CPS260A Portugal meets South America
Many of us arrived in Lisbon a few days ago. We’ve used the time to explore the city, shake off the jet lag, or just relax. Our bikes have arrived in the meantime; they’re being cleaned and polished as we make our final preparations for the trip. Tomorrow we’ll leave the big city behind and head into the Portuguese countryside—we’re really looking forward to it. In the afternoon, we’ll meet up to discuss the itinerary for the next few days and finally get our keys. One more night’s sleep, and then we’re really off!
The first day of riding begins and we get on our motorcycles full of joyful expectation. Before we leave the city on the highway, we check our tires again and then quickly arrive at our first photo stop at Capo de Roca. Here at the westernmost point of the continent we enjoy the view and a quick coffee before continuing to the famous Palacio National de Mafra. During a tour of the historical site we try to discover the bats in the library which of course does not work due to the time of day. Nevertheless, in a good mood, we continue to lunch by the sea. Well strengthened, we ride to some of the typical windmills in Portugal before we reach Nazare, known for big wave surfing. After a refreshment in the hotel, we then go to the city for an excellent dinner. While we exchange memories of today, we are already thinking about the things that await us tomorrow. We are already looking forward to it.
Good morning, dear friends, and welcome to the second day of riding on our tour. Unfortunately, it’s not as sunny today as it was yesterday, but we’ll manage to avoid the rain entirely. Today we’re saying goodbye to the coast for the next few days and heading into Portugal’s hilly hinterland. There, not only wonderfully winding roads but also plenty of culture await us. Everywhere we go, we pass by small and large fortresses, old churches, and monastery villages. We’d love to stop everywhere, but then we wouldn’t have enough time for the highlight of the day. Fatima is Portugal’s most significant pilgrimage site. Every year, millions of people make a pilgrimage to this impressive place, and we, too, light a candle here. In the afternoon, after a few detours, we reach the Serra de Lousa. The winter storms have really taken their toll on the road and the surrounding forests, but this does little to dampen our riding enjoyment. Finally, we arrive in Coimbra, where dinner, in particular, puts a satisfied smile on our faces.
Today we have a healthy mix of sightseeing and motorcycling on the agenda. First, however, we have to get out of Coimbra, where we have taken a small detour. Finally we reach the castle of Montemor and marvel at the architecture from the year 1000. We then continue through winding side streets to the Palazzo de Bussaco, which simply amazes us. After a small coffee we continue on our way and are quite surprised when we suddenly see the Edelweiss Van standing in the forest. Thomas surprisingly conjured up a wonderful picnic for us and so strengthened we go to the winding and wonderfully drive route in the afternoon. Here, too, we again place the obligatory coffee stop and forget the time a bit. Nevertheless, we reach our hotel in Porto halfway through time and look back on the day at the wonderful dinner in the city. In addition, we are checking our options for the rest day tomorrow and finally fall tired but happy in our beds.
Today is the first and only rest day of our tour, a good time to process the impressions of the past few days and unwind…or so we thought. But Porto is a bustling city full of sights and energy. The area around Porto is also worth exploring; the slopes along the Douro River are famous for their fine wines. The fact that there’s hardly a road there that runs straight for more than a kilometer suits us just fine, of course. And so we spend our day strolling through the city, taking boat rides, going on a spectacular motorcycle tour, and… of course, eating lots of ice cream.
After an eventful rest day, we leave the big city behind and head north on the highway for now. We would have loved to stay in Porto much longer, but the wilderness is calling ;-) But before we finally venture into the sparsely populated regions of northern Portugal, we stop in Braga to visit what is arguably one of the most beautiful pilgrimage towns in the country. Bom Jesus do Monte towers high above the city. We have the choice of either climbing the over 560 steps or taking the unique historic cable car. Back on the road, we continue into the Gerês National Park; the roads are incredibly winding, the sun is shining, and our lunch with a view is a dream. What a day. In the afternoon, we arrive at our hotel on the outskirts of Melgaco. Surrounded by nothing but silence and green hills.
Today's Day had the motto Ghost and Devils. It started through an enchanted landscape over winding side roads that finally led us to the dolms Foxos do Lobo. After a beautiful plateau, we made another coffee stop just before lunch, because it's just going better with coffee. After we spent some time with lunch, we went on through rural areas where one or the other bull, a horse, or various goats walked across the road. The real highlight of the day, however, were not the ghosts and devils but the streets around Vinhais that almost put us in a driving rush. Somewhat tired but very satisfied we reach our hotel in Bragança where we have an excellent dinner and once again think about the experience. We are already curious what tomorrow will bring.
We still have fond memories of the day of a thousand curves, but today our focus is on something entirely different. We’ve been looking forward to today’s destination for days. But before we reach Salamanca, we have a few kilometers to cover along the Portuguese-Spanish border. Not many people live here, so there’s very little traffic. Small, incredibly winding roads connect the nearly deserted villages. A paradise for bikers. Again and again, we come across the Douro River, which dominates the evergreen landscape here. Right on time for lunch, we reach Spain, where we really treat ourselves in a medieval village. The last few kilometers to Salamanca are fairly unspectacular, but on this glorious day, the Golden City shows itself from its best side.
Today we leave Spain again. After a short stretch through the flat plain we arrive at the first mountain bridges of the Serras until we finally enter the higher Mountains of Extremadura. After the usual coffee break we meet the first hairpin curves and drive through beautiful valleys. We try to compensate for the confusion due to the time difference between Portugal and Spain by switching to Guatemala time (-8h). The lunch will then take place again in Portugal so that we fall back on the regular Portugal time. After an excellent day of riding over pleasantly curved curves, we finally arrive at the hotel where three of us decide to ride an extra lap on the Monte Velho. The day ends again with an excellent dinner where we sit together for a long time and reflect on the experiences of the past day and give an outlook for tomorrow.
Contrary to all expectations, the weather this morning is much better than anticipated. So we’re already set for the day’s highlights. Our hotel is located at the foot of one of the country’s most spectacular roads, which leads us straight to the country’s highest mountain. A morning of superlatives, then. The drive up to Torre is a delight—perfect asphalt and spectacular panoramic views; what could be better? And that’s not all—on the other side of the mountains, we ride through narrow, winding valleys where countless small villages, nestled on the slopes, await curious visitors . After a bit of rain, about a thousand curves, and a loooong search for lunch, we reach Alto Real, where we’ll wrap up this spectacular day of our road trip.
The last day of travel has dawned and we start the first few metres in light drizzle. Nevertheless, in a good mood, we ride towards Evora and quickly leave the rain behind. Once there, we marvel at the Francis Church and the adjacent chapel, which was built from human bones. After this chilling sight, we enjoy a typical Portuguese stew and continue on our way to Lisbon. In order not to have to ride through the urban area, we go to the highway where, however, the toll stations cost us some time. Finally we reach our hotel where we started ten days ago and sit together at dinner and touch about the past tour. We say thank you and hope to welcome all participants again on one of the next tours.