Portugal Behind Us, Galicia Ahead🇵🇹

Day 16: Bragança, Portugal to Viana do Bolo, Spain (52 miles / 7,000 ft.)

The day began with another traffic jam of sheep. A farmer and his dogs led a large flock down the road, while a few more dogs followed behind keeping everyone in line. It was the beginning of one of our most picturesque days of the trip.

Then came the climbing. Unlike Iowa, there was no “getting a run at it.” We simply settled in, pedaling steadily at 4 to 6 mph as the road carried us higher into the mountains, sometimes approaching a 20% grade. Cooler weather helped, and the views were magnificent.

Naturally, one of my traditional “I think this is a shortcut” decisions led us down a crazy gravel descent followed by an even crazier gravel climb. We also rode through thousands of chestnut trees, from newly planted groves to enormous old trees that looked hundreds of years old. We wondered what anyone could possibly do with that many chestnuts. For centuries they were a staple food here, especially before potatoes arrived. Today they are roasted, dried, ground into flour, made into creams and desserts, or sold candied. Even so, it looked like there were far more than anyone could ever harvest.

Somewhere along the way, we crossed into Spain. There was no welcome sign or border crossing, but when we looked behind us, there was the Portugal sign. Just like that, our Portugal chapter was complete, with Lisa and me both a little sad to see it end so quickly.

Portugal by the numbers:
594 miles, 13 riding days, 1 rest day and 10.81 vertical miles. Approximately 6,732 barking dogs, four dog chases, three sheep roadblocks, two rats, one deer, two flat tires, both Jim’s, no clouds, no rain and only a couple of bad decisions!

Viana do Bolo was a hidden little gem tucked into the mountain valleys of Galicia. Our first Spanish meal was patatas bravas, crispy potatoes with paprika sauce and mayonnaise, and a nice change from our steady diet of batatas fritas.

The best part of the day was our Warmshowers hosts, Román and Noelia. They welcomed us even while juggling work, children returning to school, and remodeling their home. Over dinner, we learned about Galicia’s close historical and linguistic relationship with Portugal, along with Viana do Bolo’s winter Entrudio festival. During the celebration, boteiros wearing towering, colorful masks dance and leap through the streets while groups called fulións create a thunderous rhythm using drums and even old farm tools.

We also shared a Galician favorite, roasted pementos de Padrón with bread. As the traditional saying goes, “Os pementos de Padrón, uns pican e outros non” (“Padrón peppers, some are hot and some are not”). Eating them becomes a game. We would each bite into one and then watch everyone’s face, waiting to see who got the hot pepper. If someone suddenly started stuffing bread into their mouth, we had our answer!

Román also educated us on Portugal’s maritime reach into Africa and Asia, including the arrival of Portuguese traders in Japan in 1543. He mentioned the often-repeated connection between Portuguese obrigado and Japanese arigatō.

We could have talked much later, but our legs were finished, Román had a 5:30 a.m. alarm and a two-and-a-half-hour drive for work, and Noelia had school in the morning. Another fabulous Warmshowers experience, and one of our favorite areas of the journey so far.Read more