Friday September 19, 2014

When we got up this morning it was raining but with my Mum’s old maxim of rain before 7 cleared by 11, it had stopped raining by the time we were ready to leave.

We knew it was going to be a long day today, the distance and the hills.  We left Amarante and began to climb almost immediately.  The hill was never-ending, we would come around a corner and it would kick up again and again and again.  I ended up swearing at the hill, it didn’t stop the hill going forever upward, but it made me feel better for about two seconds.

We missed the turn for the N211-1 and took the long way to Port.  I don’t think it added to the hills, but it did add a few more kilometres.

The forecast was for rain at noon, we stopped for something to eat at a really nice café around 12:00 and it started to rain while we were in the café the heavens really opened at 1:00 and we got soaked.  However, it cleared up and we were dry by the time we cycled into Porto.

We encountered the worst Portuguese drivers today.  Twice we were cut of, one driver  made a right turn right in front of Ralf and at one point as I was in the roundabout a driver looked straight at me and pulled out in front of me, I said some very bad words.

Ralf plugged in the address to the hostel in the Garmin about 10 kms outside of Porto and it did a really good job.  We had to negotiate the cobbles of Porto, but they are everywhere in Porto.

The YHA is a little out of the core of the downtown of Porto (about 5kms).  They have separate floors for men and women.  Ralf is on one floor and I am on another (:  It is a busy hostel.  I am sharing my room with an older American and two younger Germans. Ralf is sharing with a German and an Austrian.