Category: Blog Post

31st January 2018 – 03rd January 2018

As we left the concrete coastline of Marbella and Puerto Banus and headed for the hills, both David and I both said it was like a breath of fresh air to be heading inland. Now obviously this is just our opinion and we would have left earlier if it hadn’t been for hiring our little Fiat 500. The Fiat 500 was the best thing about our week around Marbella, followed by our first English Roast in four months (except for the ones I have cooked) and a traditional English Fry up ! We felt our wings spread open again as we travelled to the mountains and glimpsed the snow capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada. The trees are blossoming and there are some beautiful purple flowers scattering the countryside. Olive trees are in abundance with Spain being the country with the highest number of olive trees (more than 300 million) and is now the world’s leading olive and olive oil producer, with Andalusia accounting for 80% of production and the largest olive growing area on the planet. Orders being taken on a first come fist served basis for delivery in early March.

We settled into our little stopover a traditional Spanish site, small and personable and we could see the sky, no trees above us, hurrah. (Oh the little things !). We decided to stay for 4 nights which would give us plenty of time to explore the city of Granada and the Charles V palace in Alhambra (The Red One). The ruins were renovated and rebuilt in the mid 13th Century and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wow, our list of visits to these sites is growing!

Our first day we set off on our bikes, again only because no dogs on buses, in taxis etc. David attached Chloe’s mode of transport to the back of his bike and with me behind we set off for the 30 minute ride into the city centre. I wish I had a Go Pro on my head, because the look on people’s faces as we passed would make a great YouTube video. Chloe’s buggy is obviously very unique in Granada. The other thing with Granada is that they have no places to leave your bikes, mopeds yes, but not bicycles. Obviously, with our only mode of transport being our bikes and Chloe’s buggy to get around, they are precious and so we always worry if they will be there when we get back. In the end and to stop David getting even more stressed we attached them to a lamppost outside the cathedral. David took photos and we hoped they would be there when we returned. First stop was the nearest cafe and two caffe con leche to calm the nerves, before we set off to explore the city with it’s cobbled winding streets. Due to time of year a lot of the restaurants, cafes etc were closed and it must be amazing during the warmer months. It is a great place to wander and loose yourselves. As we climbed the cobbles and heard the soothing sound of the traditional Spanish guitarist, we forgot about the bikes.

The next day with tickets booked we headed off to Alhambra. Now we had been advised on various forums to purchase your tickets in advance and so the site we are staying at booked them the day before with entrance to The Palace at our allotted time. If you ever visit, book in advance ! It was the coldest day of our ‘Once in a Lifetime’ adventure so far. With 4 layers on, minus my hat as I couldn’t find it. We set off in the taxi leaving Chloe on guard in the van. David even had trousers and his thick coat on ! It is beautiful and we think even more beautiful on a warmer day when it is not so windy. The Palace is one of Spain’s major tourist attractions, exhibiting Islamic architecture. The gardens are planted with oranges, roses and myrtles and there is a dense wood of elms said to have been brought by the Duke of Wellington in 1812. There are fountains and cascades all over the gardens. The detail in the wood carvings and the inlaid work is stunning and it is a place to visit, just on a warmer day in Spring or early Summer !

Our 4 nights are up and with the snow covered mountains in the distance we need to head South again to the warmer weather. We are turning into geckos.

22nd January 2018 – 30th January 2018

We arrived at our stop for a week to find that it was nearly full and as we wing it and didn’t book, we found ourselves in an area sheltered by trees and no sun. Now the saga with shade and sun continues in our little world where ever we are ! In addition to this, there are the abundance of the pine processionary caterpillar. Never heard of them ? Well neither had we, until our other trusted motorhome friends on facebook posted information about them. They are little but deadly caterpillars that devastate pine trees but the hairs of the caterpillar larvae cause harmful reactions in humans and especially dogs if they come into contact with them and in severe cases kill your dog. Now, once I heard this I have read a whole library on these deadly beasts. Now armed with antihistamines to give Chloe immediately if she comes into contact and water to flush the tiny hairs from her mouth, I was constantly on guard if I saw any of the tennis ball size nest in the trees, which look very much like candy floss. This year is one of the worst for the infestation and this area had a high level of candy floss ball in the pine trees.

We decided to hire a car to see the area and booked a Fiat 500 for a week. Now what a great little car these are, loved it and so did Chloe ! We visited Rhonda in the hills with the oldest Bullring in Spain, although our little car did struggle up there, glad we didn’t take the motorhome. A picturesque Spanish town, as was Mijas, again in the hills and visited by coach loads of Chinese/Japanese tourists who love riding about on the famous donkeys with their selfie sticks. We cruised up and down the coastline, from Estapona to Nerja over the week, Torre del Mar and Nerja lifted our hearts after visiting Puerto Banus but after a week we couldn’t wait to escape. Especially after a fellow neighbour had told David that when he had visited Puerto Banus last year and was walking along the marina, he saw a beautiful looking woman in a skinny bikini walking along with a long gold lead, and on the end of the lead was a leopard !

19th January 2018 – 21st January 2018

We have heard a lot about Gibraltar and although not up there on our bucket list it was a place we wanted to visit. We did our homework and decided to stay in the Marina just outside and walk over to ‘The Rock’. After a difficult navigation into the Marina, we could see where we wanted to go, but couldn’t get there (it’s not easy doing a quick turn in our Motorhome) we parked up and had the most beautiful view across the marina with the yachts and boats. As we had arrived early afternoon we decided to pop over to Gibraltar and have a look around. We left Chloe in the Motorhome and headed off, as I was walking over I said to David that I was quite excited. That’s the child in me ! Passports at the ready we passed through customs and headed for the bus which is right outside, taking us into the main town. The main shopping area is one long street filled with the most jewellery shops and pharmacies we have ever seen ! What it did have though was an M&S and I was over the moon, so I stocked up on as many biscuits as David would let me buy and left happy. The next day we took Chloe across, with Pet Passport at the ready and vaccination card in hand, the security never even checked, just waved us through. When we got through a young woman did stop us and tell us to be careful with the dog as the famous monkeys are vicious, oh great I thought. Our hearts lightened though when Chloe was welcomed on the bus into town and for free. David was keen to see the famous tunnels and so we headed off to the Moorish Castle and entrance to the tunnels. Well, the climb was bloody steep and although I would like to say we are fitter, not fit enough for this climb. Anyway, we got to the entrance to the castle, I said to David to check with security if there were any monkeys in the area, he came back and said that apparently there were afew around with babies. So being on the safe side, after walking up the ‘the rock’ Chloe and I walked back down again while David disappeared into the tunnels. Lunch was looking over the Marina and an £8 million yacht being cleaned by staff ready for it’s occupants. How the other half live !

We stayed another night looking out into the Marina before heading off to the Costa del Sol with dread in our hearts in what we would find.

11th January 2018 – 18th January 2018

We again were recommended to the Spanish town of Conil by Ray and Marge who we met in Lagos and friends of Steve and Margaret. We decided to settle down for a week, hire a car and visit Cadiz which has been on my bucket list since Rick Stein went there on his BBC series Long Weekends. We hired a car from the site where we were staying, a huge old Mercedes with over 325,000 km on the clock. When we signed the paperwork it stipulated no pets allowed in the car, David and I looked at each other as he signed the paperwork and walked out. As a result, as we drove in and out of the site in the Merc I sat in the back, felt like ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ hiding Chloe under a blanket. That was the whole point of the car, so we could get around with our dog, the car was about 25 years old ! Every time we got back into the beast I couldn’t stop laughing, cruising along in this massive chunk of metal.

We had the car for 2 days and travelled around the area to Vejer de la Frontera a beautiful Spanish town with winding cobbled streets and a fantastic square with the most beautiful fountain taking centre stage. Barbate, with a beach as far as the eye could see and the best Paella so far. Cape Trafalgar, where Nelson was killed in the great battle between the English, Spanish & French and it’s stunning surf beaches and to the City of Cadiz. Trying to park the huge monster in the tight underground car park was not easy and poor David was shunting it backwards and forwards for ages. Luckily he is a patient man. When we finally parked it, we realised we couldn’t get the dog out !

We loved Cadiz, it had a great vibe to it. Now, you all know we love a fish market and as we had Chloe with us, we had to visit the daily market separately. It is by far the best fish market we have ever been to and we have been to afew. I would have so loved for my Dad to be walking around with me as he would have loved it more than us. I wonder if the Spanish take it for granted the amazing market they have on their doorstep. There was also a fruit and veg stall that you had to get a ticket for and wait to be served. Where, if ever, have you had to do this in the UK ? It is such a shame that most fruit and vegetables we buy in the UK are wrapped in plastic. We spent the whole day in Cadiz, leisurely taking in the whole city. Exploring the narrow winding streets connecting to the wide plazas. We also walked through the parks and were in awe of the giant trees supposedly brought to Spain by Columbus from the New World. We stopped for lunch overlooking the beach with a glass of wine and thought, how very, very lucky we are.

2nd January 2018 – 10th January 2018

The time at our little haven in Lagos was nearing an end. I say we, well actually me. David was ready to set off and find new adventures and I was quite enjoying the life in our little commune. The gym, spa, sauna and socialising with our new friends. We also at last caught up with our special Portuguese friend Jorge and his wife Suzanne, I have been friends with Jorge for over 30 years (shows my age) and he owns a unique restaurant Boneca Bar in Carvoeiro. A restaurant nestled into the cliff over looking the sea. As it is now closed for the season, we spent a great evening at their home. When driving there my words to David were ‘you know what Jorge is like, don’t get pissed’ As we left at 2am my words resonated as David fell out of the door and into the car. I drove back to Lagos, to find we were locked out of the Campsite, but prayers were answered, we were let in and finally got a lift in a golf buggy to our Motorhome and for David, his well needed bed. The next day was a wipe out for David, I had a lovely Spa day ! We have met some lovely people whilst we have been here, that we hope to see again on our travels, Margaret & Steve as we have mentioned before. Missed them when they went home for Christmas and greeted them like long lost friends when they returned. They gave us a wealth of valuable information being seasoned Motorhomers, top of my list to buy when we can find one is a slow cooker !. Thank you Margaret. We also met Lesley & Roger, an inspiration with a great outlook on life, we so admire them. Roger driving a huge Motorhome in his 70’s and still full of life. Chloe also made a friend in Sidney, a white terrier with a black patch across one eye and deaf. He is the splitting image of the dog in ‘The Artist’ . A brilliant film if you have never seen it. Sidney’s owner Lorraine is taking time off work, travelling on her own with Sidney and was off to Lisbon with him on the train as we left.

We originally drove into the Campsite intending to stay 14 days, 46 days later we departed ! Our destination as we left was El Rocio in Spain, a recommendation from Margaret & Steve.

El Rocio is in the Province of Huelva, Andalusia, Spain. It is home to the Virgin of El Rocio and is the destination of an annual procession/pilgrimage on the second day of the Pentecost. It also sits on the edge of the Donna National Park, a nature reserve which is home to African Migratory Birds, Deer and the endangered Spanish Imperial Eagle and the Iberian lynx. Now if anyone fancies visiting El Rocio make sure it is on the weekend as we later found out. This town has houses with stables, very few cars, no roads as it’s all sand and at the weekend they all come out with their horses and it is heaving during the various festivals and religious celebrations. The large white church is the centre point of the town and it is said that there are over 200 smaller churches hidden amongst the houses. It is an amazing sight even during the week at it looks like something out of a Wild West Film. We meandered around the town, walked around part of the National Park and had a long lazy lunch in the sun watching all the various birds and pink flamingoes skimming and feeding over the lake. This is the real Spain and hopefully we will be back one day at the weekend !

18th December 2017 – 1st January 2018

Life has taken a rather chilled out affair at the moment. We are still in the same site having moved to various different locations due to people booking certain pitches. Obviously we had never booked, just rolled up and are still here nearly 6 weeks later. It is amazing and the things you learn. There are people here that book 5-7 years in advance for the same pitch each year securing their little piece of Portugal with the sunshine. Now sunshine on the pitch is the major talking point and people trying to move pitches to get the sun for as many hours in the day as possible. The pitches that everyone are desperate for now are the ones that must be empty in the summer as everyone want the shade in the height of August, when over 2000 people descend on the site. Must be horrendous.

We have hired a car for most of the time we have been here, costing less than €8.00 per day and she’s a brand new Seat Ibiza. Chloe loves it, being able to hang her head outside the window and catch the breeze as we head for our daily ritual of the beach walk in the afternoons. We have explored a lot of the beaches around and on some days never see another sole on them. The beaches go for miles and it makes you realise how very lucky we are to be doing this.

We have visited most of towns in the area and most are worth a visit. Sagres to watch the sunset go down by the castle, once again no dogs allowed inside and so we sat on the cliffs outside.

Praia da Luz is our most local beach and it seems to be a hub for the British, it has a lovely beach with striking coloured cliffs. There is a great cafe which does the best french onion soup David & his Mum have ever tasted (English Chef). Cooked fresh everyday, I have yet to try the Lancashire Hotpot, but I will before I leave ! Can you see how we just love the local cuisine.

Lagos is our main shopping town and worth a visit along the front and again over the main bridge we have found a beach that goes for miles. On the way back we stop at the Marina for a Portuguese Galao Coffee before heading home.

Portimao is famous for it’s Sardine fishing and I first visited this town nearly 30 years ago. Now back in the day, the boats used to pull up along the quay, unload the fresh sardines and be cooked on the quay side by the numerous restaurants that filled the area. Today, all this has gone, the boats are banished over the other side of the water and the few restaurants that are left are hidden, if you didn’t know where they were, you would never find them. If you are ever in Portimao, head towards the blue bridge along the paved walkway by the water and you will see an arch, through the arch are the few restaurants that are left. But the sardines, potatoes and salad are a must if you go to Portimao.

Christmas Day we decided we should immerse ourselves and so we booked lunch is the restaurant, turkey was on the menu and the music played. It was OK but as we love cold turkey we decided to buy a small one and on Boxing Day I cooked it. We had a traditional Christmas Dinner minus the crackers. I was proud of our little oven, the Christmas lights that Mum had bought gave us the festive feel. The following day the cold turkey and the famous Branson Pickle was gorgeous. Poor David missed his red cabbage and pickled onions though !

New Years Eve was quiet, Chloe not being great with fireworks tried to hide when Midnight chimed and the power of modern technology allowed us to see the New Year in with our dearest friends Nicola & Phil in the U.K.

A New Year has dawned and as we watched the first sunset go down on 2018 and my friend Nicola later saying ‘I wonder where you will be watching the sunset go down next year’ I think wow, and pitch myself.

Wishing you all that are reading this, happiness, peace and health in 2018. If you can, I hope our little adventure will inspire you to realise a dream in 2018.

10th December – 17th December 2017

Well they battled through snow, sliding in a taxi across the snow covered roads, abandoning the pet dog with neighbours, enduring a nail biting, will the plane fly, won’t the plane fly scenario to get to us. Just over three hours late their flight arrived. All I can say is well done Jet2 as their plane was the only one to land in Faro that day, all of Ryanair flights were cancelled. Our Mums could not have picked a worse day to fly.

They arrived laden with goodies, packing no clothes but Mince Pies, homemade Sausage Rolls, Christmas Lights, Branson Pickle, M&S Sausages and my Waitrose Shop ! We love our Mums.

We decided to de-camp to a Farmhouse near to the town of Silves. The farmhouse sits in the middle of an avocado plantation and is of a traditional Portuguese style. Owned by friends and having stayed before a couple of times, we thought it would be the perfect base to spend some quality time with our Mums. When we have stayed here before it is during the warm summer months, enjoying the cool interior and swimming pool. In the middle of December it was slightly different. We drew the sofa nearer the huge wood burning stove for heat and Mum’s hot water bottle came in useful. The wood burner was so good though that we all began to melt after an hour of so each evening.

We had an emergency trip to the Drs after David’s wood collecting antics. When we arrived at the farmhouse, there was very little wood for the fire and so we went wood collecting and David whilst attempting to jump on a piece of wood to break it, fell into a cactus bush. The result was a huge collection of cactus thorns in the side of his face and hands. Now after our St John’s ambulance First Aid Course we attended before we left, I took over (not really knowing what to do). I did attempt to get out all the thorns with my expensive tweezers ! But was unable to get them all out. The following day after reading on the internet that medical attention should be sort immediately I thought we better visit a Doctor. Off we went to the nice Dr Ronald Bakker in Carvoeiro (who I highly recommend). Now Ronald did not know if the cactus bush was poisonous and good thinking moi did take a picture of the bush to show Ronald. Ronald then makes a telephone call to another clinic to find out if the cactus bush was poisonous but with Portuguese, Dutch and the English language all being used, the lady on the other end of the telephone at one point thought David had eaten some poisonous Mushrooms ! To cut a long story short €80 later David is out of the clinic with antibiotics and baby rash cream (don’t ask) we headed home.

We ventured out a couple of times during the week, one to Albufeira 30 minutes drive East along the famous N125. Now the last time I visited this resort was approx 30 years ago and then it was the most built up tourist resort in the Algarve. Today it stretches as far as the eye can see with apartment blocks, it even has an escalator to the beach. Most of the restaurants and shops were closed for the season but it must be horrendous during the summer months. Obviously this is just my opinion but a place to avoid unless you want English food with sun. We did find a restaurant that was open for lunch and catered for people wishing to eat Portuguese food and it was lovely. Our Mums had to endure several 100 steps to get up to it, but the view was stunning and my Mum recovered with wine ! Casa Del Mar in the Old Town should you ever be in the area.

Now, most of the time a trip to our local supermarkets are not to be relished, especially at this time of year. But not in Apolonia in Portugal. This is a new breed of Supermarkets that have sprung up since we have last visited. They are a cross between Waitrose and Fortnum & Mason I guess. I spied a small bottle of Balsamic Vinegar for €49, it was in a pretty box though. ! British food products galore, all at a nice exorbitant price. There was no mad queue at the checkout and they happily packed your bags though.

It was a special week with Mum scrumping lemons from the sides of the road and packing her empty suitcase at the end of the week with oranges from the garden. David’s Mum was trying to bottle the last rays of sunshine before we had to drive them back to the airport. A week just wasn’t enough. Life is all about making memories and we made some special ones this week.

24th November – 9th December 2017

After our night of wild camping we set off for our final leg of this journey to a site that had been recommended to us through forums. We feel we need to settle for a while for Christmas & New Year. We arrive at Turiscampo and see a whole new world. We learn from others that this is the best place to stay long term in all of Portugal & Spain. On arrival we meet our friends Keith & Jane who we met in Ericicacia and their energetic Collie, sadly we crossed over and they were off winding their way back to their home in Northern France. We met for drinks in the evening which were swift as the bar closed at 8.30pm, does everyone go to bed after this we thought !

Now there are all nationalities here and it’s interesting all the different types of people you meet. There are retirees who come down in October and stay for 6 months and then go back to the UK for 6 months and then return, having been staying at this site for years. There are young couples with small children, mainly German living off grid we assume. We have met Phil & his wife who have been travelling for 3 years and are here until March. Our neighbours Steve & Margaret have been coming to this site for several years. Arriving in October and then flying home for Christmas, returning and then heading to Spain until they return to the UK around March. Now Margaret works for one of the big banks in the U.K and is known as the lady in the van in the Company as she continues to work remotely in Portugal. Just brilliant.

The facilities here are excellent, a gym which we have both joined, god help us ! We go to Pilates class twice a week and to my astonishment David enjoys it. A Spa, which I am going to work my way through the treatments, bar and restaurant.

David celebrated his birthday at the beginning of December and the day started with breakfast in the restaurant, as English a breakfast I think we will ever get ! We then headed for Pilates which David found quite painful, check out the Facebook pictures (One in a Lifetime) followed by a trip to the driving range. Unfortunately I am no golfer and so although he has brought a small bag of clubs he will have to play on his own unless anyone fancies a weekend in Portugal playing golf !

The hi-light of the birthday celebrations was dinner at at amazing restaurant in Praia da Rocha. It is a boutique hotel surrounded by sky rise hotels (not so nice) right on the beach front. Excited was I as the gates opened and we drove in to be greeted at the car and shown into the bar. I thought this is the life, ordered a cocktail which arrived in a small Chinese tea pot, delicious and expensive ! David opted for a nice G&T. We decided to try the Tasting menu and worked our way through 12 courses, sounds a lot but portions are small and it was amazing. It was a wonderful evening to finish off a special day.

We have settled into the slow pace and are enjoying the sun and the chilled out life. Catching the sun and then beach walks in the afternoon with Chloe, a coffee watching the sun go down. How lucky are we.

19th November – 23rd November 2017

As we made our way along the coast on the most horrendous road, with me gripping the seat and praying for no punctures we found the most wonderful spot to stop for lunch. We parked up looking out over the most beautiful beach, Chloe couldn’t wait to get out of the Motorhome, I think she has got use to the smell of the beach now and is like a dog possessed if she is anywhere near one. The weather was perfect and so we decided to stay a while and enjoy the beach and the weather. This is the life. We packed up as the sun started to set and headed to Porto Covo.

As with most places we only ever say, oh we will stay a couple of nights but we ended up staying 4 nights. The site is one of the best that we have stayed in and there is only 3 other Motorhomes with us and the most fantastic swimming pool that David was brave enough to try, but even he said it nearly gave him a heart attack it was so cold, there was no way I was going in after that ! The small town of Porto Covo is a pretty little town with a scattering of restaurants and shops, that are only ever open on a Sunday. Now Sundays are an interesting day in Portugal as everybody dresses up in their finest and heads out, or it seems to me they do. It is a nice sight to see, all the family gathering for lunch or sitting drinking coffee and eating the famous pasteis de nata, similar to a small custard tart and rather delicious.

We eat lunch in a great traditional restaurant with David ordering a beef steak, well when it turns up it is so huge it was lapping over the side of the plate, this was good news for Chloe as a doggy bag was called for and Chloe ate a rather delicious meal the next day.

Now, this is a girl thing but I am desperate to get my legs waxed and I found a beauty salon in this small town believe it or not and excitement entailed. David translated the writing on the window of the treatments that are offered and waxing is one of them. I run in and am greeted by a Portuguese lady who speaks no English but luckily the lady having her nails done does. Appt made in half an hour, I return and exit with the smoothest legs and a smile so wide on my face, being over half the price what I usually pay in the UK.

After 4 nights we headed off with my smooth legs toward Lagos our destination for Christmas and New Year, making one more stop along the way. This time we ventured into the world of wild camping. Now anything off road and I get nervous, David looked on Google Earth and found what would be an ideal place to stop near Aljezur on the coast. The roads in Portugal are not great unless you take a Motorway but the small roads to these costal towns send my heart racing, we approach a small village which looks like a mecha for surfers and descend down the road at a vertical drop and then up again and onto a track with me shouting, should we be going down

here? We park up on the edge of this cliff and look out over the Atlantic coast, the view was just stunning. It is one of the best sunsets I have ever seen and when darkness fell and we went outside the stars lit up the sky. It was all worth it, just stunning.

13th November 2017 – 18th November 2017

Well would you believe it this small town hosts a World Heritage Site by UNESCO not less, built at the turn of the century the Quinta da Regaleira comprises of a Palace, a Chapel and gardens and grottos. Could I say it was beautiful, I wouldn’t know as we never saw it. The palace sits high on a Mountain and once again we find Portugal not very dog friendly. We couldn’t get on a bus unless the dog is small enough to carry and we tried to hire a Tuk-Tuk but they would take us but not Chloe, so we gave up. Sintra is a tourist destination only 30 minutes drive from Lisbon, with an accessible train line into Sintra as well. We parked the Motorhome at the railway station and walked through the town heading up to the palace. It is lovely don’t get me wrong and definitely well worth a visit but don’t take a dog. We wandered up through the streets with some beautiful architectural buildings, had a lovely tapas lunch and jug of Sangria so it wasn’t all bad. It has a great feel about it and the public buses run frequently to the top, if only we could have got on one. Never mind, I am sure we will return another time. We then made our way back to the Motorhome and headed to Alcacer Do Sal, a small town an hour away.

How do we chose where we are staying, well we just look at the map make sure it’s not too long a drive, it has somewhere to stay and off we go. Most of the time the little towns are not a disappointment and Alcacer Do Sal is a small town with a scattering of bars and restaurants, that sits on a river. We were only going to stay for one night but ended up staying 5 nights. Everything on hand, Lidl, an Intermarche Supermarket and Norman ! Norman I hear you ask, well yes, we met Norman who was staying on the same site as us until the end of the month. We think Norman must be in his early seventies, on his own travelling in his Motorhome and he has been making the journey South every year from the UK since 1999. He spends around 5 months each year enjoying the sunshine. I worry that he must get lonely but when I look over and see him lapping up the sunshine in late November I think to myself he’s got it right. Divorced, been in the army, his bungalow has storage heaters, he loves Toulouse sausages and he put corks under his windscreen wipers of his Motorhome to stop them sticking in the sun. It’s amazing the conversations you have when you have all the time in the world. Another great thing other than Norman, was that there were tennis courts nearby. Now all of you that know me, know that racket sports are not one of my strongest attributes. Luckily David has the patience of a saint and I attempted to place tennis. As usual David hits the ball and I go running, not such a workout for David but a great workout for me. David also met a lovely Portuguese lady that recommended some other places to visit along the coast on the way down to the Algarve, we decided to make our next stop Porto Covo. I hugged Norman when I left with a tear in my eye and said I hoped to see him along our travels and he said to us he hoped that we would never work again as there was many roads to travel.