Mérida sits around 60km to the east of Badajoz, upstream on the River Guadiana, the river which forms the southern part of the Spain-Portugal border. It took about an hour to drive across, under dirty grey skies and through the accompanying rain, but luckily for us the rain had subsidised by the time we parked … Read more
When writing last night’s update, we were parked up in the main square at Estremoz, waiting for the Eurovision music to be switched off. Well they did switch it off, but not long afterwards a band started playing in a hall near the square – we’re not sure whether it was a concert or some … Read more
We didn’t get a great night’s sleep last night thanks to the three (or more?) guard dogs in the factory unit opposite the aire, which decided to start barking away at 3:30AM. They disturbed the cockrels which then started crowing. It’s a residential area and I’m just glad I don’t live there! This morning we … Read more
In Zambujeira there’s a big billboard advertising an Intermarché supermarket in the next village, just 3 km away it says, so we thought we’d stop there on our way out to buy some groceries. It was more like double the distance away, and the signage was poor. At the final roundabout it wasn’t clear which … Read more
For the past couple of days we’ve been on a campsite in Zambujeira do Mar, which is a 10 minute walk from the village, with its restaurants and the beach. We’ve walked to the beach and back a couple of times each day. It was warm and sunny when we first arrived, but since then … Read more
Yesterday’s windy weather was supposed to blow itself out overnight, but how wrong the forecasts were – it just kept on blowing a gale all through the night and, with the van parked on an exposed area of the coastline, it was like trying to sleep through turbulence on a transatlantic flight. Neither of us … Read more
This morning we had a shocker of a drive. I’m going to need some new trainers before we get home, and there’s apparently a Sports Direct in Portimão, not far from Alvor. (I try to avoid shopping in Sports Direct, but they seem to be the only outlet that sells the trainers I like back … Read more
After a restful few days near Albufeira, we have now moved westward to Alvor. On the way over we filled up with LPG and diesel, and replenished our food and wine stocks (and the naughty cupboard) with a trip to the supermarket. I also had my back clicked by the chiropractor in Lagoa, which desperately … Read more
We’ve had a lovely few days here on the site. The weather’s been great, but as we’re not ones for sunbathing we’ve been sat under the van awning in the shade reading, surfing and listening to music. We’ve been out for a couple of walks, and I went for a ride on my bike on Saturday … Read more