Portugal - I'm coming

Today I traveled from Cádiz to the Algarve. The rough aim was Faro, but I usually don’t know for sure in the morning because I always book my accommodation during the drive in the afternoon. What did people do without the internet / Booking / Trivago etc. back in the day?

From Cádiz, I initially took little spectacular roads towards Sevilla. Passing by Jerez de la Frontera, where - that's right - the Sherry comes from.

Just before Sevilla, I hit the highway because riding a motorcycle through the city is not necessary. 40 km later, just before a traffic jam, I then veered off the main road again. The river with the rusty-brown stones near Niebla looked very spectacular. And slowly I'm approaching Portugal and the Spaniards generously offer another really great road with wonderful curves and the best asphalt up to the border. As soon as I crossed it, the pavement changed to potholes and loose gravel. That really slows down the dynamics again.

And then I entered, or better yet rode into, a country I hadn't been to before. In this context, one should also raise a glass to the European Union. What a hassle it used to be! At every national border, there were passport checks, one had schillings, the other francs, lira, pesetas, and who knows what else. And today? You only notice it from a lonely sign at the roadside and possibly shifting road surfaces that you are in another country. Pretty cool, right?

The first kilometers in Portugal genuinely impressed me. Much greener than Andalusia, pine forests, pigs happily living their lives on huge pastures (at least until the butcher comes). Many grassy landscapes, soft hills, almost like Ireland - just not quite as green.

Well, then came the point where I wanted to test my luck again. In a village, there was a notice that the road would be closed after 2km (or something similar, my Portuguese could use improvement). I bravely ignored the notice and continued. Indeed, after 2km there was a complete closure; however, I was able to circumvent it around the outer edge (Vally is a slender girl 😂). The reason for the closure was that parts of the road had sunk and the asphalt had cracked. Bad for cars, no problem for the GS. And then came the closure on the opposite side. As can be seen from the picture, a few centimeters were missing for passage because someone had hastily planted a tree (which, by the way, already showed clear signs of wear). There was a quick weight loss program: bags off, then it fit. Who would let such trivialities hold them back?

And then I noticed a campaign advertisement. Merz, the traitor, switched sides! Hammer and sickle AND sunflower, if that isn’t trying to win over the left and the greens, then I don’t know what is. I’m sending that picture to Söder; he'll choke on his liver cheese sandwich.

And I ended up in Olhão, a town east of Faro. And that at 24 degrees and blue skies. Not so bad!