Farewell to Luz

September 19, 2022

Luz to 4 km Past Lagoa

Staying at the Vila Luz was a pleasure. The woman in the breakfast area was so special. Keith asked if it would be okay if we made a sandwich for lunch, and offered to pay. We always ask…it feels better than sneaking around. Not only did she tell him “of course”, and no charge, but she asked what kind he wanted and was all set to make it for him. Then she expressed her concern for our safety today. We really felt looked after.

We started out in light fog and I put on my light vest. I am a slow learner. Within five minutes I was cooking. We headed into Lagos to the bike shop we scoped out yesterday, with a stop at a golf club and a visit to their pro shop on the way, just because we could. The bike shop was a real find. He knew exactly what he was doing, had the bike on the stand and was working on it immediately. Fifteen minutes later he wanted to charge me 5 Euro. I insisted on 10. What a difference it has made.

He had a jersey I really wanted to buy, but only had it left in XXL. Darn. I was I had taken a picture of it.

By 10:30 the fog had burned off and it was warm. It topped out at 28°C, but we had cloud cover off and on which was a huge help. It is so humid here! Keith had two routes out of Lagos planned and checked with the bike shop owner to see which way he felt was best. He indicated the longer Eurovelo route rather than the highway and it was great. We went over the pedestrian bridge and had an actual bike path shortly after. It wasn’t a paved surface but was an easy ride, first next to the train tracks and then right along the water.

Eventually at Odiáxere we were on N125 again, but once more it had a monster shoulder and felt very comfortable. We followed the route into Portimão and then had a choice, a shorter or longer route through town. It was a bigger community than I had anticipated (not sure about the CN) and we chose the shorter route. It took us through some of this less affluent parts of the town. I don’t mean it ever felt unsafe, or unsavoury, far from it, I simply mean it looked representative to me of everyday life for many people in Portugal. Then we came around a corner, and there was a massive Mercedes dealership. It really was an interesting contrast. I was feeling hungry so we stopped at the first park we came to…we think we were in front of the municipal hall. There was a bench, shade and a decorative fountain and it was just fine. However, in true Murphy’s law fashion, we jumped back on the bikes and in less than five minutes were at the waterfront, the pedestrian area and all the cafés one could want. This is where the longer route would have taken us so perhaps it would have been better, but since we didn’t do it we don’t really know.

Donkeys in a field just as we turned onto the highway.

The shoulder is very wide and we felt safe despite the cars. The traffic really wasn’t an issue.

We had the pleasure of going down this pedestrian ramp next to a high school. I walked, the CN rode.

This bike path right after lunch really made us laugh. Not designed by a cyclist! Love those narrow 90° turns.

We crossed the bridge using the sidewalk and ignoring the no bikes sign. Sometimes things are best ignored.

And caught Keith coming off the bridge with another cyclist hot on his heels. Note the no bikes sign.

Then it was on to Algoa, passing a huge golf complex on the way. On our left they were tearing up the landscape, we are pretty sure to create another golf course. Lots of expensive houses around and lots of golfers on the course.

The CN slammed on the brakes. A ProV 1! Must have been a slice. The ball is safely tucked in Keith’s pannier.

In Algoa we stopped at a hotel we had been considering but it was on a busy road and we decided to carry on. At one point we missed our turn and needed to make a quick u-turn. Keith went across but the timing was such that I needed to wait for a car approaching, bass booming, music blaring and a young man driving. Imagine my surprise when he stopped and waved for me to go. The Portuguese drivers have been great. Shortly after that we came across a vineyard and bike infrastructure. Yahoo!

We booked into the Quinta Nova Vale del Rey. The CN routed us there without a hitch. We climbed and then swooped down to the hotel. On arrival we found this.

The final 200 metres was up a very steep gravel hill. Not exactly how we wanted to end our day.

It really is lovely on top of the hill though.

The hotel isn’t exactly in the middle of nowhere, but is perhaps more suited to people who arrive by car. We both had a great swim in the salt water pool and then we walked to the nearest restaurant, which was just over a kilometre away. This turned out to be a very good thing, because it was straight up a steep hill the whole way which wouldn’t be a great way to start the day tomorrow. We will go back the way we came, which is also a hill, but not as steep.

Dinner was delicious. We both find it so amazing to be eating outside in short sleeves in the evening. We walked back in the dark, cell phone flashlights in hand.

There was live music tonight too, and it was good. Such a pleasure.

We think this is a cork tree? Several of these had the bark stripped like this at the side of the road.

https://www.relive.cc/view/vr63An1Jddv

Today's ride: 52 km (32 miles)
Total: 480 km (298 miles)

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