Allmar Hostel, €54, incl breakfast

Seeing as there was no breakfast this morning, I was thinking to get going as early as possible so I could enjoy that early morning glow. I had some food left over from yesterday, so gobbled that up along with some of my electrolyte drink. I wanted to make sure I had enough carbs for the road.

I carried my bags down to the courtyard, mounted them onto the bike, and was rolling by 7:30 am. It was amazing, and I could hear the surf down below. I was back onto Eurovelo 1 and it took me past the castelo then straight north alongside the sand dunes. There were a number of newly built apartments or hotels or condos or something all of which seemed fairly quiet. Maybe they are for summer short term stays.

When I got  to the edge of town the route turned off of the paved roads and onto a sandy road. This 'road' quickly deteriorated into mushy deep sand that almost had me fly off of the bike. I tried pushing for a while, but the tires were sinking down about three inches into the sand. My shoes were getting covered with sand, my bike was getting covered with sand. I looked to see how long this route went and it continued straight on for some km. Not sure if the soft sand would continue, I made my way to an actual real road so was not on EV 1 for a while. It was REALLY aggravating and I am not sure why they would have chosen this as the route. Even then, the only available road for a while was a gravel road with continuous washboard that kept me at about 3 km/h. Grrrr.

Eventually I ended up on a paved N road where I was able to roll a lot faster, comfortably and easily. Of course, with better roads comes... more traffic. It was busy enough but not terrible so I kept on the road until I saw signs for Porto Covo.

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Yesterday when I checked in, my host had strongly suggested that I divert into Porto Covo and then follow the road from there to Sines. I had seen photos of Porto Covo so when I came to the signposts, I turned in to the village.

In no time at all I was into the village. It was a sleepy little thing, but beautiful along the seashore. Of course, I stopped for a number of photos. I also stopped at a little cafe for a choco croissant before leaving town. I did not want to get to Sines too early, plus I was starting to get a little hungry after such a small breakfast.

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As I headed out of town I was amazed with the string of beautiful little coves and beaches. The surf crashed onto the beaches or against the cliffs, large motor homes lumbered down the road stopping anywhere to gawk at anything along their route, many motor homes were night camping in parking lots along the road... and the wind started to increase. From the north. In my face. And it was strong.

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From Porto Covo, I could see the port of Sines in the distance. With the wind so strong, it took me a while to get there, so when I got to the Vasco da Gama beach I was tired and relieved to be there. Though I took no photos, there was a crew re-laying granite cobblestones where I stopped to see their work. I have always wanted these stones in my own driveway. So much nicer than concrete. But I haven't been able to find them despite Canadian Shield granite present everywhere!

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As I followed the bike path above the beach I looked up to see the church and castle and lo and behold, there was my hostel right beside it. The gps led me up a fairly steep road so I got off to walk. It was a quick hike up to the top and to the door of the hostel.

The workers were very pleasant, letting me bring my bike right into the lobby for the night. Though my room was pleasant enough, I asked if it was possible to have one with a view of the beach. For an additional €4, yes it was. I had to have it, so bought the upgrade and can now hear the waves on the beach.

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I asked the desk clerk here for a recommendation for lunch and she suggested O Bejinha, a fish restaurant right near the harbour where the boats come in. I was all set to go there when I checked the notes I had made back home when planning the trip. Though O Bejinha was rated number six in Sines, Adega de Sines from my list was rated number one. And it seemed that the latter was really local and old-school. That did it for me.

Both places were about a five minute walk away, so up I headed to Adega de Sines which was on the opposite side of the castle from my hostel. It was very non-descript and when I walked in it seemed simple and almost seedy. An older man who was sitting on a bench started saying something to me in Portuguese and pointed to the tables indicating I could sit anywhere. A younger man was behind the counter at an open grill cooking a rack of chicken wings. On high shelves there were hundreds of bottles of wine, port, soft drinks and who knows what else. I sat myself down at a bench-like table on simple stools and waited.

From back in the kitchen came a woman who was somewhere between 35 and 72, and started to tell me in Portuguese what I could order. I asked her if she spoke English, and she just motioned me to follow. She disappeared through a doorway and when I paused, she stuck her head out and waved for me to follow. And there I was in the kitchen. A group of old ladies proceeded to show me what was in each pot over the fire-burning stove. Sausage and fava beans. Chicken wings. Beef and choriço. I chose the beef with some wine.

A number of other local workers came in - they knew where to look for the choices and went along with their lunch. A very few other tourists came along, obviously guided by their phones. They stuck their heads in inquiringly then went through the same steps as me.

When lunch came out... it was delicious. Beef chunks that melted in my mouth, sausage that was tasty, white rice, and potatoes. For the wine, the server went over to a huge jug on the counter and poured it into a carafe for me.

When I went to pay, the older woman from the kitchen came out and the older man from the table came over and they told me (in Portuguese) that they were the owners and it was their son at the grill. 'Grandpa' is 81 and 'Grandma' is 78. I asked if I could take a picture and their son came around to take the camera and snap a shot of me with the older couple. Then to top it off, Grandma reached into a cabinet and pulled out a bottle and poured us each a shot glass (brandy?). 'Salut' she said and downed her drink. I was a bit slower. What an experience - and the brandy was delicious, too!

On my way back to the hostel I went in to the castle and up onto the walls for a few photos of the beach and city before returning to my room for a post-lunch, post-brandy snooze.

I lay here typing away on my device as the light turns to evening gold and the waves continue to wash ashore. I know already that my window will be open all night even though it is going down to 10 C again tonight.

After my regular snooze, I got my camera and headed down to the beachside walk and headed toward the fishing docks. Then I could see some really old buildings up on the hill and what appeared to be really old steps and walkways to get there. As in so many places, many of the buildings were deserted and for sale. Meanwhile, up higher in the newer section were brand new apartment blocks. I hate to think what might happen to these beautiful old places that are dripping with character. At the top of the hill was a beautiful little church with doors open so I headed in. The walls were covered with azulejos (sp?), or blue tiles, but otherwise the church was completely empty. Obviously out of use. Times they are a changing.

I am still full from lunch but I stopped into a little market to pick up a Portuguese orange (my favourite by far) and a banana for later in case I get a bit peckish. I don't plan on having a big meal before bed. I think the headwinds on the road really took a lot out of me and really worked my leg so I went to rest up for tomorrow - a day that is supposed to have another very strong north wind.