Our adventures in a mobile home
Posts tagged culture
Porto
Apr 8th
Next stop Porto. We had been warned by friends that this city was rather industrial and our expectations about its aesthetics were low. However, we thoroughly enjoyed our short time here. The weather helped as it was hot and sunny throughout. Even the Portuguese managed to stripped off and bask in the sun.
We stayed near Villa Nova de Gaia, by the beach and cycled into the city for our sightseeing. This has been the easiest city to visit on our bikes as a dedicated cycle path runs along the seafront and riverside into town. The path along the Duoro river passes all the famous port lodges. There were many names we recognised and a few we haven’t seen before. From this side of the river there is also a lovely view of the main town and its diverse architecture. We also enjoyed the view on a boat trip that took us out to the sea and back again. We finished our first day with a glass of port at Kopke lodge, Porto’s oldest, overlooking the river.
Day two saw us return for more port (of course). We visited Crofts and Calem for tastings, our favourite being Calems vintage tawny blend but at a hefty €21.40 we had to pass up buying a bottle. We took a tour at Sandemans, famous for its cape and sombrero advertising. All in all a good day of drinking rounded up by cocktails by the beach at sunset! And a hangover the next day … anyway I don’t feel too guilty on a Saturday morning (its a reminder of a previous life!)
Coimbra
Mar 30th
One of Coimbra's beautiful fountains
Coimbra stunned us with architecture and culture. The city is hilly, like so many in Portugal, but this gives it great views. We marched about exploring the winding staircases meandering from the university down into the commercial part of the city and then onto the river. We had lunch and I got to try a local speciality, Chafana – goat stewed in red wine. It was very rich but tender and tasty.
Woe is me, and you too if I don't get a good tip
That evening we ventured back into town for some fado (the Portuguese equivalent of the blues) and had our first taxi ride with a Portuguese driver. It was more hair raising than driving with an Italian as he managed to clock up 110 in a 50 zone! The fado wasn’t neearly so quick. We had to wait an hour for it to start - apparently my strop eventually got it going. It was interesting and I enjoyed the guitar but I wouldn’t listen to it regularly as it is rather moody for my tastes. One guitarist was most enthusiastic, strumming like his fingers were on fire, but the other looked like he wanted nothing more than to get back to his fishing boat …
NATO is unpopular with the local student population
Sumptuous Sintra
Mar 19th
Sintra, in the hills above Lisbon, is full of fairytale architecture and was once a retreat for wealthy Lisbonites. The pastel coloured palaces and chimneys revealed themselves through the mist and cloud. Apparently this is normal weather for Sintra and is affectionately known as the ‘queen’s fart’. We explored the boulder strewn hills near the Palicio da Pena. There are steep inclines and declines creating some great mountain biking routes with fabulous views down into Lisbon and the coast.
Whilst in Sintra we went to visit the ‘Quinta de Regaleria‘, the vision of a wealthy aristocrat and a visionary architect and set designer. Each element of the house and garden is based on classical themes and the design extended to every element including each piece of furniture. It must have been an overwhelming project; it certainly overwhelmed us and we only had to walk around it! It was a contrast to the Convento dos Capuchos, a monastery with magnificent gardens but rather stark monk cells covered in cork bark.
We also stayed over at Cascais and enjoyed the beach at Guincho – a popular hangout for surfers and for Odie, a massive doggie population! The sun beat down on us during our cycle along the coastal path along with hundreds of other walkers, cyclists and roller bladers. Summer is on its way!
Lovely Lisboa
Mar 17th
We have bravely made our way into Lisbon, the first capital city we have visited on our travels. Odie has been relegated to the van in the campsite whilst we bus into the city. Dogs wander the streets all over the country but are not permitted in most of the restaurants and bars, and definitely not on buses.
Lisbon is a tourist mecca, chocca full of museums and sights. We only had a couple of days to visit so contented ourselves with wandering up and down the hills, catching trams, eating out and enjoying the bustling city vibe. The Alfama was insightful, beautiful buildings next to run down hovels. Belem was impressive with its manueline architecture and homage to past explorers. The Belem pastries were as delicious as I thought they would be. It’s a good thing I have started jogging as it means I can eat more pastries ; ) The terrain of the city reveals views that we have missed in the flatness of London and the tiles everywhere you look add colour and life. We hope to come back and explore more.
Chapel of Bones
Mar 15th
We’ve been sticking to the coast up to now but decided to take a detour inland to visit Evora. The drive took us through the cork forests of the Alentejo. The cork trees are stripped to their waists, the underlying bark being red to start and turning slowly to a deep black in the 10 years before the trees are stripped again. The cork itself is strangely light (though that shouldn’t have been a surprise given how many win bottles I’ve opened) and has a very spongy texture.
Evora is a town of many interesting sights. We arrived intending to park under the aqueduct but on meeting some other motorhomers who were robbed overnight in their vans we opted to check into the campsite instead. Evora had the usual impressive cathedral and other interesting architecture but the highlight for us was the macarbe chapel of bones. The walls were created with monks bones (mostly femurs and humeri) and it is decorated with a trio of hanging mummies. The inscription above the chapel entrances reads ‘We bones here are waiting for your bones‘. It definitely stimulated thoughts of our own mortality, and it made me glad we are seeing the world before we enter the chapel of bones!
Lunch in Lagos
Feb 23rd
Apparently Portuguese dogs walk backwards, do their business, then leap into the air !
Lagos warranted a hot, uphill walk during our short stay in Luz. We arrived on the outskirts of town feeling weary and in need of sustenance. Luckily there was a Portuguese equivalent of a builders cafe so we stopped for a very hearty 3 course lunch. David got an amazing meal comprising of a bowl of soup, a pork chop, a sausage, a gamon strip, two ribs, salad, chips, rice, desert, a glass of wine and a coffee, all for just €8 ! It was certainly the right lunch if you are laying bricks but not if you are sightseeing, and after an energizing espresso we managed a rather ungraceful waddle into town. Lagos’ museum’s main attraction is an ornately carved church. Odie interrupted our religious reverie by ensuring his barking echoed in the cavernous room and he was moved to a nearby tree in disgrace. The town is touristy but beautiful. We skipped a boat trip to the coves as we did that on a trip with my Dad a couple of years ago.
El Rocio
Feb 14th
Being back on the road again was a bit of a shock to the system. We drove to Seville in the hope of spending a couple of days exploring this city’s incredible architecture. However our hopes of staying over were thwarted by the blustery weather and the local annual marathon. We had to make do with a drive-by-viewing of the fine buildings, but we hope to come back to the beautiful town after our travels in Portugal.
We hustled on to El Rocio, a genuine spaghetti Western town. The streets are sand covered, as wide as those in Bulawayo (for non-Zimbos that means very wide), and each house has a tethering post outside to cater for the horse population. The horsey way of life even extends to the bars where you are able to enjoy a drink from atop your horse at extra high tables.
The town was almost deserted when we visited but apparently is a famous pilgrimage site with over a million visitors over one weekend each year after Easter. The main draw is to see a statue of Mary that moves of its own accord and party like there is no tomorrow. The church is ornate with a very glittery altar.
Nearby is the Donana National Park, Europe’s biggest wetland (Dad was thinking of you especially), and it provides a winter home to a vast bird population. The enterprising grey herons have decided to use the highest structure in the park to nest in, never mind that they are electricity pylons instead of trees! Unfortunately we didn’t get to see the Iberian lynx, one of the animals we were keen to see on our European travels, I guess it was a bit ambitious to try and see it in one day!
Tiles on one of the El Rocio monuments
Spanglish mates
Jan 30th
We were feeling rather weary after our overly exuberant new year celebrations in Benalmadena and after a night of recuperation we drove southwards in search of sunnier climes. We decided to return to one of our favourite Spanish campsites, near to the Cabo de Trafalgar (where Nelson fought the Spaniards).
The area is famous in Spain for its pine trees. They were planted by Franco to stop the endless march of sand inland. The trees still produce pine kernels and in January provide a home to an apparently very poisonous caterpillar. We were told by other campers that said caterpillar was both attractive and fatal to dogs. Luckily we only saw a couple of dead specimens and Odie was not at all interested in them, so they can’t be such a delicious doggie delicacy.
There are some fantastic cycling routes which thread though the natural pine park. We were looking forward to using our bikes to discover more of the area. Unfortunately our ambitious plans were rudely interrupted by some enterprising bicycle thieves who nicked our bikes in the middle of the night. They kindly left our bike cover, which means we don’t have to replace it for a third time! After discovering our loss, I had to make a trip to Barbate police station to report it and during this tedious exercise found out that the campsite had been targeted the previous month and that eight other bikes had been nicked in one night not long before we arrived! Pity no one had mentioned this fact when we turned up or we would have locked them to our van instead of to a tree!
We did not let our loss detract from our stay in the lush Costa de Luz, there were plenty of walks to the beach, lighthouse and along the surrounding hills. We were blessed with sunshine for most of the month and this meant David could work outside, although he had to defend his laptop from the sunshine and his legs from mosquitoes!
We squeezed in a visit to Cadiz, Europe’s oldest city, with narrow streets, exotic plants and hardly any parking spaces. We replaced our bikes with some cheap mountain bikes from Decathalon, and David purchased a mound of new clothes to replace his crusty look with a smart sporty style.
The campsite was a very sociable place, which was a major draw for us to stay for a month. We participated in 2 quiz nights (one sober; one with a very random combination of drinks) and played bingo for the very first time (besht played when tipshy!)
We met Padget, a bearded collie, and his owners, Bill and Jane, who are on a traveling adventure like us. It was fantastic to have some mates about again. We went for long lunches, played some hectic tennis and table tennis, went for long walks and drank quite a few beers together. If you want to check out their blog go to: http://www.getjealous.com/Billandjayne
We also met another couple, Paul and Tracey, and all 6 of us played an interesting match of TT which involved running around the table and trying to hit one ball each before stepping out of play. It made me feel rather dizzy and David was complaining of stiff obliques the next day. This was soon followed by a boozy curry night before we hit the road once again! Months of social deprivation were made up in just a few weeks. Keep in touch guys!
Thisa isa Pisa
Oct 11th
We had decided to put Italy behind us as quickly as possible and, with this in mind, set our minds to driving through the night back into France. On route however I spotted signs for Pisa and, having read stories and looked at pictures of the leaning tower as a child, couldn’t resist a diversion into the famous town to take in the sights.
Having spent all day on the lurking in the back of the van Odie was dying for a walk so we decided to take him around the block. It turned out that our motorhome stop was practically in view of the leaning tower. A glimpse of the rooftop stirred in me such desire to see the famous monument that I rushed back to the van, fetched my camera and tripod, and dragged Chris and Odie at a fast pace into the walls of the old town.
Although I’d seen drawings and photographs of the tower in books, the actual building took me quite by surprise. It is incredible – beautiful and delicate in a way that no picture can possibly capture. I could have spent hours photographing it from different angles but, with a cold wind biting like an annoying insect, and a shivering and complaining wife, I had to make do with just a few quick snaps.
The next morning we decided to visit the same sights in the light of day. What had been a tranquil and moving view by night was quite a different experience in the sun. Hoards of tourists arrived by the busload, and within a couple of hours we were elbowing and cursing our way through noisy crowds. As always though, the masses were only interested in the main attractions. A short walk took us way from the throngs of happy-snappers into the heart of the town where many beautiful sights could be seen without hundreds of people posing in front of them.
Pisa’s tower is famous for leaning, but many other attractions of less repute follow suite. Walking along the river you can see buildings from houses to banks tipping over, as their foundations slowly sink into soft soil below them. You could really call it the leaning town of Pisa.
We’ve come to accept the incredibly commercial aspect of any tourist site in Italy (little wonder as it’s the fifth most visited country in the world) and were unsurprised to find stalls selling various spirits in leaning bottles and leaning tower shaped pasta. As you can see from the photo though leaning towers don’t always have to be buildings … 
Pompeii
Oct 3rd
Pompeii! A city frozen in time. We were staying just across the road at Camping Pompeii. Although the site is convenient it is not very quiet due to all the tourist hubbub. If you are not keen on staying in the city, the campsite does provide parking for the day too. Entry to the archeological site is €11. Audio guides are available from the main entrance but these are not necessary if you get a map and brief guide in English. We spent two and a half hours there but felt a bit rushed as we left it late in the day (hoping the crowds had thinned) to visit. I’d recommend at least 3 or 4 hours for a decent visit. Make sure you take water and sunscreen if it is hot. There are some lovely shady spots great for picnics if you have time. Dogs are permitted at no charge.
We have by now seen quite a few Roman sights, and at first I wasn’t that impressed by Pompeii but after half an hour I realised just how huge and interesting it is. The scale is unmatched by any other excavation. It is a good walk to see all the sights and you will need sturdy walking shoes as many of the roads are uneven. There are deep grooves in the roads from the wheels of the carts which used to trundle across this city. The amphitheatre is huge – it used to hold an impressive 20,000 people and was used for gladiatorial matches. They used one gate for releasing them into the arena and the other to take the injured out. There are signs on the floor of metal rungs, perhaps to loop lions or other beasts onto.
A haunting sight was the mummified remains of the victims trapped by the pyroclastic wave of ash. Most of the forms are huddled up in a foetus position. Some of their faces show expressions of fear and pain. The garden of fugitives has a few all huddled together and includes children and babies. What they experienced must have been absolutely horrifying.
You can learn a lot about how the people lived in those times as so much of the town was well preserved by the volcanic ash. There are eating houses, with their ceramic food receptacles built into the marble table tops. The Romans used to eat lunch away from home and these ‘restaurants’ had a couple of different rooms to eat from. One had chaise longues and they used to eat their lunch lying down in the style of the Greeks. There is also a house which was built for use as a brothel, unusual in those days. The baths with their marble basins and piped water are dark but opulent. The forum is huge, a massive space which accommodated thousands of people. There are also numerous temples dedicated to the various Roman gods which are frequented by the numerous stray dogs that live in the ruins.
