Category Archives: Spain

Day 48 – Last of Spain

We got our little revenge on the Frenchmen in the morning. Number 3 woke up at 7am, punctual as always. There is no such thing as “keeping quiet” when you have a toddler. The Frenchmen however didn’t even show their faces before we left at 10 am.

The Rioja valley got a bit more of our attention before we will wave goodbye to Spain tomorrow. LaGuardia was only a short, but lovely drive away. Too early for lunch, a bit too expensive for coffee. Walking around the narrow alleys, looking into doorways with heavy doors and amazing spaces inside was a good way to spend time here though. It’s a very pretty, walled little town. To get through the remaining time until lunch, we had another little treat in a bakery.

From Laguardia, we drove on to Logroño, the next bigger town. Lunch here came recommended by our guide book, still it was too early for it. The Spanish opening hours around 1 or even 1.30pm really get to us. So we went grocery shopping before finding a parking spot in a central garage and headed into town. The first place we went to was smack in the middle of everything. Now, I could tell that it was Saturday: Town was full of people enjoying food, even a couple of hen and stag dues, I think. The menu looked as if not a single vegetarian thing was offered so Flo made us turn around and try the next place.

The next place was literally called “Umm”. Despite the odd name, it was a great place! I went straight up to the counter to ask for vegetarian food and the second waitress (the first one didn’t speak English) came up with an option for me. It was a mix of caramelized onions, pickled onions and peppers and it tasted great! In the pintxo version, it had a piece of meat but it tasted great on its own.

This was the sophisticated shot from the restaurant

Flo tried two of the daily pintxos with fish, I had their version of patatas bravas, then crème brulee, then Flo ordered one more pintxo from the kitchen (fried pig’s ear, by our guesses) and we had deconstructed cheese cake and coffee in the end. XD And all of that for 23€. Gotta love pintxos and small sized portions…you get to try so many different things!

With this great success under our belts, we left the Rioja valley and turned our faces towards France. We won’t reach it today but it’s the general direction here on out. The camp ground was about a 2 hour drive away, up in the hills. Number 3 and myself fell asleep on the way there (food coma in my case…) but woke up before we arrived at the camp ground. The last 20km or so were windy roads up the hills, right next to a small river. It made for a picturesque drive and then our camp ground was right next to the river as well.

When we explored the place a bit after “coffee”, we found an access to the river where all the kids from the camp ground were playing in the water. Number 3 looked like he wanted to go where all the kids were and started to walk right into the water in his sandals. Thus, Flo took off his shoes and prepared Number 3 for contact with water. One of the older girls came up and said something about “muy frio”, just when Flo put Baby’s feet into the water. The expected scream of protest didn’t come. Huh? Instead, Number 3 kept walking forward, deeper into the water. Soon, his diaper and body were almost in so Flo quickly picked him up. Now there was a scream of protest. Huh? Flo had confirmed that the water was really rather cold and Number 3 was a wuss even in the pools on camp grounds but now he wanted to go swimming in a cold mountain river? The answer was yes. What was lacking every time Flo tried the pool with him was available here in abundance: Older kids doing all sorts of interesting things with toys and tools. Number 3 was ready to get up to his neck into really cold water for that. We didn’t let him get into it that deep. Luckily, some of the older kids took pity and showed him what they were doing in the shallower part of the river. They had small nets and caught fish into a Barbie bucket. The oldest girl even got one of the fish out to show it to Number 3.

In the evening, some of the kids went to the camp ground’s playground so Number 3 had even more chances to absorb them. I thought he’d sleep well after all the input but he woke up again 30 minutes after he went to sleep. Probably his teeth again. He seemed to really be in pain. That last molar is taking its bloody time.

On our way to LaGuardia
We had very nice views on vineyards
An interesting wave-y building, probably a restaurant?
Views from a terrace down into the valley
Number 3 was in the wrap for once
The tower was closed but the little burglar had to try anyway
Impression of the small alleys within the walls
There was a bronze statue of bags
We’ve seen way less of these in Basque than Catalonia
Not just window shopping…
It’s his “old man” interpretation
Number 3 was too hungry to wait until the restaurant
This was the sophisticated shot from the restaurant
Still loving the swing
So happy!
Pretending to refill his cups from the taps
He just kept walking…
So more of his clothes had to go
Straight towards the other kids, no regard for cold water
Number 3 enjoying Spanish cold sausage…such a carnivore

Day 47 – National stereotypes

I guess we were well set to defy ours, the German part at least. We got up late, ate some and at some point gave our camp that vagrant look again. Which means we did the washing and then tried to hang it with far too little pegs or clothes’ line (should really have upgraded from the tiny spool we carried on the bike). It looks … very un-German, i.e. untidy. We like it that way 😉

The rest of the morning was filled with looking after Number 3 making new friends. He set out to befriend a Spanish girl from three lots over to varied levels of success. It was sure not for lack of trying by her dad, who tried to pull all the stops while looking after her alone (mom was apparently away on some errand). Sharing the balls did not quite work out, nor the scooter. But sharing a kiddie pool was just bearable for the three year old.

Perfect (after a pot of boiling water went in)!

The dad was super kind and welcoming, but for the first time the language barrier struck hard. Not a word of English, so all we had was my barebones Spanish, gestures and Google. It worked out, the kids had fun!

The main event for the day was planned for the afternoon: Going to town (or at least the part with all the Bodegas) and taste some nice Rioja wines! Nina had scouted some of the options for me, out of the 15 in town. We went almost straight for the first one, maybe at 4 pm. Given that they close around 6 pm, we thought we might see two today. Well, before the first glass that was …

We found the tasting room of Bodega C.V.N.E. rather delightful. It turned out to be stocked with equally delightful company to boot. So as we tried our way through a white and two reds (Reserva and Gran Reserva, respectively), we got talking with first a British-American and then an Australian couple at the other tables. Good wine and good company go together nicely and as we nibbled on our snacks and sipped our wine, time flew by. Number 3 got a lot of compliments for his skills and even more so for his charm; social butterfly that he is.

In the end, we never made it out of this first tasting before the sommelier called last rounds. The two reds were from different vineyards but the Vila Real Gran Reserva had impressed both of us the most. Still, 24 € for a bottle of table wine seemed a bit too steep, so we trusted the others and went for the Reserva from the same brand.

Back at the camp, I even managed to master the art of cooking reasonable well for my post-tasting condition. Things really seemed just right – Number 3 went to bed without much fuss. We were just about to hit our bed early when things took a turn south. A veritable invasion of the most stereotypical Frenchmen hit us hard. Out of easily 20 empty emplacements, they chose the two right next to us to set up their … party, I guess? They hit all the marks: Rude, loud and chain-smoking (baby in arm, of course), it took them all of 10 minutes to wake Number 3. Bloody French … (I am of cour zcxse aware that their nationality has little to do with the fact that they annoyed me. It was probably more to be attributed to our socio-economic based cultural differences. Not a thought for 9:30 pm with a crying baby on the arm. Annoy me then and you will be remembered as “those bloody Frenchmen”).

Maybe sharing works better with 2 balls?
Nope, to each their own
Careful testing …
Perfect (after a pot of boiling water went in)!
Oh … this will be good …
hmm, it is!
Helpful guidance
That was the point where he had everyone in the room …

Day 46 – Bilbao architecture

We had most of today to explore Bilbao. However, it was a two hour drive to our next camp ground in the Rioja valley. So we’d aim for a departure around 4pm. That’s fine, Number 3 can’t explore forever so it’s around the time we’d head to a camp ground anyway.

Nevertheless, we tried to be early. It didn’t really happen but it was made worse by the camp site. We still had to pay for the night but reception was closed and you had to press a button to talk to them and then they actually had to come over….it just took time.

But even the architecture is quite sculptural

Finally, we were in Bilbao again. We picked the same parking garage as yesterday as it was right in town. The Lonely Planet suggests an “Architecture and river views walking tour” through the newer part of Bilbao and we followed their suggestion. It started pretty much right where we’d parked. Very convenient.

We passed some of the old houses including the town hall and then went over the Puente Zubizuri. It’s a modern bridge, formed a bit like a wave. Now, on the other side of the river, it was but a brief stroll to the Guggenheim Museum by Frank Gehry. It’s funny how one building (okay, Flo stated that it is more a sculpture itself) can inspire so many artists to leave a sculpture or installation of their own in the vicinity. Yesterday we were lucky enough to see Fujiko Nakaya’s mist installation in action. Today we looked at all the other art around the Guggenheim, most notably Louise Bourgeois’ Maman and Jeff Koon’s Puppy.

Leaving the Guggenheim museum behind, we went through Parque de Dona Casilda de Iturrizar and past the museum of Fine Arts. It was getting towards our lunch time now but our selected restaurant opened at 1.30pm. That was still a while away so we bought some sweet treats to get through the wait.

Continuing through the Plaza de Frederico Moyua, we came to the inner city again.

we were both reminded of south east asia in this bit

We were too hungry though. Instead, we decided to split lunch into two again and have some pintxos now and then some pintxos later. Our first lunch place was Ledesma No 5. Again, no vegetarian pintxos were available but the lovely waiter only took a minute to come up with a vegetarian tapa topped with cheese that was especially prepared for me in the kitchen. 🙂

Our second lunch spot was the vegan restaurant La Camilla. Already half full, we decided to share a plate of sushi and I took an extra chickpea salad while Flo had a tempeh sandwich. Hm. We both had to wonder afterwards what it is with vegan restaurants to let us down so many times. Even vegan food in vegetarian places is usually better tasting that orthodox vegan stuff. Ah well …

It was 3 o’clock by now and we’re pretty down and tired. With the prospect of another 2 hours in the car, we left Bilbao and waved goodbye. Definitely well worth a city holiday if anyone is looking for recommendations. One more stop in a hypermarket to stock up groceries and we were on the drive to Rioja. Everyone except Flo fell asleep. Poor Flo. Always having to drive.

He managed to get us safe and sound to Haro, the capital of the Rioja region where we will stay for two nights. Tomorrow, it’s wine tasting time!

Back to where we started yesterday
but in a different direction this time
loads of sculptures along the way
But even the architecture is quite sculptural
What is sculpture, what defines space?
oh yes, and Koons …
we did not go in … no patience for it today
that guy again
this time, local artists
some has questional artistic value
nature always helps
we were both reminded of south east asia in this bit
one of the main axis of the newtown
lots of brick, or brick coloured buildings. And steel

Day 45 – Bilbao Taster

We were torn – no two ways about it. The Picos de Europa caught our attention, big time. On the other hand, with ¾ of our trip done, we just could not muster the energy for a full day hiking day. Plus, ever since one of my friends came back from a weekend romp to Bilbao raving about it, it was placed pretty high on my list. We are city people, after all.

And so we waved good bye to the impressive peaks and valleys of the Picos and headed back for the coastal highway. I snuck in a brief detour via a particularly recommended beach in Eastern Asturia – but when we got there, pretty much everyone except myself was already sound asleep. Bilbao it is, then.

I don’t even know where – there were many beautiful estuaries up here

After a minor challenge finding a parking garage (google does not differentiate between the public and resident only garages) we were smack down in the old town ready to explore. Briefly, at least – as we were quite knackered and the camping situation for tonight was not fully resolved.

Lunch then: Here came the great hour of a local food culture institution. One that quickly won me over, second to only maybe Warung Makan in Indonesia. Pintxos (pronounced peen-chos) are two bite extravaganzas similar to tapas, but smaller and more elaborate. They are pretty much a standard in any bar or café in town. So we did as the locals, picked two bars we liked and had two or three pintxos in each. The Café Bar Bilbao (while sporting an excellent carnivore selection) had no vegetarian option on offer, but were quick to whip up deep fried vege for Nina. Not as good, but A for effort. The location was great, though, giving us flashbacks to Barcelona almost a month ago.

The second spot was chosen for the vegetarian option. Nina enjoyed her chance to join in the fun. The place, Irrintzi was more our vibe as well – a bit artsy, a bit alternative. After two bars, we were actually full enough for lunch time. Just great – a drink, some food, 14€ for two and off to the next bar. I can totally see doing 3-4 in a night and avoiding both a bit of the hangover and a late night food frenzy stop at the golden arches. I want this at home!

this time, with veggie options (burglar still afoot).

We wandered through the old town a bit more, enjoying the architecture as well was the vibe. But it was time. The next campsite was half an hour out of town, which sort of made the decision for us on how to tackle tomorrow. That was a bit too far for public transport, so we would camp for the night, come back into town to park here and move on towards the Rioja valley once we had our fill.

[Flo forgot the most important food selection of the day. I managed to talk him into going to Opila, a patisserie pretty much next to our parking garage and i.n.d.u.l.g.e.d. while Flo planned the route for the next couple of days.]

The camp was one of those we would always rather avoid – expensive, tiny parcels without shade and not quite in a nice location. It was the closes one, though, and given that it was almost empty and the facilities were freshly renovated, it was kind of ok. We did get a chance to see the sunset – at the cost of almost freezing our toes off (in 10° C).

We got some good views …
… even on our way out
could be ad shots, if not the manufacture of both the car and the rooftent recommend against the combination …
I don’t even know where – there were many beautiful estuaries up here
as I said, we were in the zone … no idea, still pretty
farewell, this was our last glimpse of the high mountains
pretty … but the lure of the city had us ensared
we really liked these windowed balconies
first round, meat monster pintxos (see the burglar?)
nice enough to wip something up
off to the next bar
this square reminded us a lot of Barcelona, hawkers and all
this time, with veggie options (burglar still afoot).
we both quite like turn of the century to ’20 architecture
the burglar has made it to the vault …
… he had help!
I think he got away with it!
sunset always takes longer than expected
time to finish with some blogging
geometrically, the sun had already disappeared by that point …
lit ships anchoring at dusk

Day 44 – Covering ground

We started the day okay, though Number 3 had some accidents while we were packing up. The first time, when he screamed as if he was really hurt, we ran to him and couldn’t really figure out why he was screaming so much. It just lay on the ground on his belly as if he had tripped…just…one of his legs was oddly twisted and…oh no…his foot was still pointing towards the sky. *shudder*

It turns out he was playing with a traffic cone when his sandal got stuck on a nail. He couldn’t get it loose and then fell… Luckily, toddlers are tough (and flexible). Once we had freed him and comforted him for about two minutes, he went off exploring again on his own.

So the second time he screamed like he really hurt himself, we just sprinted to him straight away. This time though, he hadn’t hurt himself at all. He had figured out how to turn on the camp ground’s tap for drinking water. What he didn’t anticipate was that he would stand in a stream of icy cold water afterwards. He was so shocked that he didn’t even move out of the way. He just stood there and screamed getting soaked from head to toe. Flo snatched him out of there but we both had to laugh really hard. Probably not smart to encourage him as he managed to do the same thing one more time before we left. *sigh*

Today was a driving day. We had to cover some ground on our way back so our next goal, the Picos de Europa, were a bit of a stretch for one day, with a toddler in the car. Guess we’ll see how far we get towards them. In an attempt to make stops as unnecessary as possible, we picked up bread around the corner from the camp ground and started on the daytrip.

Though one stop was a must. About 30 min from our camp ground, the cliffs of Garita de Herbeira beckoned to be visited. The cliffs are the highest in Europe, about 600 meters from where we stood into the ocean. We were lucky. The day was a bit of a rainy one and we timed it just right to be at the cliff when there was a whole in the blanket of clouds. Thus, we could actually see something.

Galicia is uncannily similar to Ireland or Scotland: Weatherwise but they also kept parts of their celtic heritage, including bagpipes. So we were standing at the rugged cliff, wisps of cloud drifting past, more fog coming up the cliffside, watching horses and their young graze around a stone building…and could have been somewhere different entirely.

Lunch was had on a motorway stop right next to wind turbine parts on trucks. It was a bit odd but luckily, the motorway was almost empty. Most of the afternoon was spent driving. Number 3 slept for a good while but started to complain once he was awake. Anyhow, Flo pushed on and we arrived at the Picos de Europa late in the afternoon.

The mountains of the Picos are beautiful. Definitely worth spending more time there than we have left. A paradise for hiking and rock climbing…and much less crowded than the Alps. Just driving through the first range to our camp ground was breath-taking already.

Super tired, we set up, ate dinner and put Baby into bed. Ready to go to bed myself, Flo suddenly found some energy to check out the camp ground’s bar. He said it was cosy and inviting, had some Spanish ham and desserts on the menu and really, we just should have one drink there. Which we did. Well, I had cheese cake which was nothing like German cheesecake but this rich, silky, yoghurt-y cream, topped with blueberry jam. It was well worth staying up for.

Ok, not quite here, but a good start
ok, even better!
So cute, he grabed Hubär to cuddle before sleep
Take a good look and hope the old people everywhere get it before they kill your future
three foals were about
Hi Mr. Horse
You sure, daddy?
long long way down
Ok, safer view
I wish the front would be powered by the back
fog came up, end of the world photo time
mommy, daddy is weird. Can I go now?
a lot of fog cam up
final viewpoint
just hanging out – is food ready?
wind power seemed the theme of the day
ok, good start
uuhh, cool drive
cool road rock fall shelter – plus intersting german tourist
I learned how this is called in Milford Sound – go me!
over 2500m tall, some of them
hmm … there would be mountains in the sky part, had I set the camera correctly …
the camp ground was deep in the valley surrounded by beatuies
almost ready for bed

Day 43 – By popular demand

Days feel like they are getting longer again. 36 hours after waking up, I can hardly remember all that has happened yesterday. That’s why we take thousands of pictures, I guess 😉

The night was calm, even though not quiet in the literal sense. I don’t know if the waterfalls steady roar helped, but we slept well. Not too cold and most importantly undiscovered and undisturbed. Breakfast was as lovely in this place as was dinner last night – although Nina might make an exception for the mozzies that came out in force while it was a bit overcast.

Number 3 dutifully obliged us on our drive to Santiago de Compostella with sleep. With the awkwardness of this being a place known primarily for being the foremost Christian pilgrimage destination looming over us, we decided to treat this as we would any other city. Sights, good food and a bit of walking to get the feel.

We did. The first thing we noticed was how much more familiar the old town felt. Heavy stone buildings that befit the Galician climate much better than would the more iconic Mediterranean and Andalusian styles of Spain and Portugal. It frankly looked a lot like home, or at least France. We decided very early on not to go into the Cathedral – we had seen our share and many more recently. The outside was … well, the usual. I guess the majesty of it all comes more to the forth after 60 or so days of pain to get here.

“The Camino” (spoken mostly in an obnoxious American accent) and general pilgrimage kitsch was omnipresent, even though not too many pilgrims arrived before lunch. On the main plaza, there were maybe 50 who just now had arrived, mixed in with a lot more tourists and people recovering. For some reason, and I will not muse too much about it out of respect for our friends who have walked the Camino themselves, I felt strong rejection welling up in me about this whole pilgrimage thing. Even though I know it is by far not purely religious (better, Catholic) thing anymore. Read up on it and make up your own mind, I guess.

We turned our attention to more relevant things for us: Food! There was a hip recommendation next to the city market halls. We headed there after a brief stroll over the market. We sat down with drinks, looking forward to some exceptional tapas but were disappointed soon after. Not a single vegetarian offering – fish, seafood or meat. I was OK to call it there, but Nina urged me to at least try some. So I went with cockles and the fish of the day offers. The portions were really no more than appetizers, but the quality was exceptional. The best clams I ever had were good enough that Number 3 helped me out quite a bit – to the surprised eyes of any onlooker. The seared fish filet was absolutely spot on as well.

After that brief delay, I was ready to go with whatever Nina would decide on. We stuck with our other choice, the one we had discarded earlier due to their late lunch hours. We only had to kill 20 more minutes, but then were the first in for lunch once more. The place was definitively more our vibe. Nina had homemade ravioli while I went with the waiter’s recommendation of pork in Galician cheese sauce without bothering with the menu. Actual lunch was good, too. We rounded the whole thing off with a sampling of the local pastry of choice (Santiago Almond tart) and the best coffee I’ve had in a while.

All that was left now was to make a bit of distance north, to end up in striking distance of our next goal, the highest cliffs of Europe. We reached our chosen camp by 4 and decided to push on a bit further and to stay on the coast for one more time. This time, everything worked out.

Packing up the camp site in the morning
Number 3 enjoyed our private waterfall
Everything needs to be packed
Goodbye campsite
Detail of a railing or fence of the cathedral in Santiago
Top of one of the towers
Gate of Santiago
A cool sign in an alley around the corner from the cathedral
Number 3 testing his strength again a small chain
We enjoyed the European flag flying next to the cathedral
He invented a game for himself: Pick daisies…
…run over to the fountain and put them up there
Urban explorer
Why does it have to be so hilly? I need a break!
A taste of great seafood
Must have been good. Baby ate six of them
Number 3 planning our next moves out of the carrier backpack
He pulled himself up on the bench
Footpath inscription
Hippie lunch place
Back at the ocean
A bit of a sunset
How we camped

Day 42 – Off the record

When we got up in the morning, it became clear: The trailer right behind us wasn’t abandoned. Oh no, we had camped right in someone’s “frontyard”. No wonder the voices seemed so close and also so amused last night. So far, nothing moved inside. We decided to pack up and have breakfast somewhere else, feeling very uncomfortable with staying in the spot we were in.

It took us until 8.15am to get ready to go…when we were halted by a closed gate, a closed reception and no one around. Flo suggested to leave 10€ as payment and then just go but the gate turned out to be locked. We couldn’t get the car out. A door for pedestrians was open however so we decided to wander around, looking for a café to have breakfast in. “Pastelaria da Ponte” was exactly the kind of thing we were looking for. It provided much needed coffee, treats and some space to get over the embarrassment that we invaded someone else’s sphere with camping last night.

We were back at 9am, sure that now we definitely could leave. The reception was still closed but miraculously, the gate was now open. Plus, a lady arrived at the same time as we did and she offered to take our payment. So we left. Having at least paid someone.

It was our last day in Portugal. Flo had picked a route through the mountains of the National park as our last bit of route and a pastelaria at the end as well. The drive was scenic and full of surprises. Suddenly everything seemed wetter, lots of green plants and waterfalls around. Number 3 slept through all of it so we just enjoyed the ride.

He woke up when we stopped at the pastelaria. I think, he’s got a motion sensor in his bum or something stupid like that. As soon as we stop, he wakes up. Flo had made sure that it was a decent bakery where we would buy our last pastel de nata but everything looked so good that we ended up buying a little extra as well as bread for our picnic lunch.

It felt like lunch time already so we had an eye out for a good spot. Flo then found a sign pointing to a picnic area. Following the road which turned into a dirt road and then into a rugged dirt road…we decided we must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. But the landscape was beautiful just maybe a bit of shade would be nice for our break. Finally, we arrived at the picnic area which was by a stream with patches of birch trees and…cows. Well, young steers. Luckily, they were a bit away from the benches. I am not sure how interested they’d gotten into our lunch otherwise. We thoroughly enjoyed lunch, ending with an orange as dessert. Number 3 had a language update and does now repeat words. Oranges in particular seem to be to his liking so he often asks for them. For some reason he has decided that they are called “ayah” and cannot be dissuaded despite Flo’s and my best efforts of telling Baby that this is an orange.

Soon after, we crossed the border back into Spain. The border was ridiculous. Just a tiny, single lane bridge with the letter “E” carved into it. We are officially on our way back. It feels weird and also appropriate at the same time. Seriously going to miss pastel de nata though.

The camp ground of choice was close to a National park, not too far from Santiago de Compostela which we want to visit tomorrow. We arrived there at 3pm and looked forward to some planning of what to do on our way back. The camp ground was closed down. Not closed just now, not for the season, no just permanently closed down. The forest was very pretty though and a little river ran next to the road. We shortly discussed what to do and looked up the city camp ground in Santiago de Compostela which was the only other reasonable option. So we drove on for another 50 meters and then Flo turned around. It was 3.30pm now, the optimal time for coffee and tea and we even still had the last pastel de nata with us. So we stopped and had the best coffee break in a prime location just for ourselves. An hour passed, then nearly two. We kept finding reasons why we needed to stay a bit longer: It was so nice here, Number 3 needed to run around and explore a bit longer, the city camp ground was probably ugly and loud so it is better to spend some time here…

Finally, I stated the obvious thing. If we ever wanted to wild camp on this trip, this was probably it. We wouldn’t find a more convenient place or time to do it. It was one of Flo’s not so secret wishes that he wanted to wild camp as we had done on Home to Home. Here was the chance. Probably the only one I would grant him, so he leaped on it.

While exploring the track with Number 3, he came upon the picture perfect camp spot, next to a little waterfall. Other people had used it as a camp spot in the past as there was a little fire pit made of stones and a tiny play hut made out of dry branches.

So we stayed there. For one night off the record.

our gate crashing site
one of the two briges from here
just a great day
green all around, with springs to boot
down there, we camped
a great road as well
one of many waterfalls on the way
we actually crossed the border three times today – portugal – spain – portugal – spain.
more granite formations
reminds me of menhirs
views on the hilltops around, back in portughal
great road through the high mountains
final village in portugal
off road commuter car? Go go Blue George!
Nina loves cows 😉
no time to waste
everybody enjoying our lunch spot
right, finished
Number 3 testing his new skills
Who? Why .. this is for kids?!
I love europe. This is how we leave Portugal
perfect spot for a break, right?
first, some hot beverages
where might this track lead to?
the perfect camp spot!!
With our own private waterfall for the night!
almost cover shot material? It was a great spot, anyway!

Day 17 – Hasta luego España, bom dia Portugal

It was quite the hard decision to leave this place today. In the end, the lure of our “destination” and the distinct lack of connectivity made the call for us. We took our time. Enough to share breakfast drinks with Lu and Eike, whom we had a great wine filled chat with last night.

We took aim for the very first thing on the Portuguese side recommended in our guidebook: The seaside town of Tavira. The scale has to change now, almost by an order of magnitude. If we do travel by the 100 kilometers, we will rush past most there is to see. Portugal is, ultimately, a small country.

We knew in advance the Algarve coast will be touristy. After the huge pre-season crowds in Andalucia, we did not mind much. Tavira was touristy, but right now still retained this elusive air of authenticity. There are still locals mingling about, out on the streets and the whole affair, though freshly painted and dressed up for the guests, stayed well this side of the Rüdesheim point. We felt good sampling our first custard-hbased bit of pastry and Portuguese coffee. Just enough of a stop gap to bridge the one hour time difference and help us to hold out to lunch.

Another thing was inconveniencing us more as we strolled along the sides of the river: The Lonely Planet for Portugal is from early 2017 vs the 2019 edition Spain guide we carry. In hot spots like this, the “cool places” change at quite the pace, it seems. None of the three food recommendation we steered for were even still in business. After about half an hour of wandering and not wanting to risk it with one of the riverside touts, we headed back for the Pastelaria Tavirense. There we loaded up on savoury pastries and headed off to find a picnic spot on our way to the campground.

Right away, the short distances tripped us up. We skipped the first beach sign only to realise that the next stop will already be the designated campground. Then, Baby dutifully fell asleep in the car, unaware that his nap would have to be cut woefully short. We checked in and had lunch with a sleepy and cranky Linus on our towel sized emplacement.

The mood started to turn. Why did we leave the amazing camp yesterday instead of enjoying it for a while? What are we doing on this 250 emplacement supercamp hell filled with permanent campers? At least the emplacements around us were unoccupied – oh never mind. Noisy ones, with beer, music and impolite kids walking right through our camp to get to the bathrooms. A fence and a rail line separate us from the beach, almost 20 minutes to walk. This is not at all what we were looking for. Shade and the cheapest price of our trip was all that this camp had going for it.

To add to all of this, sleep deprived Number 3 went into a bit of a downward spiral as well. Mozzie bites, two molars breaking through and lack of sleep made him insufferable. He would not sleep, would not eat. We tried to make plans but could all but manage to hold on from resignation.

Dinner was a quick affair, chomping through the worst spaghetti carbonara I ever served. Something needs to change tomorrow.

Bridge into Portugal
Our “destination”
Little roads
A bit of riverfront music
Shoulder ride for Number 3
River in Tavira
Going all in with the touristy things
Tavira
Sleepy but still having fun
Too tired to walk
Campsite hell
Campground pool
New fashion…
…for Number 3

Day 16 – Last day in Spain

We managed to get moving quite early for us, by 9.45am we were on the road. Tomorrow is a holiday though so we ended to stock up before going into Sevilla.

Another gigantic Carrefour, even bigger than the last one, didn’t make for a quick stop. Instead, it took us a while to get the few things that we needed. Then, we were good to go! Well, almost, we needed fuel. After that, we were good to go! Well, yeah, but somehow the wrong sight was selected in the satnav which Flo realized halfway there. So it took us until lunchtime to get into Sevilla.

Sevilla is not really a car-friendly city. That’s good. Trying to find parking when you’re already running “late” is bad. We ended up queuing for a spot on a parking deck for about 30 min. By now, it was most definitely lunchtime for us. Spanish people still think 1pm is early for lunch. It took us a bit to find a place to eat. The first one was more of a super traditional tapas bar than a sit in restaurant which would have been cool…without a baby. Number 3 would have been trampled as no one was paying the floor any attention.

On the way to the next possible place, I stopped at a pharmacy. No one is ill, but Number 3 is fighting hard with his molars. And of course we left the dental gel for pain relief at home. 😉

We arrived at the tapas bar I had picked in the Lonely Planet, only to find out that it would open in 15-20min. I was hungry, the baby was hungry. We couldn’t wait that long anymore. So we went to the place a few doors down and had a good meal including strawberry gazpacho. It looked more like a drink than food to be honest. And it tasted like a dessert.

Finally, we were ready to tackle Sevilla. The main thing to do is visit Real Alcazar, the royal palazzo. We had a brief look at the queue winding three times around the whole thing and decided we couldn’t be bothered. Yes, same day tickets would have been available after an hour or a bit more in the queue but no. Just no. Instead, we queued shortly for the cathedral and had a look around in there. All of the churches here were mosques at one point, some even for several centuries. You can still tell from the floorplan in most cases.

In Sevilla, Christopher Columbus is buried. The 19^th century monument is overblown but it was still cool to see. At the end of our visit we climbed up the Giraldo, or bell tower. Great views over the city…and onto all those rooftop pools people seem to have.

We left and were tired of sightseeing. It’s time for us to get into Portugal and a slower pace of traveling.

Speaking of the slow kind: By absolute chance we stumbled into what is the coolest campground yet. Super quiet in the forested National park of Donana. We just needed a place to stay for one night that was closer to Portugal than Sevilla so we took a random camp ground on the way, not expecting anything. The setting in the forest with lots of shade was lovely. It was not too busy and filled with other campers with small kids. It even had a whole array of “toys” in the kiddie pool which we tried again with Number 3. He still isn’t too sure about it.

Once Baby was in bed, we even had time to exchange travel stories with Lu and Eike, who travel around with twins in their Volkswagen Bully (T4).

On shady spots like this, we save the time and leave the awning off
Dirt – interesting as gravel but twice the cleanup!
Old school bodega – cool, but not kid friendly
I HAZ the food!
Another Minarett-gone-bell tower
a lady to keep you company
The wait was reasonable, but super sunny
For a church, there was an awful lot of fencing going on … something to keep the peasants in line i guess
oh, we had som silver lying aroud …
The main room only barely higher than the sides. Never seen that in a gothic church
The icons wear better crowns than some kings of the time …
Rosetta opposite the main altar
“I have an idea, let’s put it all up there!”
another window
34 ramps up and down makes wee one drowsy
great views all around
View one
Bishops cant rest in anguish, can they?
Fancy retcon of Cristobal Colon’s last rest. He died impoverished …
view two
One can still make out the prior mosques footprint
Is this a trick?
Ok, now I am certain it’s a trick
Ok, really? It feels warm …
oh, might be actually warm!
Swapping travel and baby tales

Day 15 – Sights worth seeing

This morning went just too smooth. We got everything packed up and ready before 10 am, without even rushing. That meant we could have a second breakfast courtesy of the campground just to get us right and ready for Córdoba. We ate, paid and were off to be in town by about 11 am. It was also time to test out my botch job for the tent latch. For now, we will still use the ratchet strap as a backup, but I am confident in my roadside repair skills!

It might be decadent, but we gotten used to going for the parking garage closed to the main attraction we want to see and pay for the safety and general ease rather than hunting for a spot in crowded cities or facing longer walks. Sue me, but I have to carry Number 3. It also means the car is nice and cool when we come back.

The white-and-terracotta striped arches are impressive

This time the parking garage was a bit of a mini attraction on its own. It was tucked in behind the old city wall, and the entrance was an old gate. Very much in style. Our number one item for today was the Mezquita, or Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba. This time, for what felt like the first time, tickets were come by the old fashioned way: Wait in line for 20 minutes, then get in.

This place turned out a definite highlight on our trip so far. The mosque was so enormous that “converting” it after the Reconquista did for once not mean taking away the original character. Instead, over time the Christians build several cathedrals inside. Plus what felt like 50 chapels. Still it felt like a mosque, first and foremost to us. Memories of Iran and Oman came back. Even the mihrab was left intact. What an odd and wonderful place.

We have been slowly pushing our lunch time back. That means we were not the first to line up for lunch for once J – after the indulgences lately, we opted for the hip-and-cheap kind this time. A student juice bar called Bicicleta served us food even with the slight difficulties we had in crossing the language barrier.

On our way from lunch, we had a little photo stop at the old bridge which featured as the Long Bridge of Volantis in Game of Thrones.

We finished the sightseeing off with a little stroll through the old Jewish quarter. Narrow lanes and cute courtyards take the edge of the coming afternoon heat. Looping back to our car park right next to it, we felt sufficiently tired to head for our next camp in Seville. Best to go for close range for the big hits.

The city camp ground ended up to be of the could-be-a-lot-worse kind, and Number 3 even made friends with some kids nearby. Enough to be invited to a private pool party. The fellow Germans were on a similar two month parental leave trip, although with their second child already. Once again, we learned that Number 3 and cool water have an ambivalent relationship. Our hosts were real nice and had some travel experience under their belt. It was almost a shame that we would be rushing of the next morning already. But Portugal awaits.

Only one of the towers was completed so it’s nicknamed the “one-armed lady”
Queuing for tickets
The white-and-terracotta striped arches are impressive
Mezquita detail 1
Mezquita detail 2
Mezquita detail 3
“Could you go out of the picture?” German old lady to Flo because the carrier backback was in her picture
The choir
In the courtyard
Through the Jewish quarter
Little plaza (with orange tree)
Parking garage
Mosque-Cahedral side facing west
The first of the two full churches build within the mosque
Mihrab
Mihrab detail
Super strange seing depictions of saints before a muslim backdrop
muslim foreground, church above …
doors at the south side
narrow street of the old town
Toasties lunch
Puente Romano which featuered as the Long Bridge of Volantis in GoT
In the Jewish quarter