Wow! That and a Cappuccino Will Wake You Up

After a great breakfast in the Pousada, we left to ride some amazing and narrow roads in the mountains towards the coast.  After a cappuccino and some very spirited riding around tight turns and elevation changes, we were definitely awake.  What a great way to experience what motorcycling is all about.  New places, new vegetation (lots of cork trees), new languages, new architecture, new cultures. Pure Zen.

We stopped at Vila Nova de Milfontes for another great view of the coast where the Mira River joins the ocean.  A great surfing area with a nice restaurant on the beach with a great collection of stacked stones on the sand from travelers from around the world.  Very spiritual.

We headed to Sitio de Forno for a great fish lunch on a restaurant overlooking the ocean.  We then headed to the southwestern most point of Portugal to visit the Fortaleza de Sagres.  Indeed the peninsula had an end-of-the-world feel to it ... a great fort, with tall cliffs all around and a clean blue-green ocean below.  A sight to remember.

On our way to Tavira, our destination for the the night, we stopped to visit Portimao ... the famous Portuguese MotoGP race track.  There, we met with the Portimao Motorcycle Club which has a clubhouse/bar right under the main stands.  Lots of people there.  Souvenirs from clubs and visitors from around the world.  

There is something that seems to bind the whole motorcycle community around the world. We are not only adventure seekers sharing a passion. We are a group that knows that we know something unique that needs no words to be expressed.  This secret knowledge binds us across geographies, races, languages, and worldviews. Like some sort of family. Very cool.

We finally arrived at Tavira (only 35 km from the Spanish border) and to our hotel.  A very quaint town with lots of shops, restaurants, a roman bridge over the river, quaint churches and plazas everywhere.  We had Indian food for dinner and a gelato and went out for a walk.  A good end for a great day.

The surf at Vila Nova de Milfontes

Art brings to be present

A field of stacked stones in Vila Nova de Milfontes

Our lunch place at Sitio de Forno

The view from our lunch table

The Fortaleza de Sagres protecting a huge peninsula

The view from inside the fort

MotoGP - the race track at Portimao

The motorcycle club house at the main Portimao building 

The boss at the club - Adelaide 

At the entrance of the track

The town of Tavira at night after an Indian food dinner