Kevnjan's new adventure.

Sun. 19th. May. Well, that's the end of another adventure. Here we are back in England, over a week earlier than we had planned. We arrived on Monday night and spent the night at our old haunt in Netley. Things conspired to get us home earlier, Jan had a sudden hospital appointment turn up, Abbey's confirmation was on Wednesday and, sadly, an aunt died and I want to attend the funeral. As it turns out, the weather was hardly made for beach hopping up the French coast and although it's no better here, we don't expect much more. We spent our last weekend in France at Honfleur, a pretty town on the Seine estuary and spent a pleasant Sunday wandering around and enjoying the sights, the sun shone and it was warm enough to sit out and enjoy a coffee. Monday we allowed the French to rip us off just one more time for €11 to cross two bridges across the estuary to Le Havre. Always makes it easier to leave!! So there we are, it seems like we only just started and it's over already. I must say, Spain and Portugal gave us a much warmer winter than Italy, I think that probably Italy wins on the culture and architecture front. We've been very lucky, met some wonderful people, eaten some great food and drunk some delicious (cheap) wines and whisky. Can't tell you how many miles we've done, who cares? Pictures of Honfleur quayside, Sunday afternoon. Think we'll do it again later in the year, already have plans in place to go to Morocco in January with some new friends found in Portugal. So now it's time to catch up with friends and family back home. Closing down for the summer but watch this space, could be back in September. Love to all, Kevin.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Mon. 13th. May. Well!! So much for beach hopping our way up the west coast of France. The weather is hideous, cloudy, cold and wet. A sure sign that we are on the way back to England. I ask you - what is the point of spending all winter getting a tan if the last 3 weeks travelling home sees it disappear? We made a long awaited return to La Rochelle in the week, a lovely town, full of French campers and their vans enjoying a two day national holiday. The place was buzzing, we just manl aged to find 6 oysters and a beer for me as that was the main purpose of our visit. It is almost 20 years to the day that we made a brief acquaintance with La Rochelle and we'd promised ourselves a closer look one day. It's such a shame that the weather has let us down. France is a beautiful country but I've yet to see it on a good day. I hope this isn't a sign of what's to come in England for the summer. We'll see.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Thurs. 9th. May. After our thoroughly enjoyable stay in the country, we left our site on Sunday morning and continued our scenic drive through the Asturian countryside. We drove along the northern coast of Spain and finally settled on a wild camping spot by a river, next to a beach just west of Llanes. We spent a peaceful night there but next morning got an early call from the Guardia Civil.Good as their name, they were very polite and had the good manners not to disturb us until after 8am. The weather had started to deteriorate on Monday and by the afternoon it was cool and cloudy and we drove up to the small town of Zumaia, recommended by my new Swiss friend. It’s a charming place, with a pretty harbour and a river wharf. The beach is supposed to be excellent but we didn’t walk to it as it was too far in the rain. We parked on an aire, overlooking the river, surrounded by industrial units, one of which seemed to be fabricating objects out of steel. At midnight some clown was banging steel with a hammer or similar object, waking us up and generally making life uncomfortable. I was too lazy to move the van and the noise eventually stopped around 1am. If anyone reading this is tempted to stay at this aire, I would draw attention to the above. Needless to say, we moved on next morning, Tuesday, being Jan’s birthday. It had been my plan for some time to celebrate in San Sebastian, a place I’ve wanted to visit for many years. We arrived on an aire there around 10.30 am and after a phone call to Anthony, we set off for a day on the town. The beach and seafront are a joy to behold. Without a doubt, we had saved the best of Spanish seaside towns until last, a perfect place to enjoy a birthday!! Shame about the weather though, although it was warm, humid even, there was a drizzle in the air which was persistant an annoying. Eventually it eased and we settled on a cafe terrace, overlooking the beach and drank our first coffee of the day. The architecture along the seafront is very art deco and we spent some time picking out our houses of choice in the unlikely event of an enormous lottery win. We walked on to the old town, wandered around just enjoying the ambience and look of the place, and before we knew it it was time for a drink and a snack. We selected a pintxo (Basque for tapas) bar and ordered two outrageously concocted mini feasts which were delicious and a work of art, pictures below. Mine was enhanced with a glass of vino blanco, Jan was happy with another coffee. What a treat. The bar was full of character – and characters! After a little shopping and more gawping at the picturesque streets we couldn’t believe it – lunch time. We went to a basement restaurant, recommended in The Lonely Planet guide and enjoyed a three course gourmet meal, whiled away almost 2 hours and remarked that it was the first recommended place we had found which hadn’t closed down before we got there!! Quite the contrary, it had obtained a Michelin star since the entry, another first for us!! Very special. Lunch over we walked out onto the street and found the sun had come out. We headed for the beach and walked along paddling in the sea. The day kept getting better. I was very pleased, managed to keep Jan amused on her birthday without the help of grandchildren. After meandering around some more and spotting a nude sunbather (male) on the beach, which was an extra present for Jan, (she was very impressed – not a white bit in sight.) we eventually got back to the van around 7.30pm. A full day, we found it was warm enough to get the chairs out and watch the world go by. A good day!! Wednesday morning was dull and wet and we decided to make a run for France. We’ve planned to spend some time beach hopping up the west coast, on our way to Le Havre. The weather is not good at the moment, grey and showery. Hardly beach weather. It had better get better!! The pictures are of Jan's gastronomic birthday and fabulous San Sebastian.

Kevnjan's (not so) new adventure.

Sat.4th. May. Left Portugal and headed for the town of Santiago de Compostela, the destination for thousands of pilgrims. The cathedral, reputed resting place of St. James, the apostle, is impressive, Janet says the best she has seen. As an interested observer, I'd put it in my top ten. On Thursday afternoon we spent nearly two hours driving around the town looking for a suitable parking space and in the end opted to camp outside of town, by a campsite which was closed. Next morning we found a parking spot, took the bus to the cathedral, looked around and headed for the hills after lunch. This pilgrim, for one, was glad to get away. The old town was nice enough but I'm glad I didn't walk there!! We programmed satnav lady to take us to an ACSI site at San Tirso de Abres, an idyllic spot in Asturias, in the mountains, by a river, a farm with interesting breeds of sheep, chickens and French campers!! The journey on N640 is amongst the most enjoyable drives we have taken, through mountains and valleys similar to the Italian Tyrol. Fabulous!! I recommend it. Today we spent the morning washing our washing and the van. It looks clean once more but I know it's only temporary as we have lots of miles to do in the next few days and there are lots of flies out there. It's never ending. I hate flies!! Leaving here tomorrow, shame, we like it here, had good internet connection, skyped the Smigiels for the first time in ages. Back on our Orange phone plan so more or less unlimited phone calls. Still no TV though. Aston Villa won at Norwich. Life could be much worse. Pictures of the cathedral at Santiago and the enormous incense burner used to disguise the smell of the pilgrims. Not now though.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Wed. 1st. May. Goodbye April, hello May. Unbelievable, going back to England this month!! We made it to Opporto on Sunday afternoon and booked on a pretty crappy site for two nights only at Gaia. Early Monday morning we took the bus into the city. What a white knuckle ride that was - through narrow streets, littered with parked cars, seemingly abandoned by thoughtless drivers. Who'd be a bus driver in Portugal? Not me that's for sure. The city itself was pretty much as I'd imagined it. A little faded, jaded and down at heel but overflowing with charm and character, the riverside is a real treat. We took a train ride up the Douro Valley, a trip I've been promising myself for years. The scenery was pretty and it was worth the fare but somehow I felt disappointed. Perhaps it was just that as we stepped off the train Regua the clouds, whic had been threatening all morning released their rain and we had to head for the shelter of a restaurant where we had an excellent 3 course meal with drinks, coffee and port for €7.50 each. Wonderful quality, terrific value. Kept us busy until the train left to go back to Opporto. Te railway station at Opporto is a work of art with acres of walls covered in tiles depicting various scenes from Portugals history. Sadly, much of the city is being re-piped, the roads and pavements have been dug up and much of the town is a big trench. I don't think we saw it at its best. We decided one day was enough and moved on on Tuesday. I'm sorry to say that the good weather has deserted us - temporarily I hope. It is cloudy, cold and windy. Today we are staying in a small town on the banks of the Rio Minhas, a few kliometres short of the Spanish border and tomorrow we will leave Portugal. It's been a great 2 months. Portugal is wonderful but I'm looking forward to getting back to Spain where I can understand what they're saying. Thanks Portugal, we'll be back. Probably leave the crepes alone next time though.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Sat. 27th. Apr. Is it really Saturday again already? We've had a great week. On Monday we went back to Lisbon to play. We'd bought a crafty €6 24 hour ticket on Sunday evening, used it to get home on the bus and still had all day Monday to roam around Lisbon on buses, trams, funicular and Metro. Great value. We put it to good use travelling all around town, mainly by trams which are museum pieces and a great way to get around. Visited the castle, high up on top of the town and just cruised around. It really is that sort of town. I recommend a visit. On Tuesday morning we took it easy, washed the van and aggravated ourselves trying to make phone calls - with little success. Left around 1pm. after a little trouble startind the van. It eventually coughed into life and we set off for the coast, in search of a beach where we could spend the night. Drove through Cascais, Estoril and onwards, eventually settling on a place called Praia Grande, a delightful spot, a little way south of Praia de Maca very quiet, no other campers around and spent three hours on the beach, enjoying the late afternoon sunshine. We came off the beach around 7pm. and it was still warm. Enjoyed a quiet night and we were tempted to stay another day. We walked into Praia da Maca, about 2Ks away, had coffee and suffered more phone aggro with a phone card. Walked back and settled down to some serious sun bathing. Once again we stayed late on the beach, weather warm and sunny, and had a late dinner. Decided on an early night and turned in around 10pm. Awoke at around 12.30am to an awful din. There were cars everywhere and teenagers playing loud music and shouting to each other. It went on until around 2am. There was a full moon and the sky was clear, a million stars on view but I would rather have slept. Turned out that next day was a public holiday, April 25th. We discovered that when we went to the Post Office to post a package!! Closed!! We drove up to Praia Santa Cruz and put in some more beach time although the wind was blowing hard. Spent a much needed quiet night but woke up on Friday to clouds and cool weather. More driving was called for and we found ourselves at Sao Martim do Porto, a lovely resort with a natural bay surrounded by white sands. Trouble was it was cold and cloudy. Last night there was a gale blowing that rocked the van on its springs. Another night with little sleep. So we left and drove to Coimbra, an attractive university town, it used to be the capital of Portugal in 13th century. Spent the afternoon sight seeing and here we are. The sun's returned and the wind is easing off. Just had dinner and we're off for a walk back into town. Lots of miles this week, lots more ahead! May make it to Opporto tomorrow.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Sun. 21st. Apr. First of all I'd like to apologise for the mistakes in Thursdays blog. It was done on the phone, with predictive script and anything can happen. Anyway, we arrived at a campsite in Lisbon on Friday afternoon, changed the beds, did the washing and were ready to go bright and early on Saturday. The site is a half hour bus ride away from the centre of town and not ideally located but the pitches are large, it's in a pleasant wooded area and the facilities are good. There are three families of what seem to be Irish tinkers camping near us with broods of unruly children, brand new caravans ahd top of the range Mercedes and Land Rover Discoveries. How do they manage that, I wonder. Anyway, we are out all day and they haven't bothered us so live and let live. We were in Lisbon city centre at 10am Saturday and located the tourist office and the bus stop for the open top tour bus. Armed with a map and our headphones off we went. The weather was perfect, sunny with a cool breeze and the city was our oyster. After a circuit of the place to get our bearings we alighted at the Belem Torre, a 16th. century fortress built at the edge of the River Tejo to repel all comers. It looks a bit like a cake, made of fancy icing. We paid our entry money and went to explore. The steps to the top were steep and narrow, Jan made it to the top but has been complaining of stiffness in her legs ever since. The views from the top were worth the climb. Next we looked at the monument to Henry the Navigator, very impressive, see picture. Returned to City Centre and Jan enjoyed some retail therapy while I enjoyed a beer. This is beer weather! Returned to van around 7pm. with sore feet and tired but happy. Sunday has been just as good, we rode the bus again and returned to Belem where we found a flea market which Jan enjoyed. Booked a 2 hour cruise up the river for the afternoon and got a totally different view of Lisbon. It's a bit of a sprawl, built over 7 hills, although the centre is fairly user friendly with trams, buses and funiculars to help with the climbing. It's a colourful city although not as striking, architecturally as I'd expected. Much of the city was destroyed in an earthquake in 1755 and rebuilt. There is a style of architecture here called, Manueline which is the work of King Manuel 1st in the early 16th century. It's very fussy and over the top and the Belem Torre is a good example of it. Not my favourite style. But you can't help liking Lisbon, it's just so laid back and easy going, just like the rest of Portugal. Tonight we had dinner on the pavement outside a nice restaurant in the centre and watched the world go by. The sun was warm and the atmosphere was relaxed. Summer's arrived for the Woodwards. More Lisbon tomorrow, can't wait.

Kevnjans new adventure.

Thurs.18th.Apr. Spent Wednesday on the beach. Once again it was a long hike from the campsite to the beach. Too far to drag the sun beds, nevertheless it was worth the inconvenience. The beach was spectacularly beautiful and deserted, I suppose because of its remote location. We were there for 6 hours and saw no more than 6 or 8 people in all that time. The weather is wonderful now, around mid 70s in old money but with a constant cooling breeze. Unfortunately the sea is a little too cold for swimming. We spent a second night on the site and headed north again in search of another spot by the beach where we could wild camp. Took a look at Porto Covo where there is an aire but it was too far from the beach and dominated by French. Took a quick look around the town, it's gorgeous, but moved on in search of something better. Found it on the coast road about midway between Porto Covo and Lines. It's right on the beach with wonderful views and all but deserted except for a young AAustrian couple here for the surfing. Watched a lovely sunset last night after eating dinner outside for the first time this year. Spent a quiet night and this morning we plan to move on a few miles. Closing in on is.bon for the weekend

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Monday, 15th. Apr. Happy birthday Julie. Well, we finally broke the chains that were binding us to Alvor, after 3 weeks. We left on Thursday and headed for a spot called Boca do Rio for a little wild camping. It's locate between Lagos and Sagres, not shown on the map as there is nothing there except a glorious beach and parking for any number of lucky campers. We did a little shopping and arrived around mid afternoon, picked our spot, right by the beach and watched the waves roll in. The sun came out and the clouds rolled away. On Friday morning we climbed the hill and walked across the clifftops to Salema, a small but perfectly formed Algarve fishing village, straight off a postcard. The walk was spectacular, the clifftops carpeted with wild flowers of all colours and the views were fabulous. It was glorious. I woke up on Saturday morning and discovered my internet connection had vanished on the phone. We spent the weekend incommunicado but were none the worse for it, no disasters befell us and we survived the weekend. Saw some snakes on the beach yesterday but they were harmless, just sunbathing like us!! The disadvantages of wild camping are really self evident, but for those of you who haven't tried it it's all about water and waste. After a few days you have too little of the former and a surfeit of the latter. Anyway, after three days of lazing on the beach we left on Monday morning in search of a Vodaphone shop to restore our service. We looked around Sagres, a lovely town, but no Vodaphone shop. We were advised by the man in the Post Office that we may need to get to Sines to find one. That's a good way up the coast, but it is time to move along a little. We took a quick diversion to see Cape St. Vincent, the most South Westerly point in Europe, very wild, with the Atlantic rushing in an hammering against the cliffs sending spray many feet into the air. We set off for Sines after lunch and enjoyed a relaxing drive through the pretty scenery of the Alentajo region. Wild flowers, everywhere you look, Portugal really is a pretty country and the population is so laid back and friendly. We'll be back for more. Suddenly Jan spotted a Vodaphone shop, really in the middle of nowhere and a young Portuguese lady solved our problems for us. So here we are, blogging at last with the phone signal tethered to the laptop. We are on an ACSI site at Vila Nova de Vilfontes, south of Sines, about to eat a dinner of prawns and salad, the sun is shining, we have a view of the sea and James Taylor is singing to us. I suppose life can get better than this but for now it will do. Now - if I can upload a couple of pictures, that would be great.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Mon. 8th. Apr. Nothing much happening lately. We have been just relaxing and letting time slip by. We have become friendly with our neighbours on the site here at Alvor, Bob's and Sally and Bobby and Shirley. I think we have more or less committed to joining them in a trip to Morocco next January. We have been thinking about it anyway and there is safety in numbers. Could be the answer. We booked our return ferry crossing today and will be back in England on 21st. May. I can't believe that's only 6 weeks away. We're going to have to move on from here in the next few days, just waiting for a letter to arrive from England. At last the weather is picking up. We haven't had any rain for a few days and it's definitely warming up. Anyway we're likely to have a little more to report when we move on from here. Watch this space. Heard from Geert and Maria a few days ago, they're visiting Scotland this summer, sounds like just the push we need to take our long awaited trip to Scotland ourselves. Hope it's a better summer than last.

Kevnjan's new advenure.

Fri. 29th. Mar. As you know, I don't like to complain but let me tell you, this weather is crap!! It's 9.30am on Good Friday and it's pouring with rain again, we've had a thunderstorm and now it's just raining. We are getting the weather England should be getting, its all thanks to the jetstream moving again. I can take a joke - but come on - this is Portugal, the sun's supposed to be shining. Anyway, what have we done this week? On Monday we took the bus to Portimao and Jan had a couple of hours shopping. It's quite a big town, the second largest on the Algarve and the main shopping centre is a good way from the seafront. Jan had a good look around and I sat out and had my last beer for a while. We planned to have lunch in Portimao but didn't see anywhere that attracted us so we took the bus back to Alvor and went to a fishermans bar on the seafront and enjoyed sardines, salad and potatoes. It was good, we washed it down with a bottle of water. We've decided to be good, no booze for me, no ice cream for Jan, in preparation for our return to England, apparently we have to look slim and fit. (I thought I looked that already,) but I'll go along with it for a while. Tuesday passed almost unnoticed until we watched the England game in the evening. Why do we do this to ourselves? My sympathy lies with the fans who travel to watch. Do they need their heads examining? And I had to watch without the benefit of booze. It was tough!! Wednesday was dry and cloudy, with the occasional glimpse of the sun. I sat and read most of the day while Jan went with a couple of ladies and had her hair done. Very nice it looks too. Thursday we went to Lagos on the bus. We like Lagos, a pretty riverside town with beautiful sandy beaches either side of the river. The town itself is old, with winding narrow streets and lots of bars and shops. Laid back, colorful and full of charm. The weather was reasonably kind, sunny periods, when it was really quite warm. When the sun disappeared though it was very cool. The buses here are expensive, I suppose they would be when we travel free in England. It's when the weather is bad that you miss the car. Never mind, mustn't grumble. Happy Easter. Isn't it strange how blue skies make all the pictures so much more colorful.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Sun.24th. Mar. Can it really be the last week of March already? I'll just get the weather report out of the way. Its cool, showery and still not the best and the forecast is for more of the same for the next week or so. Disappointing but hey - we've been watching the news and it's clear that we are best off here. Don't like the weather you're getting in England. Anyway, that's it weather wise. While we were in Albufeira we complained to anyone who'd listen about having no TV and several people told us they had been helped by a guy called Ken who lives out in the country west of Lagos. I phoned him and we drove about 50Ks to let him sort out our problems. After 2 hours he admitted defeat and we still have a useless satellite dish. We drove back down the coast to Alvor, and found a pleasant campsite which is where we are now located. It's a strange thing about Portugal, at least, in the Algarve, there don't seem to be any sites located on the beach. We are probably a mile from the beach and that's too far to drag the sunbeds. Not that it's been a problem as sunbathing isn't an option. We've been very fortunate here, when we arrived we were befriended by two English couples who have been here for some time, we were pointed to the pitch which gets most sun during the day, (not much right now) and offered a connection to a large satellite dish owned by one of them. So we have TV!! Hooray, it is good to have a diversion for an hour or two in the evening. No match of the day this weekend but saw the England game on Friday and will be watching on Tues. I think we will stay here at least until after Easter, it's a good idea to be settled somewhere over the holiday. It's a quirky sort of a site. There is a Vietnamese pot bellied pig wandering around, with the run of the site, her name is Olivia and she has befriended Janet who thinks she is wonderful. I think it belongs to the man who runs the site, Jao. We're told that a few weeks ago Jao had a birthday party in the site bar for his wife and had the world's worst DJ. Last week he threw a party for his two donkeys and had a 5 piece band which was brilliant. Tells you a lot about the Portuguese male. So there we are, another largely uneventful few days in the life of Kevnjan. We bought a phone card for €5 this week which gave us 220 minutes. Jan just finished it up this afternoon talking to Paul and Barb in America. That's a lot of phoning in 5 days. Anyway, she go cut off so she says goodbye, talk to you next week. For those of you who haven't got Facebook, here's a picture of Jan with her new friend, Olivia.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Tues. 19th. Mar. All the days are pretty much the same at the moment. Cloudy, the occasional shower and the odd sunny spell. Not really what we'd hoped for, the only consolation is that at home it's cold and miserable. We moved up to Quarteira on Friday morning, another overcast day and looked for somewhere to wild camp near the beach. Found a spot just east of town and stayed for lunch, didn't fancy spending the night there although there was another Autostratus, a couple of years older than ours parked nearby but unattended. We don't see many of those and although we hung around for a while no-one came back to it and we left. The last one we saw was at Calais last May and I vaguely wondered if it was the same one. We settled on an aire, about 2 ks. east of town, hard standings, toilets and electricity, €2 + €2 for electricity. We spent 2 nights there and moved on to Albufeira on Sunday. Quarteira was OK, nice beach front walk, market, shops and cafes but no wow factor, unless you count the long walk into town and back! We've been looking forward to revisiting Albufeira, the last time we were here was in 1983. My has it changed!! We are camped on an aire, about 1.5ks from the old town and it's costing €7 per night with all conveniences and internet, which is good enough to Skype, we had almost an hour with the Smigiels on Sunday, uninterrupted, which is unusual, nowmally a bad connection or Frenchman spoils it. The rain on the way here was torrential and it stopped during the afternoon. We walked around Albufeira and recognized nothing, except for the beach and the big rock thereon. I think the town must have quadrupled in size since we first visited, the charming, 'Fishermans Beach' has been replaced by a concrete slabs and sculpted figures of fishermen. Not a boat in sight. a Shame! Still, that's progress I suppose. Monday dawned bright and sunny, time for the beach. We set off to walk to the beach and after blundering down several dead ends found ourselves on a beach about 1 k east of the old town. We staked out a spot and laid out soaking up some rays. It's amazing how beautiful the day was, not a cloud in a deep blue sky all day, a slight breeze kept it just on the cool side but it was the best day for a while. We treated ourselves to lunch at a Tex/Mex place on the seafront and had a stroll around the old town looking for familiar landmarks. Then it was back to the beach for a snooze. That's more like it!! By the time we got back to the van, around 6.30 we'd walked miles and were shattered. Went for a shower, only cold water - I suppose that's what you get for €7. It rained all night and this morning we had a thunderstorm. The rain has now stopped, it looks like the sun is coming out and the Janet is emerging from her bed. It's 11am If anyone wants to Skype us the next day or so would be a good time. Brian Dinnage where are you??

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Thurs. 14th. Mar. We've had a quiet week, except in the bar where the French seem to find it impossible to speak to each other without shouting. It's like a competition. On Monday we went to Olhao and got the phone sorted out, spent the rest of the day washing. It was bright and very windy which was a good thing as we got the washing dry. Overnight the rain came in and it poured until early afternoon. Too much rain lately. Still we were pleased that the washing was done on Monday. We had a walk around the town in the afternoon but it's not a place to get excited about. The river and the lagoon are pretty but the main beach is a sandbank which is only reachable by boat. Not that it matters much at the moment. There is a thriving swap shop for books and DVDs in the bar and we have had a new DVD each night since we've been here, a good thing as we have no TV. Yesterday we went to Faro on the train. It was a pleasant surprise. We expected high rise buildings and concrete jungle. What we found was a fascinating old town with a small but beautifully formed cathedral with wonderful views from the tower. Lunch was taken, in the warm sunshine, by the marina and afterwards we attended a half hour demonstration and introduction to the unique Portuguese music form, Fado, played by a talented musician on a Portuguese guitar. Fascinating. A walk around the shops and gelato concluded the visit and we caught the train back around 5.30. Well worth a visit. Faro had the feeling of a small town and is so laid back, great day out. Last night was a bit of a nightmare, there is a bar at the back of the campsite, by the river and a live rock band was playing there last night, very loud, until 2am. Apparently they play there Fridays as well so we'll be on the move tomorrow, don't know where yet. Bye for now.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Sun. 10th. Mar. Mina de Sao Domingo was a fascinating place. A town which was built around a 19th. century copper mine, owned by the English, who apparently dealt with the workers in a most unpleasant way. The mine is now deserted and the workings are abandoned, there are shells of formerly grand buildings, still standing and the terraced workings glowering over the landscape. An eerie sort of a place, we visited around sunset and it was silent except for the occasional bird. It made a big impression. We spent the night there and on Saturday headed for Pomerao, a small village on the banks of the river, a beautiful spot, peaceful and barely a soul around. The scenery in this part of Portugal is striking, the wild flowers everywhere, sorry we missed the almond blossoms, it must be spectacular. The weather has been indifferent, showers, heavy at times, interspersed with warm sunny spells. Today we drove back into Spain and down a fabulous straight road, back to the border and reentered Portugal. We have driven up the coast of the Algarve to Olhao and taken up residence on a campsite for a few days. We got a decent wifi signal and Skyped Paul and Barb. This was much to the annoyance of a bombastic Frenchman, one of a four playing bridge. He took exception to the conversation we were having and it was necessary to remind him of his manners, (a strange concept to the French). He addressed me for 30 seconds in French, a complete waste of breath as you can imagine, as I understood not one word. His companions were graceful enough to be embarrassed for him. What a dick!! Janet has gone off to cook dinner and I am taking advantage of plentiful wifi to upload some videos on Facebook. My French neighbours are now leaving, no apology received so far Cest la vie. Let's try to put some flowers on.

Kevnjan's new adventure .

Fri.8th. Mar. Well, it's been an interesting week so far. On Monday the van was repaired and we spent the day and night under cover waiting for the filler to harden. It rained all day, torrential rain, and it was miserable but we had electricity and were warm and dry. We made a decision to head for Portugal on Tuesday. It had been our intention to travel along the coast from Matalascanas to Huelva but the weather was crap again and we stayed on the motorway all the way. We waved goodbye to a soggy Spain and crossed the River Guardiana into Portugal. We found a free aire at Castro Marim, just over the border and parked about 2pm although it was really only 1pm because Portugal is on the same time as England. How sensible!! We had a walk into the town and tried out the beer. It's OK but you wouldn't want to live on it. I'm just beginning to feel the need for a pint of real ale. Must have been gone a long time!! We took a bus into Vila Real de Sao Antonio and found a Vodaphone shop where we got fixed up with local sim card for calls and internet. Not as simple as it should have been but I won't bore you with the details. Returned to the van and had dinner, went to a local bar and watched United lose to Real Madrid. Next day we moved across to Vila Real and parked up by the river on an aire that cost €6. They threw in 3 hours electricity and 3 hours wifi. The wifi was useless. We took a long walk along the river and checked out the town. Nice, typical Portuguese architecture, lovely square. I like it. We got back to the van and the sun was shining warmly. I made a big mistake, put on shorts and got the chairs out. Within an hour the wind was howling and the temperature had dropped. The rain started around 7 and a gale blew all night and well into the morning. The weather forecast is not good for the Algarve for the next week and we made a decision to head inland for a few days. Firstly we had to get the internet sorted out. Never simple!! Around lunch time we set off for Alcoutim, a small, charming town on the banks of the Guardiana opposite an equally pretty Spanish town, Sanlucar. The river is quite wide here and navigable, numerous quite large yachts are moored up waiting for the storms in the Atlantic to abate. Spent the night listening to a cacophony of barking dogs . What a shame. Nowhere's perfect. Today we have driven further up river and are at an old mining town called Mino de Sao Domingo. It's raining again so we haven't explored yet. Will report in next blog. As you can see, so far this leg of our journey has been a little damp. Next week we're expecting better weather and will head for the beautiful Algarve beaches for some hard earned R & R. Already, despite the inclement weather, we are beginning to like this country. The roads are good, and quiet, the people friendly and polite and the scenery is easy on the eye, mile after mile of rolling, deserted countryside, reminds me a bit of the Brecon Beacons or the Mendips. Everywhere there are carpets of wild flowers, we seem to have arrived too late for the almond blossom but you can't have everything. I posted this blog on the phone earlier but when I read it it made no sense, predictive script got to it again. Will report on Mino de Sao Domingo later, if it ever stops raining. Jan's got a cold.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Mon. 4th. Mar. Our visit to El Rocio ended on a low note. On Saturday we went to Almonte in search of Mercadonna and much needed food supplies and in a narrow street, full of badly parked vehicles, damaqed the van on a door mirror. Went back, had a walk around town and found it very quiet, apart from a couple of impromptu guitar player/singer flamenco performers. Gave the evening session a miss. It rained all night and in the morning Jan reported new leak at the back of the van. We spent Sunday and Monday at a Motor home/ caravan place, under cover, getting the leak fixed. Will stay here overnight and head out tomorrow for Huelva and into Portugal. When we leave Spain it may take a day or two to get fixed up with new sim cards and internet. May be quiet, back soon.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Fri. 1st. Mar. February gone for another year. Good riddance. Can't complain though, it's been the most enjoyable February we've ever had with some wonderful weather. Yesterday we decided that we couldn't face another crush on the bus to get to the centre of Seville and drove to Santiponce on the way to El Rocio. Santiponce is part of Italica, an ancient Roman town, birthplace of the Roman emperor Trajan. We saw his baths in Rome. The ruins were OK and there was an old ampitheatre in reasonable condition. We had a pleasant surprise, the admission was free, I think that is every Thursday, the place was full of guided tours for parties of Spanish and although we were invited to join in our Spanish really isn't up to the job. Sad to say, after spending 8 months in Italy last year, we are a bit blase when it comes to Roman ruins and after about an hour we headed for the tall trees!! We'd been told to visit El Rocio, if we were in the area, by our friends Rob and Sheila, there's an ACSI site there and it's more or less on our way to Portugal. So it was that at around 3pm we found ourselves in one of the most unusual places we've visited. The only metalled road in the town is the one which takes you in and out of it. The rest is sand. The town is on the edge of a lake which forms part of the Donana national park, miles of wetland, the habitat of countless birds, deer, wild horses and Lynx. The thing about El Rocio is that it is the part time home of the shrine of the Virgen of Rocio, every 7 years she is moved to the nearby town of Almonte. This is a place of pilgrimage and once a year the members of the 111 brotherhoods, religious societies from various towns and cities have to make their way by horse or on foot to pay their respects. It seems an excuse for endless parties and wherever you look there are knots of people, many of whom are on horseback, drinking beer and wine and seemingly having a great time. Today is Andalucia day and is an even bigger party than usual. It really is like the wild west, the scenes are reminiscent of old western films in Mexico. It's difficult to describe the scene, there are men and women on horseback, and wagons, being pulled by horses and mules. This afternoon we took a bus tour around the national park. You can't take cars, vans or motorized vehicles in the park. I believe you can cycle or ride a horse around, they really do protect the environment. There is a sand road through the middle of the park which is one of the routes that the pilgrims use to come to the shrine. We saw numerous groups making their way in wagons and on horses, all carrying drinks and looking distinctly merry. In addition we saw much wildlife, and thoroughly enjoyed the four hour jaunt. Sadly we didn't spot any lynx but did see marsh harriers, black kites, buzzards, numerous water foul, deer and all manner of flora and fauna. If you are ever in this part of Spain don't miss it. It is the most Spanish part of Spain I have seen. Unique. Fabulous. One complaint, however, no Mercadonna!! The only supermarket in the town caters only for people who want to party, no fresh meat, veg or anything remotely like normal groceries, just another quirky example of an extraordinary place. Tomorrow we have to find victuals, I'm almost out of whisky too. May have to move on, although I'm curious to see what happens in this town on a Saturday night. Watch out for our next report. Amazing.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Wed. 27th. Feb. Today we returned to the centre of Seville and joined a walking tour which took in the Cathedral, the Archives, a palace and the Marie Luisa gardens in the Plaza Espana which houses the 1929 Espano / American exhibition of 1929. It is a picture of perfectly formed buildings, built in the style of 17th. century Spain, to apologise for the heavy handed way in which the Spaniards treated their dominions in the Americas since the 15th century. Sadly the big stock market crash of 1929 ensured that very few people from the Americas attended. We enjoyed this place very much, Janet, who loves old buildings, was heard to say that it was her favourite place in Seville. The walk was long but the company was good. The guide, a young Columbian man named Santiago was knowledgable and informative. It was the highlight of our visit. After lunch we paid to visit the Cathedral, something which I hate to do, but it is special and a must see. We climbed to the top of the Giralda, an old Moorish, minaret, a very tall tower, which the Christians converted to a bell tower when they took over the city. The views were worth the climb. After the long walk and the equally arduous tour of the Cathedral, and the Giralda, it was time for ice cream and beer. No prizes for guessing who had what. We spent last night parked in a street in Seville and it was very noisy with traffic, although we were not disturbed otherwise. Tonight we are back on the aire we spent Monday night at and looking forward to a peaceful and restful night. Not sure what we're doing tomorrow. Depends on the weather, at the moment it's raining!! Think I'll have another whisky.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Tues. 26th. Feb. Sunday was washing day. The area around the van looked like a laundry. Changed the beds, horrible job in a van. The weather was kind, sunny, but a cool breeze and we managed to get everything dry. We sat out in the sun for a couple of hours in the afternoon but it was not really sun bathing weather. To be honest, we didn't much like the site at Puerto Santa Maria. It was muddy, had only one toilet block open, (there are three), and one of the receptionists quite clearly wanted to be somewhere else. I for one think that would be the best place for her, anywhere else!! We were pleased to leave early on Monday morning, well early for Jan, around 10.30am. We headed back to Jerez to visit the Royal School of Equestianism, world renowned for the brilliance of it's students and teachers - not to mention the horses. Satnav woman guided us to a parking place about half a mile from the school and in we went. Not cheap but Jan gets half price which helps. The buildings and grounds are pristine, and beautifully presented. We went straight to the arena to watch the training in progress and there were about 15 riders and horses going through their paces, I'm not a horse person, but it was brilliant to watch. I was told off for taking pictures, not allowed in the arena but acceptable outside for some reason. Copywrite we were told!! Whatever that means. Anyway I took some sly video which came out quite well. We visited the house, museum and saddlery and took a few more pics before going to the carraige museum and stables. I'd got some sugar cubes but was under constant surveillance by CCTV so the horses had to make do with hay. We left Jerez about 3pm and headed for Seville. We needed gas and had to go into the city to fill up before heading back out to an aire at a Caravan / camper shop about 20 ks. out. Spent a pleasant night there and in the morning headed for the St. Just railway station where we had been told we could park, yeah sure!! Good joke, we enjoyed the traffic and found our way back to where we had got gas the previous day and parked in the street. We took a 25 minute bus ride to the centre of Seville and set about sight seeing. We've been looking forward to the sights of Seville and when we arrived at the cathedral and Alcazar we weren't disappointed. We visited the Alcazar, a palace/fortress started by the Moors and developed and improved by the Spanish over the centuries. It is similar in many respects to the Alhambra in Granada but somehow, although impressive and probably larger, doesn't have the same 'wow factor' Nevertheless, if you're into historic places, you can't fail to enjoy it. Jan loved it. We spent an hour or so wandering the streets afterwards and headed back to the van around 6.30pm. Staying on the street tonight, too far to drive back to the aire. Early start tomorrow, we want to take an organised walk around the city and do the cathedral. Apparently it's very special - well I can see that from the outside!! Watch this space.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Sat. 23rd. Feb. Had lots of rain on Wed. night but it cleared up sufficiently for us to explore the delights of Cadiz on Thursday. We took a bus up to the old town and admired the cathedral from outside, we're getting pretty fed up with being ripped off to go into churches which are operated by one of the wealthiest organisations on earth. Cadiz is one of those towns where just to wander aimlessly around ancient streets and soak up the essence of the place is a real pleasure. The architecture and just the Spanishness of it make it special. We visited the Castillo Santa Caterina, (no charge), a 12th century fortification started by the Moors in the 12th. century and improved by the Spanish, in the next few hundred years. It has been heavily restored, but is still an impressive fortress overlooking the wild Atlantic. There were two art exhibitions on show there which were worth a visit on their own. As we left the heavens opened and we got soaked but got the bus back to the van and dried out. In the evening we returned to the Barrio Vina, an area highly recommended for it's seafood restaurants. We made our selection and ordered fish. A very mediocre meal followed, much to our disappointment. We've had a lot of culinary disappointments this trip!! What's going on, we're not used to such a poor standard in Spain. We arrived back at the van soaked through again by torrential rain. The weather turned worse overnight with heavy rain and high winds. Not much sleep. Still, it could have been worse. Friday morning, drove to Puerto Santa Maria, where we found an ACSI campsite, partially under water. After a good look around we found a relatively dry pitch and settled in, just in time, as more heavy rain caught up with us. In the afternoon the showers became a little less frequent and we managed to walk to Mercadonna to top up our victuals. Today we took the train to Jerez de la Frontera, another town we've looked forward to with eager anticipation. It didn't disappoint. We invested in a tour of the Gonzalez Byass (Sandeman) Bodega for a taste of traditional wine and brandy production. We were amazed by the sight of a tree which is producing both oranges and lemons, you don't see too many of those!! The tour was slick and informative and the tasting excellent, the mouse with a taste for sherry didn't put in an appearance, I think he must have had the day off, maybe had a hangover. As Jan doesn't drink alcohol I had to take care of her share at the tasting. The tapas were a little stingy though delicious. We walked around the walls of the Alcazar, another 12th century Moorish fortification and checked out the cathedral, only €2 for old folk like us. We selected a table in the sun, at a restaurant in the Plaza de la Asuncion, an historic old square and ordered lunch while we decided whether to lash out. Lunch was a pleasant surprise, it was acceptable if not inspired and it set us up for a look around the cathedral. It too was a pleasant surprise but I (unlike Jan) find these places look better from the outside!! It wouldn't make my top 10. The Italians have those covered. By the time we had walked back to the station and then back to the van at the other end we had notched up a fair number of kilometres through the day. I'm now enjoying a well earned Scotch and contemplating taking the van to Jerez on Monday when we leave here for another look. Washing day tomorrow. At least the rain seems to have gone away for the time being.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Tues. 19th. Feb. Forgot to post a picture. Let's see if we can post a couple.