In the planning stages this bicycle tour went through a number of iterations. At first we were starting in Agadir to meet Zane and Kurt for some riding in Morocco. However, Zane flew to Guatemala instead. Then we were starting in Málaga to see Andalucia before meeting my parents for an auto tour in Portugal. However, my parents decided they didn’t have so much time to spend in Portugal. Then Ferda and I decided to fly to Faro and just bicycle in Portugal. However, once we started planning the route, we realized there was a stretch between Elvas and Monsanto without much of interest. If we headed east a bit, we’d get to see Mérida, Cáceres, a corner of Extremadura. So that’s how we ended up spending nine days in Spain on our tour of Portugal.
In Portugal we came to expect sunny, cool, dry weather. It wasn’t till we were within spitting distance of the Spanish border that the rain started. It didn’t rain every day in Spain, but almost. However, as I’m writing this, it’s quite clear that it can rain in Portugal as well. We’re holed up in Penacova for a few days waiting for the sun to come back, giving me some time to write.
We left Elvas, shortly crossed the border, and were in Badajoz not much later. Badajoz, I think, will be the biggest city we visit on this tour until we end our riding in Lisbon. However, it was very quiet when we rode into the city on a Sunday afternoon. It was fun to be in Spain — Badajoz felt like a real, lived-in city, very different from the quiet villages we’d been riding through in Alentejo. Also, communication is easy in Spain! It’s fun to be able to talk with people in their own language. 🙂
