Cabo da Roca and Lisbon

EV 1-Cycling day 5 (10 May) Cabo da Roca - Sintra (30 km) Train to Lisboa

Everything looked pretty relaxed for today. 30 km to Sintra, so the expected 600 m of elevation shouldn't shock us. But the planner at komoot had planned a gravel bike tour without realizing it. And so after 10 km and 200 m of elevation we found ourselves at the end of a bad path. So we went back, looked for the way to the main road and continued uphill. Then it's downhill to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in Europe, from where we can appropriately congratulate my brother Horst on his 67th birthday. It goes steeply uphill on a gravel path and over cobblestones to a small town where the descent to the road is so steep that pushing is difficult (uphill would hardly be possible!). In the next village the next extreme climb awaits us, where even pushing is torture. When we then have to go through barely passable dirt roads, I finally get the idea to check whether something has gone wrong with the planning. In fact - the tour is planned for gravel bikes. We re-plan, but this hardly changes anything, because Sintra is close and the last 100 meters of altitude must also be mastered with the normal bike.

Sintra lies at the foot of a mountain range and served for a long time as the summer residence of the Portuguese kings. The National Palace, built in the Moorish style, is impressive and is particularly notable for its two large conical chimneys. There are many parks in which other stately palaces are located.

We get to Rossio station in the middle of Portugal's capital city without any problems by suburban train. Getting my bike out of the station isn't quite as easy. The electric gate closes when half of my bike is still on the wrong side. Attempts to open the gate with various tickets, including from helpful Portuguese people, fail. Only the idea of lifting the bike over the gate together solves the problem.

We had to fight our way through heavy traffic to get to our accommodation, avoiding inconsiderate drivers. We found very good accommodation not far from the Tejo, with a view of the Ponte de 25 Abril and the Cristo Rei statue. In keeping with the name 'Cheese&Wine Lapa', there was an aperitif with wine and cheese on the terrace.

Saturday, 11 May: Lisbon

We cycle into the centre to Praca do Comercio and then on to Praca Martin Moniz, where the famous E 28 begins its bumpy tour through the narrow streets of the old town. How naive to think that we are the only ones with this idea. There are several hundred people queuing, so we immediately change our plans. On foot we visit the triumphal arch at the end of Rua Agusta, the Sé de Lisboa Cathedral, the Castelo de Sao Jorge, various viewpoints and then from the top we can take the tram back to Praca Martin Moriz. It is a steep climb up to Barrio Alto, to the Santa Justa Elevator and back to the busy shopping streets. Everything that tourists do in Lisbon. This of course also includes a visit to the Mosteiro des Jeronimos in Belem in the afternoon. Cycling in Lisbon is exhausting and not fun. The cobblestones and the poor road surface shake you up, the traffic is chaotic and the many hills are too steep!