Cafés and bulls...

We are the only guests in Granny's guest house. We are woken early by her back yard cockerel. This gives us an early start to our longest cycle this trip - 86 miles. We glide over the white marble cobbles of the alleyway, then over salmon pink marble slabs in front of the Cathedral, before hairpins down to cross the Rio Tejo for the last time, as we head East leaving clouds behind. The road is flat until lunchtime, past flooded rice fields. We are delighted to see Henrique again, our WS host from the night before last. He spots us as he is driving to an appointment in Evora! The pedal is only spoilt by too many passing logging lorries. They disappear to the motorway after lunch as we leave the lush greenery we have become used to and enter rolling hills of parched grass under cork trees and the occasional enormous bull. The traffic calming in villages is great; if a car exceeds the speed limit a sensor turns the next traffic lights red, we sail through all the red lights as we feel it is not our fault they have been triggered. Small villages are as ever filled with cafés. In one we counted 10. At Arraiolos the cafe was a surprise inside as instead of the usual wobbly plastic tables and unshaven men at the counter, there were chintzy table clothes and well dressed local ladies (more suitable to Budleigh Salterton). The best cup of coffee in days for the princely sum of 80 cents each. This village is famous for the local ladies sitting outside their blue and white cottages weaving hand made carpets. Perhaps it was the blustery wind but there was nobody about on this occasion. The village generally was in need of a coat of paint. As we whizzed mostly downhill to Evora we caused a stampede of steers. As they were wearing big bells it was quite tuneful.






We entered this historic town under the long aqueduct and then through a gate in the city old walls. A campsite just outside is our home for the next two nights.





Miles to date:- 875

Location:Santarem to Evora