May 4, 2022 - Praia Azul to Ericeira - Return to Cycle-OPOLIS (Tour 22) - 2022 🇵🇹

May 4, 2022

May 4, 2022 - Praia Azul to Ericeira

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Hotel Pedro O Pescador, Rua Dr. Eduardo Burnay 30, Ericeira

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There was no breakfast here, but I did have a few things to eat and quickly gobbled them up. With no 'food delay' I was ready early and was down to hand in my key and roll out the door shortly after 8 am.

I had to go back up the hill that I had descended yesterday, but then the route got a bit mystifying. Whatever I used as a destination, the GPS kept saying to take some non-existant road. After a few back-and-forths, I stopped to look at the odometer to see that the distance was still 0 km after about 3 km of riding. Something was not right.

With a sudden aha moment I shut off the GPS for a re-set and restarted it to find that now it was guiding me in a way that made sense. I had to backtrack a wee bit but not too much.

I was back on the EV1 route that I had prepared back home, so in no time was back onto little dirt roads that meandered through the cultivated fields, now increasingly with vineyards. As I had seen when checking last night, I went way down and around a river inlet and came to the tiny village I had walked over to see last night along the boardwalk - but this time the long way to get there.

In the tiny village there must have been a dozen vehicles and three dozen people all getting ready to surf in the big waves just off of the beach that had been my view at the hotel. I would have stopped to watch them surf but they were not yet in the water, so I continued on my way - up a huge dirt road climb that was along the cliff's edge once I got to the top. Views were spectacular. Every now and then the route would descend to a little cove, with big climbs to follow, and sometimes the route headed inland and brought me onto paved minor roads that wandered through wee villages.

This is 180 degree opposite to the previous photo, this one showing the climb up the dirt road near the cliff's edge. -- Praia Azul, Portugal

This photo gives an idea of how close to the cliffs I was riding for a good part of today. Today was one of those days when everything just seems to click and I am so thankful that I can do this acitivity that I love. -- near Praia Azul, Portugal

Having had no hotel breakfast, I had decided I would stop at the first cafe I saw for a little break and a snack. It was about an hour or so when I found one set just beside my route. There were a few locals who came and went but otherwise it was very quiet. I got a couple of capps and croissants and just relaxed and slowly enjoyed them. While I was at it, I messaged tomorrow's hotel in Sintra to see if I could drop off the bike if I arrived early, though I don't think I will. I am almost toying with the idea of heading further along EV1 with a possible diversion to Cabo da Roca since I will be going right past it. The only thing is that it is a long road to it from the highway and quite a vertical drop. So, a long climb back PLUS the long climb from the main road up the mountains to Sintra. I'll decide when I see how I feel tomorrow.

I had just descended almost to sea level and was pushing my bike up the 15% grade when I saw the windmill so posed my bike for an AP. -- north of Ericeira, Portugal

Snack complete, I slowly rolled away and continued along EV1. As I approached Ericeira, more of the route was along paved main roads or minor paved roads and not so much on dirt roads, though there were some. As kind of a last few gasps of beaches in coves, there were a few more before I got to town followed by a great big climb to the town's edge.

This was the view after the final monster climb of the day. Another blisteringly fast descent then a climb so steep that I had to walk a portion of it until the angle slackened. -- near Ericeira, Portugal

Yet another stunning beach panorama as I approached my day's distance. -- Ericeira, Portugal

At the town's edge I stopped and sat on a bench that overlooked the ocean, a few beaches and the surfers who were enjoying the waves. It was neat to finally watch them. Again there had been oodles of surf shops selling and renting gear for people who came from all over to enjoy the local surf.

This is the beach right below the old town and just below where I had lunch and met a couple from Cascais and a couple from Bordeaux. -- Ericeira, Portugal

With my GPS set to my hotel, I was taken to the old town centre and turned this way and that to navigate the one-way streets until here I was along a central pedestrianized street all of which is individually-laid cobblestones, of course.

It was only 1 pm but my room was ready so after rolling my bike into a storage area, I came up to my room. Not the fanciest place, it certainly has character and is an old-style Portuguese hotel with old wooden floors and views to kill - I can see up and down the pedestrian street and can even see the Atlantic sparkling away from one of the three windows.

Back behind the bike is where I ended up having lunch an hour or so later. Down behind this wall is the beach where people were playing volleyball, surfing or just laying around, though not many of them to speak of. -- Ericeira, Portugal

Straight out my window from my room is this awesome traditional Portuguese building on one of the popular old town pedestrian streets. -- Ericeira, Portugal

Also from my window but a bit to the left of the previous photo, you can see that I have a view of the Atlantic from my room! -- Ericeira, Portugal

As I sat on a bench by the wall waiting for a table at the restaurant I had chosen, a group of locals gathered. -- Ericeira, Portugal

I was a bit hungry, and not wanting to miss the lunch cutoff, I walked a few blocks down the street to where the wall overlooked the beach and asked about a table. It was busy and full (a good sign) so they asked if I would mind waiting half an hour - fine with me. They asked if I wanted my drink while I waited and brought me my Sumol and a glass while I waited on the park bench. Before the thirty minutes was up, the server came over and told me that an outdoor table was ready. Perfect.

I ordered the cod with potatoes and shrimp with a homemade mayonnaise. While I waited the table beside me got their order of a big paella pan full of seafood. It was not cataplana but was similar. The couple was from France, and the people from the other table beside me was from Cascais, Portugal, and we all oohed and aahed at the food. It ended up that the common language was French and over the lunch time we all got to chatting about our countries, our travels, and how Covid affected everyone. It was a really pleasant experience which lasted for about two hours or even a bit more. My food was good, but the company was fantastic. Unfortunately, the fellow from Portugal was the only one who did not speak French (Bordeaux) so his wife would translate for him (she had lived some years in Paris). He is an artist and can sculpt anything with plaster. Make-believe characters (imagine Yoda from Star Wars), fancy historical buildings, birds, angels, anatomical models (for universities for learning) or whimsical. They showed his art and it is amazing. He could easily do work for movie sets and such.

Everyone was ready to leave so we sadly said our good-byes and I made my way back to my hotel to relax. This has been a longish day with another through the mountains to Sintra tomorrow. I hope I get enough sleep. Some of the comments about this place is that on the weekends there are clubs nearby and the music pounds and roars til 3 am. This is Wednesday, so I just hope the clubs are closed tonight. I had not read that comment otherwise I might have chosen elsewhere.

Today's ride: 31 km (19 miles)
Total: 466 km (289 miles)

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