Wednesday, April, 15 - Barreiro to Lisboa: Ferry ride across the Rio Tejo to the capital. Lisboa. - Velocipoenology: Sampling Iberian Grape 'Juice' with Two Wheels (Tour 14) - 2015 🇪🇸 🇵🇹

April 15, 2015

Wednesday, April, 15 - Barreiro to Lisboa: Ferry ride across the Rio Tejo to the capital. Lisboa.

SPRINKLES of rain in the night but dry on my ride to the ferry, the crossing to Lisboa across the Rio Tejo, and then my beautiful ride along the water's edge path to the Monument to the Discoveries and the Torre de Belem. I had read about the waterside cycle path so headed along it right after I got off of the ferry since I was right at its start.

Parts were paved smooth, parts were slightly rough marble cobblestone, and parts were really rough granite cobblestones. In fact, at the end of the ride I discovered that one of my rack clamps had broken. My guess: Along those roughest cobbles. One more thing to go over when I return home. That is two tours I have recently done on this bike after which I do only basic maintenance. I need to do some serious maintenance: replace cables and cable guides, re-grease every nut and bolt on fenders, racks and such, and replace two chainrings, the chain and the rear derailleur pulley wheels. This is more of a self-reminder, but be warned that you'll be sorry if you let the maintenance get away on you. On some remote climb in the cold rain on a Sunday. I have spoken.

Monument to the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos). And my steel monument to the discoveries! Do Amazing Race fans recognize this from Season 23? If you're wondering why there is a courier bag on my saddle... I have a Brooks B17 leather saddle. If it gets wet it is destroyed, so when it is raining or when rain is imminent, I put on the fancy 'shower cap'.
- Lisboa, Portugal

Monument to the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos)
- Lisboa, Portugal

Not wanting to get caught out in the oncoming rain, I set the GPS to my hotel co-ordinates then made the twenty-minute ride from the old city. Right adjacent to the Rossio Square was an intense climb through what used to be stores and homes, but were now decrepit and forlorn wrecks of buildings. Fortunately, a few tens of metres further, things improved again. The street got prettier as I approached the hotel, and right beside the hotel is a nice big green space. And what a hotel! Super staff, really nice rooms and a box for my bike kindly dropped off by the touring company I had contacted a few weeks before leaving.

1:00 pm and the bike is dismantled, in its cardboard box and ready for Friday's return home.

Incredible that you can get a meal in a Euro-capital for €6.50 including wine.

Hotel A. S. Lisboa €50

Today's ride: 15 km (9 miles)
Total: 611 km (379 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	0
Comment on this entry	Comment	0