Tag: bicycle touring

Santuário

Jyri Manninen | Kajura


After having arrived in Guimarães in the early afternoon, the manager at my hostel suggested that I also go and visit Penha Mountain, in addition to sightseeing around the city, and what a great recommendation that ended up being, as the place was absolutely amazing!

Monte da Penha is the highest point in the urban area of Guimarães, and the easiest and most scenic access to reach the summit, which is at an altitude of 586 metres, is to take the teleférico, or cable car, from the south-east edge of the city. Thanks to its natural characteristics, Penha Mountain is one of the major tourist attractions in Guimarães. It is famous for its unique natural landscapes, which are punctuated by rich flora, caves and several granite outcrops, which provided shelters for acts of celebration during the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages. The abundant archaeological remains collected in these natural cavities are made up of ceramic fragments, as well as various types of lithic and metallic objects, which can now be viewed at the Museu da Sociedade Martins Sarmento in the city. 

One of the most important sites on the mountain is the Penha Sanctuary or Santuário da Penha. This sanctuary is a very important pilgrimage centre, which is visited by scores of pilgrims and tourists alike, especially during the summer months.

The storms of life rage.
Chaotic, manic motion.
Yet thine eye be calm.

‘Santuário’ by Jyri Manninen


I’ll conclude by saying that Penha is just an amazing place to relax and re-energise by going for casual, mindful nature walks, or just simply sitting in silence. Being graced with the majestic views from the Miradouro Penha, which can even extend as far as the Atlantic ocean, certainly adds to the beauty and depth of the experience.

Bênçãos e graça para você.
Jyri

Castelo

Jyri Manninen | Kajura


With the Peneda-Geres National Park crossing behind me, I now had my sights set on the historic city of Guimarães, which was just a little less than 50km away. However, I’d have another rather tough climb to start the day, as I exited Geres to reach the high plateau starting at the 11km mark, but just like the day before, the spectacular views would make it all more than worthwhile.

After my usual morning coffee and cerveja break, which today was in Póvoa de Lanhoso, I decided to push the second half of the day’s ride hard, so that I could reach Guimarães around lunchtime, leaving me the entire afternoon to explore the city on foot. Soon enough, I’d arrived at my accommodation for the night, the very welcoming Guimarães Living Hostel. Then, after a quick clean up and snack, I was off!

Over these stone walls,
a heart of gold, therein lies.
Dare you climb to see?

‘Castelo’ by Jyri Manninen


Apart from just being happy to admire the amazing historic architecture, for me, the highlight of my walking tour was visiting the Castelo de Guimarães. The Countess Mumadona Dias ordered the construction of the castle in the mid 10th century, and it’s closely associated with the Counts of Portucale, and it’s related to some symbolic moments in Portugal’s path to Independence, such as the Siege of Guimarães in 1127, as well as the the Battle of São Mamede, which was fought nearby on the 24th June, the following year.


Fortunately, I also had enough time to visit the hilltop Santuário de Penha, which I reached by cable car. That was an amazing excursion on its own, and so I’ll be posting a separate addendum, which will include images and more details about this magical and tranquil place, especially due to its unique microclimate and flora. It truly was the perfect sanctuary to escape the hustle and bustle of all the tourism and everyday life below in the city.

Be blessed,
Jyri

Origin

Jyri Manninen | Kajura

On this 7th day of my Portugal’s Northern Coastline and Peneda-Geres cycling tour, I would finally make my crossing of the Peneda-Geres National Park; and while it would only be a ride of just 60km, it would include over 1200m of very solid climbing, as well as a brief visit to Spain, as the national park spans over the border between the two countries.

Pretty much immediately after departing Lima Escape Camping at Entre Ambos-os-Rios, the first of the day’s two major climbs would begin. I was to continue to track the Lima River in the valley below me all the way up to its origin at Encoro de Lindoso, just before crossing into Spain at A Madalena; and the views! Well, let me just say that the juice was well worth the squeeze!


After crossing the border, it wasn’t long before I arrived at Lobios, where I enjoyed a late morning coffee and cerveja break before turning south to head back towards Portugal. However, the first half of the afternoon’s ride was not going to be easy with that second, and even more severe, major climb now right in my face. I was definitely going to have to work hard to earn my next offering of liquid gold!

To the source, I climbed.
Blood, sweat, tears of pain and joy.
Moments of magic.

‘Origin’ by Jyri Manninen

I felt a great sense of relief when I reached the old border post at Portela do Homem, located at the top of that exhausting climb, especially knowing that it would all be downhill from here; and I definitely made sure to collect my prize at the Bar da Fronteira. What a moment it was to soak in the atmosphere, as I spent a half hour or so sipping on a grande Super Bock while quietly observing the hordes of tourists visiting the national park’s central hub, the starting point for many of its nature trails; but soon it would be time to commence my descent!


On the way down, I decided to make one final stop for the day, as I wanted a moment of tranquility for myself to just be alone with my thoughts in solitude and silence. I had now reached the ‘top of my tour’ and felt a kind of melancholy, as I wouldn’t have the opportunity on this trip to properly immerse myself in the beauty of this magical place, as I was still on a fairly tight schedule. It really emphasized to me just how precious time is, and how one should not waste it on meaningless pursuits. I vowed, then and there, that I would return on foot to well and truly explore the wonders of Peneda-Geres.

That final descent ended up being so steep and fast that I nearly overwhelmed Matilda’s disc brakes! However, we made it safely to our night’s accommodation at the Selina Geres, a lovely hotel situated right at the edge of the Geres Albufeira, which is connected to the Cávado River. I stayed in a dormitory room, which I shared with, if you can believe it, another Finn, who was a medical student with the same family name as me, as well as a Dutch scientist working remotely on food sources for planned moon mission astronauts. Yeah, you just couldn’t make this shit up!


What a day it had been, and it was finished off in perfect style with a delicious, Portuguese buffet dinner organised by the hotel, which they offer once a week for guests. So, it seems that I found myself here at exactly the right time.

Be blessed,
Jyri