Portugal 2
Even though we've been here well over a week there's not a
great deal to report. Last year in France, May was too early for the best
flowers whereas here in Portugal early June seems to be too late. The
land gets more parched as we move south. The north has more rain and is
therefore greener and more wooded.
Had an easy climb to the top of mainland Portugal's highest mountain at 1993 metres with as expected, spectacular if hazy views. One of Portugal's Kings had a 7 metre high tower built at the top so that Portugal's highest pointwas exactly 2000 metres. Oh, it was easy because we drove up.
We're currently meandering in a southerly direction close to the Spanish border, a sparely populated, empty, untouristy area. Very attractive countryside, dominated here by dehesa, which is a system of wooded pasture consisting of well spaced cork oaks with meadow beneath. Fantastic for the wildlife, both birds and flowers. Like everything else a landscape under threat because the use of plastic and metal wine stoppers means that cork oaks become a less commercial proposition. So to play your part in helping to save this fragile and important eco-system I have to ask you to drink a lot more wine from bottlles using real corks.
As an example of how empty it is, we've just been on a 13 km bike ride all on roads and taking just over an hour. After half an hour the first car passed us, two more in the next 20 minutes and even though we went through a small village we saw a total of only about 7 or 8 moving vehicles. This was between 5.30 and 6.30 in the evening. So no congestion system required here yet. On the way down we were on empty roads and then gound a brand new dual carriageway being built alongside for goodness knows what reason.
Still have only found the one Pizza place to eat in but we may have part of the answer. The site we're on is run by an Englishman who's been here 3 or 4 years. The small village nearby (the one we cycled through) is bigger than Bere Regis, smaller than Blandford. Gary, the campsite owner says he's still finding shops in town because they look like houses and it's only if you know that it's a shop, you know it's a shop, if you see what I mean. Restaurants appear to be the same in many places and even then only serve one or two Portuguese Specialties, which are probably not vegetarian or anything I'd like. So, I've just cooked a curry.
There are more fortified hill towns than you can shake a stick at. Partly tumbledown, new building on the outskirts, cobbled streets, town walls, few tourists, Roman remains, Visigoth remains, Knights Templar remains, no restaurants.
So far we've had sun every day and it's hot, sometimes with a surprisingly cool wind.
If anything special happens, we'll let you know.
Good to hear from those who've emailed.
Had an easy climb to the top of mainland Portugal's highest mountain at 1993 metres with as expected, spectacular if hazy views. One of Portugal's Kings had a 7 metre high tower built at the top so that Portugal's highest pointwas exactly 2000 metres. Oh, it was easy because we drove up.
We're currently meandering in a southerly direction close to the Spanish border, a sparely populated, empty, untouristy area. Very attractive countryside, dominated here by dehesa, which is a system of wooded pasture consisting of well spaced cork oaks with meadow beneath. Fantastic for the wildlife, both birds and flowers. Like everything else a landscape under threat because the use of plastic and metal wine stoppers means that cork oaks become a less commercial proposition. So to play your part in helping to save this fragile and important eco-system I have to ask you to drink a lot more wine from bottlles using real corks.
As an example of how empty it is, we've just been on a 13 km bike ride all on roads and taking just over an hour. After half an hour the first car passed us, two more in the next 20 minutes and even though we went through a small village we saw a total of only about 7 or 8 moving vehicles. This was between 5.30 and 6.30 in the evening. So no congestion system required here yet. On the way down we were on empty roads and then gound a brand new dual carriageway being built alongside for goodness knows what reason.
Still have only found the one Pizza place to eat in but we may have part of the answer. The site we're on is run by an Englishman who's been here 3 or 4 years. The small village nearby (the one we cycled through) is bigger than Bere Regis, smaller than Blandford. Gary, the campsite owner says he's still finding shops in town because they look like houses and it's only if you know that it's a shop, you know it's a shop, if you see what I mean. Restaurants appear to be the same in many places and even then only serve one or two Portuguese Specialties, which are probably not vegetarian or anything I'd like. So, I've just cooked a curry.
There are more fortified hill towns than you can shake a stick at. Partly tumbledown, new building on the outskirts, cobbled streets, town walls, few tourists, Roman remains, Visigoth remains, Knights Templar remains, no restaurants.
So far we've had sun every day and it's hot, sometimes with a surprisingly cool wind.
If anything special happens, we'll let you know.
Good to hear from those who've emailed.
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