Journey to the ferry home.
Well we couldn't have caught covid in a more perfect place...no imminently departing ferries, no hard Christmas deadlines and no sub zero temps! Thank you to the wonderful Chris & Claire for looking after us and to another mate from uni, Robin (and Nicola), who now run a shop out there and who stocked us up with food and drink. Who'd have thought Buzz had so many friends?! 😁 Covid hit us all in different ways... Dougie was fine after the initial temperature, Buzz tired with the occasional hacking cough, me tired and mild flu like symptoms plus no smell and Trevi absolutely nothing. Hard managing different energy levels, especially when back in the van, but I think we got away lightly.
Once testing negative we were back on the road and keen to 'do' again. Buzz conjured up ANOTHER old friend who just happened to be helping organise the International World 7s Rugby and the first ever Spanish leg of the tour happened to be in Malaga just down the coast...yes please!
We found a free motorhome aire (designated camping spot) a 2 min walk from the stadium - a bonkers place, packed with maybe 80 motorhomes. It looked like some people were settled and staying some time, riding out the winter, but an odd place to do it. Pretty souless as most hole up in their own bubbles but a few had a bit of music going and dogs made owners mingle!
The night before the 7s we went in search of a bit of local culture... We took the metro into the old town and went to a flamenco show! I was in my element. Remembering a past life and a fabulous world music conference I went to in Seville many moons ago where every evening musical talent was showcased and there was plenty of local flamenco. What passion! Simple, raw elements coming together.. The footwork, the clapping, the soulful voice, the dexterous guitar playing. A bit like Dali being a bold engaging artist to show the boys, this was a similarly bold and engaging style of music. We were all drawn into the spell, despite the singer's voice not being quite as soulful as I remembered (!) The dancing was fabulous. How they switch on such emotion and frenzy on stage twice a night is beyond me.
We were pretty much the first to arrive at the stadium the following morning, keen as mustard! Bit of Benny Hill chaos evident behind the scenes as they got the show on the road but then we had a great day. We basked in the sunshine in the morning then needed to layer up as soon as the sun dipped behind the stand. Shame The All Blacks and Fiji weren't there due to covid but plenty of games and action to entertain. Quite the 'fiesta' as the commentator called it. Wish I'd taken a photo of pizza man who wore a hat in the shape of a slice of pizza. He did wonders for getting the crowd going, getting up to boogie every time the music came on. And full marks to the organisers for their eclectic mix of dance music chosen to match the teams currently playing.
After Malaga we headed inland to Puente Genil to stay with a family friend and went with her to nearby Cordoba the following day. Amazing to see the Moorish & Christian architectural fusion of The Mezquita mosque/cathedral. The fact that the later Christians chose to build in the middle of, rather than destroy and totally rebuild (hence retaining much of the outlying mosque with its stunning arches) I think points to a level of tolerance and respect between the religions.
Time was now running out on phase 1 of our trip...the ferry from Santander to Portsmouth was booked for the 29th Jan. Tanked up with even more delicious local olive oil we headed towards Portugal, a country new to all of us...
One night on the beautiful Algarve... Incredible sand and coloured cliffs (reminded us a bit of the Jurassic Coast), then up to see our Swiss friends Nathalia & Vincent who we had met at La Taillede on our first visit. These two are travelling the world on their motorbike, Falkor, no set plan of duration or direction... Seeing where the wind blows them, sharing skills and positive energy, and documenting it all brilliantly with their whizzy digital skills. Check them out at: https://take-me-everywhere.com/
We found them in Vincent's uncle's holiday home near Nazaré and had a lovely couple of nights catching up with them and fellow biker travellers Sandra & Fiona (from Torquay & Leicester - small world!)
With only 2 days to go we said our goodbyes and hit the coast at Nazaré where the International surfing competitions are held and waves can reach 30m!! They were only 3 or 4m when we were there but you could still feel the energy of the place and soak up the surfer vibe. The colours of the sea and sand were sensational. We sat mesmerised by the waves for some time before prising ourselves away.
On up to the Douro valley and beautiful driving along the river and up through the vineyards. We didn't recognise the names of most of them but I did point out to the boys the big white letters across one hillside that spelt TAYLORS... I hope when the boys taste their first TAYLORS port they will be transported back to that day of the trip. Depends how much they've drunk before the port comes out I guess!!
The countryside between northern Portugal and Northern Spain is incredibly diverse. We went from rich fertile, rolling river valley, to barren scrubland that was reminiscent of the Northern Cape Bush, then wide open crop growing plains and finally to the snow-capped mountains of the Picos de Europa, forest and sandy beaches. We flashed through them but Portugal and the Northern coast of Spain definitely warrant further investigation!
Our last night was in a carpark by a poular surf beach just up the coast from Santander and who should we meet but a guy from Plymouth! Heading home with his puppy Molly (who he found discarded in a bin 😔) He brought the beer and we the food... A nice way to end our phase 1 travels. The following day we set sail in the rather swanky Brittany Ferries boat: Galicia. We arrived in our room to find a TV with a sort of Netflix setup... And a private 29-hour film festival began!
Thank you for reading these blogs and being with us along the way. Hopefully we'll be back on the road for phase 2 in May! Xxx
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