Wednesday, 21 May 2014

Hippos and churches...

Before leaving Leiria there is time for a stroll around the historic centre including the Cathedral and a big Pharmacia covered with ancient tiles.









Heading east now for the first time this trip, easy mileage allows time to look around historic Tomar with another enormous hilltop castle, this time built for the Knights Templar. Like most Portugese towns the narrow streets are lined with crumbling ancient buildings in a very poor state of repair. There is little money to restore them, especially since the recession.
At Entroncamento we are hosted by retired paratrooper Henrique, wife Paula, and teenage son. They all speak really good English, so we have a very interesting political discussion. Their politicians sound even more self-serving than our lot! Henrique tells us their government has today passed a law to allow their MP's to receive salary and expense payments which are not revealed publicly! He also thinks the only reason the unemployment figures are falling is because so many are leaving up get work abroad. Dad and son are very tough mountain bikers, doing lots of long distance routes carrying luggage. This summer, for the first time Paula is coming too, so they are doing some of the easier Danube route.
After eating enough good homemade Portuguese food to fuel any cyclist, we are off next morning, along the Rio Tejo. The next town is Golegã, famous for hippos (horses). Henrique had explained there are so many donkeys still because there is a government subsidy for them, to encourage tradition. We cross the really wide box girder bridge, too narrow for a lorry and a bike, so walk the protected path, admiring the lumps of unprocessed cork fallen from loads (and wing mirrors shattered on the metal uprights.)
Our coffee and custard tart (pastel de nata) stop is in Chumasco , a very traditional village of white cottages under tiled roofs and a bull ring. We sit out a heavy downpour here, then on to Santarem, a hilltop town with views over the vast plain on either side of the Tejo.









In a country of many fine churches the ones here are astonishing, all worth looking inside, the jewel being Igreja de Marvilla dating from the 12th C, with the interior completely covered in beautifully patterned blue and yellow tiles (azulejos). We stay in Pensão José Rodrigues, in a narrow cobbled alleyway, run by a granny who arrives just as we do, stores our bikes in a ground floor room and takes us up to the top of the house where our chintzy room has a little balcony with a view of tiled roofs and church towers - 35 euros.









Miles to date:- 789


Location:Leiria to Santarem