Tuesday 26 February 2008

Normal Service Will Be Resumed As Soon As Possible

Apologies for the break in coverage. We are currently in England looking after my Mother-in-Law after she fell in her kitchen and broke her wrist. As she is 81 years old and my Father-in-Law is 91, they were obviously going to struggle to look after themselves and needed our help.
We hope to fly back to Spain on 5th March to continue the Odyssey. Keep tuned to this channel!

Friday 8th February 2008



We were determined to get an Internet connection with the laptop today and so we decided to go to the Jazz Café in the early evening. This gave us time to do some chores in the morning and set off after an early lunch for some sightseeing in Cordoba.
Having missed the Alcazar in Seville yesterday, we made the Cordoba Alcazar our first visit. The Alcazar is a cross between a fort and a palace, with thick walls, towers and beautiful gardens. Although there was very little in the rooms of the palace, the views from one of the towers was excellent and we then discovered a number of largely intact and very impressive Roman mosaics on display. These came from one of the squares in Cordoba, which like many other major coastal cities, had Roman origins. The gardens were lovely with, like most of the Moorish palaces, many ponds and fountains. Topiary had been used to great effect and clipped hedges produced maze-like areas.
We moved on to the river bank and found one of the many watermills that had been built across the width of the river. This one was originally a Moorish water wheel taking water in buckets from the river and depositing it in a channel that ran into the gardens of the nearby Alcazar. It was later converted to a watermill and had been restored in that form.
On then to the Jazz Café and as we entered, we were relieved to see four people typing away at their laptops – they did have WiFi Internet! The only problem was that, as seems to be mandatory for jazz cafés, the whole place was lit by a single 5 watt bulb. It was so dark that it was very difficult to make out the keyboard! Still it was free and even with the cost of the drinks it worked out at less per hour than we had paid in some Internet Cafés. Four hours and three drinks later, we left for the campsite. Fortunately, the drinks always came with a small bowl of nibbles and this was our tea!
As soon as we stepped out of the café, we noticed that the road was very busy with people heading to a nearby square and we could hear music. We decided to follow them. It turned out to be a free rock concert and the band were ageing rockers, the overweight lead singer being stripped to the waist and jumping around on the stage. It was interesting but not enough to keep us there!
Photos: The gardens of the Alcazar in Cordoba; One of the waterwheels in the Guadalquivir river – originally used to lift water for the Alcazar gardens, it was later adapted for milling.

Thursday 7th February 2008






We left the campsite at 09:00 to walk to the train station for the train to Seville. It was a chilly (for us) 6°C when we left but 14°C by 11:00 when we arrived in Seville. It was an interesting journey, following almost exactly the same route as we had travelled by road on Monday. The only slight delay was when the train lost the power pick-up from the overhead electric line and we stopped for about 10 minutes until they reconnected it.
We intended to catch the 18:40 train back, so we had to accept that we were only going to see a very small sample of Seville's sights but the cathedral was a must and we headed there first. This involved a walk into the centre and included part of the old town with its lovely winding lanes and interesting architecture. On one of the main streets we passed remains of the aqueduct that was built purely to supply the gardens of the Alcazar. We had seen another part of this 16 mile long waterway, called 'The Carmona Canal', going across country when we drove through Carmona on Monday. To get some idea of the scale of this, the waterway later changed use and became the supply for the whole of Seville until its population reached 300,000. Quite some project just to supply the gardens!
The cathedral, the third largest in the World, was a delight and the audio guide made the visit more interesting, although it also took longer. Building was started in 1402 and took over 100 years although it took another 300 years to finish the interior. Inevitably, just like most of the other major buildings that we have visited, they were restoring part of the church. Fortunately, the work was confined to a relatively small area in the very large building and we were able to see the result of some of the excellent restoration work that had been completed. The altarpiece, at 220 square metres the largest in the world, took over 80 years to complete and is the work of at least 26 different craftsmen. The detail is amazing with over 1,000 figures but the vast majority of the congregation would not have been able to see it – it was only with a telephoto lens that I could admire it. The church also contains the rather magnificent tomb of Christopher Columbus, although there is some doubt that his remains actually found their way back from the Caribbean.
It was now the middle of the afternoon and we had a very late lunch, just like the Spanish. It was too late to go to the Alcazar so we headed for the Plaza de Espana. This is much more modern structure built in the 20th century but very impressive and in keeping with the rest of the city. Hand-painted tiles and ceramic ornaments decorate the façade with its long line of arches, bridges connect the fountained plaza with the building over a wide water-filled canal. Very picturesque!
We passed magnificent architecture on the way to and from the plaza and this will be my abiding memory of Seville – wonderful architecture of many different eras. Seville deserves a much longer visit and we will certainly return one day (how many times have I said that?).
Photos: Detail of a painting in Seville Cathedral; The tomb of Christopher Columbus; The High Altar; Detail of the High Altar; Seville’s Plaza de Espana.

Friday 8 February 2008

Wednesday 6th February 2008



Today was a really lazy day. Jane used the washing machine and tumble dryer to and we emptied the waste water and filled up with fresh. I typed up the blog on the laptop and we just sat around enjoying the warm sun. In the afternoon we planned to go to McDonalds (“every Mcdonalds has wireless Internet access”) and do a little more shopping at Carrefour.
By late afternoon we were exhausted by reading and sitting in the sun, so we headed for McDonalds. When we asked about Internet access, we got a blank look and then a decisive “No”. So all McDonalds, apart from this one, have WiFi. On then to the shopping centre and Carrefour where Jane had the time and energy to investigate the other shops, most of which were uninteresting but she did manage to find some new sunglasses and a handbag, spending some of her Christmas present money just before her birthday!
I had spotted that the Jazz Café near the Roman Temple had free WiFi access and toyed with the idea of going tonight but we had some planing to do. We decided to stay until Saturday morning, which would allow us to go to Seville tomorrow and take another look at Cordoba and visit the Jazz Café on Friday.
Dinner was international with home-made turkey, ham and onion pie with Greek fava and sauté potatoes washed down with Portuguese beer and Spanish wine.
Photos: The campsite – Camping El Brillante, Cordoba.

Tuesday 5th February 2008







We had been told that the walk into the centre was only about 20 minutes, so we decided to do that rather than take a bus. If practical, we always try to do this because you get to see the real city, not just the tourist areas. I took the laptop with me on the basis that we were bound to find an Internet café that had WiFi or where I could plug into the network. Not far from the campsite we passed a McDonalds and were tempted to use their WiFi facility and then take the laptop back to Henrietta but they were still closed. This seemed a bit odd as it was gone 10:00 but we suspect that, given that the Spanish eat lunch and dinner very late (22:00 is quite normal for dinner), Mcdonalds probably opens and closes much later than in most other countries. We actually tried three other Internet cafés during the day and, surprisingly, none of them had WiFi or allowed laptops to be attached to their network.
We strolled through the streets of the old town until we came to Cordoba's most important site – the Mezquita (mosque). This was founded under Moorish rule by Abd ar-Rahhman I in 785 AD and extended in the 960s to cope with the expanding population of the city. In 1236, after the Christian reconquest, the building was turned into a church but without major alterations. Unfortunately, in the 16th century the centre of the mosque was ripped out to create a cathedral – King Carlos I of Spain reputedly said to the religious authorities, “You have destroyed something that was unique in the world”. The Christian parts of the Mezquita are beautiful but it is the Islamic part surrounding it that is awe inspiring and it is still considered one of the most beautiful Islamic buildings in the world. It is intriguing to see the mixture of the Islamic and Christian architecture, blending very well – the vaulted arches and domes of the church surrounded by the maze of red and white Islamic arches. The arches are supported by marble columns and capitals, many of them looted from Roman sites by the Moors, some of them even from Carthage. This means that, in the older part of the Mezquita, the columns are in many different colours of marble and the capitals often don't match. In the newer part the columns were made locally and don't quite have the same character. I could have included twenty or more photographs of the Mozquita and still not have done it justice – if you can, come and see it for yourselves.
After viewing the very smart, newly restored and cleaned Roman Bridge, we went to the square that the campsite receptionist had recommended for lunch. Despite the fact that it was 13:30, it appeared that were the only ones who were eating. There were lots of people sitting in the sun with drinks but it was not until we left, at just before 15:00, that the restaurants were busy serving food. The highlight of the meal was the local speciality of cold tomato soup 'Salmorejo' topped with small pieces of cured ham. We also tried some of the local Montilla wine that was very similar to a good dry sherry. We were quite glad to leave the square as, although the air was quite cool, it was getting very warm (for the British, not the Spaniards) sat in the sun.
On then to the Archaeological Museum which was interesting with some excellent Roman mosaics but the lack of any English translations took the edge off the enjoyment.
The rest of the day was spent wandering though the old town and staring into people's houses. I should explain that this is not something that we normally do! Many of the houses in the old town are in Moorish style with central, often open, courtyards or patios surrounded by the house. In Cordoba it is the tradition to decorate these patios and in May, when they are often covered in bloom, they open them to the public. They are obviously proud of their patios and often leave their front doors open so that you can walk up to the wrought iron gate at the entrance to the patio. We saw many beautifully decorated patios and it would be wonderful to come back one May and see them in all of their glory.
We walked back via the train station (for train times to Seville) and Carrefour (for supplies) and got back to the campsite at 18:30 with aching legs and feet!
Photos: The red and white arches of the Mozquita; The doorway to the Mihrab, the holiest part of the mosque; Mozquita; Ceiling of the church dome (almost certainly just restored); Cordoba's newly restored Roman bridge; one of the many beautiful Cordoba patios.

Monday 4th February 2008




We were keen to get away from the site and, very carefully, I drove around the obstacles and out onto the track. We had decided to push on to Cordoba and attempt to visit Seville from there by public transport.
We took a route across country to Carmona and then up to Lora del Rio to pick up a road that followed the Guadalquivir river all the way to Corborba. The scenery was pretty but although the road was close to the river, we only saw it on the one occasion that we crossed it. This route also took us very close to Madina Azahara, just west of Cordoba, a very important Moorish city. It was founded in 936 AD by Abd ar-Rahman III but by 1013 it had been wrecked by Berber soldiers. The city is very large, with only one tenth of the city excavated and only one quarter open to the public. It should keep archaeologists happy for many years to come! Our 10 year old guidebook showed that the site was closed on Mondays but there was a possibility that this may have changed and so we decided to go there anyway and stop for lunch. When we saw that the car park was half full with cars, we thought that it might be open, but it wasn't. We never did work out where the owners of the cars were. A steady stream of cars and a coach full of school children arrived during the time that we were there but the occupants checked the entrance, saw that it was closed and, after a short walk, left again. After lunch, we did the same. The walk gave views across a small part of the site, which looked very impressive. Jane had spotted a field of black bulls on the way to the car park, so we walked down to see them. They were the archetypal Spanish bullfighting bulls - black, stocky, broad-shouldered with large horns and an intimidating stare. Whilst Jane kept her distance (she doesn't like cows and bulls are far worse), I walked up to the (“very insecure”, said Jane) fence. All of the bulls retreated whilst continuing to stare in my direction. Surprising, they seemed very timid, all moving away some distance, but I didn't test this by getting into the field – this was not allowed as can been seen in the photograph.
We then drove by a very scenic route over the hill and down into Cordoba. The sat nav took us exactly to the campsite that was well hidden in a residential area. We were allocated a large pitch by the receptionist, who also gave us very good information about buses, trains to Seville, where to visit in the town and where were could get good food at reasonable prices. All of this was drawn on a map for us and I said that she was so good that she could work in the tourist office. It turned out that she had indeed worked in the Cordoba tourist information office and I suspect that she was very good. She also told us that they were desperate for rain – the normally large river Guadalquivir only had a trickle of water in it. We said that we didn't want it to rain, so we came to a compromise – it could rain at night provided that it was sunny and warm during the day.
Photos: There is really no need for the 'Security Zone' sign when you see what is in the field!; A view of a small part of Medina Azahara.

Sunday 3rd February 2008




When we first arrived at this campsite, we were very dubious about it but, after four nights, it has grown on us. It is surprisingly quiet and comfortable and although Olhao town does not have a lot to recommend it, there are other places of interest to visit. We would happily stay here another time.
Having paid our bill, we journey down the coast to visit the nearby port of Fuzeta. This was described in the Olhao tourist information as an unspoilt port and worthy of a visit. However, we didn't know that Sunday was market day – a large market occupying the side of the road through the town that we were travelling on. We did wonder why the traffic was so heavy! After a somewhat difficult navigation of the town, we found ourselves driving out the other side without stopping. We drove on until it was approaching lunchtime and I randomly chose to take a road off the main road that was signposted to a beach at Cacela Velha. This turned out to be an inspired choice as Cacela Velha was a tiny, unspoilt village with lovely views in both directions along the coast. We parked with a number of other motorhomers that were obviously free camping in a field just below the village. We walked around and then went back to Henrietta for lunch.
Abu Omar ibn Darrag (958 – 1088) was born in Cacela and was its most famous resident. He became the poet of the court of Almancor. Here is one of his poems:
“Say to Spring: Spread out your mantle of clouds and fill the sails with wind over the places where my childhood games took place.
Don't stay away, o Spring, as my tears are flowing after you in long waves.
Mix the perfume of my welcome with the moisture of your cloud and sprinkle it on all those whom I love.”
Rather good, isn't it? You even get education and culture on this blog!
We had to resist the temptation to stay the night there but we wanted to push on Seville. We would certainly return to Cacela Velha and it would be a lovely spot to spend the night, with excellent coastal walks and two good restaurants in the village.
Having crossed over into Spain, the first part of the afternoon journey was along a coastal plain, flat and full of orange groves, blossoming almond trees and acres (or should I say hectares) of poly-tunnels – this is where a great deal of English supermarket fruit and vegetables come from. Now, I know that I said that I wasn't going to mention storks again, but I am going to break my word. We drove for miles passed high-voltage electricity lines where every pylon had a stork's nest on the top. Some had as many as four nests on a single, relatively small, pylon clinging to the arms as well as on the top. There was at least one with three separate nests occupied by storks. I have never seen so many storks' nests or storks.
So far, the day had been great but, just like the England v Wales match, the last quarter went rapidly down hill. We followed directions to the campsite north of Seville but couldn't find any signs to it, nor indeed, of it. I stopped to fill up with cheap Spanish diesel (the only commodity that we have found cheaper in Spain than in Portugal) and asked about the campsite. “Closed” came the reply and the impression was that it was permanently closed. This was the only campsite in Seville and that gave us a problem. In the Camperstop Europe guide, we found one outside Seville in Alcala de Guadaira and decided to head for that. We should be able to get in to Seville from there by train or bus. Unfortunately, the address wasn't precise and the place that the sat nav took us to was the edge of a park with no sign of a campsite. As luck would have it, I saw a park ranger on a motorbike and approached him. He didn't speak English but quickly established that we were looking for the campsite. Unable to explain the directions, he indicated that we should follow him and we were soon at the campsite. However, we were not impressed. From the outside it looked run-down and we were greeted by a very overweight man with a fag dangling from the corner of his mouth. Still we had little choice, so we went in to find a pitch. At least half the site was semi-derelict with many of the permanent 'bungalows' having no roofs. We found a pitch and tried to hook up to the electricity – there was no power and the other side of the box had the panel detached and bare wires showing. We moved on to another pitch and tried every one of the spare sockets and none of them worked. We decided to move to yet another pitch. This was a big mistake and the afternoon got worse. I managed to break the moulding around the awning and scrape the very top edge of the van on a piece of metal sticking out from one of the derelict cottages – not too much damage but very annoying. And still there was no power. In the end we discovered that the 240v supply in Henrietta had tripped, probably due to the first dodgy power panel.
So we settled down for the evening in the worst campsite that we have had so far, with the rain coming down, sounds of frequent gunshots nearby and the howl of a wolf (well that is what it sounded like) very close. And to cap it all, we were paying over €17 per night compared with €10 in Olhao.
Photos: The view east along the coast towards Olhao and Faro from Cacela Velha; The church and village pump in the square at Cacela Velha.

Saturday 2nd February 2008




A big day in the rugby calendar – England v Wales in the Six Nations tournament. As we were leaving the campsite, I chatted to another English guy who assured me that they would be covering the game in the campsite bar – he had installed the Sky system and was well in with the 'management'! He also told me about a very good satellite TV specialist not far from the campsite and in the direction that we were travelling. I needed a new cable for the satellite disk and a new connector for the satellite meter. We found the shop and paid €10.50 (£8 ish) for a 19m cable with connectors and a new connector fitted to the meter cable. This would have cost £20 in the UK!
We then visited the Nature Park that was just the other side of the railway line from the campsite and it was a most enjoyable visit. We paid out €1.50 each and read the English guide that told us that it would take two to three hours to complete the visit, which we thought was unlikely. We saw the fish breeding area with its many fish ponds and then walked though the (flattened) sand dunes admiring the typical flora of that environment. We then saw a huge variety of birds including storks (just for a change), redshanks, white and grey herons, little egrets, ducks, coots, and many wading birds but not the flamingoes that were noted in the guide and mentioned by the warden – it was obviously their day off! We nosed around the tidal mill – still in working order but not actually working when we were there. And then there were the Portuguese Diving Dogs. These dogs used to accompany the Portuguese fishermen and could smell fish that were lurking below the surface. They would guide the fisherman to them and dive after the fish up to a depth of approximately 3m. The lady called the dogs to her (they were out exploring when we arrived and arrived back smelling ......interesting!!!) and then showed how their feet were webbed – each toe joined to the next by skin. Unlike most other dogs, they swam using all four legs and were very good swimmers and divers.
Back then to the campsite in time for a very late lunch and then over to the bar to watch the match. Needless to say there were lots of other English supporters, mainly long-term campers. I still haven't quite worked out how we managed to lose a match that we totally dominated for 60 of the 80 minutes. At half time we should have been even further ahead than we were and, if we had been, we may well have won. Wales quite rightly celebrated their historic victory, their first at Twickenham since 1988, but it was England who gifted them the win. It was a young, talented but inexperienced England side and we hope for better results in the future.
A depressing end to the day, but I must keep remembering that I could be working for a living!
Photos: The interior of the Olhao tidal mill showing all of the grindstones, each one of which has a direct drive to a wheel under it that is turned by the water as it is released from the tidal pool; One of the Portuguese Diving Dogs – they are often seen with there back half shaved in order to enable them to swim faster in competitions.

Friday 1st February 2008





Today we decided to go to Faro by train – a twenty minute walk into the centre of Olhao and then the 09:40 to Faro, a trip of 10 minutes duration and at a cost of €1.04 per person each way – First Great Western, please note the fare structure!
The journey was very pleasant as it took us all along the coast, past salt marshes and salt pans, depositing us on the coast right by Faro old town. We stumbled across a children's parade, part of the Faro Carnival – there are many of these at this time of year around the Shrove Tuesday bank holiday. Regrettably, there were no pancakes on sale but the children were very cute in their fancy dress – the theme seemed to be recycling but we thought that the Red Indians were the best! We stopped at the tourist information office nearby, obtained a map and asked if there were any interesting events on during the carnival (e.g. Folk / traditional music) – there wasn't. The carnivals at this time of the year tend to be mainly for children it seems.
I have always thought of Faro as a large city, probably because of the International Airport that is the hub for so many flights to the Algarve, but the old town is very compact and it took no time to walk around it. The cathedral was interesting and the view from the clock tower was excellent, all along the coast with its sand banks and salt marshes and the mediaeval walls were still intact on the sea side. We walked between the walls and the sea and came across a very basic, small restaurant. The smells were lovely and we decided to stop for lunch. This was an excellent decision as it was obviously popular with the locals and there was soon a queue for tables as there were only a dozen or so. It was right by the sea and, not surprisingly, specialised in fish but had a very restricted menu – nothing fancy, just charcoal-grilled fish served with small red potatoes boiled in their skins. As is very common in Portugal, we were given bread and some small dishes before the meal – a simple tomato and cucumber salad with an oil and vinegar dressing and a dish of green olives together with small carrots that had been cooked (and were served with) a large amount of sliced garlic – absolutely gorgeous, although I couldn't convince Jane to eat any of the garlic, so I had to finish it (a great hardship, as you may imagine). Jane had a huge piece of salmon and I had Dorada and I can honestly say that it was the best fish that I have had on the Odyssey. The secret was that it was so fresh and after being charcoal grilled, it was sprinkled with salt, which brought out the flavour. At this point, I vowed that I would, at some point in the Odyssey, buy fresh fish from a quay and barbecue it the same day. The meal was washed down with some good Portuguese red wine drunk out of tumblers – just the way it should be!
We wandered around the town and Jane looked at jewellery and handbags but without finding what she was looking for. Don't ask me what that was, because I have never been able to figure that out. And then, after a coffee in a café, we took the train back to Olhao and enjoyed those views from the other direction.
There is an Intermarche between the station and the campsite and we popped in to get some fresh bread. We also called in at the Vetimarche, the clothing part of Intermarche, and Jane tried on some clothes but without success. Today turned out to be a very cheap shopping expedition!
Photos: A frightening pack of Red Indians at the Faro Carnival; Stork and cranes seen from Faro cathedral; We have seen many statues of saints who suffered awfully and were martyred – this one is suffering from a very bad headache!

Sunday 3 February 2008

Thursday 31st January 2008




Despite the fact that this is a very busy campsite and that a railway line runs less than 200m from our pitch, we slept very well. It appears that the trains don't run during the night, which is very handy.
The air temperature is slightly cooler today so the other campers were spared the trial of looking at my white legs and knobbly knees, although they did see my very pale arms. If I took the time to sunbathe like many of the other campers, then I would be brown like them but it just drives me mad!
We took time to look around the site - more of a town than a campsite – it really is huge with many of the pitches occupied by long term campers overwintering. I spoke to a Belgian guy with a motorhome a few pitches away from us. He and his wife have been here since October and are paying €7 a night (approx. £35 per week), which has to be very good value.
In the afternoon we walked along beside the railway line into the centre of Olhao and then to the port and old town. I have to say that the walk to the town and the commercial port were uninspiring but the view out from the promenade with its view of wetlands, sandbanks and islands was quite pleasant. The old town was also moderately interesting but, in summary, there is nothing here that makes me want to return.
Photos: Octopus drying with the Olhao port in the background; Boat in Olhao port – note the evil eye on the bow; Part of the intriguing contents of a partially derelict building on the way back to the campsite.

Wednesday 30th January 2008





We had a wonderfully peaceful night with just the sound of a Scops Owl hunting in the olive grove next to the site and we were there at the door on the dot of 09:00. The door was closed and there was no sign of life. We waited for 15 minutes and then gave up, it looked as though it wasn't going to open.
Still, we had another Roman site lined up for the afternoon and we set off Olhao, near Faro but we decided to call in at Cuba on the way. We couldn't resist posing for a photograph by the Cuba sign just a few kilometres down the road from our overnight stop. I wonder if there was any connection between the village and the island?
Lots more storks today including a flock (if that is the right word, a dozen anyway) flying over us and another group walking in line across a field. Nests on telegraph poles, chimneys and derelict windmills amongst others. I will stop mentioning storks from now on – they are far too common! However, as I was calmly driving along there was a great exclamation, a mixture of excitement and disbelief, from Jane - “Ostrich”. “Nonsense”, I thought, “You don't get ostriches in Portugal” but, sure enough, running along beside a fence on the other side of the road was an ostrich. It was obviously a farm animal but there was no sign of any others in the field. Strange but true!
After stopping for lunch at a super viewpoint on the Serra do Caldeirao hills, we arrived at the Ruinas de Milreu near Estoi just north of Faro. The good news was the site had just reopened for the afternoon. The site was very well presented with good information boards in Portuguese and English and, together with a very reasonably priced guidebook, this made the visit much more interesting. The site was a large and very wealthy villa that was occupied for a very long time, from 1st century AD to the 7th century AD, probably due to a plentiful supply of water and good agricultural land. There are many mosaics in position although most have been badly damaged since they were uncovered in the 18th century. The cold bath mosaics were particularly impressive, even covering the steps down into the bath. The working side of the villa has also been found with a area for wine production and storage and also five olive presses with the pipes used to transfer the oil to 36 storage vessels in the cool, dry cellars. The area was famous for its almonds, olives and figs, all trees that survive well in dry conditions but these have been largely replaced by other crops that can be grown with modern irrigation methods. Even so there was plenty of evidence of very pretty pink almond blossom all around the site and for much of our journey today.
Arriving in the late afternoon at the campsite in Olhao, we got a bit of a shock – it was seething! We were advised to drive round the site to see if we could find a pitch before we registered - “there may be a few” said the receptionist. The vans were parked everywhere – in the car park, all along the sides of the access roads, in all sorts of places not designed as pitches. We had problems finding a pitch where there was also a free socket on the electricity supply but eventually we found a very small pitch with awkward access and decided that we better take it. After struggling to get on to the pitch, we walked to reception and discovered that there were quite a few pitches hidden in the centre. So we moved the van into a shady pitch and decided that all of the vans on unsuitable pitches were simply there to be in the sun.
The weather has been excellent for the last week, getting steadily warmer as we have moved south. It is really warm here today and short sleeves are definitely required – you never know, it may have to be shorts tomorrow, a frightening thought for you all!
Photos: Henrietta enjoying the view at lunchtime on the Serro do Caldeirao; The cold bath mosaics at Milreu; The huge Milreu Sea Santury temple – this is only the 'cella' (the holy part of the temple), it was 10m high and surrounded by a pillar-lined gallery – an amazing size for a villa and incorrectly identified as a 'cathedral' when first excavated – note the sea-themed mosiac on the walls of the podium; My favourite mosaic at Milreu – the squid with fantatic eyes!

Tuesday 29th January 2008





West of Evora is an area known as the 'marble towns' where there are many large marble quarries and it was there that we headed. On the pleasant journey to Estramoz, we passed the fortified town of Evoramonte that is visible from Evora. It is in a commanding position and the view of its walls and tall castle are very impressive as one approaches. We decided not to stop as we had a full day and we likewise decided to by-pass Estramoz, the first of the marble towns, and head for Borba. This is a much smaller town and has the added attraction of having a well respected wine cooperative. We stopped and had a very brief tasting (I was driving) and purchased 6 bottles of wine and a 5 litre box of red. We bought a variety of red and white and different qualities and the whole lot came to €29 (approx. £21) with the 5 litre box (€5.26) costing less than the best bottle of wine (€5.54)!
Borba was not very noteworthy, although it was interesting to see that even the most humble of houses had a marble doorstep, door and window surrounds and often a marble balcony. I suspect that marble was also much in evidence inside given that it used to be such a cheap material in the area. The quarries outside Borba were very impressive, deep and with huge blocks of marble waiting to be extracted. The roads were also lined with factories cutting the marble and producing finished building materials in a variety of coloured and veined marble.
We didn't stop in the next marble town of Vila Vicosa although we wished that we had stopped there rather than Borba. The town was much prettier, with the streets lined with orange trees and with a much cleaner and more spacious feel to it. We had decided that we should have time to visit a Roman site that we knew nothing about. 'Ruinas Romanas de Sao Cucufate' was marked clearly on our map, just off our route down the IP2 to Beja. We got there just after 17:30 to find that there was a 'Closed' sign on the door and the opening times showed that it closed at 17:00. From the little that we could see, the site looked really interesting with at least one building still standing to many metres in height. We decided to park in the car park over night and be at the door as soon as the site opened at 09:00.
Photos: Evoramonte fortified town and castle; A building in Borba showing the use of marble; A marble sculptured head on the outskirts of Borba with one on the many marble quarries evident in the background; Borba marble quarry – for scale note the steps down the marble quarry face.

Monday 28th January 2008




Jane definitely had a temperature during the night but today she felt much better and was determined to walk into Evora and explore it. And we did!
The walk into the town took less than half and hour and, conveniently, we arrived in the main square right by the tourist information office. Jane spotted that they had an audio tour of the town and we splashed out the huge sum of €2 (£1.50) each for the handsets. The tour was interesting and amusing at times – it took the form of a conversation between two people e.g. “And what is a Roman Forum?”, “It is a large open space at the centre of the Roman town and is the market place with shops around the edges”. Informative but a little artificial, we thought that we had got the children's commentary at first (there was one but this wasn't it). There was a great deal of interest with extant Roman walls, remains of a 1st century AD Roman temple (reused over time for number of different purposes including as a slaughterhouse), a long 16th Century aqueduct probably built over the original Roman one, Portugal's first university founded in 1559 and a large number of interesting buildings and churches. Between the 14th and the 16th centuries, Evora was a patronised by the Portuguese royal family, which brought a great deal of wealth into the city and much of the impressive architecture dates to this period. When the Spanish took over the throne of Portugal in the late 16th century, the city declined and this probably lead to the preservation of the city and has kept it as compact as it is today.
One fascinating stop, not mentioned in the audio tour was the Capela dos Ossos in the church of Sao Francisco. The walls and pillars of the 'chapel of bones' are lined with the bones of 5000 monks and the effect is quite sobering especially when you read the sign over the door that translates as “We bones are waiting here for your bones”.
Photos: The Evora Roman temple locally known, incorrectly, as the Temple of Diana; The bone-lined chapel of the church of Sao Fransisco; A lecture room in the Evora (formally Jesuit) university with its painted tiles and lecturer's 'pulpit'.

Sunday 27th January 2008





We travelled to Evora today, East and slightly South of Lisbon and were expecting less exciting scenery as we had read that the area, Alentejo, was relatively flat. However we started the journey by travelling over the River Tejo on the Vasco da Gama bridge and at over 11 km (7 miles) long, it was very impressive. Just over the bridge, Jane spotted a flock of flamingoes on a lake – the journey had started very well!
There was hardly any traffic on the road and we drove along gently enjoying the views of cork oak plantations, fields with many little egrets and storks nesting on pylons, standing in fields and one flying. Jane was feeling shivery, so we decided to keep sightseeing to a minimum, stopping off only once at an archaeological site, which we also combined with a picnic lunch. There were too sites very close to each other and our guidebook suggested that a reasonably long walk was involved but we found signs to the sites up a dirt track that was good enough for Henrietta. We expected to have the site virtually to ourselves, as we had done with other sites, but there was a steady stream of people including two other British couples. The first site, the Menhir of Monte dos Almendres, was a menhir (standing stone) over 3 metres high, which was quite impressive and it was at this car park that we had lunch. We then drove to the next site, the Cromlech of Alemendres, indicated as a further one kilometres but turned out to be two and a half kilometres. This was very impressive – a complex Celtic circle of 92 standing stones on a hillside with 10 inscribed stones with similar inscriptions to those in Brittany. One stone at the top of the hill had a large number of cup marks where, I assume, libations or offerings were made. Others had small dips cut in the top of the stone with shallow channels down the side of the rock. It was built between 5,000 and 4,000 BC, aligned with the equinoxes and is thought to have been used for religious and astronomical purposes. There are many other menhirs, stone circles and dolmen in the area and alignments have been detected between them.
We then drove the short distance to the Evora campsite and found ourselves amongst a large number of other British vans – something that we were not accustomed to! Also there were a very pleasant couple that we had met and chatted to at the menhir, so we had another chat.
Photos: Menhir of Monte dos Almendres with its modern counterparts in the background; The Cromlech of Almandres – note the dip cut in the stone in the foreground and the view from the hillside; A denuded cork oak tree, Cork stockpile (found later on the way to Olhao 30/1).