We’re heading toward Portugal and as we leave our Seville campsite – Dos Hermanos camping – we once again reflect on what a high standard of camping exists across Europe. Dos Hermanos was no different to most other campsites. Very clean with decent sized pitches. A bar and pool and all the usual bathroom/cleaning facilities. Its been a nice stay. We actually managed a swim in the pool one evening. Bliss! Because wifi is only available at the reception/bar area, we’d take our various ‘devices’ eg phone and iPad up to the bar and have a few beers while I blogged and Sin caught up on emails /news etc. One evening, since the bar was closed, we just rocked up with our bottle of vino and sat at one of the tables and chilled and did our ‘stuff’.
A couple of ‘logistic’ matters about driving in Portugal. We didn’t do our homework about driving on toll roads in Portugal so read up on this before entering the country so you know what you’re in for. I won’t go into detail here, there are plenty of websites on the topic. But what happened is when we crossed the border into Portugal, we tried to take the ticket for the electronic toll system (only available at 4 border posts (EN13 Vila Nova de Ceveira, A24 Chaves, A25 Vilar Formoso and A22 Vila Real de Santo Antonio, you enter your credit card into the payment machine and the system links your car registration to the credit card) but the machine wouldn’t accept our card. For us it wasn’t a big deal because we don’t travel on toll roads, but it you do, you need to either register and get a ticket or there are a few other options available so really worth a read on this BEFORE you head to Portugal!!
Another interesting tidbit is if you’re driving thrugh small towns, you’ll come across this sign – velocidade controlada
It means speed control — and then a bit further down the road, you’ll come to a traffic light often in the middle of nowhere i.e without any cross streets.
This is Portugal’s interesting alternative to the speed bump or other “traffic calming” systems. At the sign a radar gun measures your speed. If you are over the limit, then as you approach the light, it turns red. It turns red for you, and also anybody behind you and the oncoming traffic. The result is people slow down for these signs to the limit. Its apparently far more effective than any speed bump, as the fine for running a red light are harsher and also the Portuguese find it humiliating if the red light goes off and they hold up the drivers behind them. Interesting eh!
Anyway, back to our travels.
We continue south toward the coast of Portugal-the Algarve region in our quest to find the quintessential ‘sleepy fishing village’ however most towns in this area have been developed into resorts, with lots of bars/restaurants to attract the tourists. We stopped at Tavira along the coast. Tavira, like many other towns in this area, is an ancient Moorish town with a lovely mix of Portuguese and Moorish architecture.
We explored the town and continued our journey up the coast bypassing the bigger towns of Faro and Lagos, stopping at a small camping spot just outside of a town called Odeceixe in southwestern Portugal close to the Atlantic coast. Its a pretty little town, with the typical whitewash little houses sitting on a hillside.
We ventured into town and had a great meal at the Gabon Tavern. Fish soup to start – really tasty, then we shared a typical Portuguese dish called Feijoada de Choco which is boiled beans, cuttlefish and octopus. Not for the faint hearted! But we loved it. You may have guessed, but we’ve gone back to eating seafood (just for the specialities of the area!!) The campsite is set in a nice hilly area just out of town called Parque de Camping Sao Miguel. Again, facilities are good. For some reason you have to pay extra for the pool (which we didn’t use plus temperatures are much lower in this area, avr 20-22deg) but its a great spot to base yourself if you’re doing any of the numerous walks in the area.
As we drive up the coast, we noticed that fields of trees where the bark was stripped off. Upon investigation, we learn that there is a thriving cork industry in this area of Portugal. The dry and parched soil here produces oak trees whose spongy bark will be cut up and plugged into wine bottles or other products.
We leave Odeceixe and head up the coast stopping in Porto Covo, a small fishing village just south of Sines. With its small white houses and stunning beaches, it is worth a stop. Actually one of the reasons the town was so quiet was because the clocks had gone back an hour – so we were actually there quite early in the morning and we know the Portuguese don’t get started until lunch time ha, ha.
Carrying on up the coast, we’re staying at a campsite about 10 kms from Lisbon. Its a big campsite , Lisboa camping and bungalows, and again, facilities are good. We’ve found a nice sheltered spot. Unfortunately wifi only available at the bar/reception area but that seems quite common here. The bus stop is just a 5min walk from the camp and its about a 45 mins trip to town centre. I’m amazed at how these buses navigate the small streets. It gives me hope for when we’re here with our bus.
We really liked Lisbon, its so unassuming but lively and vibrant. It seems like a real cool city so we’ll have to spend more time here next visit. We wandered around town and spent time in the Alfalma district which is one of the oldest districts of Lisbon, and is a delightful maze of narrow cobbled streets and ancient houses. We follow the steep hill up to the castle for a lovely view across the city.
We had dinner in a small restaurant in the area. Once again, we try for some ‘typical’ Portuguese cuisine. We started with octopus salad and then we shared a cod based dish called Bacalhau a Bras (baked cod with matchstick size potatoes and milk) and a mixed grilled fish platter. Oh yum!
We finished off our Portuguese cuisine with a typical Portuguese pastry called Pastreis de Nata – a baked custard dessert with a crispy like pastry. You can have it plain or sprinkled with cinnamon. Trust me, both are pretty yummy, as this from a gal who doesn’t generally like custard.
We made our way back to camp – a much a faster trip given its 9.30pm. To finish off the night with a whiskey and chocolate!!