Parador de Ayamonte

... security passes that had to be scanned on exit and entry. If you had not used a card to get out you couldn't use it to get in and going out or in the car required that you hand over all three cards to one of the gate attendants so that they could scan the cards for you.

We walked into the town through a nature reserve that was adorned, in what we now recognized as normal Portuguese style, with plastic bottles ...

Op de rechteroever slaat de torenklok een keer vaker dan op de linkeroever: in Spanje is het een uur later.
Drie stukjes film: weer dolfijnen, de eerste die we in de Algarve tegen kwamen, blijft voor ons erg leuk, ik hoop voor jullie ook. Dit keer een wat grotere varieteit. Het tweede stukje film is uit de zoutwinning bij het plaatsje Tavira waar kluten, reigers en lepelaars fourageren. Het derde stukje film zijn wat beelden in en rond de Guadiana, de grensrivier.

No trip to Portugal would be complete without a trip to the Algarve. Its reputation as Portugal's Costa Del Sol does it no favours and we've been deliberating for ages to see if we can get some beach time without the socks and sandals brigade, Sky Sports, bacon and eggs and News of the World. That said, the Algarve offers mile upon mile of beautiful coastline dotted with countless beautiful beaches and this is tempting ,for one of us at least.

Tavira, Algarve, Portugal warm

Our time in Tavira has gone quickly. We´ve enjoyed soaking in the local flavour whilst sitting at our favourite pastelaria (pastry shop but really a cafe) in the Praça Dr. Padinha. We've had fish a few times - Chris has been more adventurous than Tony in this department! On Wednesday we caught the ferry for the short journey to the beach on the Ilha de Tavira. Our first swim in ...

... s centre streets are cobbled, narrow and one-way. We´ve spent Sunday afternoon & evening and Monday just walking around the town, exploring and soaking up the atmosphere. Lots of coffees, pastries and beer. Food and drink is really cheap (expresso $1.10, beers are about $2.20 for a stubby).

We´ve been practising our very limited Portugese - I think we can say about 3 expressions so far! Locals seem to find our efforts amusing! :-)

Adeus

... was a  three to five feet wide uneven brick walkway around the inside perimeter of the castle up by the turrets.  Off the walkway was a drop-off that varied between ten and twenty feet.  This walkway was the main route used; there were kids running around on it, people passing each other and clusters of people that spanned right to the edge caused by the interest people have to be standing wherever someone else is.  On these areas there were ...

... overwhelming sense of satisfaction. After an excellent night's sleep I got a nice early breakfast back in Huelva (first through the door at 7.00 am on the dot!) and wolfed it down so that I could get the earliest possible start for the ride to Ayamonte. It was a beautiful day, although the wind was very blustery (on the one or two occasions that I woke during the night I could hear the wind blowing hard) and I headed west through the city looking for ...

... found a nice corner bar. I sat outside and sipped a couple of glasses of Rioja until disaster: I hadn't quite finished the second glass when I accidentally tipped it over and spilt the remaining contents. Before I could move a waitress appeared and wiped it up, before reappearing seconds later with the bottle and refilling my glass at no cost! Now THAT's what I call service! DISTANCE FOR THE DAY: 87 km TOTAL SO FAR: 2223 km

... br>Samuti oli just Lagos see koht, kust 1578.a läks Dom Sebastião koos Portugali, Hispaania, Hollandi ja Saksa "õnneotsijatega" (ingl k buccaneer) Põhja-Aafrikat kristianiseerima. Milline kül oleks Aafrika täna ilma selle sündmuseta..?

Praeguseks oli jõgi suhteliselt kokku kuivanud, linn väsinud. Tegime seal väiksed tiirud vanalinnas, jõime (laste)kärarikkas kohvikus cappuccinot ja soetasime paar köögirätikut.

... aan de Spaanse kant Ayamonte. Deze plaatsjes liggen ongeveer 25 mijl verder oostwaards, waar de Rio Guardiana als grensrivier Portugal en Spanje scheidt. De rivier is mijlen te bevaren en dat is ook ons plan. De windvooruitzichten lijken gunstig, maar worden pas bewaarheid als we 4 uur gemotord hebben. Dan steekt de windop, de golven worden ruwer maar alles blijft hanteerbaar. De pilot zegt dat we met instromend water op minimaal half tij binnen moeten lopen ...