nature

Wet, Wet, Wet

| Mairead

(Way, way, way in the distance behind the clouds are the Pyrenees)

Orion is a constellation but it’s also a commune in France. A commune in France is like a district or a parish. (I’m getting all my information from Wikipedia.) We stayed in a commune near Orion called Orriule. On a clear day you can see the Pyrenees from Orriule. It was not a clear day.

(On top of the world)

We have been spoilt with the weather lately so the arrival of torrential rain has been a shock. Also, there are only 137 people in Orriule and none of them runs a cafe or Boulangerie, our step count is abysmal due to the weather and lack of motivational pastries and we are snapping at each other.

(Can you see the little cows?)

These are the sort of days I make my crafts. You may remember the cupboard filled with my craft supplies? So I got busy and made loads of beautiful things. I am so pleased with myself. Pictures? No, I forgot to take pictures… no couldn’t possibly take pictures now. No, of course I’m not lying about the crafts.

(Blue sky and fog in the valley as we leave Orriule)

I’m lying about the crafts. I didn’t do any. Someone might need to remember the storks… Maybe I’ll make a stork out of my supplies?

We’ve run out of toilet paper, Mairead.

Olive Oil and Wine Tasting

| Mairead

(The road north)

We have travelled a long way since Castro Marim and the Algarve and we’ve seen huge changes in the countryside. This eastern area of Portugal is not as well know as the west or the south but it is truly spectacular. We’ve been speeding through it (not actually breaking any speed limits…) and it deserves much more time and attention.

(Getting closer to the clouds)

Our next stop was the small town of Freixo da Numão which promised wine tasting and olive oil but no mention of the amazing views on route. The E802 road runs up the east of Portugal and it’s mostly free with amazing countryside views. From time to time you can see little villages or vineyards perched impossibly on a hill side. Or there are enormous rocks like giant’s playthings just strewn around.

(Can you see the road below?)

The sat-nav directed us off the main road with no indication we were about to go up into the clouds. As we wound round and round the hillside we got higher and higher every now and then able to see the road we’d just been on far, far below us. I was torn between awe and frozen fear. Meanwhile the locals thought we were driving too slowly and kept overtaking us on winding bends with sheer drops.

(Shaded seating in the center of Freixo de Numão)

Eventually we reached the top and the town. Parking for the night was beside a sports ground surrounded by wild red poppy plants. Wine tasting would be happening in the evening, there was work to be done first. I had a plan bubbling away inside my head about compiling the trip’s blogs into an ebook and Denis was busy with client work.

(That’s a barrel of port)

At six-thirty there was noise outside, the time had arrived to taste the wine. We followed the other campers to a shed under the sports stands. Our host had little barrels of port, boxes of wine, olives and olive oil. The other campers were French and Belgian and our host had lived in France for a few years so French was the common language.

(The olives were amazing)

We were a little out of our depth but Denis bravely tried the wine and even the port. I tasted the olives and they were so good I found a way to purchase them in French. I also accidentally purchased 5 litres of olive oil… the precise volume required getting lost in translation.

Anyone for a share in my olive oil barrel? Mairead.

(Freixo de Numão: Parking €5 includes electricity and water. Small shop and bakery about 15 minutes walk down the hill. Wine tasting each evening around 7pm)

Bird Song and Frog Croaks

| Mairead

(Park here… this one’s in Spanish but the picture is always the same)

Sunday is the day we travel the longest so from Évora we travelled three hours to a camper van parking spot called Penamacor in Benquerença which is in the middle of the countryside. We passed through small mountain villages, along narrow roads following parking signposts.

(Lovely lavender growing wild)

When we arrived it was full of camper vans and motor homes and there was a spot for us beside the river. The temperature was high but there was shade. With the solar panels we don’t normally park in shade but as we’d been travelling for hours our battery was full.

(Can you hear the frogs?)

We parked up and went for a walk. There was a little bar on the other side of the river over a foot bridge. I’ll remind you this was in the middle of the country, nearest tiny village probably 5km. In the height of summer the river gets diverted and you can swim here, there’s also a playground. There were plenty of people inside the bar and on the deck outside. The waitress had no English but we managed to be understood.

(Sun-bleached table)

Afterwards we walked along the deserted country road and a dried mud lane to another bridge. This is olive farm land with small holdings and what looks like hand-ploughed fields. The only sounds the birds singing and the frogs croaking.

(Wild flowers by the side of the road)

Denis barbecued chicken outside and we were asleep before ten. Next morning we left early.

Note to self: Spend longer here next time. Mairead.

(Free parking, free motorhome facilities, free rustic toilets and shower, near bar.)

Praia da Falésia

| Mairead

(The sandy path to the beach…)

I thought when we were in that sea view spot at the Municipal campsite of Setúbal that there was only one paradise in Portugal. We found another one. In the Algarve and it’s called Praia da Falésia. I want to stay here for ever… or three days. One or the other.

(…and the steps down to the beach)

It’s way down on the coast just a short sandy walk to the beach. It is very hot, top temperatures 43 degrees but I am not roasting to death because they have great breeze here too. Also, I have a new routine, I chase the shade around the van. It does mean I sometimes have to sit with the neighbours (or very, very close to them) but we are making it work. By we I mean the neighbours and I. Denis on the other hand has acclimatized and he’s happy to work away inside drinking cold coffee.

(There might be danger)

I’ve had no problem getting out of bed at 6am while we are here to trot down to the beach and wait for the sun to come over the cliff. There’s very few people on the beach at this time and I’m already recognising the regulars. The walkers and joggers who prefer their exercise with some shade. My pattern is to just sit on the sand and listen to the waves. They come in and go out as I watch. I take pictures and little videos to remind me later when I’m not here.

(It’s a sign)

This waves in and waves out makes me think of a theater. Not an actual theatre but the virtual one I’m sitting in behind my eyes. Every day there’s a new show or maybe the same show has a long run. Eventually every show ends and another one starts. The show in front of my eyes now is the water moving in and moving out. The music is the roar of the sea.

(See the little sun umbrellas?)

Some shows are great fun, some are hard work and others are just confusing. Some shows I should just get up and leave. Can I leave a show that’s really bad? Would that be rude? Some shows end too soon, others at just the right time.

(Remember when making sun castles was something you did?)

Every day a show comes to my theatre… I can either enjoy it or hate it. It doesn’t matter there’ll be another show along later. People walk into my show and walk out of my show and there’ll be more walking later. Nothing lasts, everything changes and it’s all for me. Just me. My show is just for me.

Yours is just for you, Mairead.

Heading for the Hills

| Mairead

(The blackened trees surrounding Alferce)

While at the beach Denis read about a village that had a swimming pool, showers and toilets just north of the Algarve. And it was all for free. So next morning we travelled past amazing views, up steep ravines and eye-wateringly scary ridges to come to the town of Alferce.

(The swimming pool with lovely toilets)

This town is in the middle of nowhere and has amazing views and very friendly inhabitants. It had nearly succumbed to forest fires last August but survived and in almost a display of courage they have painted almost every building in the town. You can hardly see a sign of the fire.

(View from the main street)

Until you look at the trees. All around on the steep slopes, blackened trees as a reminder, that nature can sometimes be cruel. You might think it would be eerie but it’s not, it’s beautiful.

(The laundry)

The town also provided laundry facilities – the old fashioned kind with the built in washing boards and strings of clothes lines. But my favourite feature was the frogs. Right beside the motorhome parking there was a pond with about 20 frogs, all different sizes. I discovered them by following the sound. They had a very distinctive sound, like a complaint in grumpy language. Not very unpleasant but also not entirely attractive.

(Can you see the one pretending he’s dead in the water?)

Anyway I followed the sound to see what was making it and eventually noticed there were frogs. They seem to be able to make the sound without moving a muscle and as soon as they become aware of me everything stopped. No sounds. No movement. There’s isn’t a twitch. They remain completely still except for the one or two who had jumped into the water. They’d dived to the bottom and I could see small bubbles popping on the surface in their wake. There’s also one or two who know how to pretend to be dead in the water.

Smart Frogs, Mairead.

(There’s Alferce. Free parking, free water, free swimming pool, toilets, showers and frogs)

Did you watch the Late, Late?

| Mairead

(The Camino Natural de la Ruta del Cantabrico)

First of all, sorry if you did watch, no, my sister wasn’t on the Late Late Show (longest broadcasting show in Ireland, imagine.) No, you didn’t miss her singing – they cut her out.

(Look at those amazing clouds!)

Now I don’t want you to be thinking she didn’t do a good job. No, as far as I know she’s a grand singer, nothing to do with her talent. They cut the whole choir out, actually two choirs.

(And these!)

They ran out of time. And it was a great story, I’m sorry you didn’t get to hear it but I’ll check with her if it’s ok to share and tell you about it soon. Can’t get through to her at the moment she’s on a ferry on the Irish Sea. We love ferries in our family.

(Loved the noisy waves)

The other update: yesterday I did get out into nature and it was very beautiful. I packed up my fleece blanket and headed down to the sea where I sat on my blanket on a stone bench and watched the waves, the birds and the plants.

(Made a new friend)

I didn’t read, I didn’t write, I didn’t talk to anybody. Then I took some pictures for you and went back home to Ruby.

Thanks for the idea, nature loving friend! Mairead

(There we are just north of Santiago de Compostela in a town called Guitiriz, free parking, free electricity and free toilets)

Foz by the Sea

| Mairead

(See the house out on the edge of the cliff?)

We’re still in the place near the sea with the funny name – Foz. We’ve had our walk, I’m considering starting the couch to 5km running program again but I think it’s only because Denis is catching up on my walking steps. I might be more competitive than I realise. I’m no longer winning at the steps app and I seem to be putting a bit too much effort into thinking up a new strategy. Running might just be it. He doesn’t like running. I could win at running. I might well be losing my mind here in the Spanish rain.

(Close-up of some Lovely Lichen)

I can see a teeny tiny bit of blue sky so all will be well. In fact it was lovely and sunny this morning, only 7 degrees and a wind from the north or whichever direction the cold one comes from but still, the sun was nice.

(View of the mountains on our way here)

It’s something I don’t do enough of, look at the sky I mean. I was talking to my friend who doesn’t love reading. I, on the other hand, do love reading. I read all the time, even during meals if I can get away with it.

(Lots of cloud happenings)

She does something different in the times when I would be reading. So she was describing sitting in a deck chair with a cup of tea and a blanket around her shoulders looking at the clouds in the sky. And not just the clouds, she notices the birds, the trees waving in the breeze, the sounds, the smells and even the plants growing as she watches. Ok so she can’t see the plants growing but they do grow ever so slowly regardless.

(Big sky over the village with the narrow lanes)

Sometimes when she’s at work she finds herself thinking about nature carrying on with its work and it makes her feel good and at the same time long to be back outside just being in it. I was mesmerised.

(A few lovely clouds over Mont Saint Michel)

While we are away I spend far more time outside than I do while at home. It’s just the way it works out. I walk because I don’t have a car. I sit outside because our inside space is so small. And yet I don’t really see what’s right in front of my eyes. It’s like I’m so immersed in it I can’t see it. The practice of noticing nature seems so simple and so meditative and a perfect antidote to the competitive behaviour I seem to be practicing instead at the moment! When the rain stops I’m going outside (with my blanket) to just notice. Until then I can notice through the window.

Communing with nature, Mairead.

Nice cow

| Mairead

(Isn’t she adorable? All the cows have horns here. She seemed very friendly. The sound of her bell kept us company all day)

We are continuing our journey along northern Spain… slowly. We’ve reduced the driving time to an hour so Denis can work as normal. And we are zig zagging across the motorway (not as dangerous as it sounds) to spend a night near the sea followed by a night in the hills.

(There was an old graveyard near our stop with these pretty flowers just growing wild)

So last night was near the sea. 1.5km from the sea to be exact. We took down the bikes at 5pm and it was a lovely, mainly downhill, ride to the cliffs. Of course when it’s downhill on the way out it’s always uphill on the way back but we managed. We kept ourselves going by remembering the fitness goal might be getting closer.

(Beautiful view at the end of a short bicycle ride)

One of the new routines I started at New Year was drinking celery juice on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. I was very attracted to its benefits. It’s a bit of a palaver washing the stalks, chopping them, mashing them in the blender and then straining the mush through a sieve bag but any habit gets easier if you keep going. I checked with Denis before we left that the solar power battery would be up to the job of running the blender and he answered in the affirmative. We’ve been married long enough for me to realise that yes definitely doesn’t always mean yes definitely to the question you just asked. In this case it meant yes definitely that might work…

(Doesn’t that look like a face on the cliff?)

Now we’re here and I have a blender taking up space in the cupboard and three bunches of celery (from Spain via Tesco Greystones…) taking up space in the fridge with no way of bringing the two together to make juice. I’m lying, whenever we are hooked up to external electricity I can run the blender. This morning we were hooked up and I washed, chopped and began to blend. That’s when I realised how loud a blender is and how thin our walls are and how many people were sleeping around us in their thin walled vans. Maybe it was just about bringing the celery home.

To Spain, I mean. Mairead.

(There we are just west of Santander in a town called Cóbreces. €12 got us parking, electricity, WiFi, toilet and shower)

On the Rocks

| Mairead

2018 6

(The Clock Tower at Mȇda)

Continuing on our journey out of Portugal, two days ago we reached the town Mȇda. We are still in the land of huge rocks and it may not be clear from the photos how huge they really are. The medium-sized ones are the size of elephants and the large ones are bigger…

2018 7

(Stone wall… small rocks)

The outcroppings are everywhere. We stayed in a campsite in the town because our electricity and water need top ups and there was a mound of naturally occurring rocks there too. I walked up to the tower passing old stone walls that you might well see in Wicklow and definitely in the West of Ireland.

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(On the way to the Clock Tower… elephant sized rocks)

Earlier on our way into the town in search of a supermarket we passed a man and woman on a cart pulled by a donkey. Something I vaguely remember seeing as a child and seeing it here was very nostalgic. While pushing the trolley around the supermarket I almost bumped into the woman. They were doing their shopping. The new supermarket has been built just outside the town on a different hill. If you didn’t have a car it would be very difficult to shop there. The donkey and cart still has a place here. We passed them again going back down the hill and they were both walking, possibly too steep to let the donkey take the full load. Made me think of the donkey as part of the team.

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(While walking to the tower I saw a cart like the one at the supermarket, donkey-less)

All this is reminding me of home, even the weather. It’s been cold these last few days which is actually great for walking up hills. Also, the higher you go the better the breeze. I cannot imagine it in blazing sunshine. Must remember that, these expeditions are so much easier in a cool climate.

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(View from the top in the direction of Spain)

We’ll arrive in Spain tomorrow and we’ll have to change the clock to European Time. That’s another thing Portugal has in common with Ireland – the time.

Thinking of home. Mairead.