From Central Portugal to the coast: Évora to Setúbal

We are heading away from the inland now towards the coast south of Lisbon.

The train leaves precisely on time at 9:06 am. It came in early (as were we) which was great as we could load the bikes in comfort. (Alison had rung whilst we were on the platform so we were able to say ‘hi’ to all of them in Melbourne which was great). 

Lovely tilework (azulejo) on the station platform walls!

It is very hazy when we leave this morning but I think it is smoke.

The train to Setúbal loses time and we reach Pinhal Novo with only minutes to spare to make the transfer. 

The bikes have to come off the train, down a long flight of stairs to change platforms necessitating several trips to do the paniers separately and then fortunately we find an escalator to go up to the departure platform - so we balance the bikes precariously on the escalator to go up. I then dash back down with 4 minutes remaining to buy the tickets (I couldn’t order these online) returning back up to the platform just as the train came in.

Had the Very Unpleasant Conductor who claimed we hadn’t validated the tickets (we had!) and made MF get off at the next station to re-do them. Only thing we can think of is we didn’t validate them properly (the only unpleasant person we have met so far in the whole of Portugal!).

On arrival into Setúbal, we enjoyed a coffee and cake (portuguese tart - pastel de nata - for MF) at a cafe in a large park in the centro - and relaxed! it had been a somewhat stressful morning ... 

Setúbal was inhabited in ancient times by the Phoenicians and by the Romans who settled on the south bank of the River Sado (in Tróia). It was already one of the country's main ports in the 14th century.

After our ‘morning tea’, we went to investigate the port (Doca do Comercio) where we will cross tomorrow to Comporta.

Found our accommodation after much pfaffing around - and up a zillion stairs …

Back down to the port area for a lunch of the local specialty: choco frito (not what you think! fried cuttlefish!!). We had to wait in a queue - so obviously a popular spot. But PASS - not my thing. The white wine and chips were great however!

Cycled from here alongside the Sado River estuary (before it goes out into the Atlantic). Bought an ice-cream (gelado) along the way. Lovely beach: Praia de Albarquel. Plenty of sports activity going on: beach volley ball, kayaking, exercise groups. We did some stretches too.

Despite it being warm, it was a pleasant day with a cool breeze along the coast here. We cycle up to a miradouro just on the edge of the Serra da Arrábida Natural Park. And had a coffee at Cafe Bacalhôa with views across the water to Tróia (big eucalypts here).

So today was meant to be a Rest Day - but we still used the bikes; they were very handy - just 10 kms of cruising along.

We came back to our very nice accommodation for a brief respite after collecting groceries and had the remainder of lunch-time’s white wine further upstairs on the terrace before walking the 1.5 kms to an area we would never have picked for having a restaurant, let alone a Michelin-star. 

The walk was fascinating, paralleling the port but in amongst the back streets cobbled with shiny white marble and disappearing down steeply into tiny alleys after the miradouro at the top: the Miradouro de São Sebastiao. 

The city is elegant in parts, but run down in others; jacarandas in full bloom; music coming from unseen-as-yet places only to open up into interesting praças (squares) with musos singing, playing guitar …

Dinner at Xtoria was sublime. The woman who was front-of-house greeted us like long-lost friends; she remembered my call back in March - (‘from Australia!’; she said it was the most memorable call she’s ever had). 

The place was booked out with people being turned away. Food and wine were amazing! And we enjoy our amble home UP along the cobblestoned back streets.