Overland 2013/14 to Morocco

[giorgio]

Drink Porto wine for us too !Thanks for the suggestion, but I prefer Carmenere from Chile.
Thank you for condivide the photos ! Your welcome!
Everything ok ? Brilliant 'Flamenco Red' is performing like a Star!

Carmenere.... You need Sangiovese or my Malbo Gentile........

[XCovlov70]

Carmenere.... You need Sangiovese or my Malbo Gentile........

Thanks for the offer, but have already tried.

By the way Carmenere Grape is only grown and the wine made in Chile, it is not found anywhere else in the World!

[XCovlov70]

Stage 45 “Estremoz to Pomarinho”

“Bon Dia”

While today was a short trip, for us this is a new campsite and place to see in Portugal…..

As we make our way around Estremoz we see one of the few remaining Marble works in the area…..



While going around this traffic island is a nice little lady…..



Not far up the road is this sign to Sousel….



While on the hill in front is this Castle which has been filed away for a potential future visit….



As we get close to Portalegre we pass this little church…..



Then see the size of Portalegre in front……









While on the other side of the city and out in the countryside is this rather nice Bus Stop…..



Carrying on down the road we pass some workmen who are taking down some of the roadside trees…..



Then after a sharp right hand turn, followed by a left hand turn by the sign in the picture below….



We get into and set up on Camping Pomarinho…..



With the old ‘clothes mangle’ just outside the well kept and very nice facilities….



The next update if this one is successful will be tomorrow as the Internet from our current location is being an absolute PITA, slow Broadband and Poor Signal Strength!

Boa Tarde (Portuguese ‘Good night’)

[XCovlov70]

Stage 45A “From Pomarinho for a visit to Portalegre”

“Bon Dia”

After lunch as we arrived in Camping Pomarinho we went off into Portalegre for a visit as the weather forecast for tomorrow was looking decidedly bleak!

Having found a parking spot in this rather ‘hilly’ city, we then took in the view….





With a rather discreetly camouflaged Mobile Phone Mast in a very prominent position….



Then making our way between some flats (Condominiums) using more steps to climb up….



We come to the Englishman’s Cork Factory which is no longer in production and was called Robinsons…..





Part of the ‘Praca de Republica’ square…..



While this is the front of Robinsons Cork Factory……



The left hand corner has a bit of a ‘Desert Island’ feel to it and we expected to see Robinson Cruseo standing on the top of the structure in the middle of the little pond, but it seems like he was also made redundant!....



Just to give you some idea of how steep the roads were in this place!......





Then on one of the corners we see these three tiles set into the wall, all depicting scenes in the fields of days gone by…..



While up this narrow and quite steep road is the Castle Museum with the wooden structure across the road..…..



Up inside the ‘Tower’ of the castle this was the ceiling as to be honest there was nothing to see inside the building other than a number of completely empty rooms, and views out of the windows in between the wooden squares of the front....….





One of the very narrow ‘windows’ that you might get an arrow to fly out of…..



A different angle of the ceiling…..



One of the totally empty floors……



With views out of the windows……







While down on the ground floor, you could look through the glass doors but you could not go through the door to the outside. It seems that some people from Lisbon came and planned the wooden outside structure and also stopped you being able to go outside, which is rather sad as the place now really lacks any character….



Then when you got outside and around the back, this was all you could see…..





Moving into one of the squares we see this statue which like a number of others and buildings looked like they could do with a decent coat of paint, as the centre of this town looked in a bad way when compared to the bright and colourful other places we have seen in this short time in Portugal…..







Even the Cathedral could do with smartening up on the outside, while the inside did not look to good either….





At least the Stork was having a clean up!



Walking past the Cathedral, we came to the Municipal Museum which we went into and as ‘Pensioners’ we paid €1 each for a wonderful 3 hour visit with one of the ‘Curators’ whose name is António Sequeira and who took great pride in describing a larger number of the exhibits on display, and making it very interesting.
Sadly no photographs were allowed but António promised after I asked to send me a copy of the pictures of an Organ that was in a very poor state but whose pipes were made of Lead, while the organ itself was contained in a very ornately finished cabinet!



While it will take a considerable amount of money to restore the Organ it is hoped to be able to do it in the future…..



While the one item that we were allowed to take pictures of was this car….







Then it was time to get back to the campsite and settle for a nice sunset…..



The next day was a disaster as we were unable to go anywhere or do anything as the clouds came in and made sightseeing impossible!

Next stage will take us into Spain and a new location for us…..

Boa Tarde (Portuguese ‘Good night’)

[XCovlov70]

Stage 46 “Pomarinho (Portugal) to Montfrague (Spain)”

“Bon Dia”

Up and over a small mountain range we go and as we did the skies cleared up and we saw that BIG red ball in the sky again!…..

While seeing people using plastic bottles to get fresh water from the outlets at the side of the road as we travelled along…..



Then as we get into Castelo de Vide the castle is hiding in the low cloud!...





As we get through the village we come to this rather narrow stretch of road that you don’t really want to meet another vehicle coming towards you, even though there are some rather small passing places that we would not fit into!….



Successfully through but here you can see which way the wind blows…..



Coming into a place called Portagem……





Then over the river…..



While shortly we come to the Border between Portugal & Spain, now completely deserted, and feeling quite eerie as we pass by…..



Then pass the EU ‘Espana’ sign which was difficult to make out in the low light.…..



While now making our way down we are still in the National Park with the ruggedness of the rocks….



First village on the Spanish side…..







Then back into the countryside….





While in the next village we thought we had been shipped back into Africa!







Up to the top of the hill and into the village of….





As we pass this tower, completely on its own in the middle of a field and not sure what is was for or the significance of it, but 5 Storks were nesting on it…..



Coming into one of the peripheral towns of Caceras….





While on the far side is this field with poles that have been erected to allow the Storks to build their nests and rear their young……



Then we get onto the ‘Autovia’ (Toll free Motorway) and pass the under construction Madrid – Lisbon railway line and this bridge which on our way down was not complete is now complete from one side to the other…



Coming into Plasencia which is where our next campsite is….







So while the sunshine is around we will get set up and go back into the city as ‘Flamenco Red’ is not far off ‘running on fumes’!
While hopefully we can get back into the city tomorrow if the weather holds…

Unfortunately the Campsite Wi-Fi 'crashed' just before I got around to uploading this part, so we had to wait until we moved on to be able to do it!

Buenos Noches (Spanish ‘Good night’)

[ssicarman]

When I saw the picture with the Stork towers I immediately wondered if the Storks have issues finding the right nest. Like the housing developments that have all the same houses with the same colours.

[XCovlov70]

When I saw the picture with the Stork towers I immediately wondered if the Storks have issues finding the right nest. Like the housing developments that have all the same houses with the same colours.

Well if you can remember where you live, then I am sure they also get it right, otherwise they manage to get some 'Old Biddy' (Matron type Stork) "CLACKING" in their right ear telling them it's the wrong 'POLE' or some such words to that effect!

Boy am I glad I live in a house on it's own!!!

[XCovlov70]

Stage 46A “An afternoon of dodging the rain showers in Plasencia”

“Hola”

On our way into town it didn’t look to bad, that’s the weather by the way…..



Even with the low cloud on the hill opposite at least it wasn’t raining, but that changed very shortly after!...



After we found a place to park we headed for the old part of the city which seemed to be the most interesting part…..







Rather nice Old City Gate……



While on the other side of the gate…..



Up the road and we come into the area around the Cathedral….















As we get out of the Cathedral area and onto one of the main roads through the city…..



While going back up one of the side roads we come out in ‘Plaza Mayor’ which is a large square in the centre of the city….







With this group of elegantly dressed Carnival people…..



While just on one of the side alleys to Plaza Mayor is this Water Font…



Then at the end of the alley is this church with a dome which is growing grass on it!….



Out of Plaza Mayor and you are into the shopping area with all the narrow alleys…..





While something tells me this is a Pork Meat shop?



Then at the top of the city is this small square with a water fountain….



Which when you turn around there is the City Gate that you came through to see the fountain……



Going back through that City Gate and turning right and following the City Wall we come to…







As the rain starts to come down heavier we head back to ‘Flamenco Red’ while trying to stay out of the way of drivers who seem to travel extremely fast down the narrow lanes, honking their horns expecting you to more or less flatten yourself against the wall as they roar past!.....



Then back at the campsite with all limbs safely intact, the heavens open up and we head inside hoping it will stop so that we can get ready to hit the road again tomorrow for the next stage, then the 'Wi-Fi' 'DIES'!…..

Buenos Noches (Spanish ‘Good night’)

[ssicarman]

I begin to wonder if the WI-FI is dying or if you are murdering it. It seems it all works until you show up.

The one picture by the Cathedral were those orange trees with fruit on them at this time of year?

[XCovlov70]

I begin to wonder if the WI-FI is dying or if you are murdering it. It seems it all works until you show up.

Thanks! This was the first time any of the 'systems' have 'died' while some of them have been extremely slow.

The one picture by the Cathedral were those orange trees with fruit on them at this time of year?

Yes they are Oranges and you see the trees in cities, towns and villages in both Spain & Portugal but the fruit is very bitter and not edible.

For some reason when I try to put the replies inside the 'Quote' brackets I keep getting a message telling me my reply is to short, as I need more than 1 letter!!!