Cork & Porcupine

John and I have been writing songs together and playing as a duo since January 2021, after being inspired watching The Beatles: Get Back. We don't have a lot of songs or performances under our belt, but we get a lot of satisfaction in what we've done. We played our third "Lunch Gig" at the Pender Island Community Hall on June 14th. 

 

  

 

Apologies for the poor sound -- this was a live stream recorded by the Community Hall on an old iPhone. 

For better quality, you can check out last year's performance at the same venue (but outdoors.) We had it recorded by our brilliant local videographer, Kenta Kikuchi.

 Cork and Porcupine at the Hall, June 2023 

 

 

 

Reflections on Riding, and Some Data

 The Bikes

We rented our bikes from Cycling Rentals. who provided each of us what they call their Camino package (designed for cyclists doing the Camino de Santiago) which included an e-bike, 2 20-litre panniers, a 5-litre handle-bar bag, helmet, bike lock, and a flat replacement kit. We added on rear view mirrors so we could see approaching vehicles and each other when we were riding.

We were provided with Kona e-bikes equipped with Shimano batteries. There were three levels of assist: eco, normal, and high. The batteries had great range, and we never came close to running out of power even though we made plentiful use of high assist. We missed the Turbo assist of our own bikes at home, but using that would certainly have reduced the range of the battery. The bikes had chains, different from my own bike whose mechanism is enclosed (and I have no idea how it works). This was good when we had to repair a flat on the rear tire, I suppose, but I got pretty greasy every day.

Chain grease

We chose Cycling Rentals over other bike rental companies because they will deliver bikes to anywhere on the Iberian Peninsula and pick up anywhere else on the Iberian Peninsula. Most companies would require pick up and return to the same place, which would mean travelling with the bikes on trains or buses if we didn’t want to ride a circle tour. The cost was a bit more per day than for other companies, but we considered it well worth the small cost to save a bunch of hassle.

The team at Cycling Rentals was very friendly, helpful, and responsive. We would recommend the company to anyone considering a similar trip to ours.

We did have one issue with the bikes, and that was that the handlebar height could not be adjusted, this being confirmed by several bike repair people we consulted along the way. The bike was okay for me, but not great for Elly; with the seat lowered, her knees hurt, and with the seat raised, her shoulders hurt. She needed both a raised seat and a raised handlebar. A larger frame might have worked for her, but the bike company did ask our height and chose the frame size accordingly. It's something to be aware of when renting bikes.

Would I do this style of bike touring again? I’m thinking probably not. I compare it to my previous bike-and-barge trip, where we were a congenial group of 16, guided along ideal tracks, not carrying any gear, knowing that we’d be taken care of if anything went wrong, re-meeting our accommodations every night so that there was no packing and unpacking to do. We were fed and watered generously, and the cost, all things considered, was more than reasonable. I didn't have an e-bike on that trip, and it wasn't always easy, but it was much easier than this one.

That said, this was a challenge taken and conquered, and that’s a good feeling. It may have been harder than what I expected when we started planning this trip, but I don’t regret it for a minute. 

For those wondering how it could be hard to cycle e-bikes, I'll mention again that the amount assist you get is directly related to the amount of pressure you put on the pedals. On the flat, there is no discernible difference between high power and power completely off. On the hills, pedalling fast in the highest gear, even the high assist is barely noticeable; you actually have to work to get any push from the motor. Early in a day’s ride, with fresh legs (and cool temperatures), hills were relatively easy. Later in the day and many hills later, they were a struggle. I learned to apply pressure in spurts; I also learned to stop frequently, even mid-hill, to give the legs some recovery time.  

“Why is this so hard?” I complained to John at one point during this trip. “Because you’re a couple of geriatrics!” he said. There’s a perspective!


The Data

Ezra the Maniac Cyclist (my beloved stepson and my host, along with his family, in Berlin) will probably be amused by these numbers. He and others of his ilk (I dub them EMCs in his honour) routinely knock off a hundred kilometres in an afternoon's ride. We saw a lot of them on this trip, often cycling in herds, probably heading up to the mountains of Monique. They always waved or nodded, and maybe laughed once they were past, at these old-lady pack-mules. There was one that could have stopped to help when he saw us with a flat tire at the side of the road, but he kept on going. I wonder if there isn't something like the mariner's obligation in the biking world, to stop and help others in distress. 

Oh well, along came Nelson!

(The total of the daily rides doesn't match the total shown by the bike's computer. On two days, I forgot to start recording the beginning of the ride, and it looks like I underestimated the distances of the unrecorded parts.)

Daily kilometres

Milfontes to Zambujeira                                    37.5
Zambujeira to Aljezur        14.2(?) + 17.3 =      31.5
Aljezur to Salema                 8.6(?) + 39.2 =     47.8
Salema to Lagos                                                17.4
Lagos to Silves                                                  47.7
Silves to Loulé                                                  53.9
Loulé to Tavira                                                  42.7  

Total according to our maps                            278.5 km

Total according to the bike computer              291.3 km


Total riding time                     15h 54m
Average speed                        18.3 km/h
Max speed                              49 km/h (yikes!)

Our bikes and gear, bagged and labelled, ready for pick-up

Money Money Money Money

Yep, I'm going to talk about what people don't talk about. 

(Please don’t check my math; my calculations are rough, because being exact is all but meaningless in this context.)

Costs (rounded a bit):                                    total                each person

Accommodations                                          €1,470            €735
Train & Bus (Lisbon connections)                     60                 30                                                                                                                                                                                                                     ______                    

                                                                                            €765 =       CAD $1,132

Bikes                                                                                   €500 =       CAD $  776



Cash withdrawals                                                                Euros            CAD                    rate
                                                                                                            (+ transaction fee)
        Berlin            Sept 25                                                    200            295  + 5                1.47
        Berlin            Sept 27                                                    200            295  + 5        
        Lisbon            Oct 3                                                      200            295  + 5
        Zambujeira     Oct 6                                                      200            326  + 5                1.63
        Lagos             Oct 11                                                     200            326  + 5
        Tavira             Oct 16                                                    200            296  + 5                1.48

Total cash                                                                            €1,200          $1,863

Total expenses, other than flights, for just me:                                         $3,771  

Total approximate expenses, minus Berlin*                                         $3,270        $204/day/person

 

Without the bike rental (i.e., for the normal tourist), the cost would have been about $156 per day per person, plus transportation expenses. Car rental would have been much more costly than bike rental, but public transport is cheap and efficient. Lots of variables.

*I stayed with family for the 10 days in Berlin, and my total expenses there were about €300-350, mostly in dinners and treats. To include this in the per day calculation would have skewed the numbers.

***

Why such different exchange rates in Zambujeira and Lagos? All withdrawals were done in legit bank ATMs, not the Euronet ATMs found on every street, known for charging exhorbitant rates. There was a bit of confusion at both banks in question, something about, “Do you accept this rate of exchange?,” for which the only answer accepted was, “No.” What does that mean??

Visa charges came in at an exchange rate of $1.48 to the Euro, similar to the ATM withdrawal rate. My habit has always been to use cash in foreign countries, because that was best deal, but considering transaction fees at ATMs, it would have been a bit better to use my card this time. It cost me $90 more this trip to use cash than it would have to use only my card. That’s not a lot, but something to consider. All vendors, incidentally, appreciated cash. “Cash is always best,” we were told. Also, we tipped for service in hotels, cabs, the boat tour, and restaurants -- and cash seemed to be the only way to do that.

I had about €45 in cash when I left home, left over from a previous trip, and I came home with about €65. For the next trip.

I brought home less than $50 worth of small gifts and souvenirs. Travelling by pannier puts a damper on the urge to buy stuff, plus everything must fit in regulation carry-on baggage. After the lost luggage incident in Berlin, I wasn’t about to check a bag coming home. But Portugal is full of temptation, if someone wanted to buy things there: beautiful clothes, ceramics, cork products (shoes! beautiful cork shoes!)

As for flights, I had a complicated itinerary, I flew some of it on points, and I opted for a cut above rock bottom (i.e., fully refundable). Since flight costs vary so much, there doesn’t seem much point in listing mine here.

 

Comparisons

Fully guided and supported bike tours in the region list between about €2800 and €4,000 per person, including most meals and all accommodations, for 7 days. Its definitely cheaper to do it the way we did it, and it was nice to choose our accommodations and restaurants. We did see supported tours on our route, though, and I admit to a bit of envy at how easy it looked. In fact, we didn’t encounter any other cyclists doing what we were doing, even though we saw many, many cyclists. That says something about our sanity, I guess, in doing this on our own. (And great respect to the Cycle Blaze crazies, who do this for months at a time.)

I’ve also looked into an E-bike tour in Croatia, 8 days guided, staying on a boat between rides, 185 km of riding, includes all meals & accommodation, max. 32 passengers. The cost is about €2000 per person, double occupancy, or about CA$375/day. The previous bike & barge trip I took, 8 days fully guided and full room & board, was about €1200, an incredibly good deal. The pandemic has changed things though; prices are up in all sectors, it seems.

 

Then and Now

We met some fellow Canadians who had been in Portugal four years ago. They said prices have gone up exponentially since then. Portugal is no longer an inexpensive, forgotten corner of Europe. For the money, however, the traveller gets copious high-quality food and beautiful accommodations, offered by a people who are, overwhelmingly, among the most gracious and friendly I have ever encountered. Hang the expense -- go to Portugal!

Accommodations in Lisbon and the Algarve

We can heartily recommend all of the places we stayed. Some were more modern and upscale (Vicentina Hotel in Aljezur, Bowen Luxury Suites in Lagos, Loulé Jardim in Loulé), some on the funky side (Selina Milfontes in Vila Nova de Milfontes, Ponte Romana in Silves), and some exuded old-world charm (Ondazul in Zambujeira, Residencial Marés in Tavira). All were clean, comfortable, and, most importantly, centrally located. I’ve learned from past travel that location matters more than anything else. I like to be in the middle of things, to step out into a lively neighbourhood, and to have at least one eatery just around the corner.

I may have already said this — we were not interested in 5-star hotels. I find big-box, brand-name places distasteful and impersonal. I don’t need a huge room and fancy furnishings. I like a hotel to be a reflection of the culture that surrounds it. I like small (“boutique,” if you must), family-run places, when possible, where you get a sense they’re genuinely happy to host you. Most of our places were like this.

We booked all of our accoms through Booking.com except the Ponte Romana, which was through Expedia. While I prefer to book directly with a hotel (they don’t pay fees that way), the advantage of the booking site is that you can pay a little extra for being able to cancel on short notice. This was important to us, considering Covid and our age. For cancel-ability, the cost was a little higher than if the booking had been nonrefundable. The prices I list are for fully-refundable reservations. Rates change with the season, and, of course, over time. "Total price" means the total for the number of days spent at a hotel, not the price for one night. Note that prices were noticeably lower in Silves and Loulé, which are inland and off the well-beaten tourist track.

In Lisbon and in Lagos, the two places where breakfast was not included, we found fabulous breakfast places very close by — right next door to our Lisbon hotel was the Copenhagen Coffee Lab, and around the corner from our Lagos hotel was the Black & White Café. We spent about €8-12 for breakfast when we had to buy it. When breakfast is included, the value of an accommodation becomes exceptional. Breakfast was similar at all of our hotels, usually a buffet that included several kinds of cooked eggs, a variety of breads and croissants, cheeses, cured meats, fruit, juices (often freshly squeezed orange juice from local oranges), yoghurt, granola, cereals, baked sweets, and a coffee machine that served a variety of espresso drinks. A tray of teas was always available, and I was pretty happy with the black tea that is my mainstay in the morning. Elly found the coffee good.

A note of some importance: every one of our places had AC, all but one in the form of a heat pump with remote control, just like the one I have at home. We definitely needed the AC!

(I didn't always remember to take photos of the rooms, but there are a bunch at the bottom, probably more than anyone wants to see.)


Lisbon — Oct 2, 3, 4
Alfama-Lisbon Lounge Suites
Check-in: 3 pm; check-out: noon
Total Price: €327.51     + charge to be collected at property: €12 city tax    breakfast extra
Escolas Gerais 38, Alfama, Santa Maria Maior, Lisbon, 1100-213, Portugal
Phone  +351 913 742 935
Recommended breakfast, right next door: The Copenhagen Coffee Lab


Vila Nova de Milfontes — Oct 5
Selina Milfontes (hostel)
Check-in: 3-11 pm; check-out: 8-11 am
Total Price: €78.21    includes breakfast    
Rua dos Carris 9, 7645-242 Vila Nova de Milfontes, 7645-242, Portugal
Phone  +351927514681


Zambujeira do Mar — Fri Oct 6
Ondazul
Check-in: 4-7 pm; check-out: 8:30-11 am
Total Price: €80    includes breakfast    
Rua da Palmeira lote nº1, Zambujeira do Mar, 7630-794, Portugal
Phone  +351283961450


Aljezur — Sat Oct 7
Vicentina Hotel
Check-in: 5-10 pm; check-out: 8-11 am
Total Price: €81    includes breakfast    
Av General Humberto Delgado S/N Junto Aos Bombeiros Voluntarios, Aljezur, 8670 -001, Portugal
Phone  +351282990030


Salema — Sun/Mon Oct 8, 9
Hotel Residencial Salema
Check-in: 2 pm; check-out; 11 am    
Total Price: €180    includes breakfast    
Rua 28 de Janeiro, Salema, 8650-200, Portugal
Phone  +351282695328


Lagos — Tues/Wed Oct 10, 11
Bowen Luxury Suites
Check-in: 4-8 pm; check-out: 11 am
Total Price: €198    breakfast not included    
Rua da Amendoeira nº 47, Lagos, 8600-685, Portugal
Phone  +351 917 427 387

Recommended for breakfast, 2 short blocks away: Black & White


Silves — Thur Oct 12
Ponte Romana
Check-in: 2 - 9 pm; check-out: 11 am
Total Price: €55.29 (may be surcharges)    breakfast included
    note: MUST call hotel at least 24 hours in advance to confirm arrival
Horta da Cruz Ladeira de S. Pedro, 8300-033 Silves
Phone  +351 965 441 476


Loulé — Fri Oct 13
Loulé Jardim
Check-in: 3 pm; check-out: noon
Total Price: €69    breakfast included    
Largo Manuel de Arriaga 25, Loulé, 8100-665, Portugal
Phone  +351289413094

Tavira — Sat Oct 14, 15
Residencial Marés
Check-in: 3 pm; check-out: 7am-noon
Total Price €146.38    breakfast included    
Rua José Pires Padinha, 140, Tavira, 8800-354, Portugal
Phone  +351 281 325 815


Lisbon (part 2) — Oct 16, 17
Alfama-Lisbon Lounge Suites
Check-in 3 pm; check-out noon
Total Price: €232.20    + charge to be collected at property: €8 city tax     breakfast extra
Escolas Gerais 38, Alfama, Santa Maria Maior, Lisbon, 1100-213, Portugal
Phone  +351 913 742 935

 

 

Lisbon: Alfama-Lisbon Lounge Suites:

The only sign for our Lisbon hotel

To the hotel door -- watch for trams!

Our second room, much like the first, in the Lisbon-Alfama Lounge Suites. We're at roof level, hence the beam. The rooms are all on the street side; the suites are on the garden side. The rooms are huge by European standards.

Lisbon bathroom, probably the least modern of all of our bathrooms. Note bidet (toilet not pictured)

 

Vila Nova de Milfontes, Selina Milfontes:

Selina Milfontes hostel room

Selina Milfontes bathroom

Lounge space just outside our door

Beautiful included breakfast served to us (not a buffet). Orange juice, freshly squeezed

I don't have photos of the room in Zambujeira.

Aljezur, Hotel Vicentina:

We didn't know we would get a whole suite! There's a swimming pool here, as well.

Kitchen, with charging bike batteries.

Who needs a kitchen when you're served a breakfast like this??

 

Salema: Hotel Salema Residencial

It's pretty ugly on the outside, but we liked the balcony...and the elevator.

The room was pretty nice, tile floors, art on the wall, a whole lot of light switches.

 

Lagos, Bowen Luxury Suites:

Not a typical facade for a hotel. You need to know what you're looking for, including the tiny sign by the door

Wrought iron railings, stairs from lobby below.

Rooftop terrace.

Nice room!

Nice bathroom!

The best bathroom goodies we found, including a shoe shine sponge, if you want to shine your sneakers.

Silves: Hotel Ponte Romana

Hotel Ponte Romana, made up of several buildings. Our room was small and basic, but there was a pool.

Loulé: Loulé Jardim Hotel

Outside and inside. The breakfast room was beautiful, if steamy, in an atrium.

Loulé Jardim by night...

...and by day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The room was typical of European hotels, which is to say, small.

Not enough room to push our beds apart as much we would like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Tavira: Residencial Marés

Entrance squeezed between two restaurants

Seating area outside our room, including bookshelf with books for the taking.

Stairways to everywhere, hotel interior

Charming, old world room. Importantly, a balcony for drying clothes.

Hand painted tiles around the mirror

Finally, Elly's apple. Some people bring a gnome or a stuffy on their travels. Elly brought an apple.

From Ottawa to Tavira, a good companion, now to be abandoned.

Music in Lisbon

Fado

When we think of Portuguese music, we think of Fado, the mournful songs of sea and longing, accompanied by the Portuguese 10-string guitar. Elly and I went to the Fado museum in Lisbon for an introduction. We heard recordings by a number of the greats of the Fado world. But Fado is meant to be heard live.

I really wanted to see a Fado performance in Lisbon. The travel guides make it seem an easy thing to do, and, sure enough, Fado performances were everywhere. These take place in little restaurants that charge a cover and serve expensive meals. The hitch was that we couldn't get reservations (we didn't know we would need them). Our hotel called at least four places, with two nights to choose from, and nothing was available.  So, no Fado. I guess I have to plan ahead for my next trip to Portugal.

Other Music

When I was first researching places to eat Lisbon, I came across two videos of local buskers/café musicians both playing "Stand By Me," and not particularly well. Didn't find any other songs by buskers, just "Stand By Me." I deem it Lisbon's theme song. Here is the one busker we saw in Lisbon:

 

There was better music to be heard in the streets, though, like this trio in a restaurant patio, the sound echoing around the neighbourhood. Seeing this short clip now, I realize I should have let the camera run longer -- not used to what I can get away with on Youtube.

Returning to Lisbon the second time, we went to this restaurant in hopes of having an evening of this brilliant trio, but it was a Monday, and the place only had live music on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Music in Portugal, for us, a bust.

Day Trip to Sintra

 Oct 17 2023


We woke up to pouring rain. This was not going to deter us! After breakfast at the Copenhagen Coffee Lab, the next door café & bakery (best breakfast in Portugal, maybe in the world, I swear), we donned our raingear and jumped on a trolley to Rossio Station, where we caught the 45-minute train ride to Sintra.

The Copenhagen Coffee Lab, fantastic breakfast place, goods baked on site

Where we eat breakfast when it's not raining.

The #28 Trolley, apparently the tourist "must." But we're just using it to get downtown.

There were options for getting from the station into the town center of Sintra, and there were options for getting up to the Pena Palace at the top of the hill. We opted to walk, intrepid travellers that we are.

It was a bit damp, as the Irish might say. Have a look:

We found a walking path that seemed like a good alternative to the road...

... at least for a while.

The cow has the right idea

The road above the town was scenic

There is no Portugal without stairs to climb

The Pena Palace is remarkable from the outside, with its Disney towers and Moorish gates and walls at weird angles. On the inside, with the exception of the small tiled courtyard, it was kind of the same as every other old palace I’ve been in, with ornately decorated walls and ceilings, and stuffed with elaborate furnishings. I can’t say I love these places. Some people do, though, as expressed through the Ohs and Ahs of the 50 gazillion people that were there with us. 

The way through was a roped off route where we all shuffled along like a herd of sheep. Elly and I were mostly happy to be dry, however, or at least not getting wetter.

How I felt when I got to the top, including out of focus.

Extraordinary courtyard, once a cloister. This reminded me of palace courtyards in India, except that we weren't allowed into this one.

The gawkers enjoying the extraordinary courtyard

Drowned rats. Happy drowned rats.

Meh

We grabbed lunch in the palace cafeteria (that sounds posh, but it wasn't), then opted for a cab ride back to the train station. For a whopping €5 each, we were there in 10 minutes. It had taken more than an hour to walk up. 

There is much more to see in Sintra than we saw, and on a nicer day, it would have been great to see the Moorish castle and the National Palace (maybe), and wander through the town, and sample the famous pastries only made in Sintra. But time was getting on, we were “a bit damp,” and we wanted to get back to get things dry for packing for our flights tomorrow.

We had dinner in a Taverna we'd eaten in before. A very small menu, mostly appetizers. The waiter was a joy. Elly enjoyed the complimentary ginjinha, the cherry liqueur held in high regard here. (Note to those not in the know: Elly doesn't drink.)

Elly takes a risk with Ginjinha

 
Funny thing, after all, the best part of today was the walk in the rain.