kraxe | Chaos roaming the world

This morning, we actually managed to pack and leave. It was an hour still to get to Mértola, the small medieval city that we wanted to visit. Number 3 is now fully adapted to travelling and fell asleep as soon as we started to move. As we approached, we got some nice views of the castle, the river and the bridge.

Mértola is sometimes called an “open air” museum. There are a couple of historic sites you can visit but most of the town within the town walls is of interest. Today, we switched it up a little and I got to carry Baby around in the carrier backpack. The ensemble is rather heavy but it was kinds nice to try it. The whole town is compact and most things are close enough together so it was a good day to try it out. On our way to the historic sites, we had a look into the church/mosque/church and promptly ran into a guided tour…Number 3 got his attention again but we waited for a bit to actually see something of the place and not have people everywhere.

Once at our destination, we started with the casa islamica, a replica of a dwelling from the Islamic period, based on the archaeological findings. It felt minuscule in scale. Tiny, tiny rooms though it had everything and more. There was even a room for weaving.

Right next to the casa islamica was the actual archaeological site. We marvelled at the mosaic which was still preserved in small parts and strolled through what was now the basement.

Afterwards, we had a look around the castle. It was mostly ramparts and a tower which closed for lunch right in our faces. I was secretly glad that I wouldn’t have to carry Baby up a tower. Also, it was lunch time and I was hungry. So we decided upon a restaurant and went on our way.

On the way out, we picked up jam and something close to muffins in a store and then fresh fruit in the market place. We still have so many oranges from the 5kg bag Flo picked up from the side of the road that we only went with the first strawberries and a fruit I haven’t actually seen before. No idea what it’s called.

The first place we tried for lunch was tiny and had no seats available. We hung around for a bit but it didn’t look promising so we decided to find something else. And so we did. Having to cater for a vegetarian still gets most places on the wrong foot…I got a plate full of steamed vegetables. They were yummy, don’t get me wrong, just…just not a full meal? So I ordered French fries to it while Flo devoured his lamb stew (of which Number 3 also approved).

Our plan for tomorrow is to visit Evora, a medieval city a bit further north. Our next camp site was still close to 2 hours away so after lunch we started on the drive. Number 3 had troubles falling asleep again but slept well once asleep. The weather turned on us and the clouds now started with a drizzle which turned into light rain. Despite the bumpy roads, we still enjoyed the drive. Stork nests still can be seen left and right.

As we turned into the camp ground, I had to open and close two gates to keep the sheep and cattle (and donkeys) in. It reminded me a lot of NZ when Flo and I did the Molesworth on the bike. Hop off, open gate, close gate, hop on. This time, it was easier though as I had to get out of the car, not down from the bike.

By now, it was raining. It took us a bit to find the reception of the “camp ground” which felt a lot like a meadow with a washing shed. It was lovely and quiet and full of animals…just hard to locate anyone in charge. Number 3 was super unhappy about being left in the car, then super unhappy about being put into his rain gear. Then, he was super unhappy about his teeth. At least, that’s what we think. He wasn’t really happy again until he was in bed hours later which made for a rather exhausting evening.

Since it was raining sideways, everything even under the tarp was slightly wet. Flo and I decided to stop trying too hard for tonight and crawled into the warm tent. One of the good things about camping with a baby is that you always make sure the tent is nice and dry and warm so if you need it for once, it’s already set up that way.

Storky nest
Storks wherever you look
Mértola castle
Mértola
I get to carry Number 3
Handwoven ponchos
Church door from the garden
Inside the church
Roman ruins
Guess that’s happy
Mosaic floor
Detail
Catacombs
From down below to up high
Castle wall and villagve
Castle tower
Crocheted trees
Rain at the camp ground
Wet sheep
McGyver or Hazmat?
Rain fog everywhere
Stomping around
Camp in rain, me in poncho
“Let me out”?

The night was interesting. Nina definitively had more issues with the wind than I had. The wind kept up at about 40 km/h all night – just about what our tents “ok for” rating was. I think I agree. It was about as loud as to be expected in a tent, but no structural issues or weird out-of-shape-ness.

Number 3 loves them, but Nine seems to be enjoying herself as well ,..

We wrapped up in record time and were on the road by 9:30 am. To have a good half-day in Carcassonne, we allowed the routing via toll roads – which was about 50 km longer but an hour faster. Turned out that the quickest way was a bit roundabout via Toulouse.

Good thing about toll roads are the excellent rest stops though. We could take our lunch on a quiet one just next to the canal du midi and be at the campground first thing it opens for new arrivals. We debated going to the old town first, but the camp was in a premium location apparently within walking distance of the attractions. It definitively had the views. We were all prepared to pay through the nose, but in the off season, prices were reasonable for a prime location. Good thing that we went here first. Soon it was almost filled with Spanish Easter holiday makers fleeing a spell of rain on the costa del sol. We got an excellent spot tucked away from the road but close to the facilities. Judging by the neighbours, an area reserved for families with toddlers!

Given that we had absolutely no plan to even be here a week ago, and mainly went because … well … you know, Carcassonne … gamers … you get the point. Given that, we were pretty chuffed with our first pick for sightseeing. Of course the old city (cité de Carcassonne) is mainly a large tourist attraction. But maybe due to the stubborn occitane spirit it has managed to stay just this side of the “Rüdesheim” point of disneyfication.

It was also a good test for the “kraxe” – the backpack-like baby carrier. It works, and Number 3 wholly approved of both the “throne” mode as well as the easy opportunity to stretch his legs from time to time.

We learned that we have to adjust our biorhythms a bit, though. Trying to find food at 5 pm falls right in the dead zone between the 3 pm end of lunch and the 7 pm start of dinner time. We still managed to scrounge something together – a bar with a super chill garden area near the wall had enough tapas to get us through. We even struck up a bit of a nice conversation with the next table over traveling with toddlers.

By the time we hiked the easy 30 minutes back to the camp, we were set and happy to add a day to recharge and refocus. 5 days straight on the road is quite enough, even without the little one. So we hopped by the reception and checked in for another night – the great little spot and clean facilities more than justified the 20% mark-up over our other campsites so far. Or maybe it was the promise of an actual French meal out, with some more time to plan it right …