91km Ameixial to Beja

Storks nesting beside the roadFields of yellowFor a big day we started out slowly, lazily rolling out of our wild camping spot about 9am, then stopping for coffee in a tiny village down the road. All the smallest Portugese towns seem to have a combination café-bar, even if there is nothing else for miles around. This one greeted us with a cloud of smoke and the heads of four locals swiveling in unison to stare at the strangers. Two coffees later and we were on our way, over the twisty, hilly roads and taking in a view of the tree-filled valley. Before long it was time for another break in Almodôvar, where we licked our lips over a late breakfast on the steps of the church: croissants slathered in peanut butter and raspberry jam. Calories don’t matter when you travel by bicycle!! After catching up with some online tasks and watching the old men sit in the town square, we left Almodôvar and had lunch a short distance down the road. Our afternoon was spent cycling alongside pastures of wheat, vineyards and fields filled with cows and sheep. We tried to make animal sounds to get them to respond to us (does anyone else do this on a bike or are we just crazy??) but apparently our baaaaahs and mooooos aren’t up to scratch. Must work harder at this. Late in the evening we arrived in Beja and set up our home in the campsite, which was a cinch to find, not to mention cheap. We have already found the meals to be good value in Portugal and it seems the campsites are the same way.