September 2, 2023: Praia de Quiaios to Figueira da Foz
Finally: A day with some climbing
Accommodations: Marina Charming House
If it is not going to rain, let that be the case when I am cycle touring. This is what happened today so we had a dry and mostly sunny ride today up and over the cape from here to there.
Knowing that we had a short day on the bikes, we hung around the room then eventually went down for breakfast and it was quite a spread of goodies. Bacon, eggs, cheese, meats, breads, cakes, fruit, juices and amazing capps. I got bits at a time but went back a few times and revelled in the food.
Once we were all fed up we got ready and went down to the lobby to check out, get the bikes, and load them for the road.
Loading up the bikes for another beautiful day of cycling. -- Praia da Quiaios, Portugal
As we headed away my GPS kept indicating that we were not moving. Remembering that this had happened last year on a tour, I re-started it and just like a pc or a tablet, it resumed proper functioning and we could follow the route I had pre-planned.
Initially we coasted through the village around the hotel but then the riding got serious when it turned up and then got really serious when it became a 14% climb. Not wanting to burn out or injure ourselves, we walked this portion, even though some other cyclists slowly climbed past us and onward up the hill.
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
When the road eventually returned to a more reasonable slope we re-mounted the bikes to slowly make our way up the hill. In no time at all there were amazing views back down to the town we had left and further north along the vast beaches that faded into the distance - it was almost like we were able to see all the way back to Porto where a certain group of Cochrane pilgrims were preparing or even starting their walk to Santiago de Compostela.
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
The road was nice new pavement like yesterday with both sides painted with the green stripe and bicycle indicator for a cycle route. Motorized vehicles were careful when they passed so the riding was excellent. Again, Alex amazed me - he was strong and did very well on his first tour such that I think next time he'll be ready to carry some gear on his bike.
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
With such amazing views on a short day, we stopped frequently to catch APs along the way. Views of the beaches, views of the ocean, views of the cliffs, and views of the rock formations along the coast that I am sure indicated the softer stone had been eroded while the harder stone remained, which left many ridges of stone in the water perpendicular to the wave action.
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. We were not sure what this was, but figured it might have been a stone processing plant for road building, though it has not been used for many years. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. We were both intrigued with the look of the striated rock, presumably with the softer layers having been eroded away after thousands of years of wave action. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. We were not sure what this was, but figured it might have been a stone processing plant for road building, though it has not been used for many years. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. We were both intrigued with the look of the striated rock, presumably with the softer layers having been eroded away after thousands of years of wave action. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. We were both intrigued with the look of the striated rock, presumably with the softer layers having been eroded away after thousands of years of wave action. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
We came to a point where we could see civilization ahead of us and a pull-out from the road as a scenic viewpoint. Though we had made everywhere a scenic viewpoint, we still pulled out to see Figueira in the near distance. And, after all of that earlier climbing, it was a nice winding descent to the cyclepath adjacent to the oceanside as we approached the city centre toward our guesthouse.
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. We were both intrigued with the look of the striated rock, presumably with the softer layers having been eroded away after thousands of years of wave action. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. After a long arduous climb, the descent into town was great but we still stopped a few times for APs. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. We were both intrigued with the look of the striated rock, presumably with the softer layers having been eroded away after thousands of years of wave action. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. We were both intrigued with the look of the striated rock, presumably with the softer layers having been eroded away after thousands of years of wave action. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Some climbs were 14% so we chose walking to get up the steepest parts. Views were amazing as we climbed up and around the cape to our destination. We were both intrigued with the look of the striated rock, presumably with the softer layers having been eroded away after thousands of years of wave action. -- between Praia da Quiaios and Figueira da Foz, Portugal
It was here that that beach widened to what must have been a full kilometre from the coast. There were playgrounds, wading pools, amusement rides, walkways and cycle routes on this vast area of beach.
Up ahead we could see one of the harbour's lighthouses way out on a spit so we carefully rolled out to the end to see many pole fishermen at work. Next, we headed toward the market by the park to see what we could find in the way of food, but there were no obvious supermarkets and the food market would be tricky to explore if we were burdened with our bikes. It was past noon so I figured we would try the guest house in case we could at least drop the bikes off.
Once around the cape the beach was vast stretching hundreds of metres from shore out to the water's edge. In places there were walkways, bike paths, wading pools, boardwalks and increasingly more people as we approached town. -- Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Once around the cape the beach was vast stretching hundreds of metres from shore out to the water's edge. In places there were walkways, bike paths, wading pools, boardwalks and increasingly more people as we approached town. -- Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Once around the cape the beach was vast stretching hundreds of metres from shore out to the water's edge. In places there were walkways, bike paths, wading pools, boardwalks and increasingly more people as we approached town. -- Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Once around the cape the beach was vast stretching hundreds of metres from shore out to the water's edge. In places there were walkways, bike paths, wading pools, boardwalks and increasingly more people as we approached town. -- Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Once around the cape the beach was vast stretching hundreds of metres from shore out to the water's edge. In places there were walkways, bike paths, wading pools, boardwalks and increasingly more people as we approached town. Before headoing to our guesthouse we rode out along the pier to the lighthouse where fishers were busy at work with their long poles. -- Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Once around the cape the beach was vast stretching hundreds of metres from shore out to the water's edge. In places there were walkways, bike paths, wading pools, boardwalks and increasingly more people as we approached town. Before headoing to our guesthouse we rode out along the pier to the lighthouse where fishers were busy at work with their long poles. -- Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Once around the cape the beach was vast stretching hundreds of metres from shore out to the water's edge. In places there were walkways, bike paths, wading pools, boardwalks and increasingly more people as we approached town. Before headoing to our guesthouse we rode out along the pier to the lighthouse where fishers were busy at work with their long poles. -- Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Arriving to our guest house we pulled our bikes up into the lobby and waited for someone to answer the doorbell and soon enough along came the owner to welcome us to their place. Ah no, I said, this is a return - which made her all the happier. This building was originally her grandfather's so she and her family tend to this guest house lovingly. It really is a gem of a place.
Our room was ready so we rolled the bikes into the little courtyard, but I covered our leather saddles with plastic bags just in case it rains since there is some in the forecast over the next twenty-four hours. Our room was just off of the lobby which was really handy so after parking the bikes we zipped our things into the room then got ready to head out on our food quest.
Searching for a restaurant and a supermarket for food. -- Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Our quest first brought us to the town market where all sorts of fish, fruit, veggies, spices and bits and bobs were for sale. Nothing caught our attention for a lunch. Next, we headed out of the market and toward the old winding streets in search of maybe a supermarket to get sandwich ingredients. All of a sudden we were beside a tiny restaurant with its menu board outside and I stopped to look it over. Though I had not seen anyone standing there, all of a sudden I heard a guy's voice telling me that the food is really good and he and his mother go there often. The place looked like a local kind of place so in we went - we were not disappointed.
The tiny place was obviously filled with locals, and it appeared the husband was serving some, the daughter serving some others, and the wife behind the counter cooking. Azulejos covered the walls, and though it was not western-style 'fancy' I knew we had stumbled upon Portuguese perfection.
We asked about the hake but were told they were out but they had swordfish steaks and some other type of small fish so we chose the latter. It took a while as we had come in just after a full family but I knew we would not be disappointed. We started with the amazing olives and bread, then the caldo verde soup, a pair of Sumols, and then the meal of the whole fish, boiled potatoes and broccolli. Amazing - we stripped every little bit of flesh off of the bones until the head and bones looked like the fish bones that cartoon cats pull from garbage cans. It took a while but it was worth it. Once we were done I asked the server if there was some type of magic to remove the meat but they all shook their heads and indicated slow picking with their hands. We had passed the Portuguese fish-eating test!
Whilst searching for a supermarket there sat a wee little restaurant and as we stood and looked at the menu plaque a fellow from Brazil told us how good it was and that he and his mother come often. So did we and enjoyed our olives, bread, Sumol, fish, potatoes and broccoli. -- Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Wanting a little sweet we wandered around until we came to a little supermarket where we got a few cookies and a bag of grapes which we ate as we walked and headed down toward the beach. We gobbled up half of the grapes as we sat on the beach but figured we should head back to the room to get out of the rest of the midday sun.
It was not long in the room before my eyes started to close and my head was bobbing. Nap time.
We went in search of a supermarket where we got croissandwich makings and sat in the park to enjoy our picnic. -- Figueira da Foz, Portugal
All rested up, we went out for a walk and in search of the 'supermarket near me'. There we picked up some fruit, croissants, choriço, and juice then headed back to the park in the centre of town. Just as we arrived we could see and hear a big band set up on the bandstand playing marching music not unlike Andre Rieu's band. It was really good and when they finished their tune the crowd gave them a standing ovation, and they packed up their gear and left. We had caught the final tune. Great to hear them but sad we'd missed the rest.
Oh well, we ate on, people walked back and forth and all over as they do in these late-dinner countries. With the sun slipping down in the sky we decided to head toward the water's edge to see the local sunset. We were not disappointed as the sun slipped lower and lower and glowed increasingly gold and orange as it sizzled into the distant Atlantic.
Then we went over to the pier to watch the sunset over the ocean. -- Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Just as the sun disappeared into the ocean Alex used my tablet to take a few photos of the sky, the clouds and the area and caught some amazing APs. He is so knowlwdgeable and so capable in so many ways - a very clever lad
Then we went over to the pier to watch the sunset over the ocean. -- Figueira da Foz, Portugal
So. Over the next few days we have some cycling to do, but it is differenet than what we have been doing to thie point. Tomorrow after breakfast we cycle to the Figueira train station and take trains to get back to Lisbon. Weather permitting we will cycle around the Rossio Square area before heading up Avenida Liberdade and eventually back to Fonte Luminosa where we stored the bike bags. I'm not sure if I'll pack the bikes tomorrow night or leave the opportunity to cycle a bit more in Lisbon on Monday. We shall see.
Today's ride: 20 km (12 miles) Total: 243 km (151 miles)
