15 January 2022 We decide to head inland. Not a bad night’s sleep. Shell’s cough is getting worse, not better. I think this will be her toughest day. From the outset, she is not herself. Could have been the cold shower this morning. Short ride. 50 km. One big hill. Less headwind off the coast…
Day 33 – Google maps
14 January 2022 Not the best night. Shell had an allergic reaction to the blankets. The wooly type. Around 11.00 pm she woke up with an itchy throat, coughing, and sneezing. We swapped out the blankets for sleeping bags. It took her a while to stop sneezing and coughing. If Komoot had a slogan –…
Day 32 – Headwind
13 January 2022 If you asked me to describe today I would say 15 – 20 km/h headwinds and show you this picture – I was expecting a good night’s sleep. Comfortable bed. Lazy evening of wine and reading. Not a tent. I am not sure why I didn’t sleep well. Not to worry. Up…
Day 31 – Ferry
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…