The Way has good ways and bad ways

T2 E3 – Roncão>>Santa Margarida da Serra

The Paths have good paths and bad paths. Today, it was an example of that, with two completely different halves. We started with a bad path, always on a tarred road. A part was even less bad, as the tar had almost disappeared, it was degrading and nature was recovering what had once been its own.

The other half, the good path, was made in immersion in nature, completely isolated among the vegetation, among cork oaks, strawberry trees, pine trees and other things.

On the bad road, we heard the noise of cars (we crossed under the IC33), the sound of boots stomping on the gravel, people driving at high speed raising dust, we saw the garbage abandoned on the side of the road.

On the good path, we heard the singing of birds, the buzzing of bees, the screams of prey and consumed the daily ration of arbutus. But this duality is also part of the magic of the Paths.

After these generalities, today we woke up to the sound of the crowing of the various roosters in the neighborhood (the one in episode 1 has already passed…). We had breakfast at the only café in Roncão open on Sundays and we arranged lunch right away, noting that we didn't have an arrival time. That we were rested, said the owner, we served as long as there were customers – but there was no dinner.

Equipped with some sandwiches for the way, we started there. Along the tarmac, we came across what could well have been an installation by Pedro Cabrita Reis. No, it was not. It was an already rusted iron structure on one of the countless highways that, deliriously, began to be built in the heyday of you-know-who. This one was left unfinished, thus avoiding yet another massacre of cork oaks and other species that environmentalists' bores like to defend.

But the underground passages, in the middle of nowhere, make for good photos… and they have terns' nests.

In the good part of the route, when leaving the municipality of Santiago do Cacém and entering the municipality of Grândola, we had an example of peaceful coexistence between the Great Route 11-E9, with its white and red signs, and the Caminhos de Santiago, marked in blue or with yellow arrows. Sometimes side by side, sometimes complementing each other, guiding the walkers.

I assume that there is also peaceful coexistence (is it?) almost at the end of the section, where, on the left of the path, there were red signs of “Associative Hunting Zone” and, on the right, there were green signs of “No Hunting Zone” . I hope they trained the birds and other animals…

Finally arriving in Santa Margarida da Serra to drink the usual mini at the end of the journey, we found the two cafes at the entrance closed. Disappointed, but it was Sunday and we have to understand these things… we called the pre-arranged taxi in the morning and waited, sitting on a park bench waiting for him to take us back to Roncão and… suspense (you can put drums on)… guess which one it was. the car brand: a Tesla!!!

We had never been in a car like this and the taxi driver, Dona Ana Lúcia (very friendly, like everyone else here), went there to demonstrate the car's skills. It even has a fireplace (I'm not kidding, if you choose the “Romantic” option, one appears on the large central screen!!!). And the sound of the sound system gives cards to any tuning that is out there.

And so we went back to Roncão de Tesla and went to eat the typical food here, Brains with Pork! Tell me if the Alentejo is not full of surprises!…