Alferse, Portugal

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?

Today started with a beautiful sunrise, and ended with a similar sunset.

Seville, Andalusia

Yesterday evening, the visitors now left, the sun, not so keen to fade away just yet lit the village. The light was stunning, turning the green water of the reservoir golden. Dozens of swallows, dipped, dived and swerved as they hoovered up the airborne insects. Sometimes life's food chain seems a little unfair. The other two vans with us left, one stopping to fill with water nearby. Water available wasn't advertised on the internet. Were we sure? Well the woman was certainly putting something in her water filling hole. Margery being the only van didn't bother us. We'd stayed in the village before without incident, and until eleven o'clock one of the national park rangers was parked next to us. Keen to leave early before another days visitors invaded the tiny village we were up before the sun, and away by eight thirty. A miracle for us. A winding road through the olive groves took us away from Ardales, John was sat in the 'suicide seat', Angela the 'drop off the side of the road' seat. Neither ideal. And then when we did eventually reach the dual carrigeway the road surface was uneven and potholed, which surprised us, as the roads in Spain so far had been so good. And then we arrived at the outskirts of Seville. During the last four weeks Margery has bowled along happily, with very little traffic to worry about.

Today, talk about being thrown in at the deep end, it was horrendous. And to add to the stress, a no entry sign, that in fact wasn't a no entry sign meant we found ourselves driving into the secure dock area, because the camping aire was listed as being at the docks. The security man waved at Margery frantically. Reverse, and turnaround. Alright mate. Good job Marge wasn't with us, she'd not have been so tolerant. Angela parked to one side and the security man drew John a map, it seemed we could drive down the road with the no entry sign, and why wouldn't you? 

The aire is busy, it holds one hundred vans. What a difference a day makes. Last night we were just one, tonight we are one of a hundred. We arrived before lunch, once again packing up our food and heading off. It was 27c. By five o'clock it was 33c. A thirty minute walk took us to the old town.

The architecture in the area is amazing. We particularly wanted to visit Saint Mary's Cathedral, the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. Would we be able to purchase tickets to enter, probably not. But it seemed we could at 14 euros a person. Angela asked about concessions for seniors, ( we dislike that word, as we don't feel like seniors), and result. A fifty percent discount meant the ticket for both of us was just 14 euros.

The cathedral was amazing. Being Catholic, it was very high church. We both thought what an important building it must have been to the local people back in the day. Seville is amazing, with so much to see. We have only scratched the surface, and both agree we would like to return again, when it is both quieter and cooler. We would've liked to stay another day, but we are slipping behind schedule now. Tomorrow we will cross the border into southern Portugal, where we must remember to put our watches back and hour. Some careful planning needs to be made from there on, so we can enjoy our next three weeks away without rushing. Tonight we are tired, very tired. It is so warm though we think there will be no point in taking to our bed too early. Remember when you were a child and you could stay up late on holiday. How things change. Now we find ourselves ready for bed at ten o' clock.

Many signs of Christopher Columbus were visible the city.

Ardales, Andalusia

Today we'd planned to visit and stay overnight in Cordoba. But reviews about the aire, that cost 24.50 euros a night, didn't fill us with confidence. There was no security, and a good chance Margery might be broken into. So we abandoned Cordoba and decided to head to Ardales near El Chorro. We stayed here six years ago, and as it was on our route we decided to return to this pretty area. As we left Granada, we were delighted to catch a sight of The Alhambra up on the hill. What a perfect end to our 24 hours in the city. As of the past few days, fast moving dual carriageways which ran up and over the hills, carried us to our destination. This was olive country. The lower slopes of the hills a patchwork of green. The sun was out, and the temperature rose, baking the already thirsty soil. By lunchtime we'd left the main road and climbed a narrow road lined with beautiful wild flowers on either side.

Sadly the spot by the dam that we'd parked Margery in all those years ago was no longer available. But we found another, so all was good. As with all tourist attractions in the area there were many visitors in the village. And as with all tourist attractions in the area no ticket, no entry. There was no chance of buying any of the cheaper individual tickets to walk The Kings Little Walk. Only guided ones at thirty euros each. They could keep them at that price. The main attraction is a cliff side walk including crossing the water 100 meters below. The whole of the The Kings Little Walk, officially known as the Caminito Del Rey is nearly eight kilometers long, and you can walk a section of it for free.

It is a beautiful walk through leafy shady trees over a loose uneven surface. But it's not a difficult hike. As we passed high above the hydro electric station John spotted some rosemary and wild garlic growing. Obviously we know have a bag of fresh herbs in our fridge. Back in the village we stopped for refreshment before returning to Margery.

Ten large carp gracefully swam in the green water of the resovoir. This evening the tourists now left, the village is peaceful. There are two other vans here with us, it is very peaceful, the quiet disturbed now and again only by the geese squabbling with the ducks in the water behind us.