The Globetrotters: Portugal - fourth week II (Tavira, Lepe (Spain), Mértola)

Friday 25 October 2019

Today it's onwards to Tavira, where our exchange partners, Johanna and Wolfram, have parked their caravan at Camping Ria Formosa for the duration of our stay. We don't leave very early, as we enjoy our breakfast and a last chat with host Greg, so we arrive around noon.

We walk around the camping and have lunch at the camping restaurant.

At the restaurant, waiting for our hosts to arrive

Yes, I could make that my motto ;-)

Not long after we make our way to our place for the night, another airbnb: Casa da Osga. This time it is a self-contained room at a farm outside Tavira, with a fridge and coffee making facilities. There is more, but we don't need it all. The room is great, as is the bathroom. We can sit at a large table outside and I go and enjoy the late afternoon sunshine and beautiful views from a deck chair next to the swimming pool.

Saturday 26 October 2019

We pack up again after breakfast. We had brought the basics from home, which came in handy. We drive the short route back to Tavira and join Johanna and Wolfram again at the camping. The plan was to go on a short boat trip to a strip of beach where we could walk. We take the car I am driving as theirs is a VW Caddy, which can only take two people.

A lovely walk on Cabanas Beach is followed by coffee at the beach restaurant, after which the boat takes us back and we go for a short drive to restaurant O Escalho for lunch. This is the first and only time Patricia, nor I, enjoyed our meals. It didn't only taste not good, but it was exaccerbated by the fact that it was nearly cold. It took us a while to get over it and even at night time we were still not very hungry.

A selfie with the selfie-stick.
I have a bit to learn.

The wind playing with my hair...

O Escalho restaurant

A church next door

Anyway, that was that and we dropped off Johanna and Wolfram after lunch. We didn't leave too late as we had to drive across the Spanish border to Lepe where we had booked a room at Hostal Ciudad de Lepe.

Lepe

Hostal Ciudad de Lepe

our room

We arrived early enough, but.... there was no one at reception, nor did anyone answer the phone. We had to wait till a Spanish couple arrived who apparently knew how to alert someone. We finally got our key and were in.

I am getting further behind with my writing, but from memory I think we went for a walk after we'd checked in and tried to find a few geocaches, without any results. What we had for dinner? I have no idea. :-)

Sunday 27 October 2019

In the morning we pack and find a place where we can have a cup of coffee. We find one in the main street and a busy place at that. Next door they sell churros which need to be dipped in chocolate. People are lining up and they sell like hot cakes. Not for me though! An espresso will do me fine...

After that we drive back towards the border, but first we want to find a few cashes before we are back in Portugal as I want my virtual souvenir for Spain. We find two:

#2127 - 121 - Via Verde del Litoral (cache)

#2128 - 123 - Via Verde del Litoral (cache)

After we've found the caches we notice a shepherd (or is it a goatherd) with his flock of goats.

As it is still early in the day we make a detour to Isla Cristina where we walk around the beach area and later at the markets. There we discover a tapas restaurant where we have a most delicious lunch of four different tapas.

Market at Isla Cristina

Lunch at La Paraita del Peret

Ensaladilla

Queso Frito con Miel

An egg dish, but I have forgotten the name

Atun con tomate

After our visit to Isla Cristina it really is time to leave Spain (via the big bridge on the border) and make our way to Mértola, which is halfway on our trip home at Alvita.

We arrive at Mértola at about 2pm. Initially we are having a hard time finding our guesthouse, but after a few tries we finally can wind our way up the very, very narrow streets all the way to our accommodation. If I had known beforehand how narrow the streets would be I wouldn't even have tried, but we made it with an inch or so to spare between mirrors and walls....

our accommodation

Impressions of the town and its castle

After we have settled in we go for a walk and take oodles of photos. Then its time for a quiet moment at a little restaurant where we enjoy an ice cream.

Monday 28 October 2019

As there wasn't enough time the day before and we were rather tired, we walk to the castle this morning or rather call it: climb to the castle. It's worth it and we learn more about the castle and its surroundings and enjoy beautiful views.