April 27, 2017 - Train from Porto to Santarém: Hurtling south like a speeding locomotive. In a train, that is. - A Dabble of the Douro then Leaning to Lisbon (Tour 17) - 2017 🇵🇹

April 27, 2017

April 27, 2017 - Train from Porto to Santarém: Hurtling south like a speeding locomotive. In a train, that is.

Hotel: N1 Hostel, Suites and Apartments

WHERE do I start? Where do I start? Well, seeing as the day began in Porto, then I suppose, that is where I will start.

Though a cute place and really nice owners, there was no breakfast provided, so it was groceries from a store along with contraband oranges from yesterday's trees. It ended up being quite alright, though a little unusual. What it meant was that the arrival at the station was well before the train departure time of 8:52 am.

At least getting the bikes to platform 8 was easy since there were elevators, but my next concern, one of many, was whether or not it would be easy to determine which was carriage 21. When the train arrived within five minutes, it was only four carriages long, the 21 was clear as was the door where the bikes were to be stored. Inside the train were some very good hooks to hang the bikes out of the way, so in no time everything was ready and the train pulled out of the station for the 2-1/2 hour ride to Santarém. At its fastest, the train rocketed along at 200 km/h. Slightly faster than on a bike!

The disembarking from the train could not have gone any smoother. Bags off. Bikes off. Done. In a few minutes we were out of the station and climbing up into the main section of town, via the old centre. The GPS kept getting mixed up between buildings but a short while later it found the route to the N1 hotel. It was nice and new but so modern and stark that I was not thrilled. I was a little less thrilled when the owner seemed to be pushing his meal for 10€. I am sure it was great, but am not fond of pushiness.

Mrs. Owner, on the other hand, was very helpful in guiding us to Bresau restaurant for lunch. A brand new place, we tried the special of the day which was rice with calamari, red wine and Portuguese bread. Yum. The owner was awesome in that he came to the table to see if we liked everything and if we were happy with the place. We were.

He suggested we must see the old Moorish fortress at the edge of town where it overlooks the Tejo River and the surrounding fields for miles. Breathtaking. Also beautiful were the old buildings and churches in the old part of town. It was getting hot, though, so we headed back to the hotel where I just dropped down onto the bed. I had a pounding headache that almost made me sick, so the rest of the evening was resting, reading and watching a bit of tv, of all things. Note to self and any other readers who might consider a visit to Santarém - go, explore and see. This small town has tonnes to offer. On a happier note, a few hours later my headache started to fade. I had dodged another bullet!

Very secure storage on the train right at the doors making loading and unloading really simple, especially considering that there is no time wasted at each station stop.- train from Porto to Santarém, Portugal

The beautiful station in Santarém, apparently hardly used it was like a ghost-station. I'm sure in the days before large highways it was a bustling place.- Santarém, Portugal

The owner of Restaurante Brazão where we ate lunch today. A brand new place, the owner was very attentive to everyone's needs. The food was great; the wine tasty, too.- Santarém, Portugal

"Occupying the site of the Moorish citadel, the Portas do Sol garden proffers utterly majestic views over the Rio Tejo and the great spread of plains that surround it. The garden’s shady walks make a fine option for a picnic or afternoon linger. It's particularly spectacular at sundown." (from lonelyplanet.com)- Santarém, Portugal

Statue of the first King of Portugal, Afonso Henriques at the Portas do Sol fortress.- Santarém, Portugal

Today's ride: 5 km (3 miles)
Total: 226 km (140 miles)

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