We had bought our new home in December 2019. I say home, but as of August 2020 it was still a ruin and even planning permission was still a long way off. Anyway, we thought we would go up to explore the area and pop across the border to Galicia, Spain for some delicious seafood. The first stop was actually for some delicious seafood in Portugal at the excellent Tasquinha da Linda in Viana do Castelo. We had a seafood…
For us, September is holiday time and it usually means a road trip into Spain. We had an ulterior motive this time – we were also looking for a possible place to live. We had decided to head due north from our house in central Portugal to the Rias Baixas of Galicia. It was motorway most of the way so it only took us 3.5 hours to get to Camping Aldan. As it hadn’t taken us too long we had…
Easter, or rather the week leading up to Easter Sunday, Semana Santa, is probably the biggest festival in Spain and famous for age-old traditions specific to each region. Some of the most solemn and famous processions take place in the ancient capital of Spain, Toledo. We decided to find out for ourselves in Easter 2019. But first, football. My team, Liverpool were playing Porto in the Quarter-finals of the Champion’s League. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get tickets but we…
For us, September is holiday time and it usually means a road trip into Spain. This year we went to the Canyon del Sil in southern Galicia and then returned south to the Peneda Geres National Park in northern Portugal. The main objective was a bit of camping and walking but also to see a stage of La Vuelta de Espana bike race. Headed north at 9 am. 4.5 hrs, 385km. Canyon do Sil Campsite, pretty good, right on canyon…
In May 2016 we drove across Spain and over the Pyrenees into France to get in some hiking and enjoy pristine landscapes. This time we were going a bit further east. We hoped to see more of the Pyrenees but also to explore its medieval past, dip our toes in the Med and to forge on to the greatest medieval fortress city of the area, Carcassonne. But first of course, leaving our home in Portugal we had a fair bit…
In the middle of the boiling hot summer that was August 2016 we decided to take a few days away in the mountains of the Serra da Estrela. We had managed to book a house in the village of Videmonte, not far from Guarda, big enough for two adults and two hairy ones. It was a fairly short drive so we decided to stop off on the way in Guarda for lunch and a bit of a mooch. Like many…
Having followed the Tour de France on the TV for a number of years we had always wanted to visit the Pyrenees. This May our dream came true. As we don’t like driving for too long we decided to split the journey and visit another of the great cathedral cities of Spain – Burgos. But before even Burgos and just across the border we stopped for lunch in the delightful and picture perfect medieval town of Ciudad Rodrigo. Restored by…
For us, September is holiday time and it usually means a road trip into Spain. This year was going to be a long one – 3000kms in 10 days. It was long because a friend of ours had kindly lent us his holiday apartment which happened to be located in the far South East of Spain in a little pueblo blanco called Mojacar. As it was 900kms from our house in Portugal we weren’t going to attempt the journey in…
We had been avid watchers of the Tour de France for a number of years. Afternoons in July are often unbearably hot, so what better than to relax on the sofa and watch the peloton streaming through the beautiful French countryside. However, we wanted to see it in the flesh. Well the next best thing – the Spanish tour or “La Vuelta” and it was going through Asturias when we were due to go for our annual holiday. Asturias was…
Santiago de Compostela is supposed to be the final resting place of St. James (Santiago in Spanish) and so is also the end of the Camino de Santiago, one of the most famous pilgrimage routes for Roman Catholics. You are supposed to walk there from your home and although there is a route marked out from Portugal we decided to take the car. Located in the far North West of Spain and about 400kms due north from our home in…