#81 Sunday outing to Biker Paradise

27th February 2022: Arrabida Nature Park

J. After the rainy Saturday, a sunny Sunday followed, which we used for an outing to Arrabida Nature Park like many locals. The nature park is located south of Lisbon and is a popular weekend destination for many locals, but less known among foreign tourists. We spent the night on a parking lot in Palmela with a great view of the city of Setúbal and the nature park. However, the views were going to get even better today. Parque Natural da Arrabida has a famous mountain road with breathtaking views of the coast, the wooded hills and the hinterland. With its many curves, it is also suitable for motorcyclists and cyclists. However, there is also an official hiking trail along the road and apparently the parallel coastal road is currently closed to cars. So we not only shared the road with many cars and a tour bus that regularly stopped at various viewpoints, but also with large groups of motorcyclists who curbed around the mountains and the cars, and many road cyclists who struggled uphill but had higher speeds than we did on the descent. In between, there were some joggers and hikers.

From the mountain road, we also drove down to the coast, where we took a short hike. There seem to be no proper hiking trails here, our hiking trail mostly ran on the road. But the views are especially beautiful. We passed by some restaurants and went down to the beach. On the way, we made a short detour from the road down 160 steps to the Lapa de Santa Margarida cave. The staircase leads from the top into the large cave, where there is a Christian altar. The cave opens towards the sea, just above sea level, so you can see the rock formations and the waves from inside the cave.

On our way from Arrabida Nature Park northwards, through the densely populated region south of Lisbon, we stopped at a huge market. Everything was offered here: vegetables, cheese and pastries; seedlings and larger plants; underwear, shoes and clothes; churros (fried pastries) and grilled food; fabrics, jewelry and curtains. In addition, a choir performed, accompanied by an accordion, drum, tambourine and a ratchet that is played like a violin lying on the shoulder. The elderly ladies and gentlemen wore traditional costumes, and since the next day was Rose Monday, the ladies also wore clown hats. The Portuguese songs they sang seemed to be very well known. Many spectators sang along and occasionally cheered when the oldest and smallest woman announced which song would be sung next. The atmosphere matched the weather and was very cheerful.

Day 135 - Total tour 8,834 km

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