By Thursday evening last we had arrived over the border in Portugal at a town called Mogadouro and booked into a great municipal campsite. Great means the toilets are clean and the showers are warm and there’s all the camper services.
There’s a Costa here somewhere…
After the rush and bustle of France and Spain, Portugal is a lovely change. Everything slows down and yes that includes the service but what’s your hurry? I spent 15 lovely minutes with the receptionist who was having a difficult time with the computer as she tried and tried again to check us in. But she still found time to marvel that we had come all the way from Ireland. And to ask us if we were enjoying our stay. And all this in English!
The castle
We slept very well that night and decided to stay the next day to wander the very hilly town. We visited the castle and the cafe and the supermarket where we found more Portuguese hospitality.
The post boxes are red…
I was making dinner that night and needed crème fraiche but I couldn’t find it. Denis suggested I ask someone… but he didn’t volunteer. While I was giving him the look – you know the one that says I don’t need your advice – the lady who was stocking the shelves nearby said something in Portuguese to me. She couldn’t be offering to help could she? She was!
And so are the fire engines
I mentioned the crème fraiche with an expression of you probably don’t have it, sure it’s French, what was I thinking, no worries, I’ll use cream or maybe yoghurt. But guess what? She found it! I was so grateful and this is the thing that keeps happening in Portugal… it doesn’t matter that we don’t speak the language, we get each other! She smiled and put a hand to my arm, like, it’s ok I got your back!
Mogadouro
Well I’m not ashamed to admit, there was a tear in my eye. It was not just crème fraiche, Denis!
Stop if you need to. You’ll know. (Or, if you’re driving, Yield)
Before we left I had decided to write to you every day and then I though of your inbox filling up so that another email would feel overwhelming… and so I decided to stop writing to you for the weekend but I’ve changed my mind!
Don’t judge us… the little buns were free but we didn’t know that until we had ordered the large ones! Plus they tasted like the queen cakes my mother used to make, yum! This was in the pretty town of Zamora, Spain not far from the border with Portugal last Thursday.
It’s been like stopping a big truck (or a motorhome) and then trying to push it forward again – not very pleasant. I’m not going to stop writing every day after all. Also, it’s so difficult to know if someone feels overwhelmed or excited to receive another email I would have to be able to see into their mind. Not possible. All I’m doing is reading my own mind and maybe I’m just overwhelming myself..? I really have to let that go.
Beautiful stone wall around a small vineyard on a hill, Villalcampo, just a few kilometers from the Portuguese border
This is my year of surrender so I better get surrendering. I read a book called The Surrender Experiment by Michael A. Singer (maybe I already told you?) and it was life changing. Now, I say yes to opportunities. It’s how I was able to say yes to finishing the fiction book I started in 2020. And how I’ve decided to design a Permission Cards App. (These are not short term goals by the way, they are quests, a term I learned in Christy Lynch’s book, Explore your Life. I’m giving myself time to get these done.)
Goodbye Spain, see you in a few weeks
Saying yes does mean I get more projects in my To Do List but it also means I have to be comfortable with giving up a project. If it’s time to stop a project or change direction on a project I owe it to myself to trust my gut and support my inner knowing.
Hello Portugal! The road into the old Moorish town of Miranda do Douro
Back to today, I’ll keep writing the blogs every day and I’m going to trust you to read them or ignore them or even delete them as you support your inner knowing.
The week before we left on this journey to Portugal we went to the Burren in Co. Clare. We saw the beautiful barren rocky landscape and we never expected to see something similar in Spain but we did.
Along the path…
Following our trusty guide app we left Guernica and travelled in the direction of Burgos and came to Puerto de Orduña. The scenery was beautiful. We never guessed down in the valley that the amazing cliff rising up in the distance was where we were going next but it was.
Unfortunately, I have no photos of this because a series of hairpin bends meant I was hardly able to take a breath let alone take a photo. On and on, upward and upward we went reviewing where we had come from each time we turned the next bend. Not quite believing there could be more of them… but there were.
Little flower peeping out
Finally, we reached a plateau and were guided to a car park. Here we were to walk to a waterfall. Somewhere along the way there had been a place to stop and enjoy the view but it was not to be, the glimpses along the drive were all we had. No worries a walk was exactly what we needed, lots of processing of the museum of peace needed to be done.
Moss covered rocks
The sign in the car park said there was something in 3km. Maybe the waterfall? Sure even if it isn’t that’s a grand walk, so we set off. Almost immediately we saw similarities with the Burren. How could that be? No idea! We walked through a shady forest and saw tiny flowers, moss covered rocks and bare flat stones. There were markers on trees and sometimes on the rocks or small stakes to guide us along. When we had reached the 3km there was no sign of the waterfall and it was hot. We had walked enough today, we could be kind to ourselves… and go back.
Bare flat stones
Walking in that place was very peaceful, gentle peace, inner peace, making peace with ourselves.
The Guiding App For the first time ever on a trip we purchased a self guide to help us choose where to stop on our travels. Of course it’s also an app! Usually we just pick a parking spot that sounds interesting. And most of the time we find something interesting nearby. This time we are following a map and picking parking spots nearby. It makes for a different type of experience. The tour starts in the town of Gernika (Guernica is the English, I think) and I’m very excited. I can hardly believe we have passed this town many times travelling to Portugal via northern Spain.
Look at the beautiful red Geraniums!
History is more interesting now Something you may not know about me – my new interest in history. In school I thought history was too complicated, too much to read and too much to study. I wanted to get a good grade in my leaving certificate (end of school exam, Ireland) but the exam preparation was mainly learning things off by heart therefore any subject with high content was a risky choice. History had a lot of content and my decision to drop it was influenced by that. I am sorry now… and all because of a fiction book. Imagine a really easy to read fiction book being a way to learn about history? What a great idea. I found the book (really three books) by accident. It’s called, The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett and tells the story of the 20th Century from the perspective of fictitious families in Russia, Germany, Austria, America, England, Wales and Spain. It’s also interspersed with real characters like presidents and kings, etc. Hopefully Ken Follett does a lot of research, it seems he does. Now, because of him and his book I understand so much more about the conflicts during the 20th century, which includes World War 1 and 2, fascism, Spanish civil war…. The book has been like an intro for me and I’m ready for more so if you have any recommendations for easy to understand history books please let me know.
This is a photo of a copy of Picasso’s Guernica in the peace Museum
Art History, also interesting The second thing you may not know about me – in 2012 I attended an art course that included art history. It gave me an appreciation for art, including Picasso, who before that was a complete mystery to me. Anyway, one class included his art piece called Guernica. Picasso started painting Guernica the day after he read reports about a Spanish town that was decimated by German bombs. Men women and children were killed, they still don’t know how many, up to 2000. The actual painting is in a museum in Madrid.
Had coffee here near the peace museum
Visiting the Peace Museum, Gernika Now here I am in Gernika with a basic understanding of the Spanish Civil War and the art piece Guernica… this will be my simplified version of events which I hope will allow me to tell a close enough approximation of the story, simply and clearly. The Spanish Civil War started in July 1936 and lasted until the Second World War began in 1939.
The Background On one side there was the Republicans who supported the government of Spain and on the other side was the Nationalists who were military men including General Franco. Spain was a young republic at the start of the civil war. The government was inexperienced. There were many economic problems, poverty, unemployment and the general public were unhappy. Something similar to Germany after the First World War which led to the Second World War and there are similarities today…
Both sides had support from outside Spain. The Republicans were supported by Russia and the Nationalists (with General Franco) were supported by the Nazi government in Germany.
The fires following the bombing were so hot they melted coins
The Day of the Bombing Monday 26th April, 1937 was market day in Gernika, lots of people and animals on the streets. The planes arrived at 4pm, they dropped bombs and shot civilians until 8pm. The town was completely destroyed. The planes were German. The Nationalists won the civil war and General Franco ruled Spain until his death in November 1975. He was a dictator and until his death there was no investigation of the bombing. When asked, they had to say the planes bombed Gernika… but it was Franco who directed the planes to bomb Gernika.
A page from the information booklet
Hard Peace The peace museum is an attempt to examine peace, the hard peace. The kind that requires forgiveness. The kind that requires living with neighbours who were on the other side of the civil war. Some people who were Nationalist supporters knew there would be some kind of action in Gernika that day so they left the town. I cannot imagine being able to forgive that and lucky for me I don’t have to. But it inspires me to do my own forgiving, for my own version of civil war. I am inspired to know peace as more than a quiet seat by the river bank, or a meditation alone on a cushion. I am inspired to do my own peace work.
At the Peace Museum in Gernika there’s a informational handout in English. In it there’s a list titled, The Tools Used to Bring Peace. Among the tools are, Honouring Fellow Human Beings, Listening to Different Opinions, Admitting our Mistakes, Looking to the Future.
“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” -Unknown (from the handout)
First stop in Spain – Getaria on the north coast. If you compare yesterday’s map with today’s above you might notice we travelled a lot. It took us ten hours – not ideal. On top of that the last hour was on winding roads. I don’t think anyone, including the anyone trying to get home but stuck behind an Irish motorhome, was happy with that. And then we arrived in this beautiful place.
Well, isn’t this nice… Getaria, north coast of Spain
It was 8.45pm but still bright and our parking spot had a view of the sea. Plus parking was free after 8pm, so maybe everything that happened on this day was in fact ideal. It took a lot of manoeuvring to get parked but eventually we nestled in beside – but not touching – a tree.
Can you see Ruby? Extreme left under the tree?
For a long time Denis has wanted a way to ensure our communication was effective… not all the time just when we arrive at a parking spot that requires two of the us to park safely. And he purchased a set of walkie-talkies. As a child I dreamed of having a walkie-talkie set but it was never to be. Now I have a half share in a set of blue ones. Be careful what you wish for.
Walkie and Talkie (mine’s Walkie)
Arriving at Getaria would be their inaugural outing. I had received the training in their usage ten hours earlier from Denis and it seemed straightforward. What could possibly go wrong? Ten hours of driving. It can test a person.
Narrow streets but not too narrow for a car!
I was tired and the adrenaline was making me a little shaky since the winding road but apart from my tendency to let go of the talk button when I thought the van was going to hit something (the precise moment you really need to be pressing the talk button and shouting STOP!) they worked grand. I’m wondering if they would be any use during a heated argument? If you have any ideas please let me know.
Love this street!❤️
As soon as the van was tucked in we went for a walk into the town of narrow streets and expensive restaurants. It was too late for us to eat dinner and a little early for the Spanish so for the third night in a row we had what was left in our fridge, yum…
Look there’s Denis!
Next morning we awoke to the sun shining and the waves crashing. What a beautiful view to wake up to! Next stop Gernika-Lumo, you might want to look that up because it’s a difficult one but I really want to write about it because it’s a place where peace gets real…
It’s been four days since we left Ireland and already we’re in Spain. Surprise! Well, it certainly is a surprise to us but also we were possibly a little too ambitious… Neither of us is feeling full of joys. It turns out inner joy is the secret requirement for a life lived so close to each other. But sure, here we are.
Driving from Saint Mère Èglise to just south of Cholet
Before I tell you about this beautiful spot we found just over the border on the north coast of Spain I want to tell you about our last night in France. We were in the most peaceful place just south of the city of Cholet (see map above). I think it must be a busy camping/fishing place during high season but for now we were alone.
There’s a row boat!
The sun was shining as we left the motorway and drove along progressively narrower and narrower roads until we arrived at a closed barrier with a French handwritten sign. Using Google Translate (you can take a picture of handwriting and it will do it’s best to read and translate) we worked out we had to go back to the house with the green shutters to get access. I walked back and the bell was answered by a woman. Bonjour Madam, camping car ce soir?
See the water running through/under the house?
Somehow we worked out that she would follow me back to the barrier but in the meantime a very French man (her husband, possibly) arrived in his little white van. Bonjour Monsieur. I wish I could have taken a picture of him but I thought that might be too rude, how do you politely say, you look so French can I take a picture of you? How would you feel if I said, you look so Irish I would like to take a picture of you? Maybe he wasn’t even French? It was his black beret hat and his little white van that got me… but I didn’t ask.
The boules scoreboard!
Monsieur led the way into our home for the night. An old stone house (might be the bar and reception during the summer?) sat at the end of the driveway. There was a river running through the house and around it. Yes, through… There was also an outside toilet, electricity point, an outside sink for washing dishes and a hose to fill our tank. Plus a huge dose of all the peace and quiet you could ask for… which is starting to feel like the theme for this trip.
Night, night
When Monsieur left someone else arrived – a little yellow bird who fell in love with the little yellow bird in our side mirror. And the sun shone until bedtime. We had another leftovers dinner and slept soundly until morning when yellow bird came back to continue his courting.
We left Rosslare (Ireland) to sail to Cherbourg (France) last night and we’ve arrived. The crossing was grand – not too wavy. We both noticed the staff on the Stena ferry were the friendliest they have ever been and one in particular was very thoughtful.
Rain gushing down as we approach Cherbourg
Denis was set up nicely in the restaurant after breakfast working. He was still there at lunchtime when one (there were two) of the French secondary school tours arrived to eat. He was asked nicely by a Stena manager to move from the restaurant and he came back down to the cabin (where I was sleeping – body clock bit mixed up).
I love French doors!
Anyways, later we were having a very nice toasted sandwich and tea when the manager who had moved Denis came over with two huge muffins. She said she felt really bad and wanted to apologise with cake. We were speechless… which means we didn’t get her name. What a lovely thought. Aside from the cake, the fact that she went out of her way to acknowledge him was a gesture we really appreciated. Plus, I got cake for no reason!
Can’t you see the parachute? And the soldier?
Tonight we are staying in a town about 30 minutes from Cherbourg called Saint Mere Eglise. Earlier I got a text from my friend. She’s healing from two knee replacements (and loves to research while she heals) to tell us it was the first town to be liberated at the end of World War II.
My friend is a research ninja!
There was also a movie made about the American airborne soldier who got stuck on the church spire hanging from his parachute. We have been here many times and I always love the feeling of the place. Yes it’s for the tourists but also it’s for the hopeful ones who want to hear a happy ending. The soldier survived, the war ended and peace returned to the land. Peace, calm, tranquility, quiet, stillness, serenity are the feelings tonight as the rain falls on our roof and we prepare a leftovers dinner with muffins for desert. Living the dream.
So here we are – our last week of the journey and I’ve been thinking.
We spent three days in Bayeux just relaxing, taking photos, having coffee in the mornings and dinner in the evenings and generally enjoying the last of France.
Breakfast in Bayeux
The weather has been very kind to us this last week, overcast with rain and the odd blue sky. And that has inspired an idea for a tourist campaign for Ireland with its perfect weather… The grey clouds you used to think were depressing are actually a huge fluffy blanket of protection from harsh sun. The rain that you used to think was annoying is actually cooling and nourishing. And the cold breeze…. we’ll yes that’s still a problem but two out of three, etc. Would you be attracted by my campaign?
Look at that beautiful overcast sky!
Maybe you need to be escaping the red hot sun zone to have any interest in cool breezes, rain or grey clouds. But will we all, soon enough, be in this position?
Oldest house in Bayeux
I have been infected by the, but what can one person do? bug in relation to global warming. And this trip has been a kind of education. I feel so grateful that we’ve had the opportunity to make this journey. For two years we decided we couldn’t or shouldn’t and this year we decided we would. The week before we left I wondered again if it was the right time. While we have been away we have seen the return to pre-pandemic normal in the countries we visited to the point that we see very few people wearing masks. It’s more unusual that usual to see a person in a supermarket wearing a mask.
There Bayeux!
Before 2020 I thought pandemic was just a movie. Just before we left we watched a different movie called Finch. It was about a world where the consequences of global warming were very real and any amount of sunlight was toxic.
Was captured by an imaginary story of two people smiling from their balcony in Bayeux. A happy ever after movie waiting to be written…?
On our journey I realised I cannot get overwhelmed by the scale of the problem because that frightens me into looking the other way. What can I do? I can stay awake and take intentional steps. What does this mean for future trips in a motorhome? I don’t know… yet.
Travel stories 