August 11: Portugal It Is!

Woohoo! Portugal it is. Today was the second day of a big push to reach Chaves by tonight, setting me up to ride the N2 south tomorrow through the mountainous region of the north before I turn around and head back to Germany. After a great dinner with another adventure rider, I am happily settled in my air-conditioned hotel room reflecting on today’s journey.

Leaving Ychoux France this morning I headed south towards Bayonne, appreciating the crisp morning air and the views of fields and farmlands along the way. Shortly after crossing the border into Spain, I passed through Donostia-San Sebastian, noting that the landscape around me became greener and hillier and the air less hazy.

For some reason I always associated the color red with Spain, perhaps because of the two red stripes in the country’s flag and the red scarfs worn by participants in the running of the bulls. Today, however, there seemed to be a preponderance of yellow, yellow everywhere – sunflower farms appeared on my right and left by the dozens, suspension bridges and railings were painted a bright yellow, and the sun-drenched grass around me had also taken on a yellow hue.

As I headed further west and south through Vitoria-Gasteiz and then Burgos, the heat intensified, and the landscape became more barren and brittle. With temperatures well into the 90’s I was tempted to put on my cooling vest, but with the flow of traffic going over 80 miles an hour I was keeping cool enough.

I must say, the motorists I encountered in France and Spain seemed to drive like their wives were giving birth in the back seat! I soon realized that I either needed to go faster than them or get out of their way!

Crossing over into Portugal, though, everything seemed to slow down. Traffic merely meandered through the towns I passed through, customers at the gas station took their time talking to each other before getting back in their cars, and the restaurant where I met my friend for dinner didn’t even start cooking our meal until almost 45 minutes after we ordered. When I checked into my hotel, the owner helped me with my bags and asked me to let him know if there was anything else I needed.

The view outside my room is delightful – a lush green vineyard at the base of some rolling hills, situated beneath a blue sky dotted with wispy pink clouds. Another great day on the road!