Happy Traveller!
The G Wagen - gets us everywhere!
Checking the surf on the SW tip of Europe
Boat harbour in Sagres
Friday 27 October 2006
Sagres - the town and the beer
Happy Traveller!
The G Wagen - gets us everywhere!
Villa Nova de something orather...
Villa Nova de Milfontes was the next stop on our trip. A couple of hours south of Lisbon, its a nice little village on the mouth of a large river. Supposedly there are a few surf spots around here but unfortunately there wasn't any swell while we were there.
I did take the opportunity to do a bit of 4WD exploration along sandy tracks around the area. It was very exciting to drive along sandy tracks and then see footprints leading towards the sea! I get out of the car, walk for about 400m through the sand dunes and........ nothing. Bloody flat.
I did take the opportunity to do a bit of 4WD exploration along sandy tracks around the area. It was very exciting to drive along sandy tracks and then see footprints leading towards the sea! I get out of the car, walk for about 400m through the sand dunes and........ nothing. Bloody flat.
Wednesday 18 October 2006
Salamanca to Supertubos
We made the long drive from Salamanca in to Portugal and headed straight for the coast. We spent a night in Figuera de Foz and then headed south towards a small fishing town called Peniche. We followed the coast past many little coastal towns which all seem to come alive for the tourist season in August and then back to sleep for the rest of the year.
Peniche has a famous Portuguese beach break called 'Supertubos'. There is even signs to the beach on the way in to town! We set up camp and headed straight for the beach where I paddled out in to surf for the first time in 9 months (since I was in Australia). With a daily rate of around 9 euros per day for our accomodation, we stayed for 5 nights in Peniche.
While we were there, we went for a drive to a small walled village called Obidos, which was once given by a King to his new wife as a wedding present. One night there was a huge wind storm which lashed the coast with torrential rain which resulted in me standing in the pouring rain at 5am digging a rain trench around the tent. The next morning there were plenty of sleeping bag and broken tents laying out to dry around the camp ground! I scored some good waves and Melinda was sporting a new tan by the time we left. But finally we decided to leave and head further south for more waves and somewhere new.
Peniche has a famous Portuguese beach break called 'Supertubos'. There is even signs to the beach on the way in to town! We set up camp and headed straight for the beach where I paddled out in to surf for the first time in 9 months (since I was in Australia). With a daily rate of around 9 euros per day for our accomodation, we stayed for 5 nights in Peniche.
Peniche
While we were there, we went for a drive to a small walled village called Obidos, which was once given by a King to his new wife as a wedding present. One night there was a huge wind storm which lashed the coast with torrential rain which resulted in me standing in the pouring rain at 5am digging a rain trench around the tent. The next morning there were plenty of sleeping bag and broken tents laying out to dry around the camp ground! I scored some good waves and Melinda was sporting a new tan by the time we left. But finally we decided to leave and head further south for more waves and somewhere new.
Melinda in Obidos
Adam on the walls of Obidos
Rain, wind and no surf in Spain
The wet and cool weather continued for the next 3 days while we waited around in Zarutz for the weather and waves to improve. So after taking a couple of drives in the Wagen, checking our emails and generally sitting around for 3 days, we decided that we should move 20 or 30km along the coast to another village.
When I went in to the camp ground office to pay, I noticed a 7 day forecast printed out sitting on the desk. 7 days of poor weather and according to the bloke at the desk, equally poor surf. 'If you go 200km south, you will find good weather' he says to me. Right, thats it.
Out to the car where Melinda is waiting and I tell her 'we're going south 200km or until we hit good weather'. After a quick look at the map, we plot a course to Salamanca and our planned 30km drive turns in to around 350km.
And sure enough, the further south we went, the better the weather got. By the time we got to Salamanca late in the day, it was blue skies and warm weather.
When I went in to the camp ground office to pay, I noticed a 7 day forecast printed out sitting on the desk. 7 days of poor weather and according to the bloke at the desk, equally poor surf. 'If you go 200km south, you will find good weather' he says to me. Right, thats it.
Out to the car where Melinda is waiting and I tell her 'we're going south 200km or until we hit good weather'. After a quick look at the map, we plot a course to Salamanca and our planned 30km drive turns in to around 350km.
And sure enough, the further south we went, the better the weather got. By the time we got to Salamanca late in the day, it was blue skies and warm weather.
Sunday 15 October 2006
3 nights across France
The theory for the first part of our trip was that the further south we went, the better the weather should be. However it seems that the further south we went, the cooler it got until finally as we drove in to Spain, it was raining!
The first night we spent in a little village not very far away from Calais where we got off the ferry. There was a small panic as we got to almost 9.30pm and thought that we couldn't find anywhere to eat! As a last thought before conceding defeat, I turned on my new GPS to see if it knew where there was any food. As it turned out we were walking around the wrong end of town!
Another days driving and we camped at a place called Tours a bit west of Paris. Third day on the road and we found ourselves on the coast west of Bordeaux camping at the base of Dune Du Pyla. At over 100m high, it is the highest sand dune in Europe. Much to Melinda's disgust, I made her walk up to the top. However once at the top there were superb views of the Atlantic, with storm clouds in the sunset making for a nice vista.
On the fourth day we spent some time stuck in traffic in Biarritz and we finally made it to a chilly and wet Spanish border. Like most of the borders we have been through in Europe so far, it was pretty lack lustre with a small sign telling you, you are in Espana. We finally set up camp a couple of hours later in a village called Zarutz about 40km west of the Border.
The first night we spent in a little village not very far away from Calais where we got off the ferry. There was a small panic as we got to almost 9.30pm and thought that we couldn't find anywhere to eat! As a last thought before conceding defeat, I turned on my new GPS to see if it knew where there was any food. As it turned out we were walking around the wrong end of town!
Another days driving and we camped at a place called Tours a bit west of Paris. Third day on the road and we found ourselves on the coast west of Bordeaux camping at the base of Dune Du Pyla. At over 100m high, it is the highest sand dune in Europe. Much to Melinda's disgust, I made her walk up to the top. However once at the top there were superb views of the Atlantic, with storm clouds in the sunset making for a nice vista.
On the fourth day we spent some time stuck in traffic in Biarritz and we finally made it to a chilly and wet Spanish border. Like most of the borders we have been through in Europe so far, it was pretty lack lustre with a small sign telling you, you are in Espana. We finally set up camp a couple of hours later in a village called Zarutz about 40km west of the Border.
Wednesday 11 October 2006
And we're away!!!
Day 1 of trip to Europe in the Wagen:
Aim - get off the British Isles and get to France
Method - Ferry, train or otherwise which results in Adam, Melinda and car complete with surfboards arriving in France.
Results - Success! After deciding not to bother booking ahead for a ferry place, we turned up to Dover and bought a ticket on the next ferry which was leaving in 30 mins!! We got in to France and the next main point to concentrate on was remaining on the right hand side of the road in my right hand drive vehicle.
We plotted a course towards Biarritz in southern France on my new talking GPS (the old one really did infuriate me that much!) and drove until dusk where we found a campsite and pulled in for the night.
Conclusion - Objectives of day 1 have been completed.
Aim - get off the British Isles and get to France
Method - Ferry, train or otherwise which results in Adam, Melinda and car complete with surfboards arriving in France.
Results - Success! After deciding not to bother booking ahead for a ferry place, we turned up to Dover and bought a ticket on the next ferry which was leaving in 30 mins!! We got in to France and the next main point to concentrate on was remaining on the right hand side of the road in my right hand drive vehicle.
We plotted a course towards Biarritz in southern France on my new talking GPS (the old one really did infuriate me that much!) and drove until dusk where we found a campsite and pulled in for the night.
Conclusion - Objectives of day 1 have been completed.
Back to London for a couple of days
Following our quick trip to Strasbourg, I took Melinda to the airport and she went back to London. I finished off my job in Germany a week later and went back to London myself. The plane was crowded on the way home and as you would expect they put me (who has broad shoulders) next to another fellow of similar size on a small plane. I was quite amused when I saw him typing in an email in to his Blackberry to (I assume) his secretary to get a complaint form for him.
I got home and spent about 45 mins inside before going straight to my mates house for a party. I think that I have got used to nice clean chemical free German beer because despite only indulging in about 4 cans of Red Stripe I awoke the next day with a cracking hangover. Fortunately another mate had a hangover so we went to the pub together for the afternoon for some hair of the dog and watched Australia lose rugby.
Only one day was left to get our gear ready for our surfing holiday!!
I got home and spent about 45 mins inside before going straight to my mates house for a party. I think that I have got used to nice clean chemical free German beer because despite only indulging in about 4 cans of Red Stripe I awoke the next day with a cracking hangover. Fortunately another mate had a hangover so we went to the pub together for the afternoon for some hair of the dog and watched Australia lose rugby.
Only one day was left to get our gear ready for our surfing holiday!!
Back to civilisation!
After spending the last month or so in deepest darkest Portugal and Europe - we are back! So I start updating this blog very soon with our latest stuff...
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