows, if you are keen and me or Pedro find the time, we can tell you more!! 

THE END!!

 

   

 

[XTreme]

Superb shots Sofia.....brilliant trip!

[Catteeclan]

I'll second that, thanks for that.

[yen_powell]

Loving these, but being stupid I am reading part 3 first and now working my way through parts 2 and 1.

I've saved that picture of Pedro and the large standing stone, it's got rude caption potential.

[Sofia]

3 hours ago, yen_powell said:

Loving these, but being stupid I am reading part 3 first and now working my way through parts 2 and 1.

I've saved that picture of Pedro and the large standing stone, it's got rude caption potential.

Yes! I spent over an hour making jokes about dolmans and he only got it when he saw the thing!! Marvelous thought you had there!! 

You are either a Starwars fan or dyslexic like me, but stupid you are not!! 

[boboneleg]

That's an absolutely great ride report Sofia, cracking scenery and lots of history as well

 

This is stunning.................................

[Pedro]

The Alentejo is an amazing area to ride through, instantly the weather is warmer or just nicer, the views expand your horizons, and the food is amazing! The smells are also make me think of adventure, sort of Africa in the air.

The roads you'll find in the Algarve, tucked in the hills, are the best you'll find if you're into scenery and small and narrow twisty roads. It's a hidden secret so don't go blabbing about it, or next thing everyone will be trying to get out of the N2 touristy route and paradise will be spoiled.

[Sofia]

1 hour ago, boboneleg said:

That's an absolutely great ride report Sofia, cracking scenery and lots of history as well

 

This is stunning.................................

Thanks!!

Exercising a favourite sport from childhood, running on top of very high castle walls to the terror of my Grandmother and all the ladies and great amusement of my Dad that always wanted a daughter that did everything but what was expected from a little girl!!

As you can see, here there are no signs stating the obvious ( or the not obvious either...) and if you want to fall off a castle wall, you can without any health and safety interference. 

[Sofia]

11 hours ago, XTreme said:

Superb shots Sofia.....brilliant trip!

The shots are mainly from @Pedro, credit where credit is due. Saying that I have a special talent to photograph him and make him look much better!! 

[XTreme]

11 minutes ago, Sofia said:

Saying that I have a special talent to photograph him and make him look much better!! 

Now that really does take talent! 

[Sofia]

1 hour ago, XTreme said:

Now that really does take talent! 

Not really, he is gorgeous already, just needs good lighting to become amazing! 

[Pedro]

3 hours ago, XTreme said:

Now that really does take talent!