I set off from Cadiz at 10.00 and took coffee on the way out of the city in the shade of trees in a cafe. I took the motorway to Sevilla and had lunch there. I should have stayed there to explore but decided to push it further. It was already 30 degrees in Seville and it didn’t get cooler. I took the smaller roads from there as the temperature was rising. I stopped for drinks and coffee from time to time. My computer showed 36 degrees by the time I reached the Portuguese border. It was odd. I checked my watch which said 14.00. The last time I checked it was only 12.50 so I wondered what the hell happened before noticing I just jumped a time zone. 🙂
As I stopped to refuel I noticed a biker in jeans and t-shirt who was really pulling hard on his bike and told myself: “you stupid, why don’t you wear protection”? An hour later is passed him on the motorway before I stopped for fuel and to get a drink in the heat. I was just having a cigarette when I noticed the guy limping towards the station on foot. First I thought he ran out of gas but as he cam closer I realised he had an accident. He came to me and asked for help. It was a bit difficult. He only spoke Portuguese and I could hardly understand while he also had difficulties with my Italian. anyways I accompanied him to his bike which was lying at the motorway exit in a ditch. the poor bastard didn’t manage to turn at high speed. He came off the bike and slid on the tarmac for about 100 meters. The skin came off from his shoulders, back, legs and even the soles of his boots came off. It wasn’t a nice sight. He was in pain and couldn’t move his shoulder. I picked his bike up (lucky for me it was a 125cc CBR) and we strolled back to the station where I asked the personnel to call an ambulance. The bike wouldn’t start and the right side was in pieces. As it turned out the guy was a street musician from Brazil and just bought the bike an hour ago when I first saw him.
Shortly after the highway police arrived. They weren’t too kind. Although they obviously saw the guy was injured and had difficulty to move they first checked his papers and made sure the bike wasn’t stolen before calling it in. They left shortly without even waiting for the ambulance.
I continued towards Lisbon where I arrived through the “Ponte 25 de Abril”. That is an experience I will always remember. The view is amazing and the feeling is just great.
It was really hot in the city so I wanted to quickly find accommodation. Hotels are inexpensive in Lisbon – save for the big exclusive ones. I found a small hotel not far from the center and headed straight for the shower before heading to explore the city.
This evening I had a California burger in the HRC Lisbon and then walked back to the hotel enjoying the summer in April.
