A lovely, lovely ride today.
Up into the hills…
John had been worried if he could cope with all the hills…but it was no problem. Up and down all day!
…on empty roads…
….in a largely empty landscape!
We planned the route around cafes…for there are very few in these parts!…..and our breakfast stop was closed!! But an old woman spraying her garden nearby…shouted out “cafe”?…..and upon us responding gratefully…she yelled up to her husband to come and help…and before long they were opening up…brewing great coffee and supplying the biggest pair of ham and cheese toasties either of us had ever eaten! Gorgeous!
And on….up and down…..
…past a few tiny settlements….
…to our destination of Mertola, one of Portugal’s many fortified villages.
A sweet wee place….
….with a wonderful little bar, with a terrace overlooking the river…..
….where we engaged with the locals and enjoyed plenty of 1.20 euros ice-cold beers (help yourself out of the fridge!!).
We were surprised to learn that not only was this the same river we had crossed to get to Portugal….but the bridge here is the first to cross the river since that main border crossing. And the river is still tidal here! So for all our uphills today…we are practically back at sea level!!
