Southern Portugal and into Spain Again

It’s Tuesday, 6^th May and I haven’t done any blogging for days…how lax is that?  It is a good thing that I also write a daily diary and highlight, on the maps, the roads travelled so I can refer to them to bring the blog up to date!

Thurs : 1^st May.  We didn’t leave Milfontes until nearly noon, taking our time to do all the usual morning things and after talking to our neighbours from the Netherlands who were staying there in order to visit their daughter and grandchildren who live a few kms from the campsite.  On leaving the camp, we drove through the town to have a look at the fishing port,

then drove on to Almograve, where we stopped and had lunch before inspecting the beach,

and shortly after, entering the Algarve region for the leisurely drive through pleasant countryside

to Sagres, at the bottom of Portugal.  There we stopped for the night in a free camp overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, next door to a couple from Ilfracombe. It was very windy but after dinner, we felt brave enough to stroll around the town and down to the beach cafe,

where we enjoyed a cherry liqueur and a port before returning to Boris and retiring for a quiet night.

Fri :  2^nd May.  We had coffee at one of the many little cafes in the town before heading the 6kms to Cabo de Sao Vicente to see the lighthouse and cliffs,

(along with 6 large tourist coaches full of tourists, several motorhomes and dozens of cars also full of tourists), then on to Lagos which was very crowded, very touristy and we did not stop…to Portimao, also crowded, touristy but we did stop, briefly, in a car park overlooking the beach, which I think was not meant for motorhomes, and heard a voice declaring  “Only an Aussie could find the best car park in town!”  This was from a lady from Brisbane who had noticed the kangaroos on Boris, and the flags, and came to have a chat with us…she was a passenger on a cruise liner, the “Seabourn Quest” which was in port for the day, so we went down to the port, stopped and had lunch there and took a photo of the ship.

We then headed to Albufeira, stopping briefly to buy a 5 kilo bag of enormous navel oranges for 2,50 Euros from a roadside vendor, and on to our overnight stop at Parque da Gale, a fabulous family owned and run motorhome place which has been operating for 3 years.  It has all the usual amenities, includes power plus…a swimming pool!

Albeit a small pool but it gave welcome relief from what was a rather warm day.  All for 6,50 Euros for the night.  We rode our bikes the 1.6kms to the beach, had a refreshing cold beer in the café before riding back ‘home’ for dinner, followed by coffee and cake at the corner café.

Sat :  3^rd May.  After buying fresh fruit from the Van Man who came to the motorhome stop this morning, we set off to our destination Tavira, but upon arrival, we found we were not very impressed with what was on offer at the campsite so scanned the Camperstop book, finding an alternative at Manta Rota and headed there.  It was a skinny road through the town to the beach park where for 4,50 Euros we had the usual services, including power for those with a long enough lead!  There were not many places available to us and the spot we chose was too far from the power point but it wasn’t a problem, we can be powerless from time to time.  The huge and popular beach was accessed via a 200 metre boardwalk, so we strolled down to have a look and Mike bravely tested the waters of the Atlantic,

then we treated ourselves to a gelato each at the gelateria we’d passed, and noted for possible future reference, on the way in.  An easy afternoon and evening was spent reading and relaxing, we’re on holidays!

Sun :  4^th May.  A very slow morning to start off our day, yummy fresh fruit salad (from yesterday’s purchase) and yoghurt for breakfast, followed by a 2 hour drive to

El Rocio in Spain, leaving Portugal after an enjoyable two weeks.  A country cannot be explored in its entirety in a mere fortnight, we realised early on in our travels that we simply can’t see everything but the Portugal we experienced was of stunning mountain ranges, beautiful buildings, rugged coastlines, fantastic beaches, and friendly, helpful people and we are glad we came. 

El Rocio is a fascinating town…it’s a bit like stepping into a film set with wide, dirt streets, some tumble down buildings and you almost expect Clint Eastwood to come riding in. 

It also boasts a magnificent church,

several cafes and restaurants, the usual souvenir shops and dress shops with flamenco style frocks on sale.

We rode from the nearby caravan park, but only part way as the bikes didn’t travel well through the sand but we did enjoy our visit.

Mon : 5^th May.  A short drive of 75kms from El Rocio to Seville was on the agenda for today.  We parked Boris at the motorhome stop at a small marina/boat yard at Gelves, about 10kms south of the city and caught a number 140 bus at 1,55 Euro each into Seville.  There we explored on foot this marvellous city with its wonderful buildings and gardens, took a one hour boat cruise on the river, took the obligatory photos

and bought tickets for the 9.30p.m. performance of the Sevilla Cuna del Flamenco.

We went back to Boris, cooked and ate dinner and readied ourselves for the return to the city.  This we did partly by bus, partly by taxi as for some reason the bus terminated before reaching the city, perhaps due to the feria de abril, the most famous festival in Spain being held in Seville over the next week. Many streets were blocked off, police were in attendance directing traffic and people were dressed to the nines, men in suits and ladies in their finery.  The taxi driver who drove us to El Palacio Andaluz treated us to a somewhat hair raising ride through Seville, speeding along the streets, ducking in and out of traffic, all the while talking on his mobile phone.  It was an entertaining ride!  

We were seated next to a Melbourne lady, on a tour through Spain and going on a cruise of the Mediterranean from Barcelona (after meeting very few Australians in Europe last year, nearly everywhere we’ve been so far, we’ve bumped in to one or two).

I can’t say enough to adequately describe the performance of the dancers, 8 women and 6 men, all absolutely brilliant, energetic, passionate, superbly talented and we were treated to an hour and a half of total excellence.  A wonderful, wonderful experience.

Check out the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl7pepvDINg&feature=player_detailpage
The taxi ride ‘home’ was much more sedate than the earlier one I’m happy to say, although secretly, I did enjoy the first ride!

Tues :  6^th May.  It was a morning of travel…leaving Gelves at 10ish, we drove the 170 kms south through very nice farming country on a great toll free road (E-IV) to the coastal town of Canos de Meca and after lunch, rode to the nearby beach at Zahora.

Though sunny and warm, the strong wind has kept the temperature down and it’s now quite cool.  A good night for sleeping!