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Cycling from Coimbra to Senhor da Serra
I left Coimbra after I realised I was getting more and more annoyed at that camping. Goal for today was Góis.
Downhill from the camping in Coimbra "all the way" to the bridge over the Mondego I reached 48.9kmh. Would this finally be my speedy day ? So far for the first kilometer. All the next 9kms I had to 📈PusH 💦.
Except for 10 minutes downhill and that turned out to be a mistake. I took the guess that that short stretch would bring me to an alternative stretch that was longer, and so would be less steep. Was I wrong ... Indeed it was longer, but it was bypassing this village that I had to pass. Which is Vendas de Seira and I almost 🔴 collapsed there on the extremely steep roads.
And it was there that a man decided to help me pushing. He pushed so hard I could hardly keep up and several times I almost lost control over the OnTheRoad 4.0. But I knew I would not make it on my own here so I ran and ran uphill with the 67kgs next to me. However, that man was out of breath after just about 33 seconds, as was his cigarette.
Once out of the old part of the village I saw a man in his garden and asked for water. Then the idea I would not at all make it 😟 to Góis today became more and more clear, so maybe I could wildcamp somewhere and having sufficicent water would then be crucial.
He told me he would be glad to refill my bidons but maybe I would be interested in really fresh water from the Fonte do Muro natural well just around the corner, and so we walked over there. Yeah, this is what they in the Nl call 😉 "gemeentepils", beer offered for free by the community. I refreshed the water in both of my bidons which probably added one extra kilo, so after some 50 meters I already had to 😬 push again.
After the first next bend I saw a 👍 mini mercado where I maybe could buy some "forest"-food. I have some noodles packages and some pasta with me but try to keep them as spare food since they are very lightweight. I stopped to have a look and it turned out to be a small restaurant that actually was closed because of covid. But one day per month they were offering a takeaway service, and that day was ✅ today. I realised this was my change to eat something decent before maybe wildcamping somewhere tonight. Normally I can't eat anything during a day of cycling but this time I had to succeed in doing so.
And although this ofcourse was only per reservation they were offering me to make a nice 👌 bacalhau - batatas ovenplate. It was actually a two-persons dish and I managed to eat half of it. And I then also managed to store the remains in my handlebarbag. The limao-lemonade was offered to me 💯 for free, and also a second one.
After a nice chat I continued. Pushing. I should have guessed a road named like this is going UpHill ...
Few Several minutes later I enjoyed these views.
Do they make all the effort worthwhile ?
Sure they do !
At a t-crossing my gps told me to turn right and that suited me well. Then this sign promised I would finally be on a more flat traject since it could hardly be going more uphill considering the view. But a wandering couple that stopped me to get informed about my trip informed me I would still have to conquer another 2kms uphill. Although not being that extreme anymore I had to push here also since I actually was out of energy for today. Obviously the bacalhau - batatas dish was quite lean (despite the sauce !) and did not have that much calories 🆗.
Finally I got to a stretch of some 600mts that was more or less flat and I 🥇 cycled into Senhor da Serra.
There I stopped at the only cafe to have a nice Radler (a low alcohol beer with limao taste). My first one of the year 2020, so 🍻 Proost !
However I realised I cycled only 10kms "so far" but it was already 15h30 so I realised2 that I would not make it to Góis today since I had only 30kms to go ... Although I could see I would race downhill from here, at least for some distance, I decided to ask if there was a room to rent somewhere in this small village. The owner does not speak any letter other then portugese so I had a problem. But there was wifi available so I took my phone to start a spoken translation.
Then his daughter showed up to tell me there indeed was a room available, even in this same cafe in the building attached to it. I asked for the price which was € 20 per night and € 35 for 2 nights. Cash only then in this village is no multibanco (atm) available and the cafe has no paymentterminal. I was prepared for that and had some € 80 available which should be enough. I was in doubt for several milliseconds but then asked her to show me the room and then agreed on both prices. I explained her I would decide about a second night the next morning, so I could first experience the situation concerning noise and other hinder. Is there any other type of hinder anyway during nights ?!
Then a sign had attracted my attention that stated the cafe was open until 02h00 ... Besides that (what's in a name) next to the cafe was a mobile churros takeaway that had a huge generator running behind it. Churros is a very bad food being fried floor only that people dip in something called nutella 🔴. And nutella is about 50% fat (fat !). Although it was a domingo today I wanted to be sure that generator would not be running after this evening.
The daughter showed me the room which was oké but then explained I could have it in 30 minutes when it would be cleaned. They had not been so clever to clean it after the last guest had left. I ordered another radler beer and waited. And waited, and waited. Several men went upstairs and I first thought they were the guests of the only other room. I took a look what was going on (?) and then those men made clear to me the warmwatersupply failed, and that they were not able to repair it, also not the next day.
The daughter explained me how to get to two other hotels in the next village and assured me twice I could get there downhill, without having to cycle uphill. But I offered her € 15 per night for the room, accepting the cold shower, which she accepted. So why should you clean a room on forehand if there is no guest anyway ?! Yet. Pffuuuhhhh.
After an annoying "rest" of almost 2 hours I could finally start getting all my (67kgs of) stuff upstairs. Which means 6 trips of each 3vms to the first floor. The frontbags, the rearbags, the rackbag, the tentbag plus sleepingbag, the handlebarbag plus all the small stuff and last but not least the OnTheRoad 4.0 which I locked outside to the railing. It didn't need to rest actually since it only made the first 1km highspeed rolling down and the last 600mts flat at full load. All the rest of today it did not have to carry me (but "just" the 50kgs of luggage).
I had a nice cold shower that once more took my breath away, plus almost something else 😬.
And ate the remains of the bacalhau - batatas ovenplate in my room.
The restaurant was open and they served some nice menus but there were to many people to keep me happy.
Later that evening I had a good coffee in the cafe and then visited the Santuario do Senhor da Serra church that was lightened nicely and was open to visit. I took some nice pictures and then returned to have a good imperial in the cafe, and one more.
The daughter asked me if I wanted something for breakfast tomorrowmorning. Her father was afraid he would not understand me so his daughter made a note for him. And to my surprise and joy the cafe closed at 22h00 already so I guess that stated 02h00 is somehow a kind of maximum that is agreed upon.
Then I went upstairs to finish my ebook and to my surprise2 inspector Jurrian De Cock (with C-o-c-k !) and his assistant Dick Vledder managed to arrest the killer. And where he and his team enjoyed there succes by having a good cognac I had to serve myself with a splash of whisky.
And this is the reason I managed only 10kms ... It took 414vms to get to here, and I was FiNiSHeD ... All together I was on the road for 4h48 of which I "moved" only 1h56. Which means an average speed of 5.1kmh while moving and 2.1kmh allin.
So was I a hero ? Yes, just for 1 day !
The generator had stopped, the restaurant had closed and the cafe had closed. Time to close 💤 myself for today.