Saturday, November 15, 2008

New Things and Old Things


Day: 416
Grândola to Setubal
Time: 2:52
Distance: 47.2 km
Avg Speed: 16.4 kph
Terrain: Rolling
Location: 38 30' N, 08 58' W

We slept through our alarms this morning. The bed was too warm, and the heavy curtains were keeping out just enough light to fool us. We still made it to the free brekkie before the rest of the guests. Just enough time to drink all the coffee and eat the croissants. We both thought that the croissants are the best ones we have had since France. On a total side note, today is Prince Charles’ 60th birthday. There was a party and the royal cavalry even did a 41 gun salute at his precise birth time. The salute was a request of the queen. I love BBC News.
The riding today was pretty straightforward. The road we needed was off the main roundabout in Grândola and after that it was point it straight and go. Even though the road was a back road on the map it turned into a truck route. The truckers were all nice and waited for oncoming traffic to pass and didn’t buzz us on blind corners. Part of the ride today was along a narrow spit of sand that led to our only water crossing of the day. Leslie wanted to swim it, but I talked her into taking a ferry. We know the game when it comes to ferry boats and after waiting our turn with the cars we were allowed to jump the line and go to the front of the boat. The crossing went quickly and I was able to pass the little time by watching the fishermen lining the beach.
Setubal reminded us both of the waterfront in Hobart, Tasmania. The old classic buildings tumble down the hill to the waterfront where they are met by the wharfs and piers servicing all the ships that port here. We quickly found a nice place to stay and took a little rest before heading out. Our first order of business was internet and the best place for that is…McDonald’s!! They didn’t have internet, but they did have fries and a coke. From there we went to the library where they did have internet along with a huge display of Marxism and Chè Guevara. We have noticed a lot of bill boards and signs for the Portuguese Communist Party. Last night we even stayed across the street from the district HQ. We left the library in the dark and found our way back into our neighborhood. The locals were out and the roasted chestnut vendors were on every corner. Neither of us had ever had them so we parted with a few Euro and got a bag. WOW! They are really good. We both may get our own bag tomorrow night. Trying new things only leads to dead ends (or belly aches) once in a great while. Most of the time you are left with a smile on your face and new understanding of the things that make life tick.
Tick tock, tick tock
CK

1 comment:

Michele said...

Go and find the bolos de Belem. They are on the other side of the river (lisbon) by the monument to the discoveries. Just ask around. Tooooooo good to miss! Go and hear some Fado too. It is very Portuguese and you can eat at the same time!