I left Tui early to cross the bridge over the river Minho into Portugal. I thought an early start would avoid me the traffic across the border, but there was nothing, no custom's booth, no guards, nada... Amazing how you can go from a country to the next without even stopping...

The first thing that struck me cycling into Portugal was how bad the roads were.... Potholes, cracks, bumps... Just hell to cycle ! It's hilly and you can get any speed on the downhills for all the hazards, so that the uphills are all pedal work.

At Viana do Castello, I decide to call it quits, though it's only mid-day. I need to get currency, a good map and a Portuguese dictionary. though there's a Youth Hostel here, I found a little hotel that was even cheaper, and this has been the norm throughout Portugal. Accommodations and food are really cheap, so it's not worth camping anywhere in Portugal. I spent an extra day at Viana getting acclimatized to Portugal. It's a beautiful little city with a very mellow population.

The photo (4th from the left) of the old lady walking amongst the white washed buildings really depicts the "mood" of Portugal and is one of my favourites. The painting on the building in the 5th from the left is made of glazed ceramic and is called an "azuelos". The Portuguese are very fond of these and they're all over the place.

The cycle down the coast to Porto wasn't bad, but 25 kms north of Porto it started getting really busy on the road and entering the city was a real pain... Most of the streets are cobblestone ! Anyway, tomorrow's Easter Sunday, so I spent an extra day here wandering the city. Looked for the Campagnolo dealer for a pedal bearing cap but as I went to the address given to me in Santiago de Compostella, the shop was vacant, the owner having went bankrupt. Titus will just have to grin and bear it...

Porto's a fairly large old city on a river (Rio Douro) near the Atlantic... The houses are very colourful, some with glazed ceramics cemented to their outside walls... Walking the streets of Porto is just enchanting !

Another record day ! best mileage so far... The first 15 kms out of Porto going south were all uphill and pooped me out... I had originally thought to get to Coimbra, about 115 kms, but didn't think I'd make it after the first 15 kms... However, I made it and taking a look at Coimbra, old and decrepit, I decided to push nearer to Conimbrega (where there are supposedly well-kept Roman ruins) so did another 15 kms (all uphill) to Condeixa.

In the morning, I left Condeixa towards Conimbrega. The Roman ruins were a tourist trap, so I continued on my way trying to do as much mileage as possible towards Lisbon. I avoided Fatima as I was certain it would be another tourist trap and settled for the night at Rio Maior.

On the way, I stopped and talked with this old farmer couple near Batalha, taking a break from cycling... Very peaceful folks doing subsistence farming... A little further on, I glimpsed this beautiful valley through a break in the trees lining the road near Alto da Serra... A divine scenery, don't you think ? No wonder the Virgin Mary frequents the area (Fatima isn't far away...).

In the morning, 5 kms out of Rio Maior, ...pinggg !..., a broken spoke, on the cassette side of the rear wheel again, and the wheel rubs the brake pads... It makes for harder cycling, but I still make it to Lisbon. Though it's a big, hectic city, and expensive, I spend an extra day here to find a cassette removal tool (the shop also had a pedal bearing cap for me) and fix Titus' rear wheel.

Lisbon, Portugal's capital, though pretty is a big bustling city... As I was leaving in the early morning, I managed to take this picture before the crowds arrived. It's the entrance to the city from the port... Pretty grand, isn't it ?

Leaving Lisbon, I decide to cut into the interior of Portugal towards Evora (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). My initial aim was to get to Setubal but the cycling went so well that I made it to Montemor (118 kms) with only 30 more kms to do in the morning for Evora.

Got to Evora early and settled down. Man ! what a (world class) tourist trap... Everything is overpriced ! Still, I have the afternoon to view a couple of sights but will leave in the morning.

The "Cappella de los Ossos"... together with a Roman temple dedicated to Diana, are the main attractions of Evora and have prompted UNESCO to declare the village a "World Heritage Site"... The bones from 5,000 individuals are believed to have been used to build the little chapel... Though of dubious taste... it's quite a sight !

Cycling out of Evora in the morning I headed for Beja. I took the national road, which looked all right..., then it changed to a divided highway and cyclists were forbidden. So I switched to a small departmental road and headed for Moura instead.

The road scenery was pretty with lots of olive groves and rolling hills... Met a Dutch fellow cycling the other way. He had landed in Faro (southernmost point of Portugal and beach resort) a few days ago and was slowly making his way back to Holland (3,000 kms). He wasn't going very fast and was complaining about the state of the roads, but he was just starting out... He'll get used to it !

Though the road out of Moura looked all right, it turned into a mostly dirt road to Mertola. The scenery was beautiful though... Nice hills and fields, some virgin forests, a lake, a couple of nice little villages... and the sun was out all day !

I took a break eating dried fruits and chocolate while contemplating this field (above) near Pias and just had to take the image with me...

A bit later, near Serpa, I saw this old castle of a church... Fairy tales are made from images like these... Yet a little later, at Ribeira do Vascau, I'm surrounded by the scenes in the two pictures below... You could almost expect a dragon to fly by...

Well, this is what happens when you eat too much... and the food in Portugal was something else... So I guess I was too heavy... the bridge collapsed... I left quickly for Spain (just a few more kilometers) after taking the picture before anybody would try and blame me... Ooops !!!

Portugal... was all hills... but by the time I got there I was used to them... though I still found myself having to push (walking) Titus up the steeper grades (12% and above).

Portugal's roads were horrible to ride on... all pot-holed, cracked and bumpy. The Portuguese say it's because of the heavy rains they've suffered last winter... but I found the roads to be in as bad a shape in higher grounds that shouldn't have been affected by the water... Near the bigger cities, they were maintained in fairly good condition, which leads me to believe that they simply don't have the resources to maintain good roads everywhere.

Another noteworthy point about Portugal's roads... especially with regards to cyclists... is their love of mosaics... and in most cities and villages, the main streets are an uneven mess (though certainly pretty) of cobblestones and coloured tiles and marble. Which makes walking your bike the only thing practical.

Portugal was a better value than Spain... Everything's coloured and clean, though evidently very old. Their cities, often built around hills, are an abstract delight... all different coloured and stuccoed houses, with flowers on balconies, all piled up one on top of the other... quite a sight.

And food is cheap... However, I thought that the Portuguese couldn't cook until I got to the southern half of Portugal. They make great soups and prepare cod exceptionally well... and in dozens of different manners. I certainly don't need to mention their wine and ports...

And the Portuguese are a warm and friendly people...

The people, the scenery and the food made cycling through Portugal a delight, overcoming the bad state of their roads.