Voyage of Discovery

As I ride out of the underground car park from the rather excellent Ibis hotel in Coimbra, I am greeted by a remarkable light! Maybe because the last few days have been dominated by various levels of cloud interspersed with sunny intervals, but the brightness of the blue sky with just a few tiny white clouds, was quite striking. It reminded me of the light in Greece, it just seems different, and as I head south resuming my journey along the same IC2 road which had brought me to Coimbra yesterday, I felt a certain dread that I was in for another tedious ride. I needn’t have worried as it’s a different kettle of fish to the previous section. With the light coloured road surface reflecting the amazing light it gave me a feel good factor. 

To say that after two weeks I am now feeling ‘on holiday’ wouldn’t be true, on two counts. Firstly I don’t have holidays because I don’t work, this is my life just in a different location. Secondly, this is not a story about some guy riding his motorbike across Europe, it’s far more than that, and as most, if not all of you know, this isn’t just a ‘Voyage of Discovery’ geographically, it is also personally.

Further south the condition of the road surface of the IC2 deteriorated to such an extent that at times I could no longer weave between the bad bits and had no option but to reduce my speed to within the legally permitted limits.

Fortunately things improved when it shared its number with the N1, and I could start to enjoy some smooth black tarmac which meandered a path through some more attractive countryside, until I hit the suburbs of Lisbon. 

Like any major city, the motorway that bisects much of Lisbon is a bit frantic, but free flowing with speeds generally being between 70 and 90mph, where there was no 50mph radar intervention. I was surprised to see the Sporting Lisbon stadium, to my right and the Benfica stadium only two miles further on to my left, I had no idea they were so close! This ‘business end’ is very modern and even the new housing developments further out on the hills are brightly coloured and attractive. 

Even from 10 miles away my destination was visible. Although Lisbon comes highly recommended by all who visit, and someday I will, I’ve had Sintra Castle on my list ever since I first saw photos of it a couple of years ago. I just had enough time to get there and view it before closing time and although the outside could do with fresh coat of Sandtex, it’s still a mightily impressive place. Not only the castle but the whole town of Sintra is unique, but yet again I don’t have time to explore further as I’m on a mission to southern Spain.

After my castle visit I called in at a bar on a cobbled street, it was typically Portuguese (well it would be being in Portugal!), and it reminded me a little of the restaurant in Love Actually where Jamie Bennett (Colin Firth) tracks down Aurelia, fortunately there was no sign of Miss Dunkin’ Donut 2003!

Time

The word to accompany the ‘time’ I am having is not ‘awesome, amazing, fantastic, brilliant’ or something equally dramatic, that would be misleading. Yes I am in an awesome place, riding an amazing bike on fantastic roads in brilliant weather, but that doesn’t equate to the ‘time’ I’m having. All those elements do indeed help make this a very enjoyable experience and I am truly grateful to be here, I really do see things and go “Wow”! 

But this journey is two fold, a discovery geographically, which is the easy and enjoyable bit, and a discovery to see if it’s what I’m looking for, that’s the tricky bit. If I could do this trip without thinking and without emotion I truly would be having an awesome time, but I’m learning to be a solo traveller and until I feel completely comfortable with it, should that moment ever arrive, then I won’t be able to describe the ‘time’ I’m having as any of those things.

Many people are solo travellers, but starting off as such at nigh on 65 is like jumping off a cliff, maybe not a particularly high cliff, but a cliff nevertheless, and when you hit the water………you at least have to stay afloat! I jumped, hit the water and floated, I’d say I’m at the doggy paddle stage, so making slow but steady progress. 

It’s not awesome, it’s not amazing, it’s progress.