I woke up early but still managed to leave later that I wanted to. The ferry in Montijo left every hour and a half and I was hoping to get the 4pm.
I was struggling from the start. No power in the legs and my butt hurt. I didn't really stop for pictures. I did crash into a large branch laying across the wide shoulder. I was going uphill and looking down. Fortunately, nothing bad happened and I moved the branch off the shoulder. I noticed at the hotel one of my cranks has a piece of wood jammed into one of the screwheads.
At Montemor-o-Nova I stopped at a gas station/cafe/minimart and got some water and chips. When I came out two guys were eyeing the bike and they didn't look like cyclists. Were they up to no good? Who knows?
I just wanted to get to the ferry, into Lisbon and to my hotel. I used all my tricks to keep myself moving. You have to be careful not to fall into the trap of checking your progress too often. The right amount is motivating, but too frequently does the opposite. You want to check and be 2 kilometers further than your guess.
I made the 4pm ferry and had enough time to buy a ticket and sit for a few minutes.
There were 4 cyclists on the ferry. The touring Spanish guy didn't want (couldn't) talk. The American girl out for a ride was on the phone. The other guy was probably a pro cyclist and his bike was too nice to talk to us.
I took it real easy from the ferry through town. At one point I was just following a cycling city tour group because they were slow.
At the hotel I showered and headed up to the roof for a beer. I guess the bike tour is done. Tomorrow I will pack the bike and do a walking tour and next day head to the airport early.
For dinner I ended up at a halal chicken place. It was close to the hotel and it was open. Reviews were also good. It was very empty and there were all these waiters standing around. I felt sorry for them so I went in. The waiters spoke English and set me up with a nice meal. As I start eating people started coming in and by the time I left the place was packed and there were almost fights at the door. One poor waiter was pleading, "Please, just let me do my job" to a group of guys who wanted a table. A lot of the ordering and table negotiations were in English. Ton of food for me: 12€.
My Toronto support staff point out that it is Ramadan and sunset was at 8:06 which was about when I left the restaurant. I saw food on the tables but I think now they were waiting to pounce as soon as they could. Me stuffing my face while everyone else was waiting for the sun to set explains some of the looks I got. It also explains the hangry confrontations at the door.
Now I relax and sleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment