Last bit of Spain for a while and into Portugal - Days 166 to 169

The Via Verde cycle route to Ayamonte

We moved, on a Saturday, very unusual for us, but there was plenty of space, in a lovely new, independent Aire, fabulous views over the salt marsh, clean toilet block (though very, very compact). Very happy to be here. (campsite location: 37°13'19.0"N 7°19'21.7"W) (campsite facilities with photos: click here then on item 71 in list)

This end of the via verde was much much successful, we cycled along a straight, beautifully made track, waving merrily at other cyclists (it was Sunday, there were a few). It was a little windy, it’s ok he said it’ll be coming sideways so we won’t be cycling into it! That was true, but it did blow me across the path at one point. 

Here's our Via Verde cycle route through Isla Cristina:
We followed the track to Ayamonte, in theory we could have gone into Portugal, but we carried on

A much better Via Verde route than the start was in the previous post

followed the green cycle lane, past exclusive hotels and entrances to the beach, before finally arriving at the harbour in Isla Canela, where, a first for the bikes, we got on a little 12 person ferry, €3 each and €1 for a bike to go back to Isla Cristina. Fabulous. A little trip though the market before stopping for lunch. We may have slightly overindulged. I really wanted some coquinas, little shells (very like pipi Robyn) cooked in butter and olive oil with garlic cloves. 

We saw many, many storks in nests on top of electric pylons

They were better than I imagined. Our waitress had then recommended a tuna dish which was just what I wanted, though didn’t quite tick Brian’s boxes, so just to round off the meal and ensure we’d need no more food for the day we had albondigas de choco which was slightly confusing, meatballs of cuttlefish? Very like Thai fish cakes but in a tomato sauce, they too were delicious. A starter, two mains (but not necessarily in that order) and three drinks each, with complementary digestif €36 and why are we leaving Spain?

The Guardiana river that separates Spain (R) from Portugal (L) and the big suspension bridge that connects the two (and the one we went over to get there)

Our bikes going on the little ferry back to Isla Cristina

A sedate and careful final 2km cycle brought us back to Ted after a thoroughly enjoyable day out.

Monday we planned and chilled, before a little boat trip, an hour on the same sort of boat we were on yesterday, round the fishing areas and the harbour before a snack of some local prawns and a glass of wine, feeding the shells to the fish. We were collected and returned to the campsite, all for €10 lovely.
Tomorrow Portugal?

One of the sandbanks we passed on our early evening boat trip

Another sandbank of birds

Indeed ‘tomorrow ‘ was Portugal, though now it’s yesterday, and how things have changed. Rather than crossing the border and staying about 20 minutes in, we crossed the border and headed north for a couple of hours, reason? We’ve got a Housesit, starting on Monday about 4/5 the way up, one little pug and some chickens and peacocks....

We pulled in here at a mussel farm to have our tapas and wine included in the boat trip price. A small glass of white wine and a tub of prawns, which we peeled and ate, throwing the heads, legs and shells into the river/sea for the fish to eat. That building beyond looks like a lighthouse, but we were reliably informed it isn't, it's an apartment block

One of said fish grabbing a prawn leg

We stayed on a small campsite, with a great book exchange, at Castro Verde last night, and we could have been anywhere. Nice Scottish couple next door, lovely friendly cat, oh, we can’t be in Spain then... (Campsite location: 37°42'19.4"N 8°05'15.0"W) (Campsite facilities with photos: click here then on item 72 in list)

Today we’ve travelled another couple of hours north to Evora, a much more interesting town, old Roman ruins, huge aqueduct, big churches and little streets. (Parking location: 38°34'37.4"N 7°54'52.9"W) (Parking facilities with photos: click here then on item 73 in list)

Our overnight campsite at Castro Verde, Portugal

Impressions on Portugal so far? Pretty, green, flowers, terrible roads and a language that sounds Polish with a few words we recognise. I hate that I can’t use my normal rubbish Spanish for please, thank you, is this? How much? Where’s the? Do you speak English? I’m sure we’ll gel eventually, just not sure I’m quite feeling it yet.

And this very friendly cat paid us a visit and stayed with us most of the night, exploring Big Ted throughout and eating plenty of cat biscuits

And this quite large grasshopper thing visited us too, settling on next doors motorhome

Parked up on the edge of Evoria next to the 16th century aqueduct (we have since been joined by two other vans, a French and German - will anyone else arrive I winder)

Praca do Giraldo square in Evora

Inside the Igreja de Sao Fransisco church

The Roman Temple in Evora

Evora cathedral

The excavated Roman thermal baths inside the Town Hall

Another section of the Roman baths

Inside the main area of the Town Hall. The Roman baths are just off to the right and the table and chairs havecompters with free wifi

This is the Town Hall building, not somewhere we would have just walked into, but our map showed the Roman baths as being here, so we went in to see. There's nothing telling you outside that they are here

This is the same aqueduct that we're parked by, but this bit is further into town and, here, people have built houses into the arches

Here's our walking route round Evora. We're parked top left: