Hitting the Road
Literally and figuratively
Hi friends!
We continue to evade the heat that is charring its way across southern Europe. The average daytime temps here are around 23ºC (73ºF), with bright blue skies, white fluffy clouds, warm sun, and cool coastal breezes. If it sounds perfect, that’s because it is.
It’s incredibly conducive to getting out and being active, which I’ve been doing a lot lately. So this week, let’s talk about:
Hitting the road and finding my cycling feet
Quick hits
Let’s pedal out!
Hitting the road and finding my cycling feet
I’ve been cycling for years, and one of my first big purchases when we landed in Porto was a new bike.
The streets here vary from crappy to really crappy to downright cobblestone danger zones, so I bought a gravel grinder instead of a road bike. It’s made for bikepacking, which is good because I weigh about the same as a regular bicyclist plus a full complement of backpacking gear. It can support me through thick and thicker.
When we were moving here it was challenging to determine whether Porto would be a good biking city. Turns out, Porto is great for people like me, who love workouts and adventures. It sucks for people who want to commute by bike. Too little infrastructure, too many hills, and almost zero bike lanes in the center of town.
There’s a lot to figure out when you take up cycling in a new place. You have to understand the rules of the road, and more importantly, you have to get a feel for how drivers treat you. It can be a bit unnerving to push boundaries if you don’t have a local guide to tell you what to expect. You don’t want to have a Peugeot remind you of where your guardrails should be.
Fortunately, Portugal has a long stretch of very bike-friendly EuroVelo (thanks Dakota!) so my first forays into longer rides stuck safely to the coastline. Some of these routes are on shared roads, so I dipped my toes into riding alongside the crazy Portuguese drivers a bit at a time.
The wind on the coast can be physically and mentally brutal sometimes, though, so I had to expand my horizons and start blazing my own trails out into the countryside.
I try and stick to backroads a lot, and that rewards me with less traffic/danger but more cobblestones. I’ve found some good, long paths that are great for midweek workout rides. And on the weekends, when traffic is light, I feel much more comfortable asserting my right to my share of a lane of traffic in the hinterlands.
I can hop on my bike in downtown Porto and be out in the green pastureland in about 30 minutes. I find old quintas (farms/manors), vineyards, necropoli, medieval bridges, sleepy little one-church villages, and all sorts of good stuff just a short jaunt away.
There are cafes all over the place, so stopping for an espresso, water, or snack can happen just about anywhere. Plus, with tools like Strava and Komoot at my side, I can always try to guide myself toward where others tend to ride.
It hasn’t been without its challenges, but being on two wheels has definitely brought me a lot closer to Porto and its surroundings.
Quick Hits
We have a new roof! It happened much quicker than the 90 days they quoted us. I think they were motivated to get it done before they went on vacation in August. There are still some details to iron out before all is said and done. But this major progress will allow us to start moving on our remodel soon!
Hilary hosted an incredible vegan meetup at Vümo, a new plant-based smokehouse in town. The turnout was fantastic (20+ people!) and we met a ton of new folks. The owners were so thankful. They make one hell of a Reuben with house-made seitan. It’s dangerous having something this delicious within walking distance.
It’s almost August, and that means that the professional class in Porto is about to go on vacation. We’re doing our best to be as Portuense as possible, and we have some upcoming travels, so you likely won’t hear from me until September.
I hope you have a great August! Stay in touch and let me know how your summer is going. And I’ll catch you on the flip side.
My musical offering this week is for my hip-hop heads. Nas just released a new album, and if you haven’t heard it yet, you should. It’s good. Enjoy!
Glad to hear about the roof! Unlike the rest of the US, the PNW has had fabulous summer weather this year - not too hot and mostly in the low-mid 80s. Otherwise, it’s been kind of quiet here. Cheers!