Up before sunrise John was able to photograph the sunrise. The silent cranes on the dockside adding to a great photograph.
Today we would be leaving Southern Spain and crossing the border into Portugal. First Margery had to negotiate us out of Seville. We had a long drive ahead of us, the dual carriageway that we sped along was quiet, but heavily potholed which made for a hazardous drive.
The sun up, we soon began to feel the heat of the day, and when we stopped at a service area for lunch it was 27c.
Coincidentally there was a VW van similar to ours already parked. The owner, a Swiss lady asked if we'd been on the aire at Seville last night. Yes. She thought we had.
Our chosen site for tonight was up in the Sierra De Monchique above Albuferia on the Algarve. We stayed here six years ago and had fond memories of the aire and village of Alferse. Almost at our destination John noticed reviews of the aire seemed to put in doubt whether it was still open. Angela truly hot and bothered by now thought it best just to find a nearby campsite, which there fortunately was close by. The drive to it however was interesting. A rough unmade road, at one point flooded under a railway bridge. Angela hesitated. Margery hesitated. Were we really going to drive through water the colour of milky coffee. How deep could it be? Luckily for us a man appeared who was in charge of operating a pump and guided us through. But the fun didn't end there. Up steep narrow inclines, Margery's tyres slipping on the loose road surface. Hot and bothered Angela gritted her teeth knowing a nice warm shower awaited. Or perhaps not. The small, adult only site was Dutch owned. Two people wanting to stay one night, sorry no. Minimum stay two nights. Why exactly? Before leaving we asked if there was a better road out. Yes, slightly better, but it would take us four miles to reach the main road. Needless to say, we chanced our arm and headed up and over the heady heights of the Sierra De Monchique. Temperature now 29c. Stress levels even higher. Thankfully the aire was open.
There were three vans already there, and just after we arrived another English registered VW transporter van the same colour as ours arrived. In all the time we've been away we've seen very few English people. And today like buses, two arrive at the same time.
The aire is set by a lemon grove. In an adjacent garden chickens scratch, and a cockerel does what cockerels do best. Going to be an early alarm call we think. Thankful, there are no Spanish here, so all should be calm overnight. Tired from a disturbed night last night and the long day travelling in the heat, we took a walk out to the nearby Passadico do Barranci do Demo.
A boardwalk either side of a river with a suspension bridge connecting the two side. Of course Angela declined the invitation to actually cross the bridge. Well someone has to take the photos don't they?
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