We shuttled again this morning, this time from Evora to Estremoz, @ 28 miles north, and from there began our 32 mile ride for the day. The vans parked at the church at the top of town and the first part of the ride was a steep, twisting downhill on cobblestone streets. Nuno was our guide today and he led us very slowly down the hill, so slowly that at times I thought I might fall off my bike. It was a relief to finally get down through town and out on open road. The first 5 miles were mostly downhill and it felt great to be on the bike. This soon gave way to gently rolling hills through countryside dotted with olive orchards, wild poppies and cow pastures. The last 5 miles were a steady climb toward Alter do Chao. It was a relief to finally arrive in town.
The countryside was very peaceful except for the occasional semi truck rumbling through. At times the road was very narrow and at one point I had a truck almost run me off the road, it was so wide. Not fun! Alter do Chao is a very small town, but the hotel we're staying at is quite nice. Had lunch in the hotel restaurant and then a few of us played cards for an hour or so. We'll meet up again at 7:30 for tomorrow's briefing and then head to the only other real restaurant in town for dinner.
A peaceful river along the way
Wildflowers
Idyllic view
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