26th March: In Gijon

We left Navia mid morning and via a few port towns on the North coast made our way to Gijon.  It has been another very unstable day and we have had heavy showers of rain and hail.  The temperature has also lowered to a rather cool 11 degrees centigrade so we are being acclimatised to the UK weather!

We have been on a fasting day so as it is now nearly seven o'clock in the evening (as I write this draft) our minds are rather focused on food!  We are going to have 2 boiled eggs each together with rye crackers (woo hoo, contain your excitement!).

Tomorrow we will have a butchers around Gijon and then top up our supplies of wine ready for our next trip.

We have really enjoyed the last 9 weeks and feel that reasonably speaking we have 'done' Portugal and Spain.  They are different cultures and certainly warm places to go in the British winter period.  What did surprise us was that we really liked Southern Spain, Northern Portugal, and could take or leave the Algarve.

When I closed up the 'French' blog I said "where next?". Well this time we know exactly where next........ Sweden and Norway via Holland, Germany and Denmark.  After catching up with family, admin and that type of stuff we will set off for 'Scandawegia' at the end of April.

Tara .......

25th March part 2

We are in Navia now and it has been stormy to say the least!  As it happens the sun has finally come out again and the rain has ceased so we have walked into town and found a library to get on the 'net (hoorah).

I noticed looking at the photos that the Asus shrinks them down a bit………sorry dudes.  Also, get this! the library we are in has the easiest access fastest internet we have found in weeks!  Oh well……

Anyway, we will probably stay here tomorrow and then drive to Gijon on Thursday to be ready for the Friday ferry.

This might be the last blog entry before we are back in England………..we'll see eh?

25th March: Its raining allright!!

Yesterday we made our way to Ortiguera Aire for the night stop.  It is set on top of the cliff overlooking a rocky and sandy bay with beautiful far reaching views.........if only it wasn't raining!

We have had heavy rain and strong winds for the last 24 hours......its just like being at home!

So then, the plan now (Tuesday) is to drive down into Navia about 3 miles away and stop in the Aire there.  

If we are really lucky the rain might just stop long enough for us to walk down to the beach before we leave Ortiguara.

EDIT:  It did stop for a little while, so a few photos and a phoon opportunity!

24th March Monday morning

On Saturday we meandered our way along the coast to Foz where have stayed for 2 nights.  The drive here was via some massive cliffs (at 2000 ft the highest in Northern Europe) (phoon!) then we stopped and had lunch in Viveiro right next to the beach where we anchored Goosey in 2006 on our first visit to Spain! (pic thru window).

The Aire here is right next to the sea wall and we have just chilled out for a while.  Yesterday afternoon we had a bash at fishing as the tide came in.  I do wonder why we bother though as yet again we failed to catch any fish!

The weather has been much cooler and quite unsettled but still the sun came out for much of the time.  It did get cold on Saturday night (4 Celsius) and last night (well, this morning as I write this) was really windy.  It looks as though we should be quite acclimatised to UK weather by the end of this week!

Today we will continue the journey East along the coast towards Gijon (which is now less than 100 miles away!)

21st March.........Baiona, Sada, Ortigueria today

This will of course only really make sense if I manage to upload it before too many days pass by!

We cycled around Baiona yesterday morning, this was again another place we spent time in when we had Goosey so it was a nice 're-visit'.  Then on our way North we stumbled across another Aire in Sada and stayed there the night.  Sada is a fairly big fishing and leisure port so we inevitably spent some time by the boats!  Otherwise not much else to report.

Today (Friday) we woke up to something very strange indeed!  The sky was grey and little drops of water appeared to be falling from above, what could this possibly be?

Ah.......rain!  Oh well, at least this will prepare us for our return to England next week.  I think that overall we have been very lucky with the weather so we are not too distressed about it (haha)

It is a fasting day today so we will find somewhere nice with a view and just 'hole up' for the rest of the day.

Tara

EDIT:

We're in Ortigueria now, weak internet in library but just enough to do these updates.  It looks as if we may not be able to access the internet much from today so don't hold your breath for many more updates!

20th March: Insomnia

It's 2:30 in the morning and I can't get back to sleep after waking at 1:00.  So if might as well catch up on the blog whilst having a glass of milk and a slice of Galician Almond tart.

On Tuesday we crossed the border back into Spain and left Portugal behind for the last time.  Strangely enough we will miss it.  And even more weird was the fact that coming back to Spain felt quite normal!

The drive along the West coast to Baiona was scenic and easy (much better roads than Portugal) and we stopped in Baiona for a couple of hours for old time sake.  When we sailed to Spain in Goosey in 2006 we spent a few happy days anchored in Baiona harbour, Lewis and Olivia were with us and it was one of the few times that we spent together as a family and just chilled out (I do miss the kids).

Anyway, we spent the night at an Aire in Arcade which is at the top of the Ria a few miles up from Vigo.  This was right next to the shore and we enjoyed a lazy afternoon eating and drinking (jumbo prawns cooked in ginger, garlic and chilli washed down with a bottle of chilled Alvorino wine) after which an afternoon nap was required (for Grahame!)

The next day we had planned to see Pontevedra but this didn't happen due to parking restrictions etc so we continued our journey to A Coruna via Noia.

Late afternoon we arrived at the Aire in time to have a nice meal and watch the sun set over the Atlantic.  The day had turned out to be the hottest yet for us (26 degrees centigrade!) which was a surprise this far North.

The plan now is to wind our way back to Gijon along the North coast ready for the return to England a week tomorrow.

We have achieved most of what we set out to do on this tour and are now simply in the 'wind down' phase.  Actually more like we're on holiday for a few days!

I think I'll try to see if I can get back to sleep now.......

Goodnight!

17th March edit 2: Vila Nova de Cerveira, Tui and Valença

Well blogletts!  This one is hot of the press!  I have just spent over an hour and a half in the local library catching up with blog updates so I thought  I would include todays trip too!

We stumbled across the Aire in Vila Nove de Cerveira yesterday on our way to Tui in Spain (we are still in Portugal) so decided to spend the night here.  What a lovely charming little town this is!

After yesterdays 'youf fiasco' this was a welcome antidote.  We arrived late afternoon when the whole town seemed to be out by the river with their families and children, enjoying the gentle (and quiet) afternoon sunshine.  After our last fasting meal of the day we slept well!

Today (Monday) we cycled over the bridge to Spain and along the North side of the river to Tui about 11 miles away.  Then we crossed back into Portugal at Tui/Valença and returned along the South side of the river back to the van.  In all about 25 miles.

Notice in the photos the two fortified towns of Tui (Spain) and Valença (Portugal) and in one of them the 1797 canon aimed at the Spanish!

Tomorrow we leave Portugal for the final time and go to Baiona via the West coast.

This does of course mean that I might not get to update the blog for another week or so!

Adeus for now x

16th March.......bloody youfs!

I have spent much of the night awake being forced to listen to the local 'youfs' as they enjoy their Saturday night!

Mon Dieu!  Just how loud can a car stereo be??  And for that matter just how fast can an engine rev before it's pistons launch themselves through the bonnet?  Or (and this one's a real cracker!) How many times is it really possible to drive around a carpark with out lights on doing donut after bloody donut before the tyres catch fire??

Is it me?  Am I really turning into Victor Meldrew?

I off back to bed.....goodnight!

15th March Porto and beyond

We skipped Aveiro and went straight to Porto.  This turned out to be a fairly stressful journey, the roads were really potholed and bumpy and the traffic as we got closer to the city was gradually grinding to a halt.  Anyway, by chance we ended up in the Port wine area on the South side of the river and found a quiet place to park just along the road from Graham's port lodge.

We walked down to the river and crossed the bridge into Porto old city centre.  It is quite a 'happening' place and the UNESCO waterfront along the Ribierero was quite delightful.

After a couple of hours we'd had our fill so we continued North along the coast until Esposende where we stopped for the night in a carpark on the North side of the river outlet to the sea.

Next thing we noticed was that after a week or so of zero internet access we discovered that the place we were parked in had free (but slow) WiFi hence I have been able to update the blog with the last weeks events.

I doubt if I will be able to upload the photos so you will need to continue using your imagination!

Tomorrow is another fasting day so after a lazy start we will probably make our way up to the Spanish border.

Two piccies at Esposende (before the youfs!)

14th March Aveiro

After all the culture stuff we felt the need to be by the sea and just chill out for a day or two.  So we drove to an Aire just Southwest of Aveiro.  This was great, right next to the beach tucked behind the sand dunes.

We might get reckless and cycle in to Aveiro on Saturday for a butchers (no,not meat).

13 March: Coimbra

After Tomar we drove to Coimbra to an Aire by the river ready to 'do Coimbra'

Well this did not take long and by sunset we had seen all we need.  Coimbra is famous for its university (1290) and unless you are a student or a shopaholic there is not much else here that can not be seen elsewhere in Portugal.

We are most likely 'cultured out' so after the last three UNESCO places that we have visited, Coimbra did not really hold much attention for us (sorry)

13th March: Tomar

'The Order of the Knights Templar'

I think their title alone is evocative in itself.  It conjures up images of magnificent warriors, riding their steeds into battle, swords wielding, armour gleaming, flags flying, all in the name of religion.

Tomar is the location of the Convento De Christo, the headquarters of the Knights Templar established in 1162.  This UNESCO site did not fail to impress us with its design, location and content.  Built high on the hill above Tomar it is indeed a mix of military, religious and imperial elements of Portuguese history.

The sixteen sided Rotunda was based on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and although perhaps fairly plain from the outside, the inside is breathtaking.  In the middle stands a magnificent high alter surrounded by a two story octagon.  It is said that the Knights attended Mass on horseback here.

The rest of the complex fits into the category of just another convent, by which I mean full of the architectural marvels and spiritual feeling that we have now come to expect.

We enjoyed seeing the Convento enormously and perhaps one reason we did so was despite not being religious we could relate to the military side of things.  The Knights were military men, effective strategists and ruthless soldiers.

It was quite awe inspiring to see and be in the same place that they lived in and from where they would plan and launch their crusades.

I think if I had lived 800 years ago, I could well have been a Knight Templar!

12 March: Batalha then Fatima

I forgot to mention that yesterday was a fasting day, so by this morning we were ready for fresh bread, cakes and lashings of hot coffee!

Revitalised and fortified we set about visiting the main event, Batalha Abbey.

This is another UNESCO world heritage building ( sorry, forgot to mention so was Alcobaça) and this time we were even more impressed!

The Abbey was built to commemorate the battle that sealed Portugal's independence after years of Spanish intrigue.  In 1385 Joào , Metre de Aviz struck a deal with the Virgin Mary, promising to build her a magnificent Abbey if she offered military assistance against the Spanish.  It worked, so the Abbey was built!

The building is THE most impressive building we have yet seen in Portugal (I know, yesterday's was good).  The design and attention to detail supersedes everything else.  This is another occasion when 'awesome' is the most appropriate word to use.

In the afternoon we drove to Fatima to see the Basilica.  This is another top Roman Catholic site of significant magnitude, similar to Lourdes in France.  The Basilica was built in 1953 to celebrate the vision of the Virgin Mary to three peasant children in 1917.  Nowadays Fatima is a major centre of pilgrimage and the most holy place in Portugal.

The Basilica is impressive for a modern day church however it does not have the impact and complexity of the previously mentioned abbeys.

Just like when we visited Lourdes, I was impressed but not converted or healed (still got a slight headache).

Next stop...….... Tomar

EDIT: We had a really quiet nights sleep in Fatima, probably the quietest place we have stayed in .........Divine peace perhaps ?????

Next piccies are Fatima

11th March: Obidos and Alcobaça

Last night's Aire was conveniently placed about 5 mins walk from the town.  As with most of these fortified towns Obidos is built on top of a prominent rock, with the castle at one end and a town wall all the way around.  A significant aqueduct enters the town from the Southern side which is about 1000 metres in length.

The town inside is higgledy piggledy and although quite touristy is nevertheless very quant and a pleasant place to spend a couple of hours.

In the afternoon we visited Alcobaça on our way to Batalha.  The Cistercian monastery here was built in 1153 and soon became the most powerful monastery in Portugal.  The architecture is the most impressive we have yet seen in Portugal.  Strangely enough the monks kitchen impressed me greatly, with its massive chimney mounted on 8 cast iron legs, and the huge preparation tables and basins. 

Next we position to Batalha

Next piccies are Alcobaça