12 January 2022 The temperature drops. Everything outside the tents is wet. At 1.30 am I need to use the toilet. I lay there trying to convince myself I don’t need to. I have slept poorly. The sleeping pads make a racket when you move. I wake myself up. Shell wakes me up. I don’t…
Day 30 – Blue Skies
11 January 2022 We wake up to blue sky. I feel good. Shell sounds terrible. She has the cough I had two days ago. There is no use arguing. She is leaving Porto today. We load up and roll out at 9.15 am. We cross the Douro River and coast down to the harbor. After…
Day 29 – One more day
10 January 2022 It is raining. Again. I have woken up feeling the best I have in three days. I still have a blocked nose. My cough has gone. Chest not tight. I thought Shell was going to miss this bug. She is a day or two behind my symptoms. She has a cough this…
Day 27 – 28 Recovery (again)
8 – 9 January 2022 Saturday – It has rained for two days. Even if I was feeling great I probably would have stayed in Porto. I am not that sick. If it was 2018, pre-COVID, I would be at work. Riding is different. You need your lungs. Riding in the rain sick. I will…
Day 26 – Beaches forever
7 January 2022 I wake up sick. Again. I never really shook the cold from a few weeks ago. Just a lingering cough. Back to square one. Sore throat. Not feeling the best. The day is stunning. Blue skies. Not a cloud. We set out at 9.00 am. It is a big day. Over 60…
Day 25 – Stunning
6 January 2022 Up early. Last night’s pasta leftovers for breakfast. Open the window. Rain. It is what it is. Load up. Full rain kit. I don’t care that it is raining. I want to leave this place. It smells like stale urine. We use Komoot as our GPS. It has had its moments. But…
Day 24 – Wet
5 January 2022 Up early. Porridge. Packed. Overcast but not raining. I decide to put my raincoat on. The fog looks thick. 9.00 am we head off. 9.01 am it rains. On we go. The entire trip is along the river on a cycleway. It is a beautiful track. We wind our way along. Weather…
Day 23 – Rain
4 January 2022 We have been very lucky with the weather. Woke up to rain. Took a look outside and decided not to ride today. Clearing tomorrow. Hopefully. We ride out regardless. Our phones did not adjust to Portugal time. We are walking around looking for some breakfast and nothing is open. It is 8.00…
Day 22 – Portugal
3 January 2022 A 40-minute drive to Vigo airport. Van delivered. Over the two days, I think we paid 30 Euro in tolls. A fumbling affair. Stalling. Trying to find the window button. Not sure whether to pay or take a ticket. Both. It added about 30 minutes to the trip. Back on the bikes….