Sunday, 30 October 2016
Sad Times
Sunday 30th October.
I think we're lucky to be doing what we're doing, Phil says no - we're fortunate. She says we've worked all our lives and now we deserve the time we spend traveling around Europe and spending the winters in Spain with a nice climate and nice friends. Lucky/fortunate, whatever, we're certainly in a good place.
But there are downsides to meeting new folks and making new friends. A few years ago we met a lovely couple from Scotland - Moira and John. You couldn't wish to meet a nicer couple. Earlier this year John wasn't feeling too well, we all joked about it - too much beer, put more olive oil on your salad, you'll be ok in a day or so etc...etc....
Moira and John drove back to Scotland last Easter time and, to cut a long story short, when they returned home John was diagnosed with an inoperable tumor. When we got home to the UK we drove up and visited them for a few days in the village where they live in Scotland. We had a great time. They welcomed us and we all put on brave faces. Doctors had advised John that he maybe had six months.....
Today we heard from Moira that John had taken a turn for the worse.
When I write this blog I try and make it funny. Throw in a few crappy jokes and try and make you smile or giggle when you read it.
Tonight it would be good if you could spare a thought or offer up a prayer for John.
Pat
A week in Bolnuevo
Friday 21st October.
We arrived here after a short drive from Vera and after checking in and doing the paperwork, leveling the van and hooking up to the electric thought it would be a good idea to stroll into the village to meet up with friends. First stop was Maria's tapas bar where we discovered that Maria and her husband Reyes had now rented the bar out to an Italian lass who had preserved the atmosphere and was offering an Italian menu. So we had a couple of drinks there and a bite to eat and then popped in to Caroline's bar next door where we received a lovely welcome and had another couple of drinks. Next stop The Blues House where Tracey, the owner, gave us another warm welcome and we had another couple of drinks. That was as much as we can remember about Friday.
Saturday 22nd October.
We rented a storage facility here last year so we could leave all the stuff we don't need when we are traveling - awnings, tables and chairs, Christmas decorations (?) and other bits and pieces So today we emptied the boot before whizzing round to retrieve our belongings. This entails wandering around a poorly lit warren underneath an apartment block, finding the wobbly ladder and then risking life and limb as I pass things down to Phil whilst avoiding banging my head on the ceiling. Then we cart everything out to the van, load it up and drive back to the site. It's all a bit physical and we had agreed that we'd take a few days to set things up. There was no hurry, after all we're going to be here for a few months. But...... let's just put down the green matting, it won't take long. Well, we might as well erect the safari room.....and so it went on. Six hours later we had our winter home like we wanted it. We also had aching knees, hips and backs and several bruises. What we didn't have, surprisingly, was a cross word between us. After 47years we're working as a team! I even managed to get the waste water outlet fixed - what did we do without silicone?
A twenty minute walk along the beach is the Oasis bar/restaurant which has live music on a Saturday night - we were too exhausted and settled for a couple of burgers at the Blues House before falling into bed thoroughly exhausted.
(Arsenal 0 - 0 Middlesbrough)
Sunday 23rd October.
A walk along the beach, up the hill and back again was good; eased the aches and pains. Lunch at (what was) Maria's and then along to the Blues Bar for the live Sunday afternoon music - a great Spanish band - and to meet up with more folk from last year. But no dancing today for us.
Monday 24th October.
We didn't do too much today although I had protracted email communications between delfyNET (our WiFi suppliers) and SurfEasy (VPN supplier) - nothing resolved although I learnt a bit more techspeak.
Tuesday 25th October.
Can't recall too much about today other than more email nonsense (see above)
(Arsenal 2 - Reading 0)
Wednesday 26th October.
The 9.50 bus took us in to Puerto de Mazarron for some shopping and a visit to Wimas (an alternative WiFi supplier). Engineer will call tomorrow to see how my system and their's will work together, he will call between 9am and noon. On the way back we stopped at the little local garden centre and bought a few plants to make our winter location a bit more homely. I went to the bar in the evening to watch a dreary Manchester derby game.
Thursday 27th October.
A quiet morning in the warm sunshine waiting for Wimas engineer. On arrival we greet each other with "Good Afternoon". He looks at my equipment and we entertain each other talking about 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz frequencies and my ariel and his antenna. A great chat about Routers and VPN IPSec pass-throughs. We kiss each other and decide we are semi-compatible. I have to go back to the office tomorrow to sign a contract.
Friday 28th October.
Back on the bus to Puerto. Bus journeys here are great. In England on buses there are signs instructing you not to talk to the driver or distract him. In Spain it is obligatory to engage the driver in conversation at all times. These conversations are carried out at high volume in order to be heard above the driver's favorite radio station. Forget Duolingo, this is the way to learn Spanish.
The Wimas office manager is a cool guy. We negotiate a reduction in the installation fee as I don't need his router. And I get the first month's service free. And if I'm not happy he'll give me my money back. I check my VPN works with his servers. All is good. I ask when our friend the engineer can call back and do the instillation. Probably tomorrow or on Monday says the cool guy. "I'll leave you with my secretary and she will do the contract thing with you and give you a time for the engineer" We smile and shake hands and he leaves the building. Contracts signed, money paid - "Next Thursday" says his sec. Before I can complain that her boss said..... "Next Thursday morning" she repeats with a solemn shake of her head. Hey-Ho.
In the evening we visited a Dutch couple we met last year. We called round at about 6pm to say Hi and left about 11pm after a beer or two.
Saturday 29th October.
It was a bit chilly with a stiff wind when we set off for our walk along the paseo this morning but by mid morning the sun had burst through and its been a gorgeous day today. We've had good weather all week but I think today was the hottest day. We did a bit of shopping in the nearby Spar shop and then went for a coffee and looked at each other and wondered where the last week had gone. Tempus fugit when you're enjoying yourselves eh? Back to the van and after Phil cooked some delicious bacon and eggs it was time for the main event of the day. I strolled to Carolines Bar while Phil strolled for a beach day. Unfortunately I fell amongst bad company after watching the football and returned home a little later than expected.
The campsite here has a special area for the super large vans and this year there are about a dozen of them, mostly German. There is one English van amongst them and he is flying this flag:
(Sunderland 1 - Arsenal 4)
Pat
Thursday, 20 October 2016
Some great views and a disappointment
Tuesday 18th October.
There's an expression - "You should never go back". Whilst it's not always true sometimes it is. We are parked up tonight at La Garrofa campsite just outside Almeria (36.82573 -2.51642) and we should never have come back! We've stopped here a couple of times before, in 2013 and 2014 and whilst the site has always been a little "tired" and needing a few euros spending on it there was always a certain charm here. The site is right on the beach and there are some spectacular sunrises and sunsets. When we stopped before there were a few folk that we got to know who stopped over the winter and there was a nice community feel about the place. We put up with the faults before because of the atmosphere and because Malcolm, from Scotland, who has worked here for years as a general handyman always made everybody welcome and was full of advice. When we arrived today I jokingly asked one of the two sisters who own the site if the WiFi was as bad as before. "Ah, no WiFi now" she replied. Phil went for a shower this evening - no hot water. We met Malcolm who said that none of the previous long-termers come here anymore, just people stopping off for a night or two on their way somewhere else. The restaurant used to offer good, traditional Spanish food; now it's hamburgers, chicken or pork with chips. The final straw was being charged €2.50 for a small beer. On arrival we said we would stop for a few days but we're off tomorrow. It's a shame, because with not a lot of money spent this could be a great site. It's close to Almeria and there are no other sites nearby and it's a while since we stopped anywhere where we could listen to the sea with the waves breaking on the rocky beach. The fact that most of the folk who stopped here previously for the winter have moved elsewhere should give the owners a clue but apparently not.
Last night we stayed on a campsite a bus ride from Granada, Beas de Granada (37.22468 -3.48865). Again, it's a site we've stopped on before but this time we were glad we went back. Its 1,100 meters in the foothills and we look up to the snow capped Sierra Nevada whilst basking in warm sunshine and the site is clean and everything works. The restaurant provided us with a delicious meal for not a lot of money and, although we didn't take advantage this time, there is a bus stop outside and the service takes you right into the centre of Granada. The bus ride itself is a great trip as it winds down the hills into the city with fantastic views and the owner of the site can arrange trips to the Alhambra (you have to book tickets). Yesterday we paid €15, today it's €17. We should have stayed there an extra day.
Thursday 20th October.
We arrived here (37.26455 -1.85723) yesterday. It's a tennis club with space for about 50 motorhomes with all facilities and excellent WiFi, there's a bar/cafe, swimming pool and gym. The only downsides are that it's a long way from anywhere and they are currently carrying out "improvements" to the site. When we arrived there was nobody in the office so another English couple here said to just park up and the lady from the office would be along shortly. Unfortunately we didn't realize that we were parking next to the concrete mixer! Better than an alarm clock at 8am! But the weather is ok and this is just a stopping off point on our way to Bolnuevo. We are booked in there on our usual pitch from tomorrow and then we'll get our stuff out of storage and set the van up for the winter months. We're looking forward to meeting old friends and making new ones. And this year we are going to stick at the Duolingo and try and get a better grasp of Spanish. Phil is already two days in front of me and is apparently 1% fluent so I've got a bit of catching up to do.
Just realised that I haven't mentioned our stop in Antequera last Sunday. It's a smashing town dating from Roman times with an astonishing number of churches, over 30 according to the guide book. The Alcazaba is worth a visit as is the Municipal Museum and the Iglesia del Carmen. Unfortunately we missed them all as they are only open for a limited time on Sundays and we got our timings all wrong. But we strolled around the town and up to the outside of the Alcazabar which afforded some great views. We stayed overnight at a free parking area for motorhomes next to the football stadium (37.02139 -4.57191) and yes there was a match on the Sunday evening which (I think) the home team lost 0-1 but don't quote me on that. I'm reaching that conclusion from the announcements and the level of applause.
Some views of Antequera:
And a panoramic:
The view from the restaurant on the campsite at Beas Granada with the Sierra Nevada in the background:
Saturday, 15 October 2016
Last day in Portugal
Friday 14th October.
Tonight we are parked up alongside the river Guadiana in Vila Real de Santo Antonio looking across to Spain.(37.19791 -7.41455) This is a dedicated Motorhome parking spot with all services, a gate entry system and electric points. The gate entry system is broken, there is no water and the electric points are locked up. Oh yes, we have a fairground 100m away which will keep us awake for a good while as well. It's supposed to be €4.50 per night but as nothing is working the authorities have kindly taped over the cash payment machine.
We've spent the last few days on a semi-campsite just outside Albufeira, I say "semi" because although it is laid out like a campsite with all the usual facilities, including electricity, washing machines, WiFi, a small swimming pool and a games room there were no toilets. But the owners were charming and helpful and it's only a ten minute drive to Albufeira. Parque da Gale - (37.09265 -8.31190). A 2km walk takes you down to the beautiful sandy beach and from there we walked along the boardwalk to the wetlands at Salgados. But we didn't come to the Algarve to see exotic wading birds. We came to see Tony and his lovely wife, Jackie. Despite the fact that they both work hard in the property rental and management business in Portugal (www.go-algarve.co.uk) they found time to entertain us and we've decided that the reunion will become an annual event! Here we are, together with Hughie, another old school pal who flew out from the UK to join us:
We were smiling when this photo was taken because we still expected England to get 3 points last Tuesday.
Saturday 15th October.
We're parked up tonight a little east of Seville, just off the A92 - Autovia de Andelucia (37.32936 -5.80555). It's a Motorhome sales and service centre which also offers overnight parking and whilst we begrudge the €10 per night charge it is secure and we have electricity and decent WiFi although, oddly, they charge us 50c for fresh water. Unfortunately there's absolutely nothing to do here as we're in the middle of nowhere. I was quite looking forward to perusing the showroom and the shop but they were both closed by the time we arrived so, after lunch, Phil has read a book whilst I watched Michelle Obama's speech in New Hampshire which was inspiring and worth seeking out.
So, with decent WiFi I'm going to try and upload a few photos. I mentioned the roundabouts in Europe in a previous blog and we've seen some great ones in Portugal the last few days. Unfortunately it's a bit tricky taking a photo whilst negotiating them but here are a couple we saw whilst walking in Belmonte - these are actual statues/figures on the first one:
Here's Phil in Leon, having a sit down with Antoni Gaudi:
The Castle at Braganca:
Finally, why can't all supermarkets be so welcoming?
Tomorrow we set off for Antequera, which our guide book says is worth a visit. We could do with a bit of culture.
Pat
Tuesday, 11 October 2016
Monday, 10 October 2016
Old friends
Monday 10th October.
We are parked up tonight in a Motorhome car park between Vale Parra and Gale, just west of Albufeira (37.09265 -8.31190) We have come to the Algarve to meet up with a couple of guys I went to school with! Tony has lived just outside Albufeira for 14 years with his wife Jackie and last night they took us to their house and provided a full on traditional Sunday lunch. That's an English Sunday lunch, yummy. I haven't seen Tony for something like 17 years so we had plenty of catching up to do and Tony reminded me of the time his mother slapped me round the face with a piece of fresh cod! I hadn't remembered that, I'd obviously been traumatised and blanked it from my memory. Apparently I hadn't done anything to deserve the assault by fish, his Mum just thought it would be an amusing thing to do. Tomorrow another old school friend, Hughie, is flying in from England and we can have a proper reunion over the next few days.
We're about a twenty five minute walk from the magnificent sandy beach at Praia de Gale and Tony suggested that we follow the boardwalk along to the wetlands and lagoon at Salgado where we would see all manner of exotic birds. We took his advice (and our binoculars) and then walked back along the beach, about 6 miles all together on a pretty hot day but well worth the effort and we needed the exercise after a few sedentary days. We saw Flamingos, Terns and an Avocet plus a few other birds we couldn't identify.
Last Saturday we stopped in a small village about 60 miles north of here, Messejana, which is now vying for top spot in the "weirdest places we have stopped" category. We use, amongst other resources, an app called Campercontact which lists thousands of Motorhome stopovers in Europe and which has the advantage of listing reviews by other folk who have stopped at various places. Messejana was listed as a campsite and had received fantastic reviews. Most folk commented that although it was in the middle of nowhere it was a beautiful, well maintained and inexpensive place to stay. We arrived to find an arid piece of land with no other Motorhomes and the gate locked. We remembered that one of the reviewers had said that there was a phone number on the office window which we should ring and the gate would then be opened. I rang the number and somebody asked me in English if I spoke Dutch. I replied that I didn't and was then asked if I spoke English. I replied that I did. "Hold on a minute" said the person I'd phoned and then hung his phone up! Whilst I was reflecting on this odd conversation somebody came out of the bar opposite and said hello. I returned the greeting. After a minute he pointed at the van and then at the Campsite. I nodded enthusiastically and he produced a key and unlocked the gate. It was a double gate but he only opened half of it which left me an opening about six inches wider than the van to enter through. Once inside we had the option of parking in an unshaded, steeply sloping area with electricity or anywhere else we could find with shade. We parked up next to what we thought was an industrial building and the key holder left, closing - but fortunately not locking - the gate behind him.
We emptied and filled what needed emptying and filling and then went over to the bar. A tiny bar and a large dining area, still with the detritus of the last meals they had served, also contained more trophies, cups and shields than I've ever seen. We couldn't make out what these awards were for but considering the population of the village was probably about 500 souls they were obviously very good at something. We had a beer and went back to the van. Phil set off to find the toilets which we had been told were at the end of the large building and came back and insisted I went also to see the rest of the site. Wow! Behind the industrial building which was, in fact, a restaurant and bar area (closed) was a superb landscaped area with two swimming pools and a collection of immaculately clean toilet and shower blocks. Beautiful lawned areas and flowers and pagodas to supply shade and holiday cabins.
We checked the Campercontact site again and somebody had commented about the great inexpensive restaurant in the village and someone else said that Gary's bar was the place to go. We set off through the winding narrow streets, through the small plaza where folk viewed us as if we had just landed from Mars and found the restaurant. No menu, nobody inside eating and no sign of food. Off we went to find Gary's bar. This was easy as the village is only about 200 meters square and in we went. I ordered a couple of beers in my best Portugese and the lady behind the bar answered in English. Two beers and a complementary bowl of pickled beans and then we got talking to the owner who had spent a few years working in Canada over a quarter of a century ago. His English was a bit rusty but he was keen to practice on us and we were only too pleased to have a chat.
We strolled back to the campsite, passing on the way the Community Centre which was about 100 yards from where we were parked. We heard sounds of a singer and a band rehearsing inside and feared the worse. Sure enough folk started arriving (from where?), at half past ten the disco started and at about midnight the band came on. They finished at about 2am and the disco recommenced until about 4.30am. We were woken a couple of hours later by the bells on the goats being herded in the next field, followed shortly afterward by gunfire from a couple of fields away as the locals attempted to kill some small birds or mammals.
We found the guy from the bar a couple of hours later, gave him 7 euros and set off for the Algarve.
Pat
We are parked up tonight in a Motorhome car park between Vale Parra and Gale, just west of Albufeira (37.09265 -8.31190) We have come to the Algarve to meet up with a couple of guys I went to school with! Tony has lived just outside Albufeira for 14 years with his wife Jackie and last night they took us to their house and provided a full on traditional Sunday lunch. That's an English Sunday lunch, yummy. I haven't seen Tony for something like 17 years so we had plenty of catching up to do and Tony reminded me of the time his mother slapped me round the face with a piece of fresh cod! I hadn't remembered that, I'd obviously been traumatised and blanked it from my memory. Apparently I hadn't done anything to deserve the assault by fish, his Mum just thought it would be an amusing thing to do. Tomorrow another old school friend, Hughie, is flying in from England and we can have a proper reunion over the next few days.
We're about a twenty five minute walk from the magnificent sandy beach at Praia de Gale and Tony suggested that we follow the boardwalk along to the wetlands and lagoon at Salgado where we would see all manner of exotic birds. We took his advice (and our binoculars) and then walked back along the beach, about 6 miles all together on a pretty hot day but well worth the effort and we needed the exercise after a few sedentary days. We saw Flamingos, Terns and an Avocet plus a few other birds we couldn't identify.
Last Saturday we stopped in a small village about 60 miles north of here, Messejana, which is now vying for top spot in the "weirdest places we have stopped" category. We use, amongst other resources, an app called Campercontact which lists thousands of Motorhome stopovers in Europe and which has the advantage of listing reviews by other folk who have stopped at various places. Messejana was listed as a campsite and had received fantastic reviews. Most folk commented that although it was in the middle of nowhere it was a beautiful, well maintained and inexpensive place to stay. We arrived to find an arid piece of land with no other Motorhomes and the gate locked. We remembered that one of the reviewers had said that there was a phone number on the office window which we should ring and the gate would then be opened. I rang the number and somebody asked me in English if I spoke Dutch. I replied that I didn't and was then asked if I spoke English. I replied that I did. "Hold on a minute" said the person I'd phoned and then hung his phone up! Whilst I was reflecting on this odd conversation somebody came out of the bar opposite and said hello. I returned the greeting. After a minute he pointed at the van and then at the Campsite. I nodded enthusiastically and he produced a key and unlocked the gate. It was a double gate but he only opened half of it which left me an opening about six inches wider than the van to enter through. Once inside we had the option of parking in an unshaded, steeply sloping area with electricity or anywhere else we could find with shade. We parked up next to what we thought was an industrial building and the key holder left, closing - but fortunately not locking - the gate behind him.
We emptied and filled what needed emptying and filling and then went over to the bar. A tiny bar and a large dining area, still with the detritus of the last meals they had served, also contained more trophies, cups and shields than I've ever seen. We couldn't make out what these awards were for but considering the population of the village was probably about 500 souls they were obviously very good at something. We had a beer and went back to the van. Phil set off to find the toilets which we had been told were at the end of the large building and came back and insisted I went also to see the rest of the site. Wow! Behind the industrial building which was, in fact, a restaurant and bar area (closed) was a superb landscaped area with two swimming pools and a collection of immaculately clean toilet and shower blocks. Beautiful lawned areas and flowers and pagodas to supply shade and holiday cabins.
We checked the Campercontact site again and somebody had commented about the great inexpensive restaurant in the village and someone else said that Gary's bar was the place to go. We set off through the winding narrow streets, through the small plaza where folk viewed us as if we had just landed from Mars and found the restaurant. No menu, nobody inside eating and no sign of food. Off we went to find Gary's bar. This was easy as the village is only about 200 meters square and in we went. I ordered a couple of beers in my best Portugese and the lady behind the bar answered in English. Two beers and a complementary bowl of pickled beans and then we got talking to the owner who had spent a few years working in Canada over a quarter of a century ago. His English was a bit rusty but he was keen to practice on us and we were only too pleased to have a chat.
We strolled back to the campsite, passing on the way the Community Centre which was about 100 yards from where we were parked. We heard sounds of a singer and a band rehearsing inside and feared the worse. Sure enough folk started arriving (from where?), at half past ten the disco started and at about midnight the band came on. They finished at about 2am and the disco recommenced until about 4.30am. We were woken a couple of hours later by the bells on the goats being herded in the next field, followed shortly afterward by gunfire from a couple of fields away as the locals attempted to kill some small birds or mammals.
We found the guy from the bar a couple of hours later, gave him 7 euros and set off for the Algarve.
Pat
Friday, 7 October 2016
Dummy firmly back in mouth
Friday 7th October.
Tonight we are parked up at Terrugem on a large car park with all facilities for Motorhomes and stunning views (38.84549 -7.34883). It's a small town a few miles west of Elvas and was highly recommended, especially for the small cafe opposite which we were told served delicious food and we would be guaranteed a warm welcome by the owner and locals alike. This may well be the case but today it's closed. Anticipating someone else providing our lunch today our food reserves had been allowed to dwindle so we set off into town in search of another eating establishment. The town isn't that large so it didn't take us too long. The first cafe/bar looked promising but when I stole a glance at the other customer's bowl of food it looked suspiciously like tripe. I had a bad experience with tripe in Portugal last year and didn't really fancy spending the next few hours attempting to chew a tasteless offering from a sheep's stomach.
Our second stop looked promising, there was a menu displayed outside - in Portugese, which was a bit of a challenge but in we went anyway, surely there would be something we liked. We entered and sniffed the air, no cooking smells. No customers either. Not a good start but we ordered a drink and I did a bit of sign language indicating we might like to eat something. Out came the menu at which we stared blankly. The proprietor asked if we were English, yes we smiled. He spoke no English. "Parlez vous Francais?" He asked. "Un peu, tres mal" I replied. Then our host had a brainwave, out came the laptop and he started translating the menu (Google is our friend). As he displayed each dish he looked at us for confirmation as to whether that might be what we would like. We shook our heads solemnly at each offering. Then, suddenly, a man emerged from the previously hidden restaurant area, burped, rubbed his stomach and kissed his fingers to the proprietor in the universal gesture of food enjoyed. "We'll have what he had!" we exclaimed in unison. Smiles all round as we were ushered into the restaurant to a prime table where we could watch the Portugese news and the first half of a soap on the telly. Olives, bread, Cod (a la maison) and a jug of wine - delicious.
Last night we stopped at Vila Velha de Rodao, about 75 miles north at another Motorhome stopover
(39.65122 -7.67188). We stopped here last year but it poured with rain for 24 hours and we were unable to search for the Otters, Midwife Toads, Eagles and various other exotic amphibians, mammals and birds which the information boards told us frequented the adjacent Tagus river. This time the weather was glorious so off we set for a riverside walk. We followed a path for a mile or so which ran near the river, dropped down to the river and then petered out! Back to our starting point to walk in the other direction - no path at all. So the wildlife remained undiscovered.
Some of my photos have finally appeared now on the pad so I'll try and include a few on a separate post and we'll see how good the WiFi is here.
Pat
Tonight we are parked up at Terrugem on a large car park with all facilities for Motorhomes and stunning views (38.84549 -7.34883). It's a small town a few miles west of Elvas and was highly recommended, especially for the small cafe opposite which we were told served delicious food and we would be guaranteed a warm welcome by the owner and locals alike. This may well be the case but today it's closed. Anticipating someone else providing our lunch today our food reserves had been allowed to dwindle so we set off into town in search of another eating establishment. The town isn't that large so it didn't take us too long. The first cafe/bar looked promising but when I stole a glance at the other customer's bowl of food it looked suspiciously like tripe. I had a bad experience with tripe in Portugal last year and didn't really fancy spending the next few hours attempting to chew a tasteless offering from a sheep's stomach.
Our second stop looked promising, there was a menu displayed outside - in Portugese, which was a bit of a challenge but in we went anyway, surely there would be something we liked. We entered and sniffed the air, no cooking smells. No customers either. Not a good start but we ordered a drink and I did a bit of sign language indicating we might like to eat something. Out came the menu at which we stared blankly. The proprietor asked if we were English, yes we smiled. He spoke no English. "Parlez vous Francais?" He asked. "Un peu, tres mal" I replied. Then our host had a brainwave, out came the laptop and he started translating the menu (Google is our friend). As he displayed each dish he looked at us for confirmation as to whether that might be what we would like. We shook our heads solemnly at each offering. Then, suddenly, a man emerged from the previously hidden restaurant area, burped, rubbed his stomach and kissed his fingers to the proprietor in the universal gesture of food enjoyed. "We'll have what he had!" we exclaimed in unison. Smiles all round as we were ushered into the restaurant to a prime table where we could watch the Portugese news and the first half of a soap on the telly. Olives, bread, Cod (a la maison) and a jug of wine - delicious.
Last night we stopped at Vila Velha de Rodao, about 75 miles north at another Motorhome stopover
(39.65122 -7.67188). We stopped here last year but it poured with rain for 24 hours and we were unable to search for the Otters, Midwife Toads, Eagles and various other exotic amphibians, mammals and birds which the information boards told us frequented the adjacent Tagus river. This time the weather was glorious so off we set for a riverside walk. We followed a path for a mile or so which ran near the river, dropped down to the river and then petered out! Back to our starting point to walk in the other direction - no path at all. So the wildlife remained undiscovered.
Some of my photos have finally appeared now on the pad so I'll try and include a few on a separate post and we'll see how good the WiFi is here.
Pat
Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Portugese Roundabouts
Wednesday 5th October.
We've been to a few countries in Europe over the last few years in the Motorhome and consequently crossed a few roundabouts - well, gone around them anyway. So they're the kind of thing you notice. Spain do some good ones, France has some nice ones as does Greece. In England it's generally a few bedding plants sponsored by an Estate Agent or Retirement Home. But here in Portugal they know how to do it properly and in the last few days we've seen some great ones. Braganca had some massive weird ones and here in Belmonte they have a flock of sheep, a couple of goats and a shepherd with a fag in his mouth on a roundabout on the minorist of minor roads. Just round the corner (roundabout?) there's one with a guy at the foot of a ladder leading nowhere just looking up at the sky. I'm thinking there's a competition going on here to see which town can produce the most unusual or bizarre roundabout feature. When I've finally got some photos on my Ipad I'll post them. That is if I don't get run down as I run into the middle of the road to take a pic.
Tonight we are parked up in Belmonte (40.36383 -7.34094) where the canned fruit comes from. Oops, sorry that's Del Monte of course. Anyway we're parked next to the Bus Station ( 2 buses in the last 6 hours - I feel sorry for the lass in the ticket office) and we can look up to the castle. In fact this afternoon we walked up to the castle. On cobblestones. In Flipflops. 24 flights climbed my phone tells me. It was ok but I reckon if you've seen one ruined castle you've seen 'em all. Coming down the cobblestones in Flipflops wasn't any easier than going up and Phil doesn't seem particularly interested in massaging my calves so I'll just have to suffer.
Last night we stopped at Braganca, another dedicated Motorhome parking area (41.80405 -6.74597) which has space for about 30 vans and which was full last night. Again we were overlooked by a castle and I ventured up last night for a look. On cobblestones. In Flipflops. Can you see a pattern emerging here? Anyway, a fine castle it was under the floodlights.
Wow, its 9.45pm and another bus has just arrived, the Citi Express, no less. One person alighted. Although the activity has drawn my attention to the ubiquitous boy and girl in the bus shelter scenario so I'll draw the blinds so as not to embarrass them eh?
Tomorrow we head for Villa Vella de Radao and hopefully (please, please, please) I'll be able to post some pictures. We stopped there last year and, if I remember, the WiFi is pretty good.
Pat
We've been to a few countries in Europe over the last few years in the Motorhome and consequently crossed a few roundabouts - well, gone around them anyway. So they're the kind of thing you notice. Spain do some good ones, France has some nice ones as does Greece. In England it's generally a few bedding plants sponsored by an Estate Agent or Retirement Home. But here in Portugal they know how to do it properly and in the last few days we've seen some great ones. Braganca had some massive weird ones and here in Belmonte they have a flock of sheep, a couple of goats and a shepherd with a fag in his mouth on a roundabout on the minorist of minor roads. Just round the corner (roundabout?) there's one with a guy at the foot of a ladder leading nowhere just looking up at the sky. I'm thinking there's a competition going on here to see which town can produce the most unusual or bizarre roundabout feature. When I've finally got some photos on my Ipad I'll post them. That is if I don't get run down as I run into the middle of the road to take a pic.
Tonight we are parked up in Belmonte (40.36383 -7.34094) where the canned fruit comes from. Oops, sorry that's Del Monte of course. Anyway we're parked next to the Bus Station ( 2 buses in the last 6 hours - I feel sorry for the lass in the ticket office) and we can look up to the castle. In fact this afternoon we walked up to the castle. On cobblestones. In Flipflops. 24 flights climbed my phone tells me. It was ok but I reckon if you've seen one ruined castle you've seen 'em all. Coming down the cobblestones in Flipflops wasn't any easier than going up and Phil doesn't seem particularly interested in massaging my calves so I'll just have to suffer.
Last night we stopped at Braganca, another dedicated Motorhome parking area (41.80405 -6.74597) which has space for about 30 vans and which was full last night. Again we were overlooked by a castle and I ventured up last night for a look. On cobblestones. In Flipflops. Can you see a pattern emerging here? Anyway, a fine castle it was under the floodlights.
Wow, its 9.45pm and another bus has just arrived, the Citi Express, no less. One person alighted. Although the activity has drawn my attention to the ubiquitous boy and girl in the bus shelter scenario so I'll draw the blinds so as not to embarrass them eh?
Tomorrow we head for Villa Vella de Radao and hopefully (please, please, please) I'll be able to post some pictures. We stopped there last year and, if I remember, the WiFi is pretty good.
Pat
An update and second thoughts
Firstly, this is my third attempt to post this, hope it works this time!
Tuesday 4th October.
I'm seriously thinking of sacking this blog malarkey for a variety of reasons.
Firstly , when I was able to use Blogsy I had no problems creating and posting blogs, it was a piece of cake to upload text and photos and I had no problems at all. Then Blogsy withdrew support and when I purchased my new iPad I had to find another app on which to create my blog. I chose Blogpad Pro and ever since I've had nothing but trouble and whilst I accept some of these issues may be my fault the fact remains that Blogpad Pro could not be described as user friendly. The final straw occurred today; I've finally got some WiFi and so thought I would add to and then post the Blog I have been updating since we arrived in Spain last Saturday. Despite the app showing that it was automatically saving my work this has proved not to be the case! Frustration doesn't begin to describe my experience
Secondly, ( and I appreciate I could be making too much of this ) with a few notable exceptions we receive very few comments on the blog and consequently I mostly feel that I'm posting into the ether. If nobody is reading it, or if I'm not making it interesting enough that folk feel they want to engage or comment, then I'm pretty much wasting my time. The idea was never to maintain a diary for our own use but to let friends and family know what we were up to, where we were, what we were doing, who we have met, what we were eating and drinking and trying to put a smile on their faces. Also as a resource and maybe inspiration for other Motorhomers. If I'm not achieving any of that ( and how do I know if folk don't respond? ) then I might as well pack it in.
Anyway, we'll see; if I can get my head around Blogpad I'll feel a whole lot better.
Meanwhile we arrived this afternoon at Braganca in North West Portugal and we're parked up on a dedicated motorhome parking area (free and with all services) beneath the battlements of the old Castle (41.80387 -6.74632).
It's scorching hot and so we're waiting for it to cool down a little before we scale the battlements and have a nosey around.
We arrived in Spain on Saturday and stopped in the capital of the Basque region at Vitoria-Gasteiz. We parked up in a massive car park on the edge of town, again with waste dump and water and again free to use (42.86527 -2.68544). We had driven nearly 250 miles to get there, which is a long day's driving for us along pretty boring motorways and lousy weather. On Sunday we set off to explore the City, especially the highly recommended Pintxo bars. First stop the Tourist Office, which was closed but due to open at 11am. A Coffee in the main Plaza and once we saw folk looking at maps and bumping into each other we guessed the TO was open for business. We explained to the young lady there that we only had one day in her City and what should we see? She gave us a map and drew a route around the old town pointing out all the "must see" buildings. I mentioned that the Artium Museum of Contemporary Art was highly recommended "Yes" she replied, "If you like Contemporary Art" suggesting she was more of a classicist. Off we set with our map and got lost immediately! A few dead ends and we were back on track. Then we got lost. Again. This pantomime carried on for an hour or so but we managed to tick off all the notable buildings, most of them were closed, it being Sunday, and most of them were behind scaffolding and undergoing restoration. The church of San Miguel was a "must see" but unfortunately Mass was being said when we arrived. Wandering around gawping didn't seem appropriate and whilst we could have stayed for the service we thought it would be better if we had our confessions heard first. Unfortunately there wasn't an English speaking priest available which probably saved us all a great deal of embarrassment.
By this time we were in search of food and set off for the Cube restaurant. Good reviews and adjacent to the Artium we thought we would have lunch and then visit the museum in search of stimulation and inspiration. After a two hour, five course meal Phil suggested we needed neither stimulation nor inspiration so we toddled off back to the van.
Yesterday we arrived in Leon, another motorhome parking spot and a pleasant location above the river (42.6045 -5.584270). We set off for the Gothic Cathedral, built in the C13th and which is considered to be Spain's premier Gothic masterpiece. A combination of poor foundations and the relatively fragile limestone used in the construction have led to countless works of reinforcement over the centuries. But the outstanding feature is over 1800 square meters of stained glass windows and the light inside the Cathedral is wondrous and changes throughout the day and the seasons. The only disappointment, for me, was being offered the "senior" admission price without requiring any proof of age! So just half a day in Leon and another place we'll hopefully come back to and explore some more.
I obviously have WiFi today although it's been a bit hit and miss over the last couple of days. Unfortunately I still can't post any pictures because they're not moving across from my phone to my Pad as they should do. Which is a shame but, no doubt, the issue will resolve itself.
Pat
Tuesday 4th October.
I'm seriously thinking of sacking this blog malarkey for a variety of reasons.
Firstly , when I was able to use Blogsy I had no problems creating and posting blogs, it was a piece of cake to upload text and photos and I had no problems at all. Then Blogsy withdrew support and when I purchased my new iPad I had to find another app on which to create my blog. I chose Blogpad Pro and ever since I've had nothing but trouble and whilst I accept some of these issues may be my fault the fact remains that Blogpad Pro could not be described as user friendly. The final straw occurred today; I've finally got some WiFi and so thought I would add to and then post the Blog I have been updating since we arrived in Spain last Saturday. Despite the app showing that it was automatically saving my work this has proved not to be the case! Frustration doesn't begin to describe my experience
Secondly, ( and I appreciate I could be making too much of this ) with a few notable exceptions we receive very few comments on the blog and consequently I mostly feel that I'm posting into the ether. If nobody is reading it, or if I'm not making it interesting enough that folk feel they want to engage or comment, then I'm pretty much wasting my time. The idea was never to maintain a diary for our own use but to let friends and family know what we were up to, where we were, what we were doing, who we have met, what we were eating and drinking and trying to put a smile on their faces. Also as a resource and maybe inspiration for other Motorhomers. If I'm not achieving any of that ( and how do I know if folk don't respond? ) then I might as well pack it in.
Anyway, we'll see; if I can get my head around Blogpad I'll feel a whole lot better.
Meanwhile we arrived this afternoon at Braganca in North West Portugal and we're parked up on a dedicated motorhome parking area (free and with all services) beneath the battlements of the old Castle (41.80387 -6.74632).
It's scorching hot and so we're waiting for it to cool down a little before we scale the battlements and have a nosey around.
We arrived in Spain on Saturday and stopped in the capital of the Basque region at Vitoria-Gasteiz. We parked up in a massive car park on the edge of town, again with waste dump and water and again free to use (42.86527 -2.68544). We had driven nearly 250 miles to get there, which is a long day's driving for us along pretty boring motorways and lousy weather. On Sunday we set off to explore the City, especially the highly recommended Pintxo bars. First stop the Tourist Office, which was closed but due to open at 11am. A Coffee in the main Plaza and once we saw folk looking at maps and bumping into each other we guessed the TO was open for business. We explained to the young lady there that we only had one day in her City and what should we see? She gave us a map and drew a route around the old town pointing out all the "must see" buildings. I mentioned that the Artium Museum of Contemporary Art was highly recommended "Yes" she replied, "If you like Contemporary Art" suggesting she was more of a classicist. Off we set with our map and got lost immediately! A few dead ends and we were back on track. Then we got lost. Again. This pantomime carried on for an hour or so but we managed to tick off all the notable buildings, most of them were closed, it being Sunday, and most of them were behind scaffolding and undergoing restoration. The church of San Miguel was a "must see" but unfortunately Mass was being said when we arrived. Wandering around gawping didn't seem appropriate and whilst we could have stayed for the service we thought it would be better if we had our confessions heard first. Unfortunately there wasn't an English speaking priest available which probably saved us all a great deal of embarrassment.
By this time we were in search of food and set off for the Cube restaurant. Good reviews and adjacent to the Artium we thought we would have lunch and then visit the museum in search of stimulation and inspiration. After a two hour, five course meal Phil suggested we needed neither stimulation nor inspiration so we toddled off back to the van.
Yesterday we arrived in Leon, another motorhome parking spot and a pleasant location above the river (42.6045 -5.584270). We set off for the Gothic Cathedral, built in the C13th and which is considered to be Spain's premier Gothic masterpiece. A combination of poor foundations and the relatively fragile limestone used in the construction have led to countless works of reinforcement over the centuries. But the outstanding feature is over 1800 square meters of stained glass windows and the light inside the Cathedral is wondrous and changes throughout the day and the seasons. The only disappointment, for me, was being offered the "senior" admission price without requiring any proof of age! So just half a day in Leon and another place we'll hopefully come back to and explore some more.
I obviously have WiFi today although it's been a bit hit and miss over the last couple of days. Unfortunately I still can't post any pictures because they're not moving across from my phone to my Pad as they should do. Which is a shame but, no doubt, the issue will resolve itself.
Pat
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