Tuesday 29 April 2014

Mid Portugal

Thurs: 24th April.  It was fine early this morning and looked like being a sunny day…and then it rained.  While waiting for the weather to improve, we did a few odd jobs around the ‘house’, not leaving the campsite till noon.  Today’s destination was Porto with a detour to Penha, specifically to take a ride on the cable car to Guimaraes which had been suggested, among other places, by Chris and Rosa, Portuguese born friends of friends.  Unfortunately, the cable car was not operating
but we had magnificent views from the church at the top of the hill,

enjoyed a little wander around the lovely gardens, visited a grotto

and the café and as much as we’d have liked to stay and explore further, the rain came down with a vengeance, it was bitterly cold so we continued on towards Porto. 
We drove into finer weather and by the time we reached Porto, the sun was shining though it was still very cool.  Once we’d parked Boris in a carpark by the river, where ‘autocaravanas’ can stay overnight though not authorised to do so, and Mike had chatted to a German couple who’d been there for 3 days and who passed on a few tips, we rode the bikes along the river to the town and strolled around a little before returning to Boris to cook our evening meal and settle down for a quiet night. 

We decided to stay two nights, and tomorrow plan to take a port wine river cruise on the Rio Douro, take the funicular to the old town, explore and then walk down to the river, have a ride on the cable car and enjoy Porto, which looks very interesting.


 



 After dinner we engaged in an interesting conversation with a Spanish couple who were also staying the night and came to say hello as they recognised the flags…they have a son living in Perth and are going to visit him in November. 
We’re looking forward to tomorrow!

Fri:  25th April.  What a fun night we had!!  Luckily, I had a slight stomach upset…I say luckily because otherwise I probably would have been in a deep sleep by 1.00a.m. and not heard the noises which alerted me to the fact that there was evil afoot.  I fell out of bed and opened the rear blind to see three youths in the process of liberating the bikes from the rack…I woke Mike, who in his loudest voice politely requested them to leave, which they promptly did, and in world record time.  On investigation, we found that they had sawn through the outer tube casing on the chain but had managed to sever only a couple of the inner wires.  Mike found another, thicker bike chain in his box of tricks and put it around the bikes and rack, together with the damaged but still effective one.  We made some tea and kept vigil for a couple of hours before turning off the lights and trying to sleep. Not possible…every little sound we heard we were up peering through the windows and door and when a vehicle arrived at about 4.00a.m. and the engine was running for about 15 minutes, we were wide awake and on guard, wondering what was going to happen next.
Well, judging by the sounds emanating from the vehicle, it would seem that the engine was left running to warm the vehicle in anticipation of the hankypanky which was to follow.  Still sleepless at close to 5.00a.m., Mike was standing by the door when one of the would be bike thieves came skulking back…he didn’t see Mike and ran for his life when Mike once again, very politely, suggested he p..s off!
What was left of the night was quiet and uneventful and we watched the dawn break over Porto while silently paying tribute to our Anzacs, sadly agreeing that we wouldn’t be comfortable leaving Boris unattended while we went sightseeing, and we definitely would be unwilling to spend another night here.  So, the good news is that we still have our bikes, the bad news is that we didn’t get to see all of the Porto we wanted to see and that is extremely disappointing!
We left just after 8.00a.m., both exhausted after our tense and sleepless night, and headed for a caravan park at Vagueira, about 130kms south of Porto. The only photo we took today was in Costa Nova where many of the houses are painted in a variety of coloured stripes…unusual but interesting. 

After settling in at the caravan park, Mike rode to a bike shop nearby and bought a length of very thick chain and a very large padlock, so any future would be bike thieves will have their work cut out for them.  An afternoon snooze, long, hot showers, dinner and an early night ended an unhappy day, but as Mike is wont to say “The sun will go down tonight and the sun will come up tomorrow”.

Sat:  26th April.  A late departure this morning due to heavy rain (the sun didn’t come up!)  We travelled mainly on minor roads and our first stop was in a small village which boasted a wonderful baker shop/café with the best looking cakes, pastries etc. we’ve seen so far on this trip.  Although we only planned to buy a loaf of bread, we felt compelled to relieve the shopkeeper of a couple of Portugese tarts and an f.a. cream cake as well.  It was a day of travel today, stopping at Figueira da Foz for a break and again at Marinha Grande when we spotted an Aldi store where we bought Mike’s favourite Knoppers and Haselnusse Schnittes (chocolate covered hazelnut wafer biscuits, discovered last year).  Oh happy day!

On arrival at the caravan park in Nazare, we stayed put for the rest of the day…the rain has been on/off all day but the forecast for tomorrow and the next few days is for sunshine.

Sun:  27th April.  We woke early to welcome sunshine, so an early breakfast and showers and we were packed up ready to head down into the town.  Not a lot was happening when we first arrived, we were quite early and life doesn’t start happening until late morning so there were not many people or much traffic about but that changed as the day wore on and the town was chokkers in the afternoon and early evening.  We strolled around for an hour or two, rode the funicular up to Sieto, a town on the cliffs overlooking Nazare, treated ourselves to lunch at a café back in town, and strolled back to Boris for a couple of hours’ break. 



In the late afternoon we wandered back to the seafront where most of the action was happening, then spent a good half hour or more sitting on a bench in the sunshine watching the passers by passing by and then followed the sound of voices in song, to the church where there was a mass in progress.  Lovely!  What a super day we had!  The sun did come up after all!

Thursday 24 April 2014

More of Spain and into Portugal

Sat:  19th April.  We didn’t leave Valdovino till after 11a.m., finally finding a person in the camp office and paying for last night’s stay.  Today was a day of travel with a stop at Ferrol to look in the shops for a barbecue to replace Mike M’s, which he once again has loaned us and which unfortunately has a rusted out burner.  We managed to use it once, but sadly, it’s no longer a going thing…Mike is extremely sad about that as he absolutely LOVES that barbecue…we’re still looking, hoping to find a camping shop somewhere…they seem to be in short supply but I guess that once we find one, we’ll probably find twenty!  Our overnight stop was at an ‘environmentally aware’ rural campsite near Ribeira and what seemed to be a quiet spot when we arrived, turned out to be a popular place with a lot of people staying there, though it was not a full camp.

Sun:  20th April.  It rained this morning for a couple of hours and once it cleared, we drove to Cabo Corrubedo to see the lighthouse and wander around on the rocks,

then to Aquino port via a hill tower which provided wonderful views of the coast,

after which we drove through Ribeira which was chokkers so we didn’t stop but hit the road again to Catoira where we stopped at a restaurant just out of town and treated ourselves to lunch.  We chose a mixed grill for 2 which was accompanied by a mound of chips, a salad, beer and wine…the meal would have fed at least 3, possibly 4 and we were unable to eat it all…our lovely waitress parcelled up the leftover meat which we took with us to provide another meal tomorrow.  On then to Sanxenxo, to a chosen stopover but on arriving there and driving through the camp, decided that it wasn’t up to scratch so headed off to the next choice, 40 kms away…but…just down the road, we spotted a motorhome camperstop sign, followed it and found a family run site, next to the beach, with services…i.e. power, water etc….for 8 euros so that’s where we are stopping tonight.  A walk on the beach before the tide comes in and a quiet night are on the cards.
Mon:  21st April.  It seems there is a pattern with the weather, fog, heavy mist or rain early on and clearing by late morning/early afternoon, followed by a fine afternoon and evening.  This was so this morning, beginning with soft rain along the coast, when we stopped for a photo at Mirador da Granxa,

and becoming heavy once we’d passed Pontevedra, where we took a wrong turn and were unable to turn around, travelling through what we could just make out through the rain was gorgeous scenery.  Eventually we got back on track and by the time we reached Redondela, the rain had eased somewhat so we stopped, donned raincoats and boots and headed off to the huge markets in the centre of town. 

Our total purchase consisted of 12 churros (sticks of dough fried in oil, eaten with sugar or thick chocolate) for which we paid the princely sum of 2,60 euros!  They were delicious, better than any we’d had at home and we scoffed the lot while they were still hot and fresh!  (A healthy lunch!)  We continued on in sunshine, crossing the border into Portugal

at about 2.30pm and shortly after arrived at the caravan park at the mouth of the River Minho,

checked in, took the bikes off the rack and cycled 3kms along the river into the town.

A walk through the streets and people watching on a bench in the square in this friendly, happy town

before cycling back to the beach next to the caravan park and beers in the café there, and a quiet night to end a pleasant day.

Tues:  22nd April.  Early rain then sunny for most of the day.  We headed to Geres National Park with a stop at Praia de Paco to inspect the beach and old Fort there, then bypassing Viano do Castelo and on to the motorway for the first half of the journey, then ‘Kenny’, our GPS, for some unknown reason, directed us along a narrow, (barely wide enough for one vehicle) winding, steep, steep road, with cobblestones for a good part of the way, through a couple of small villages where we could reach out and touch the walls of the houses…about 35kms in total which took about 1-1/2 hours!  If we’d been able to, we’d have turned around early on but there simply was nowhere to turn.  However, we are so glad that we went that way as the views were absolutely stunning. The photos we took just don’t do justice to the scenery.

At the top of our climb, the road widened and we stopped for our lunch break before heading down the mountain, on a 2 lane road this time, to Geres, by a lake and the River Cavado and our free camp for the night. We went to the restaurant nearby and for 2,50 euros, enjoyed a coffee each and cake before going for an exploratory drive along the lake.  All in all, a brilliant day.

Wed:  23rd April.  There was a slight change in the weather pattern!  It rained through the night and was heavy at times, then was fine for the rest of the day.  We left Geres early and headed to Braga, about 45kms away, taking another detour on the way, up another skinny, winding, cobblestoned road to a lookout at Santuario S. Mamede, more stunning views though with some clouds about,

then on to the carpark at Bom Jesus do Monte, taking the nearby funicular to the top to the magnificent church, gardens, statues, fountains, small chapels depicting the crucifixion and events before and after, and many, many steps, I’d guess about 200 or more, which we walked down after our visit.  We had wonderful views over Braga while sipping our coffee at the café. 






We decided not to go into Braga itself and continued on to Guimaraes where we visited the castle and the Ducal Palace next door, restored in the 1930s and is very impressive.

On then to the little of Queimedala where we booked into a small campsite for the night.  We went for a walk around the lake, following the signs to begin with and when there were no more signs, continued along a barely visible track alongside the lake, climbing over rocks and bramble until we came to a waterfall,
but there was no way across to the other side so we had to backtrack across the rocks and brambles, back to the camp, tired and sore.  A long, hot shower helped to ease the aching muscles and a good night’s sleep will be a bonus.

Saturday 19 April 2014

First days in Spain

Mon:  14th April.   Buenos Dias!  After a smooth overnight crossing on the Pont Aven, a Brittany Ferries vessel (our mini cruise), we arrived in Santander late this morning,


driving off the ferry at 11.20a.m. and putting our timepieces forward one hour.  We proceeded to the nearby Carrefour supermarket for groceries and fuel for Boris before continuing on to our chosen stopover at a caravan park near San Vicente de la Barquera on the north Atlantic coast.  As it was a lovely, sunny though hazy day, we were able to sit outside to eat a late lunch.  The rest of the day was spent doing very little. 
Tues:  15th April.  A sleep in this morning…we’re still on England time I think.  It was a warm, sunny morning and we were able to skype with our son James and grandchildren Harriet and Ted before packing up and leaving, a happy start to what was a most enjoyable day.  Our first stop was at the Playa (beach) de Gerra for a walk along the sand,
then on through S.Vicente to the motorway for a short distance before taking a detour through the Sierra de Cuera, stopping at a local café in Panes for coffee,
then on through stunning scenery,


with scraps of snow still clinging to some of the mountain tops, to the town of Arenas de Carbrales where, on seeing a sign for a funicular, we followed the river
for 6 kms into the mountains until we reached Poncebos where we bought tickets for said funicular.  It was a 7min journey, 2 kms through a tunnel


at the end of which were several walks one could take.  As the walks took 3 to 4 hours each, we opted for a 10 minute look around and photo opportunity
before the return ride down through the mountain.  After collecting Boris, we drove down the road a little way to stop at a car park for a snack of bread and cheese before driving through Arenas de Carbrales to Cangas de Onis where we are stopping for the night in a large car park opposite the bus station (a freebie!).  It was about an hour’s drive through glorious scenery, spoilt only a little by the haze lying about.  Once we’d got ourselves sorted, we strolled across the river into and through the town and what a lovely town it is!
Mike found a little hardware shop next to the Post Office and was able to buy a tap fitting (by drawing pictures as we have almost no Spanish and the shopkeeper has no English) as we didn’t have the right fitting for a non screw on tap.  So far the Spanish people we’ve met and spoken to have been very friendly and willing to help in our struggles to speak their language.  We finished off our excellent day with another stroll through the town after dinner, when all the locals were out wining and dining and strolling too.  We like this town!!

Wed:  16th April.  Thick fog was blanketing the town this morning when we woke, with very low visibility, i.e. we couldn’t see anything beyond the car park.  By the time we’d had breakfast, done all the usual morning things and crossed the river to visit the Post Office, it had almost cleared.  We packed and left and headed toward Cudillero, about 100 kms from Cangas de Onis and on the coast.  It was a pleasant drive, the roads here are very good and the scenery is interesting, with lush, green rolling hills and valleys all around and when we reached the coast, the ocean looked stunningly blue and calm. 

The most exciting thing that happened today was when arriving at Cudillero, we drove through the little village which is situated at the bottom of a steep, winding road and has a very narrow cobblestoned main road, not at all suitable for motor homes and saw a motor cycle policeman coming towards us, motioning to us…we thought we might be in for a bit of trouble but he very kindly helped us out of the jam by stopping oncoming traffic and escorting us through!
The rest of the afternoon was spent soaking up the sunshine at the caravan park, keeping out of trouble.

Thurs: 17th April, 2014.  Once again we woke to thick fog, only today it didn’t completely lift until late afternoon.  We drove back down to Cudillero, scene of yesterday’s ‘misdemeanour’, only this time we parked at the port

and walked the short distance into the town…at 11 a.m. when we arrived, the shops and cafes were just opening up so we strolled around for a time before having coffee at the Don Vito Corleone bar/cafe.  On the low, side walls of the café , there were many still photos, scenes from the Godfather films …I guess the owner is a huge fan! It was busier today than yesterday and head on collisions were avoided by the policewoman on duty taking control of the traffic flow…in a couple of places on the road through town, there really isn’t enough room for even two small cars to pass each other so Boris had little chance yesterday…until his saviour came to the rescue on his motorbike!  Chaos reigned at the car park when we returned at 1 p.m., the place was chokkers and cars were parked in any little space available so we were happy to be leaving then, it’s obviously a popular place.

Down the road a little way, we pulled in at a service station which had a large car park and made and ate lunch before continuing on to an overnight stop at a beach near Rinlo, on the coast.  It was in a car park, another freebie, and overlooked the Atlantic ocean…a lovely beach below the cliffs and a well used crazy paving path along the edge of the cliffs. We joined the walkers on the path, it was still overcast, the sun hadn’t made an appearance so it was quite cool but the view was magnificent so we didn’t mind too much.
 
Fri: 18th April 2014.  More fog but it cleared fairly early to be replaced by sunshine.  By 9 a.m. the walkers were out walking, the cyclists were cycling, the surfers were surfing and the runners were running.  The baker came in his little van to the car park so we bought a loaf of bread and a pastry from him before setting off on a very scenic drive, stopping at a beach near Viveiro where we ate lunch and then travelling on to a caravan park at Valdovino.  The office was closed when we arrived at about 2 p.m. so we drove to the nearby beach, bought ice creams and walked along the beach board walk before returning to the caravan park…still no one in the office so we chose a site, plugged in the power and sat in the sunshine to read.  The office was still closed at 4.30 p.m. and at 5 o’clock so we’ve given up until morning. 
There are many excellent beaches along the Atlantic coast, the water is clear, a gorgeous blue and looks inviting but as yet we’re not brave enough to go swimming, we need warmer weather! 
Though the roads are mostly very good, now and then we’ve encountered a bumpy stretch but nothing major.  The countryside we've travelled through is a little unkempt but that hasn't detracted from the attractive and often stunning scenery along the way.  We're enjoying Spain!   
 

Sunday 13 April 2014

Devon and the South West

Tues:  8.4.2014.  Boris is now taxed after having a couple of minor problems fixed and passing his MOT test, so we were able to start sorting out cupboards etc. today in readiness for tomorrow’s departure and the beginning of this year’s Tour de Europe.  Our farewell dinner was a superb Moroccan lamb dish cooked by Mike M.

Wed:  9.4.2014.  After partaking of Marion’s delicious Lemon Drizzle Cake for morning tea, we were on our way south to Salcombe Regis in Devon, where we booked into an excellent caravan park for the night.  We spent some time in the afternoon rearranging some of our storage places in an effort to eliminate a couple of rattles and then christened our new Remoska with a piece of pork and veges we bought from a supermarket on the way.  I have to say a huge thank you to our Kiwi friends who recommended the Remoska to us last year, as the meal was excellent and soooo easy to prepare and cook!
We’ve had lovely weather for the last couple of days…sunshine and blue skies, though quite cold at night, but a welcome change from our first week here.

Thurs:  10.4.2014.  Another sunny day and we decided to stay a second night at this lovely park so that we could visit nearby Sidmouth.  It’s too hilly for us to go bike riding so we walked.  A couple of friendly local ladies, out walking their dogs, pointed us in the right direction to a viewpoint overlooking the town and cliffs…a magnificent view which warranted a few photos before we followed the very, very steep path down to Sidmouth. 
It took us a while to get down and we both suffered from the climb but still enjoyed wandering around the town and along the seafront, stopping at the lifeboat station where we were told about a few rescues, including that of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (of River Cottage fame) and his son who were washed up against the cliffs last year when their boat’s power failed.  There was no way that we were going to walk back up that big hill after our visit so the local bus was our transport ‘home’.  It’s very chilly and I’m keeping my socks on tonight!

Fri:  11.4.2014.  Yet another sunny day and we set off reasonably early to McDonald’s (free Wi fi) in Exeter, in order to skype our son Paul and grandson Sam in NSW before Sam’s bedtime. 
Afterwards, it was back on the road again to Okehampton and a visit to the remains of the largest castle in Devon, which was begun soon after the Norman conquest.  Part of the ruins were blocked off for restoration purposes but we happily wandered around in the sunshine with hand held audio devices which described the buildings and life as it was…very interesting. 




Then it was on to Bude on the north west Cornish coast…or more specifically, on a hill overlooking Bude and the ocean. The afternoon was spent relaxing in the sunshine, soaking up the glorious scenery, with another Remoska cooked meal to complete a lovely day.

Sat:  12.4.2014.  It’s cold this morning and the sun has not yet made an appearance.  We’ll be on our way soon, travelling south to Tintagel and thereabouts.  Tomorrow  we leave this green and pleasant land, this England…for a few months…and will board the 3pm ferry from Plymouth to Santander in Spain, to arrive there on Monday at noon.  I hope the weather will be mild and the sea calm but will take a Kwell just in case!

Sat:  12.4.2014.  Today was bleak, grey sky and cold wind for most of the day.  We left our camping place and drove the couple of miles to Bude, stopping at the supermarket to stock up on liquid supplies, then through lovely Boscastle…nowhere for Boris to park so on to Tintagel.  It was busy there but not too crowded and as it was midday and we were feeling a little peckish, we opted for a bowl of vegetable soup each at the pub where we had dinner in 1995 when we were
B&B-ing.  An elderly gentleman at a nearby table recognised our accents and chatted away about his visits to Australia in the 1960s as a crew member of the “Iberia”. Others joined in the conversation and there followed some friendly banter between tables…good fun!  We then ventured down the long, steep hill towards Tintagel Castle, birthplace, it is thought, of the legendary King Arthur…he of round table fame. 

On arrival at the bottom of the hill, when we could see the steps leading up to the ruins, we baulked at thought of having to climb all the way up…and then all the way down again, so wimped out, only went a little way to take a couple of photos and paid 2 pounds to be driven back up the hill in the 4WD provided for that purpose. 
The drover was an Irishman who had worked in his younger life in Qld and in S.A. It’s surprising the number of people we meet along the way, who have either visited, lived or have relatives or friends living in Australia!  On then to Porthtowan, near Truro for our overnight stopover.  The sun made a couple of very brief appearances on the way, we’re hoping for a better effort from him tomorrow.

Sun:  13.4.2014.  We awoke to blue sky and sunshine!  Our last day (for a few months) in this green and pleasant land, this England…this afternoon we will board the overnight ferry to Spain.  The weather looks promising for a smooth crossing…I hope so!

Wednesday 9 April 2014

Ready for the off

Quick update. Boris has now passed his annual medical and we have now taxed him (we say registered) and will be leaving today for a mini trip down the south west until Sunday, when we are booked to leave on the ferry to Spain. Anyway got to go and finish packing stuff in the van. M.

Monday 7 April 2014

The Start of the 2014 Trip to Europe

31st March 2014
Our flight left on time and after flying over Fremantle Harbour,

 crossed the Indian Ocean en route to Dubai, an eleven hour journey.  To amuse ourselves we each watched a film, listened to music, read, did crosswords and I entertained myself by taking a few photos of the clouds.

Sleep was out of the question, we encountered a fair bit of turbulence along the way so by the time we reached Dubai we were just a little bit tired and grumpy.  A 3 hour changeover and we set off again on the 7 hour leg to London, arriving at 6.00 a.m. and after going quickly through immigration and a long wait at the carousel for our bags, we emerged to welcome fresh air and not so welcome fog.  Mabel, the Hertz shuttle bus driver took us to the nearby car rental office and by 7.30 a.m. we had joined the west bound traffic on the M4.  An hour later we stopped at Membury Services for a cuppa and shortly after, the fog lifted a little so we were able to finally see the lovely English countryside.  On to the M5 at Bristol and the sun came out, albeit briefly.  We detoured off the motorway to the Highbridge Caravan Shop to buy a clothes line and a red/white reflector for the rear bike carrier, a requirement in Spain and after stopping at the supermarket for beer, wine aand toiletries, continued on to Stogursey where we were welcomed by our good friends Marion & Mike M.  After an afternoon of catching up it was an early dinner and an early night.
Wednesday, 2/4/2014.  Mike M drove us to nearby Holford to collect Boris from his winter home.  Not surprisingly the battery was flat and needed to be jump started and a tow was needed to pull him out of the tyre grooves but once on the road, he drove beautifully. 
Unfortunately, once in Mike M's drive, the battery died so the Mikes sped into town to buy a new one, installed it but because of an immobiliser problem which took two days to sort out, the MOT appointment scheduled for Thursday had to be changed and so Boris has been sitting around doing nothing as he is not yet taxed.  In the meantime, Mike has installed a new light and a power point in Boris' house and cleaned the roof in preparation for the installation of a solar panel (we're just waiting for a dry day to do this), we have been to a cider tasting afternoon at the farm of a friend of Mike M's, the same  farm where the Mikes helped press the apples for last year's batch, a tractor rally starting from the farm which was Boris' winter home,
the pebbled beach at Lilstock and the pretty little  church nearby 

with a brief stop at the Plough Inn at Holford for a glass of Doombar, one of Mike's favourite beers.
Once again, we've been well and truly spoiled with lovely meals...both Marion and Mike are excellent cooks and have catered to our appetites extremely well.
Monday, 7/4/2014.  We took Boris in this morning for his belated MOT and are waiting for the call to collect him.  All being  well we will tax him tomorrow and be on our way.