Belmonte (where we stayed last night) and the Jewish community can be traced back to approx the 13th Century. The history of the place is recorded in the Belmonte Jewish Museum which opened in 2005. The people practised their faith for many years in secret. A synagogue was established in 1996, so relatively recently. There are a lot of Jewish references as you walk around the town, be good to come back and discover more 😊 I tried to get a photo of the Synagogue unfortunately it was just too misty 😓
We stayed in the Belmonte Sinai Hotel & had yet another feast 😋😋👌For the first time on this trip I've had a kettle in the room, so having a cup of tea in bed, what a treat 🫖☕️😊.
It was misty & murky when we left Belmonte this morning, at some point the cloud cleared & this bright shiny thing appeared ☀️ 🫣
50 miles (80 km) and 4828 ft (1420 m) of ascent, so a shorter day today, but still umm.... hilly although no 14 km climb today. We did however, have a 7.21 km one which was punctuated with a fair few sections of it around 12% 😱 4Km of which was at a minimum 8% 🤬 I know I was going up slowly when my Garmin went onto auto pause 😂. The world according to Garmin says today is a total of 13 climbs 😳.
Lunch was in a tiny village, delicious BBQ chicken, sat in glorious sunshine underneath an orange 🍊 tree - perfect
I've mentioned the boulders that are scattered around here a few times (I for some reason find them fascinating 🤔). The place we are staying in to tonight people have built their houses and gardens around them, very creative 👍. There are a huge amount of U-tube videos & newspaper articles about Monsanto. No idea where the boulders came from tho or the geology of the region? In 1938 Monsanto was voted the most Portuguese village of Portugal 😊🇵🇹
There are a few things about Portugal that I find interesting (forgive the indulgence)
- In Leicestershire UK, the water is quite hard, so far here it is lovely & soft, nicer for your skin as a result my hair has gone fluffy 🙄👩🦳
- The coffee is like rocket 🚀 fuel 🫨
- The Pastel de Nata - delicious 😋 but try them warm OMG they are gorgeous 😋
- Sunday is respected as a day of rest
- You know the food is good, when a restaurant in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere is rammed & the choice is chicken, fish or vegetarian
Monsanto is beautiful and at the top of possibly the biggest climb of the week, we huffed & puffed, cursed & grunted until we got to the cobbles with motor bikes, traffic, people & children at which point most of us - not all - got off and walked the last 150 metres or so! A wonderful end to a great day now it's time for a shower & a large Coca Cola! The blue circle in the picture indicates where our bed is for the evening 😱🫣
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Another fascinating adventure you're on and Im thoroughly enjoying your updates and little snippets of Portugal. I'm genuinely exhausted by the talk of all those hills...seriously, so impressed Wendy🚵♂️. Wishing you more if the bright shiny thing x
Thanks Marilyn, it’s a truly fabulous trip & the sun being out today made it so much better. I’ve actually gotten used to the hills 😂🫣 today 3% felt like a down hill section 😂😂
Another awesome day! I do not need to cycle up a hill for a nice egg custard though ! Waitrose in Malvern do them
You really made me chuckle 🤭 the “custard tarts” in Waitrose are not a patch on the real thing 🤣🤣
Sounds like things are looking up blue skies and sunshine. Really interesting to read about Monsanto it sounds like a fascinating place.
Monsanto is stunning, a really lovely place, I’m really pleased to have been here. The sunshine makes such a big difference. See you soon xx
Another interesting read you are certainly of the main tourist routes seeing the other side of Portugal hopefully the weather stays dry enjoy
Wow what a trip..
Thanks Lou, it is amazing xx
Glad to see the sun shining for you eventually 😎 I don’t know why but I always thought Portugal was relatively flat but you’re definitely highlighting my ignorance with some of the climbs you’ve been doing 😳👏👏👏
Have to say I’m really pleased the sun has come out! It is certainly not flat 😊😱 but the food is wonderful 😋😋
Well done Wendy! Loving your daily updates.
It’s educational for us all. I will be looking up Monsanto and I’m intrigued by its geographical past!
What a climb to get to your place of stay but what a view!
You made me chuckle when you described the sign of a good traditional restaurant… chicken… fish or vegetarian!
Always a good sign when you have no menu and it’s full of all the locals … a little daunting but I bet the food has been delicious!
What has been your favourite meal? Have you experienced the different wines to rehydrate? 🤣
Not sure how far Monsanto is from Porto, but you should definitely visit, stunning place 🥰
I’m having the odd glass of wine - which is delicious- but not sure wine, cycling & now sun 🌞 is a good mix, will definitely take some home 😋😋
I couldn’t tell what my favourite meal is, that would just to difficult, it’s all just so tasty 😋 see you soon 👍