3 go to Austria

Planning our trip top Austria For Christmas. This time I will let someone else do the driving........

So excited about spending Christmas in the Austrian Alps - no skiing for us though being ladies who lunch rather than ski!!!

Got to fly to the UK first, meet up with our chum in the midlands, spend the night there, then pick up the coach to the ferry over to Liege for our first stop.That's the plan will write as the plan develops further so watch this space.....

Granada and Murcia

We had a lovely overnight stop in the Sierra just outside of Granada - waking up to a cloudy skies but pleasant all the same. It was gloomy in the cab too. We were sad that the journey had come to an end but at the same time happy to be home at last. The journey had been fraught at times but I would never have missed it for the world. We had seen sights that most people will never see - high up in the Sierras - not on roads that we had planned to take but none the less we would not have wanted to miss it. Home is sweet and as I arrived I recalled the song my father always used to sing when I returned from my overseas travels "the longest mile is the last mile home". I have thought about my family a lot on this trip and have so many memories that I want to share with them and also wonderful sights that I would dearly love to show my grandchildren. Thank you for sharing my blog and I hope that you have enjoyed some of my ramblings.

Sierra Nevada on our last day

another view of the Sierra Nevada on our last day

Our last overnight stop just outside of Granada

Clouds over the Sierra Nevada on our last day

Adieu

Homeward bound

 overnight at Garvao

another castle in Spain

A view from Herman on overnight stop

Castle at Santa Olalla de Cala

After the dreadful weather in Sagres we decided to get back to sunny Spain ASAP and yes you have guessed it - we were once again running on fumes as Herman had guzzled up all the diesel, but once again luck was on our side and we made it to a filling station. Now we were faced with the task of finding somewhere to stay for the night. Eventually we found a place just outside of Garvao. Next day was dull and overcast so once again we set off this time for Mertola, then onto Serpa, then Cortagema - Dieter set the Garmin (how I hate that thing!!!) I queried the roads we were being set and sure enough Dieter had entered a Cotagema in Portugal and not Spain - eventually we set off on the right road. We passed through some super scenery with some fantastic places worth visiting, Arcena, Zufre was very picturesque, the Sierra Morena was super, great castle at Santa Olalla de Cala. We stopped overnight in a lovely remote spot, we have been really lucky with the overnight sites we have found. Next day it was sunny and we set off for our last over night stop.

Portugal and our way home

Most westerly point in Europe

Road in the Sierra in Portugal

At last Dieter's friends contacted us and we made arrangements to meet up with Susan at 10.30 the nexxt morning. Supper was taken in a nice bar on the promenade at Querateria, where we watched Barcelona beat Man U. 3.1 Walked back to the site and so to sleep. Rain lashed down most of the night. Next morning off we went to the rendezvous to meet Susan at 10.30 a.m., when she hadn't arrived by 11.00 a.m., we were a tad concerned, then I asked if Portugalwas on the same time zone as Spain, Dieter said that his phone automatically adjusted to the appropriate time zone and it was the same time as Spain, I checked on my IPOD and put in Portugal and sure enough it was on the same time zone as the U.K. so we kept ourselves amused for the next 30 minutes when Susan arrived on the dot of 10.30 a.m. She took us up to their fabulous home on the side of one of the hills overlooking Faro, her and Gez had built their dream home from scratch and it is still an ongoing project and is truly a "Dream Home" with stunning views from every aspect. We had lunch in Faro and walked along the marina before returning up the mountain and then leaving Susan and Gez, before returning back to the site for supper. Next day it was raining again when we headed for Sagres, the most westerly point in Europe. The weather was dire so after photographing the site we made our way back to Spain.

Sorry about the blip

People digging for clams Estuary at Tavira

Sierra in Portugal

A boat on the estuary at Tavira
Overnight stop was in a super place, sleep was interurupted by heavy rain - windows had to be closed so we sweltered in the heat. Morning and sunshine greeted us once again and we happily set off for Portugal and the Algarve. Wonderful da for driving, just a couple of minor set backs in the route and we were well on the way - we drove through Vila Real de Sto. Antonio and then thro Castro Marim and onto Tavira where we stopped for the night by a quaint estuary. We waded through the shallow, warm, waters through shoals of fish, we carefully avoided the crabs scuttling sidewards on the sea bed. When the tide went out a few people, mainly men, started digging in the sands for clams, back breaking work which hopefully paid off for them - idyllic plaqce with a small ferry steaming back and forth across the estuary, pasta carbonara for supper and so to bed. Woken in the middle of the night by thunderstorms and Dieter panicking about what he thought was the smell of gas - it turned out to be the smell of the salt flats close by, the wind had changed and with the tide out the smell was quite overpowering - panic over he then realised that he had been bitten by a swarm of mosquitos - needless to say we packed up and left the site rather quickly. Driving further down the Algarve Dieter decided to go inland and up into the mountains again and once again we were on a wing and a prayer with the diesel situation, luckily we arrived at a remote filling station before the diesel ran out.

Almost there!

Spent the morning driving through Huelva - drove over one of the bridges 3 times and it wasn't just to see the view because Huleva is certainly one of the ugliest cities. We eventually made it down the coast through the coastal towns of La Rompido, Cartaya, Lepe, La Antilla and onto Isla Cristina where we parked in a none camping area. All these places have fantastic beaches, especially where we are at the moment. We took a long walk along the beach and there were only about 5 or 6 people on this beach, which stretched for miles. Had a lovely supper (Turkey curry) cooked by my good self.Just having our night cap now and then it is off to never, never land and tomorrow Portugal......

New Brakes and the like

Set off early this morning from Dos Hermanas back to Jerez. The Gamin was programmed to get us there by the quickest route and yet again we found ourselves on the worst road ever - it looked as though it had been hit by an earthquake, driving along it was a nightmare, eventually it came to an end and we arrived at the garage 45 minutes after the appointed hour. Herman was left in the capable handes of the garage mechanics and we strolled towards the town, 15 minutes down the road we came to Hipercor - fantastic - had breakfast (highly recommended!!) then looked around the store at all the wonderful things I couldn't afford to buy, 3 hours later we were back at the garage and took the reigns of Herman once again and set off back towards Sevilla - Dieter 520 euros lighter in his pocket - we went to a Hymer dealer to purchase a couple of spare parts at least this time there was a lot less damage to Dieter's pocket. Eventually we set off towards Portugal, Garmin was once again programmed  and once again it took us down an even more disasterous road - Mal estado - was becoming part of our every day vocabulary and the Garmin is going to take flying lessons!! never again will I trust that thing. We arrived in Mazagon , a beautiful coastal town, anyone thinking of a holiday on the Atlantic Coast could not do better than this town. Supper was taken at a lovely Spanish bar, so good that these people only speak their own language, so our our Spanish skills as well as our miming skills are rapidly improving. Night time found us in woodland just on the edge of town .

Morning broke with the sound of raindrops - first time on our trip and the air is nice and cool, but as I am writing the sun is breaking through and enveloping us once again in her warm embrace. We are now driving through Huelva - not a pretty place at all - despite all it's historical connections we have decided not to stop here. Watch this space and I will let you know what happens. When we do arrive in Portugal it may be that the blog will take a rest for a few days as we do not have a dongle for Portugal and so will pick the blog back up when we return to Spain.