29 July
We stayed at a hotel right opposite the Gare St Jean as we had to catch a fast train to Paris at 5.35am. The day before we had returned our Peugeot 207 and farewelled our trusty GPS "friend and guide - Helen". Her guidance throughout our trip made all the difference.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Bordeaux
27 - 29 July
We found a campsite close to Bordeaux and from here spent the afternoon in the city. Public transport is really well organised. We drove a short distance to a "Park and Ride" where we parked the car and took a "tram" - which is really a very modern light rail system. The cost for parking and tram tickets return for the two of us was only E2.60 - about NZ $5. The rail network was very easy and convenient to use - a bit like an underground rail system, but all above ground.
Bordeaux reminded us of Paris with its stone buildings 3-4 storeys high with wrought iron balconies. The centre is very spacious and mainly pedestrian, although lots of people were riding bikes (and taking them on the trams which made for a squash at times).
The park land along the edge of the wide river Garonne has been developed quite recently and was very pleasant to stroll along. A very popular feature was the "Eau Miroire" - a simple idea but most effective. It was a large rectangle, about the size of a hockey field. The black tiles were covered in a few centimetres of water, giving a mirror effect. People were paddling around in it (lovely on the feet on a hot day!), but they seemed to be hanging about waiting, then suddenly cool steam erupted from vents creating a fog which was high enough to blot out all the people. After a few minutes that dispersed and smaller fountains of water played. This sequence was repeated over and over. Such a simple idea, but enjoyed by kids of all ages!
We spent the afternoon walking about the city - many impressive historic buildings in light coloured stone.
We found a campsite close to Bordeaux and from here spent the afternoon in the city. Public transport is really well organised. We drove a short distance to a "Park and Ride" where we parked the car and took a "tram" - which is really a very modern light rail system. The cost for parking and tram tickets return for the two of us was only E2.60 - about NZ $5. The rail network was very easy and convenient to use - a bit like an underground rail system, but all above ground.
Bordeaux reminded us of Paris with its stone buildings 3-4 storeys high with wrought iron balconies. The centre is very spacious and mainly pedestrian, although lots of people were riding bikes (and taking them on the trams which made for a squash at times).
The park land along the edge of the wide river Garonne has been developed quite recently and was very pleasant to stroll along. A very popular feature was the "Eau Miroire" - a simple idea but most effective. It was a large rectangle, about the size of a hockey field. The black tiles were covered in a few centimetres of water, giving a mirror effect. People were paddling around in it (lovely on the feet on a hot day!), but they seemed to be hanging about waiting, then suddenly cool steam erupted from vents creating a fog which was high enough to blot out all the people. After a few minutes that dispersed and smaller fountains of water played. This sequence was repeated over and over. Such a simple idea, but enjoyed by kids of all ages!
We spent the afternoon walking about the city - many impressive historic buildings in light coloured stone.
Bordeaux wine country
25 - 27 July
We left the Pyrenees behind and headed NW back towards Bordeaux, our destination being the township of St Emilion. We arrived late in the afternoon and were amazed how this lovely old township was absolutely overrun with tourists. It is surounded by vineyards and is one of the most famous Bordeaux wine growing regions. For the first time for a long time we could hear English (and American) being spoken around us. We had to drive about 20km to find a campsite that was not ridiculously over-priced, and found a wonderful quiet one and stopped here for two nights so that we could return to St Emilion for a full day visit. We did the tourist thing and caught a little train in St E that went on the roads for a tour around the surrounding wineries. We got off at one and inspected the underground limestone caves where the barrels are stored. The commentary was only in French, but we got the general idea.
In the afternoon we used a walking map to do a 2 1/2 hour walk ourselves through country lanes and vineyards. It was a hot day but a very scenic and enjoyable walk.
We left the Pyrenees behind and headed NW back towards Bordeaux, our destination being the township of St Emilion. We arrived late in the afternoon and were amazed how this lovely old township was absolutely overrun with tourists. It is surounded by vineyards and is one of the most famous Bordeaux wine growing regions. For the first time for a long time we could hear English (and American) being spoken around us. We had to drive about 20km to find a campsite that was not ridiculously over-priced, and found a wonderful quiet one and stopped here for two nights so that we could return to St Emilion for a full day visit. We did the tourist thing and caught a little train in St E that went on the roads for a tour around the surrounding wineries. We got off at one and inspected the underground limestone caves where the barrels are stored. The commentary was only in French, but we got the general idea.
In the afternoon we used a walking map to do a 2 1/2 hour walk ourselves through country lanes and vineyards. It was a hot day but a very scenic and enjoyable walk.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Back into France
23 - 24 July
We enjoyed returning into France, although quickly noticed that some essentials like coffe and ice creams were much more expensive. We continued our tour through the Pyrenees, now heading east as we wanted to explore the cols that we did not see in our last tour of France three years ago. We drove the Col de Marie Blanque (1035m), and on to a campsite at the start of the Col dÁubisque. At least camping in France was cheaper than Spain, and this was the most delightful campsite we experienced on our whole tour. It was grassy, expansive and had wonderful views of the surrounding mountains.
Next day we were disappointed to see the mountains above us were foggy, but we needn´t have despaired. As we climbed higher up the Col d´Aubisque (1709m) we rose above the clouds into wonderful alpine scenery. Both these cols are famous ones used in the Tour de France. For a change it was horses with bells grazing at the top - very photogenic!
We drove on to our final goal in the Pyrenees - the westward climb up the Col de Tourmalet which we had ridden up from the other side three years ago. Lots of cyclists were riding this famous col - some looked really knackered.
We enjoyed returning into France, although quickly noticed that some essentials like coffe and ice creams were much more expensive. We continued our tour through the Pyrenees, now heading east as we wanted to explore the cols that we did not see in our last tour of France three years ago. We drove the Col de Marie Blanque (1035m), and on to a campsite at the start of the Col dÁubisque. At least camping in France was cheaper than Spain, and this was the most delightful campsite we experienced on our whole tour. It was grassy, expansive and had wonderful views of the surrounding mountains.
Next day we were disappointed to see the mountains above us were foggy, but we needn´t have despaired. As we climbed higher up the Col d´Aubisque (1709m) we rose above the clouds into wonderful alpine scenery. Both these cols are famous ones used in the Tour de France. For a change it was horses with bells grazing at the top - very photogenic!
We drove on to our final goal in the Pyrenees - the westward climb up the Col de Tourmalet which we had ridden up from the other side three years ago. Lots of cyclists were riding this famous col - some looked really knackered.
Into the Spanish Pyrenees
19 - 22 July
It was time to head NW towards the Pyrenees, and our eventual destination of Bordeaux, France to return the car. We took a quick detour to visit Andorra - which is apparently a place to buy cheap petrol and diesel, as well as food, alcohol and general duty free shopping. We unfortunately had a full tank of diesel at the time. We did a supermarket shop, but were glad to escape from the strips of service stations and shopping malls.
Much more enjoyable was the alpine scenery, which was becoming more and more stunning as we headed westwards, crossing cols and valleys. Nice camping sites too.
The highlight of our time in the Spanish Pyrenees was a visit to Parc Nacional D´Aigues Tortes Sant Maurici. This is a small national park in the extreme NW of Catalonia. No cars are allowed in, no camping, shooting, fishing, swimming which keeps the park very prisitine. We bought tickets for a 4WD jeep trip in, which took us up steeply into the park, although the road was sealed. We got out at 1800m into a fairytale mountain scene of steep peaks, fir trees, boulders lakes and rivers. We did a 4 1/2 hour hike up to the main col in the park - Portarro at 2,427m. Here, as often at the cols, cows with bells were grazing. It was a wonderful day in the mountains and so photogenic!
This area was also famous for its very old Romanesque churches with distinctive bell towers. These date back to the 11th century, so we took the opportunity to visit one, and climb the bell tower.
Our last stops in Spain were in some delightful mountain villages. One was Ainsa which had a most interesting ecomuseum with the theme of protecting the ecology of the Pyrenees. They had a live collection of mountain birds that had been injured by power cables, or hunters. It was great to see owls and birds of prey close up. Power cables kill and injure many of these birds, and we since noticed bells or othr objects hanging from them to alert birds to the wires.
Our last camping in Spain was at another lovely little town, Valle de Hecho, and its sister town Anso up the valley was equally pretty. From here we headed over the Pyrenees via one of the quieter mountain passes into France - the Col de la Pierre Saint Martin 1765m - a most spectacular drive, again with brown cows complete with bells, grazing at the top.
It was time to head NW towards the Pyrenees, and our eventual destination of Bordeaux, France to return the car. We took a quick detour to visit Andorra - which is apparently a place to buy cheap petrol and diesel, as well as food, alcohol and general duty free shopping. We unfortunately had a full tank of diesel at the time. We did a supermarket shop, but were glad to escape from the strips of service stations and shopping malls.
Much more enjoyable was the alpine scenery, which was becoming more and more stunning as we headed westwards, crossing cols and valleys. Nice camping sites too.
The highlight of our time in the Spanish Pyrenees was a visit to Parc Nacional D´Aigues Tortes Sant Maurici. This is a small national park in the extreme NW of Catalonia. No cars are allowed in, no camping, shooting, fishing, swimming which keeps the park very prisitine. We bought tickets for a 4WD jeep trip in, which took us up steeply into the park, although the road was sealed. We got out at 1800m into a fairytale mountain scene of steep peaks, fir trees, boulders lakes and rivers. We did a 4 1/2 hour hike up to the main col in the park - Portarro at 2,427m. Here, as often at the cols, cows with bells were grazing. It was a wonderful day in the mountains and so photogenic!
This area was also famous for its very old Romanesque churches with distinctive bell towers. These date back to the 11th century, so we took the opportunity to visit one, and climb the bell tower.
Our last stops in Spain were in some delightful mountain villages. One was Ainsa which had a most interesting ecomuseum with the theme of protecting the ecology of the Pyrenees. They had a live collection of mountain birds that had been injured by power cables, or hunters. It was great to see owls and birds of prey close up. Power cables kill and injure many of these birds, and we since noticed bells or othr objects hanging from them to alert birds to the wires.
Our last camping in Spain was at another lovely little town, Valle de Hecho, and its sister town Anso up the valley was equally pretty. From here we headed over the Pyrenees via one of the quieter mountain passes into France - the Col de la Pierre Saint Martin 1765m - a most spectacular drive, again with brown cows complete with bells, grazing at the top.
Barcelona
17 July
We decided not to tackle driving into this large city, the second biggest in Spain. Instead we drove to a smaller town inland, Vilafranca del Penedes and booked into a nice tidy, clean pension for two nights. This was the centre of one of Spain´s famous wine growing regions. From here we took a train in the afternoon in to Barcelona - a one hour trip which took us right into the central Placa de Cataluna. Emerging here from underground we were quite overwhelmed with the crowds and how busy it was. Our first destination was Parc Guell - landscaped by Gaudi. We were to become very familiar with Gaudi´s works over our two days here. This park is free to visit - and was very crowded. It contained several Gaudi inspired buildings - kind of weird, ornate, bizarre "Hansel and Gretel" buildings.
18 July
Next morning we caught an early train in to Barcelona. Our goal was visiting La Sagrada Familia before the crowds - the famous cathedral designed by Gaudi and still under construction since his death about 50 years ago. It was well worth the expense of the tickets and headphones with English commentary - it was truly amazing, both inside and outside - and has to be one of the urban wonders of the world, even though it is only half finished. It was very interesting to see construction going on around us - lots of scaffolding inside and out. Also people were working on plaster models in preparation for design detail. We spent quite a lot of time in the underground museum beneath the cathedral. This cathedral was certainly the highlight of our visit to Barcelona - and was very photogenic!
We spent the rest of the day touring the city, sitting on top of an open air double decker bus. We were able to get on and off as we wished and our tickets included three different routes around this vast city. Many sights to see! - the site of the 1992 Olympics, the Mediterranean port area, and walking the famous La Rambla - a wide and extremely crowded pedestrian street that stretches from the port area to the central Placa de Cataluna.
We decided not to tackle driving into this large city, the second biggest in Spain. Instead we drove to a smaller town inland, Vilafranca del Penedes and booked into a nice tidy, clean pension for two nights. This was the centre of one of Spain´s famous wine growing regions. From here we took a train in the afternoon in to Barcelona - a one hour trip which took us right into the central Placa de Cataluna. Emerging here from underground we were quite overwhelmed with the crowds and how busy it was. Our first destination was Parc Guell - landscaped by Gaudi. We were to become very familiar with Gaudi´s works over our two days here. This park is free to visit - and was very crowded. It contained several Gaudi inspired buildings - kind of weird, ornate, bizarre "Hansel and Gretel" buildings.
18 July
Next morning we caught an early train in to Barcelona. Our goal was visiting La Sagrada Familia before the crowds - the famous cathedral designed by Gaudi and still under construction since his death about 50 years ago. It was well worth the expense of the tickets and headphones with English commentary - it was truly amazing, both inside and outside - and has to be one of the urban wonders of the world, even though it is only half finished. It was very interesting to see construction going on around us - lots of scaffolding inside and out. Also people were working on plaster models in preparation for design detail. We spent quite a lot of time in the underground museum beneath the cathedral. This cathedral was certainly the highlight of our visit to Barcelona - and was very photogenic!
We spent the rest of the day touring the city, sitting on top of an open air double decker bus. We were able to get on and off as we wished and our tickets included three different routes around this vast city. Many sights to see! - the site of the 1992 Olympics, the Mediterranean port area, and walking the famous La Rambla - a wide and extremely crowded pedestrian street that stretches from the port area to the central Placa de Cataluna.
Tarragona
16 July
We spent a day in this city, famous for its Roman ruins.
We bought a "global ticket" and saw a wide range of interesting ruins, including the forum, an amphitheatre, a chariot racing area, with amazing underground tunnels, and walked along the old roman walls.
We camped just north of the city, near a nice beach, but our campsite was sandwiched between a busy railway line and a busy road so it wasn´t exactly peaceful. This was typical of our impressions of this part of the coast of Spain - nice beaches, but we were driving on very busy roads which were through industrial and commercial areas, so not very scenic.
We spent a day in this city, famous for its Roman ruins.
We bought a "global ticket" and saw a wide range of interesting ruins, including the forum, an amphitheatre, a chariot racing area, with amazing underground tunnels, and walked along the old roman walls.
We camped just north of the city, near a nice beach, but our campsite was sandwiched between a busy railway line and a busy road so it wasn´t exactly peaceful. This was typical of our impressions of this part of the coast of Spain - nice beaches, but we were driving on very busy roads which were through industrial and commercial areas, so not very scenic.
Heading north along the Spanish coast to Barcelona
15-16 July
We camped near the mouth of the river Ebro. This is a huge river delta and is a vast rice growing area. European camping grounds never have anywhere to cook or sit and eat, so we took our cold salad dinner to have at the only available table and chairs which were in the childrens´playground. Children were kicking soccer balls and playing badminton all around us. It was 9 pm by this time - a very early dinner time by Spanish standards. We headed off to bed at 10pm, about the time the locals started eating.
We camped near the mouth of the river Ebro. This is a huge river delta and is a vast rice growing area. European camping grounds never have anywhere to cook or sit and eat, so we took our cold salad dinner to have at the only available table and chairs which were in the childrens´playground. Children were kicking soccer balls and playing badminton all around us. It was 9 pm by this time - a very early dinner time by Spanish standards. We headed off to bed at 10pm, about the time the locals started eating.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Valencia
14 July
It was a long haul on the motorway eastwards to the coast and Valencia. Many times we had seen a sign beside the road saying "Disculpen las Molestias". We thought this must be some campaign to discipline child molesters. However on carefully checking our Spanish dictionary it turned out that this sign meant "Sorry for the inconvenience" (road works).
We searched around a bit for a camp site on the coast south of Valencia - certainly saw orange trees growing, but this area is covered in extensive rice fields, and reminded us of our trip to Japan. It is the birthplace of paella. The area was rather run down and derelict and with its flat low lying swamps, reminded us also of Louisiana. High rise apartment buildings lined the beach front.
After setting up our tent in a campsite - Devesa Gardens, also termed by us Devesa prison for its extreme security fencing, barriers etc. It was also the most expensive camping of our whole trip 27 Euros (NZ $ 54) to camp on stones. We decided to go in and look at Valencia in the evening. We caught a bus in, cheap and glad not to drive on such busy roads, but not a particularly pretty trip. Once we arrived in the central city we were amazed at how busy and lively Valencia was - and this was a Monday night! Crowded with people and everyone in a rush. We were getting quite hungry but were told at one restaurant that they did not start serving until 8.30pm (we are in Spain after all where people often do not eat until 10pm). Fortunately we found a place that would serve us and we enjoyed a tasty paella.
15 July
Heading northwards from Valencia along the coast we took a morning stop at Sagunto, which turned out to be most interesting. We walked up to a large derelict castle along a ridge above the town.
Next stop was at a very popular long beach with the unfortunate name of Peniscola - it´s name hasn´t kept the crowds away, and it is a beautiful long golden Mediterranean beach.
It was a long haul on the motorway eastwards to the coast and Valencia. Many times we had seen a sign beside the road saying "Disculpen las Molestias". We thought this must be some campaign to discipline child molesters. However on carefully checking our Spanish dictionary it turned out that this sign meant "Sorry for the inconvenience" (road works).
We searched around a bit for a camp site on the coast south of Valencia - certainly saw orange trees growing, but this area is covered in extensive rice fields, and reminded us of our trip to Japan. It is the birthplace of paella. The area was rather run down and derelict and with its flat low lying swamps, reminded us also of Louisiana. High rise apartment buildings lined the beach front.
After setting up our tent in a campsite - Devesa Gardens, also termed by us Devesa prison for its extreme security fencing, barriers etc. It was also the most expensive camping of our whole trip 27 Euros (NZ $ 54) to camp on stones. We decided to go in and look at Valencia in the evening. We caught a bus in, cheap and glad not to drive on such busy roads, but not a particularly pretty trip. Once we arrived in the central city we were amazed at how busy and lively Valencia was - and this was a Monday night! Crowded with people and everyone in a rush. We were getting quite hungry but were told at one restaurant that they did not start serving until 8.30pm (we are in Spain after all where people often do not eat until 10pm). Fortunately we found a place that would serve us and we enjoyed a tasty paella.
15 July
Heading northwards from Valencia along the coast we took a morning stop at Sagunto, which turned out to be most interesting. We walked up to a large derelict castle along a ridge above the town.
Next stop was at a very popular long beach with the unfortunate name of Peniscola - it´s name hasn´t kept the crowds away, and it is a beautiful long golden Mediterranean beach.
In the middle of Spain
13 - 14 July
We took two interesting stops during this drive. First Consuegra, a small farming town famous for several well preserved windmills of the type made famous by Don Quiote - aligned along a ridge, they were most photogenic. In the distance was a modern wind farm, one of many we have seen in our travels through France, Portugal and Spain. We thought NZ was well advanced with wind farms, but there are a great many in europe.
The second stop was in the Parque Natural de las Lagunas de Ruidera - a ribbon of 14 small lagoons. The water was strikingly blue and contrasted with the fairly arid scrubby terain around. It made a nice spot for a picnic lunch. The scenery in these parts reminded us of Australia - red soils, scrubby bush, vineyards -but with olive trees as well.
Our destination was Cuenca - famous for its old town and particularly a few houses dating back to the middle ages which overhang high steep cliffs.
Our campground near Cuenca was very nice, with plenty of space and best of all, we were on grass! Most of the tent sites in Spain were on gravel, and surprisingly we got quite good at sleeping well on grit (thank goodness for our poofta pads).
We took two interesting stops during this drive. First Consuegra, a small farming town famous for several well preserved windmills of the type made famous by Don Quiote - aligned along a ridge, they were most photogenic. In the distance was a modern wind farm, one of many we have seen in our travels through France, Portugal and Spain. We thought NZ was well advanced with wind farms, but there are a great many in europe.
The second stop was in the Parque Natural de las Lagunas de Ruidera - a ribbon of 14 small lagoons. The water was strikingly blue and contrasted with the fairly arid scrubby terain around. It made a nice spot for a picnic lunch. The scenery in these parts reminded us of Australia - red soils, scrubby bush, vineyards -but with olive trees as well.
Our destination was Cuenca - famous for its old town and particularly a few houses dating back to the middle ages which overhang high steep cliffs.
Our campground near Cuenca was very nice, with plenty of space and best of all, we were on grass! Most of the tent sites in Spain were on gravel, and surprisingly we got quite good at sleeping well on grit (thank goodness for our poofta pads).
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Central Spain - Avila and Toledo
12 July
We had been recommended to stop at Avila, a medieval town famous for its buttressed wall with 88 watchtowers that surround the old town. We did a walk along the walls, which are most impressive, and also visited the Basilica de San Vicente - a huge and beautiful church with both Romanesque and Gothic architecture.
We climbed by car steadily from Avila to Toledo - still lots of farming, even at the summit of 1400m there were farms with sheep, goats and beef cattle.
We found a very nice camp site near Toledo, which had a good view of the city from the swimming pool! We took an evening walk into the city (still 33 degrees at 7.30pm!). The main souvenirs here are swords, but we decided we didn't really need one. The usual medieval lanes, cathedral, but Toledo's famous builing is the Alcazar, a massive stone fortress that has had a range of uses through time, now to be a museum of the Spanish civil war.
Two lots of sightseeing in one day - we slept well that night!
We had been recommended to stop at Avila, a medieval town famous for its buttressed wall with 88 watchtowers that surround the old town. We did a walk along the walls, which are most impressive, and also visited the Basilica de San Vicente - a huge and beautiful church with both Romanesque and Gothic architecture.
We climbed by car steadily from Avila to Toledo - still lots of farming, even at the summit of 1400m there were farms with sheep, goats and beef cattle.
We found a very nice camp site near Toledo, which had a good view of the city from the swimming pool! We took an evening walk into the city (still 33 degrees at 7.30pm!). The main souvenirs here are swords, but we decided we didn't really need one. The usual medieval lanes, cathedral, but Toledo's famous builing is the Alcazar, a massive stone fortress that has had a range of uses through time, now to be a museum of the Spanish civil war.
Two lots of sightseeing in one day - we slept well that night!
Spain - Salamanca
11 July
We drove in from our campsite to Salamanca and once we started to see clocks realised we had forgotten that there is a 1 hour time difference between Portugal and Spain, so it was already 11am - a late start for the day, but very Spanish!
We were instantly impressed with Salamanca -its beautiful architecture, warm sandstone colours -all a rich red brown. The spacious central Plaza Mayor was stunning. We followed a walking tour from our trusty Lonely Planet guide and had a wonderful day enjoying this lovely city. One of the highlights was a tour through the old and "new" (several hundred years' old!)cathedrals which allowed us to walk up to roof level with its views over the city. Owen did a walk at great height around a balcony inside the walls of the new cathedral, but I didn't have a head for such heights.
We drove in from our campsite to Salamanca and once we started to see clocks realised we had forgotten that there is a 1 hour time difference between Portugal and Spain, so it was already 11am - a late start for the day, but very Spanish!
We were instantly impressed with Salamanca -its beautiful architecture, warm sandstone colours -all a rich red brown. The spacious central Plaza Mayor was stunning. We followed a walking tour from our trusty Lonely Planet guide and had a wonderful day enjoying this lovely city. One of the highlights was a tour through the old and "new" (several hundred years' old!)cathedrals which allowed us to walk up to roof level with its views over the city. Owen did a walk at great height around a balcony inside the walls of the new cathedral, but I didn't have a head for such heights.
Last days in Portugal - Douro valley and bird watching
8 -9 July
The Douro valley is Portugal's premier port and wine growing region, so we had to check it out. The Douro river is set in a spectacular deep gorge, with grapes growing on the steep sides, almost on bare rock. Lots of hairpin bends to cross this river. For a change we spent a day on trains as this is the best way to view the scenery. We started on a small railcar which took 2 hours down a steep gorge to the main river, and then trips on bigger trains along the Douro. A very enjoyable day with fabulous vineyard scenery along this very wide river.
10 July
Our last day in Portugal turned out to be one of the highlights. We drove through the Parque Natural de Douro Internacional. We took stops at three viewpoints to watch huge birds of prey soaring up and along the cliffs of the upper Douru river. Great views looking across the river to the high plains of Spain which we were about to enter.
We crossed the Douro over a hydro dam into Spain and wound back up to the plateau, where for the first time we saw extensive beef cattle farming.
The Douro valley is Portugal's premier port and wine growing region, so we had to check it out. The Douro river is set in a spectacular deep gorge, with grapes growing on the steep sides, almost on bare rock. Lots of hairpin bends to cross this river. For a change we spent a day on trains as this is the best way to view the scenery. We started on a small railcar which took 2 hours down a steep gorge to the main river, and then trips on bigger trains along the Douro. A very enjoyable day with fabulous vineyard scenery along this very wide river.
10 July
Our last day in Portugal turned out to be one of the highlights. We drove through the Parque Natural de Douro Internacional. We took stops at three viewpoints to watch huge birds of prey soaring up and along the cliffs of the upper Douru river. Great views looking across the river to the high plains of Spain which we were about to enter.
We crossed the Douro over a hydro dam into Spain and wound back up to the plateau, where for the first time we saw extensive beef cattle farming.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Heading to the highest point in Portugal
6 and 7 July
We packed up and left our house at Nazare, had a last coffee there (NZ$1 for two coffees ...), took some last photos of the "black widows". Nazare is famous for these elderly women sitting in chairs waving signs for "rooms, zimmer, chambres". They wear short black dresses with heaps of petticoats underneath - traditional but actually not very flattering.
We headed inland to a central mountain national park, Parque Natural da Serra da Estrada. Pleased to get away from city and beach traffic. Nazare got exceedingly busy during the 8 days we were there - glad we saw it before the masses arrived.
Spectacular peaceful mountain scenery. Lots of granite strewn around. Camped in a camping ground at 1065 m and felt the cold at night! It was only 11 deg when we drove off in the morning. A hairpin bend road, but all sealed, took us up to Torre, Portugal's highest peak at 2,000m. There is a small ski run here. After this who should we meet on the road, but Selwyn Palmer and John Rix two orienteers from NZ who we knew were planning to tramp here. They were walking up the road to start a 4 day tramp in the Serra Estrada! Nice to catch up with them again. They had stayed at a hotel in the town of Mandeigas which we were heading for. As the price was good we decided to do the same (no camping ground nearby was our justification).
In the afternoon we attempted to do a mountain walk from the town as described in the Lonely Planet. Well the information is not accurate. We ended up doing a 4 1/2 hour trek, mainly on sealed country roads to our destination Poco d'Inferno. Not really an inferno, just some pools and waterfalls - the sort of thing you could see anywhere on a tramp in NZ - but the mountain setting and forest was nice. We met a Dutch couple who had the same problems using their Lonely Planet trying to get there - but they had taken their car this time! Must write to LP...
We packed up and left our house at Nazare, had a last coffee there (NZ$1 for two coffees ...), took some last photos of the "black widows". Nazare is famous for these elderly women sitting in chairs waving signs for "rooms, zimmer, chambres". They wear short black dresses with heaps of petticoats underneath - traditional but actually not very flattering.
We headed inland to a central mountain national park, Parque Natural da Serra da Estrada. Pleased to get away from city and beach traffic. Nazare got exceedingly busy during the 8 days we were there - glad we saw it before the masses arrived.
Spectacular peaceful mountain scenery. Lots of granite strewn around. Camped in a camping ground at 1065 m and felt the cold at night! It was only 11 deg when we drove off in the morning. A hairpin bend road, but all sealed, took us up to Torre, Portugal's highest peak at 2,000m. There is a small ski run here. After this who should we meet on the road, but Selwyn Palmer and John Rix two orienteers from NZ who we knew were planning to tramp here. They were walking up the road to start a 4 day tramp in the Serra Estrada! Nice to catch up with them again. They had stayed at a hotel in the town of Mandeigas which we were heading for. As the price was good we decided to do the same (no camping ground nearby was our justification).
In the afternoon we attempted to do a mountain walk from the town as described in the Lonely Planet. Well the information is not accurate. We ended up doing a 4 1/2 hour trek, mainly on sealed country roads to our destination Poco d'Inferno. Not really an inferno, just some pools and waterfalls - the sort of thing you could see anywhere on a tramp in NZ - but the mountain setting and forest was nice. We met a Dutch couple who had the same problems using their Lonely Planet trying to get there - but they had taken their car this time! Must write to LP...
WMOC final - Sat 5 July
Thanks to my two second placings, I was delighted with my start position and had a great run, just a couple of blemishes at control 9 and 10 (from memory). I think some of the top runners may have been holding back a bit in the qualifiers! The Russian woman who won in 42 minutes was truly amazing, 10 minutes faster than me! The sand was often soft and hard to move across, and it was a more physical course than we had previously. Even more like Waitarere with some deep depressions and steeper sand dune climbs. 12th was pleasing for me, it would have been very hard to make the top 10. Also pleased to see so many NZers achieved good results here.
Our last evening in Nazare, we went out for dinner with Craig, Carey and Marty. Carey was celebrating a good run too - 8th in her grade I think. It was a tiny family restaurant in one of the many narrow lanes in the town, sitting outside in the lane. The owner brought us a tray of fish for us to select which to have BBQed. It was a wonderful dinner. Afterwards Owen and I rode up the cable car to look down on the lights of town and beach of Nazare below us.
Our last evening in Nazare, we went out for dinner with Craig, Carey and Marty. Carey was celebrating a good run too - 8th in her grade I think. It was a tiny family restaurant in one of the many narrow lanes in the town, sitting outside in the lane. The owner brought us a tray of fish for us to select which to have BBQed. It was a wonderful dinner. Afterwards Owen and I rode up the cable car to look down on the lights of town and beach of Nazare below us.
Sintra
Friday 4 July
A rest day before the WMOC final.
Drove to Sintra which is a large plateau / mountainous forested area just north of Lisbon. It is famous for its fairytale castles. We visited three - first the National Palace. Owen was taken with the Magpie room - full of painted magpies on the ceiling - a cyclist's nightmare? Next the Moorish castle, although Moorish in origin it has been much converted into 19th century romantic version. Set on a mountain top, with lots of open walls, ramparts, towers, it was very photogenic. Finally the Pena National Palace - was reconstructed in Bavarian style in the 1840's, very quirky, colourful - a jumble of styles and again very photogenic. Saturated with castles, we drove home.
A rest day before the WMOC final.
Drove to Sintra which is a large plateau / mountainous forested area just north of Lisbon. It is famous for its fairytale castles. We visited three - first the National Palace. Owen was taken with the Magpie room - full of painted magpies on the ceiling - a cyclist's nightmare? Next the Moorish castle, although Moorish in origin it has been much converted into 19th century romantic version. Set on a mountain top, with lots of open walls, ramparts, towers, it was very photogenic. Finally the Pena National Palace - was reconstructed in Bavarian style in the 1840's, very quirky, colourful - a jumble of styles and again very photogenic. Saturated with castles, we drove home.
Nazare
Wed 2 July and Thursday 3 July
Qualification races for WMOC final - runs went well and came 2nd in both.
Otherwise we relaxed at Nazare, and visited a nearby beautiful well-preserved medieval town, Obidos. Preparations were being made in the castle for a medieval festival, so there were lots of extra authentic medieval buildings being put up within the castle. We walked along the ramparts, or rather I clung to the crenelations (spelling?), there were huge drop offs. There was a sign saying children should be supervised - I would never take a child up there! OSH obviously more relaxed here.
Qualification races for WMOC final - runs went well and came 2nd in both.
Otherwise we relaxed at Nazare, and visited a nearby beautiful well-preserved medieval town, Obidos. Preparations were being made in the castle for a medieval festival, so there were lots of extra authentic medieval buildings being put up within the castle. We walked along the ramparts, or rather I clung to the crenelations (spelling?), there were huge drop offs. There was a sign saying children should be supervised - I would never take a child up there! OSH obviously more relaxed here.
Lisbon
Tuesday 1 July
We decided to catch a bus to Lisbon for a day trip (2 hours). We followed a walking tour as outlined in the Lonely Planet - except missed the bit about catching a tram to the top of the hill were the castle was - so a big hike up through the old town. The castle was worth it though and had great views looking down on the town and bridges. There was a geocache in the castle, one where you post a photo of yourself at the spot indicated. Overall, we were glad we visited Lisbon, but did not feel it had the features of some of the other cities we have visited so far.
We decided to catch a bus to Lisbon for a day trip (2 hours). We followed a walking tour as outlined in the Lonely Planet - except missed the bit about catching a tram to the top of the hill were the castle was - so a big hike up through the old town. The castle was worth it though and had great views looking down on the town and bridges. There was a geocache in the castle, one where you post a photo of yourself at the spot indicated. Overall, we were glad we visited Lisbon, but did not feel it had the features of some of the other cities we have visited so far.
Nazare
Sat 28 June
We had a leisurely day exploring the town. Wonderful tiny little lanes with cafes, restaurants, shops. We fell across the large covered market - a huge array of fish, summer fruits and vegetables all at good prices. Managed a few purchases with a mixture of pointing and nodding and one word we have mastered - obrigato - thank you. We walked up the cliff path to an even older part of the town which has amazing views looking down on the town and the beach. There is a cable car going up which we took later on our last evening to see the lights.
Sun 28 June
Sprint qualifier race - straight into narrow medieval lanes below a castle - got thrown by the first two controls, then settled down to enjoy the rest of the race. The longer courses went into the castle, which we visited later in the afternoon when the racing was over.
Then on to a famous monastery at Alcobaca - not far from our house. Large and truly amazing walking through the church, various dormitories, refectory. The highlight was the kitchen with its massive chimneys and a huge marble table for rolling out the pastry. Gastronomy was a high priority here in the past. If monks could not fit through a small doorway to a bathroom they were made to diet.
Monday 30 June
Sprint final race at Praia da Viera (praia means beach).
Because of yesterday´s bad start I was in the B final. We started in a pine forest adjcaent to the town, then into tiny medieval lanes and suddenly out to a modern beach promenade - all in 1.3km! To my surprise I easily won the B final. Went on to do some forest training at a model event with Sue and Robert. Beautiful open pine forest, very like Santoft.
We had a leisurely day exploring the town. Wonderful tiny little lanes with cafes, restaurants, shops. We fell across the large covered market - a huge array of fish, summer fruits and vegetables all at good prices. Managed a few purchases with a mixture of pointing and nodding and one word we have mastered - obrigato - thank you. We walked up the cliff path to an even older part of the town which has amazing views looking down on the town and the beach. There is a cable car going up which we took later on our last evening to see the lights.
Sun 28 June
Sprint qualifier race - straight into narrow medieval lanes below a castle - got thrown by the first two controls, then settled down to enjoy the rest of the race. The longer courses went into the castle, which we visited later in the afternoon when the racing was over.
Then on to a famous monastery at Alcobaca - not far from our house. Large and truly amazing walking through the church, various dormitories, refectory. The highlight was the kitchen with its massive chimneys and a huge marble table for rolling out the pastry. Gastronomy was a high priority here in the past. If monks could not fit through a small doorway to a bathroom they were made to diet.
Monday 30 June
Sprint final race at Praia da Viera (praia means beach).
Because of yesterday´s bad start I was in the B final. We started in a pine forest adjcaent to the town, then into tiny medieval lanes and suddenly out to a modern beach promenade - all in 1.3km! To my surprise I easily won the B final. Went on to do some forest training at a model event with Sue and Robert. Beautiful open pine forest, very like Santoft.
Nazare
Friday 27 June
A coastal drive southwards. We stopped to visit Figueira da Foz. This was a seaside with a difference! Although sunny, it was really foggy over the sea. We walked on a 300m boardwalk over golden sand through the fog - the sea was out of sight, so was the town. Eventually we were able to make out the sea. It looked grey and the waves looked dangerous. Amazingly this huge beach becomes full of people in high summer.
Then on to the orienteering event centre at Marinha Grande. It was nice to quickly catch up with a lot of NZ orienteers. A warm up race started on a forest on the edge of town. A hot afternoon, 30 deg and my course turned out to be 8km. I skipped a lot of controls and still had a run of over an hour.
Finding our house at Nazare was quite an epic - with the help of our in car GPS and phone calls to Carey who was aready there we finally located it. It is a really spacious well-appointed 3 level house with three bathrooms and a roof terrace with views over the town and beach. (Makes a nice change from camping!). We shared the house with Carey and Craig Nazzer and 12 year old Marty, and Sue Scott and Rob Newbrook - all from Taranaki.
A coastal drive southwards. We stopped to visit Figueira da Foz. This was a seaside with a difference! Although sunny, it was really foggy over the sea. We walked on a 300m boardwalk over golden sand through the fog - the sea was out of sight, so was the town. Eventually we were able to make out the sea. It looked grey and the waves looked dangerous. Amazingly this huge beach becomes full of people in high summer.
Then on to the orienteering event centre at Marinha Grande. It was nice to quickly catch up with a lot of NZ orienteers. A warm up race started on a forest on the edge of town. A hot afternoon, 30 deg and my course turned out to be 8km. I skipped a lot of controls and still had a run of over an hour.
Finding our house at Nazare was quite an epic - with the help of our in car GPS and phone calls to Carey who was aready there we finally located it. It is a really spacious well-appointed 3 level house with three bathrooms and a roof terrace with views over the town and beach. (Makes a nice change from camping!). We shared the house with Carey and Craig Nazzer and 12 year old Marty, and Sue Scott and Rob Newbrook - all from Taranaki.
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