May 2008 - Cycling Northern Portugal and Southern Galicia/Spain
After a lovely holiday in 2007 in Northern Spain and Portugal, we decided to go again to that region in 2008 and to complete our tour. In 2007, we didn't have time to see the Rio Sil in Galicia, the Largo de Sanabria in Castilia y Leon and the famous Douro vine yards in Portugal. Enough reasons for another holiday there!
Travelling
With TUIFly we travelled from Bonn to Porto and back. The outward flight was on May 16th, 2008 and the return flight on June 4th, 2008, giving us 18 days of cycling.
Weather
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The weather was a disappointment! Almost every day we had at least one heavy rain shower, often two or more. The temperatures ranged usually below 20 °C, in the mountains hardly 15°C. The only days with a lot of sunshine were the first and the two last ones - always in the region of Porto. However, this weather is not typical for the region in May according to the local people and to the weather history recorded on WetterOnline (click on "Rückblick" - be aware, it is all in German). Usually it is warmer and has less rain. We were just unlucky... |
Language
Unlike our experiences last year in Portugal near the coast, it was a bit difficult to get along with English and German. If you know French, this will make things much easier, especially with older Portugese.
In Spain, it is best to speak at least some Spanish, though some of your hosts will know English.