Day 35 – Lisbon

16 January 2022

I know when it is 9.00 pm, the church bell rings nine times. I know when it is 10.00 pm, the church bell rings ten times. Again at 11.00 pm.

It starts again at 6.00 am. And so on.

All things considered, I had a great night’s sleep. Shell sounds better this morning. Better than yesterday. We are heading out today. Lisbon is 60 km away. Google tells us it is flat the entire way.

Porridge and we set out. Through the last of the vineyards and into village after village. The trip is entirely on roads today. Hardly scenic, but fast. No headwind.

“I don’t know what you were doing on that roundabout but you embarrassed us both just then” – Rachelle Griffin

Cycling has a community. The road cyclists are much faster than us. They overtake us. Whether passing us or seeing us coming, we get anything from waves to cheers. It is encouraging. I am not sure where we fit into the cycling community. The road cyclists love us. MTB riders are out on their own. If we are beloved cousins, MTB riders are the weird relatives no one talks about.

“Ever bike? Now that’s something that makes life worth living!…Oh, to just grip your handlebars and lay down to it, and go ripping and tearing through streets and road, over railroad tracks and bridges, threading crowds, avoiding collisions, at twenty miles or more an hour, and wondering all the time when you’re going to smash up. Well, now, that’s something! And then go home again after three hours of it…and then to think that tomorrow I can do it all over again!” ― Jack London

We hit 50 km before lunch. Pedal on. As we ride in through the working port I think that Lisbon is not that spectacular. Then the Praça do Comércio and Arco da Rua Augusta. We ride through the ancient streets to our destination. The city is beautiful.

“By day Lisbon has a naive theatrical quality that enchants and captivates, but by night it is a fairy-tale city, descending over lighted terraces to the sea, like a woman in festive garments going down to meet her dark lover.” ― Erich Maria Remarque

60 km in under four hours. Our place has a kitchen. Shower and grab some food to make lunch. We head to the Time Out Market to get food for dinner. The fresh produce section is already closed. Grab a pizza and a glass of wine. 

Both suddenly exhausted. Over 350 km in six days. We head home for a nap. Dinner not required.

In bed early. Read. Chat. A good day on the road. Nice to be in Lisbon. A day off tomorrow before we head south to Faro.

Today’s ride –