Day 32 - Headwind

January 13, 2022

Day 32 - Headwind

13 January 2022

If you asked me to describe today I would say 15 - 20 km/h headwinds and show you this picture -

I was expecting a good night's sleep. Comfortable bed. Lazy evening of wine and reading. Not a tent. I am not sure why I didn’t sleep well. Not to worry. Up early and on the road by 9.00 am.

A long delay crossing the bridge in Figueira da Foz. A bad accident at a roundabout had the traffic stretched back a few kilometers. We work our way through little villages. The going is easy. Some nice gravel paths. Finally, we drop onto the EuroVelo 1. A cycleway that follows the Portuguese coast north to south.

Not all rides are picturesque. This road certainly wasn’t. Endless monotony. On and on with no change in scenery. Nothing to break the headwind. Tough going. I am being ungrateful. What is unchanging is no less beautiful. A vast landscape like this has its own beauty and deserves to be acknowledged. Beauty in its own right.

“Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you.

You must travel it by yourself.

It is not far. It is within reach.

Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know.

Perhaps it is everywhere - on water and land.” ― Walt Whitman

There is little to say about the ride. We pushed on. We hit 40 km and I started to get hungry. Shell tells me that 20 km ahead there is a small town. We can have lunch there. São Pedro de Moel is a beautiful little coastal village.

We cruise down to the beachfront and find a restaurant. Soup and a main. No choice. We order two soups and two mains. A jug of red wine and a jug of white wine. The soup is delicious. Vegetables. Homemade. The main is pasta, all types of meats and vegetables. Slow-cooked. Also delicious.

Decision time. We have knocked out 60 km. There is another 20 km to Nazaré. We get chatting to a local, also a cyclist. He tells us that Nazaré is very busy. Tourist destination due to the big surf. If we were to stay somewhere, São Pedro de Moel would be much quieter. He invites us to his place for wine and coffee. He is a good guy. I am too tired to take him up on his offer. Shell orders the third jug of wine and desert. Decision made. Nazaré will wait.

“You pass people on the street, some are for you, some are not.” ― Robert Henri

We head to a campsite. Tent tonight. I am glad we didn’t head to Nazaré, I am a bit drunk from lunch. We find a great campground and scope out a good place. Finally, Shell tells me we should get a bungalow. They are very inexpensive. Shell reads me like a book. I didn’t want to camp tonight.

We grab a bottle of wine. Shell has a cup of tea and reads her book. The place is deserted. Quiet. Not a cloud in the sky. Our cabin has everything we need. A challenging day. Could have camped. Glad we didn’t.