Mishaps, marble, mountains

Technical problems to start the day.  The guy on the ebike was having some difficulty as the battery was not charging, so in the end, the leader took the problem bike, and Paul rode Jose's bike.  Now Paul had not been planning to ride seriously, but he did a great job and only opted out at the very last climb.  Way to go Paul!

Well, we certainly warmed up quite quickly with some climbing (a total of 1020m) today.  The countryside has become much more green and there are pastures everywhere with mainly cows now, attesting to the improved fertility of the soil.  The fences are actually wire and the farms are a lovely white dotting the green hillsides.  Trees of cork, are roadside and in the field, with their numbers to show the year of the last cutting.  There are lots of olive orchards too, and many vineyards.  It seems a very productive area.

Lunch was in Vila Viscoa followed by a nice warm cappucino while we were waiting for the marble museum to open.  Some incredible sculptures and samples of the marble from the hills of this area were on display along with old and current machinery used to cut the blocks.  But not even the video showing the extraction process could prepare me for the mindboggling experience of looking into one of the working open pit mines with huge excavators down about 30 stories, Art figured.  It's the only video I have taken so far because otherwise I just couldn't get the scope of the blocks being cut.  Picture today will tempt you!

Up another mountain and then into a pottery studio to see forming and painting and then pick up a sample of the beautiful, handmade wares.

Last 10 km of today's 62, finished with 2 km up to our hotel, a former convent.  The place has over 54,000 blue and white tiles lining all the walls and depicting life here and in monastaries elsewhere.  There are oil lamps along the walls, and the cloisters have orange trees.  Sampled a tiny windfall -- tangy!

I have been quite delightfully surprised by my ability to get up the hills -- not fast or beautifully, but thanks, kids, for the spinning suggestion which I have passed on.  I made it!