Abacist goes to Spain

[minesapint]

We’re on 3 and businesses contracts can’t be extended beyond 12gb
Three then charge 35p per mb

Might be worth getting a local sim

Hi after running out of date with our normal contract on our Samsung phones. We switched to a SIM only month by month deal with Smarty 50Gb for £10 per month and 100Gb for £16. We just tether the laptop to that, works a treat.

 

[Abacist]

Bull ring and bull fight advertising posters where stayed last night and orange trees lined the streets. Bull fighting cruel in this day and age but not our country!

 

[Abacist]

Now at Vila Vicosa, a white marble town. Even the kerbs, street lights and street benches are made of marble. The front of the big building is all marble but the pic does not really do it justice

 

[Abacist]

Some of the more ordinary houses have marble trims and window surrounds

 

[Robert Clark]

Hi after running out of date with our normal contract on our Samsung phones. We switched to a SIM only month by month deal with Smarty 50Gb for £10 per month and 100Gb for £16. We just tether the laptop to that, works a treat.

We’re on smarty too
And when the 12gb fair use limit is met you can top up at about £1 per gb

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[Hagstrom]

Hi Robert,

Do you get a warning from Smarty that you are about to exceed your fair use roaming limit? If so, is it on the Smarty App or in the form of a text to the mifi which are easy to miss/overlook?

 

[Robert Clark]

Hi Robert,

Do you get a warning from Smarty that you are about to exceed your fair use roaming limit? If so, is it on the Smarty App or in the form of a text to the mifi which are easy to miss/overlook?

Hi Norman
We got an email from Smarty to warn that we were reaching out limit
We then purchased the top ups via the app.

We’ve now stopped our contract as we’re back in the UK and on our next trip will use Superdrug Mobile which currently has now cap (other than your regular monthly one)

 

[Abacist]

 

[Abacist]

The King’s palace at Vila Vicosa until the revolution in the early 1900’s is the big marbled fronted edifice!

 

[Abacist]

A brief look around Estremoz at lunch time today.

We

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[Abacist]

Our stop tonight is at Montsaraz, a high fortified hilltop village with outstanding all round views but especially over the largest man made lake/reservoir in Europe.

 

[Abacist]

The little bar where we ate tonight as we were too early for all the restaurants but were starving! Gazpacho soup, spinach quiche with a super tomato salad followed by local plum tart and a couple of shots of very warming liqueur.

 

[Abacist]

The local workers obviously pop in for 1 or 3 after work and it was very popular and friendly. I think the boss had had a few as he kept having to check what we had ordered!

 

[Abacist]

 

[Abacist]

Apart from Olive trees and vines that you see on the road there are also cork trees where the cork bark has been harvested.

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[Vipar]

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Is that old mo on the right?

 

[SOOZANDIAN]

So enjoying your trip Abacist . You’re visiting places in Portugal that I didn’t know about. Cheering me up as I can’t travel at the moment because of work commitment. Thanks

 

[Abacist]

Well, we have had a busy few days! After Montsaraz we thought we would nip across the border and refuel on the cheap in Spain and then head for Alvor in the Algarve. We had just done the refuelling trip and were back in Portugal when we found out that the Alvor and Lagos aires had been closed so we needed a new plan quick! We decided to head for Chipiona down near Cadiz where there seemed to be 3 aires fairly close to each other. That meant an about turn and back into Spain again to head south on the motorway.

Meantime I thought our gas was getting low so needed a refill along the way which we ended up finding in Jerez at a Repsol garage. I found the right adaptor for the gas pump but could I get it to latch on so went to consult the cashier who produced her own box of adaptors which confirmed I was using the right one. I had forgotten about the little catch at the top of the pistol grip to lock onto the adaptor. Success we were now full of gas again.

We arrived at Chipiona Marina aire at 10:30pm and moved in. You get 45 minutes after the barrier lets you in to pay at the machine and choose and register your pitch which lasts for 24 hours. The entry and exit is one and the same and is controlled by number plate recognition cameras. We woke up to find ourselves being one of about 10 Motorhomes on a brand new tarmac aire. I then read the regulations which prohibited virtually everything you could possibly think of doing apart from breathing!

We went to explore the town and thought the place was dead for the winter until we turned a corner and the place turned out to be a bustling, busy town with lots of shops, cafes, bars, restaurants and shops. We had a coffee, walked some more and it was hot, hot hot.

We went to the Marina restaurant where the prices looked eye watering and then saw the bustle of people around by the fish market at a cafe/bar/restaurant and went around there. As we were about to sit down at a vacant table a Spanish lady asked us if we were English and suggested that we first ask one of the staff. I obviously chose the wrong one as my request was met with a torrent of Spanish, followed by even more when I asked if he spoke any English! He then went off as he was busy. The boss then arrived and immediately whipped out an extra table, 2 chairs and a parasol for us And gave us a menu with English alternatives. We had a fabulous lunch of all assorted seafood and fish and the bill with 2 beers and a coke for Margaret and a large tip came to 40 Euros which was the price for just a sea bass at the Marina restaurant! It turned out that all the tables were reserved with little booking slips under the ashtrays. The whole place was sold out.

After lunch we reached a decision, Chipiona was too far south for us as we were not enjoying the heat and resolved to head back up to the Portuguese west coast. The next night saw us at Badajoz on the Spanish border were we squeezed into the aire, not even on a proper parking bay. There was a rap concert in full flow and wondered if we would get any sleep But it all went quiet at eleven. We were on our way again by 9am and are now back in Foz do Arehlo! Various pics to follow!

 

[Abacist]

spikey looking plant like aloe Vera with a huge “flower” growing out of it

 

[Abacist]

Couple of shark family fish at the fish market in Chipiona

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[Abacist]

I was puzzled by the areas of sea off the beach encircled by low rocks. Turns out they are an ancient fishing method - see pic for explanation.

 

[Abacist]

 

[Abacist]

The pic of the ice cream on a stick is a family joke. When the kids were young we took them to France for holidays a lot to La Palmyre on the west coast near Royan. There was a little gem of a restaurant called Chez Tonton which was fabulous and cheap, run by lady who wore no shoes with awful feet. However she ran out of steam after starters and main course and you got an ice cream on a stick for pud!

 

[Hirsch]

Great pics and nice to be able to follow your travels.

Thanks

 

[Drum Major]

Loving your trip great pic enjoy

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[Abacist]

Lovely day at Foz do Ahrelo after a stormy night with big winds and rain but all now blown away!

Met up with Merryl & Stefan that funflair and jongood will remember from Polch

 

[Abacist]

 

[jongood]

Lovely day at Foz do Ahrelo after a stormy night with big winds and rain but all now blown away!View attachment 544129View attachment 544130View attachment 544131View attachment 544132
Met up with Merryl & Stefan that funflair and jongood will remember from Polch

View attachment 544128

Love Foz Do Arelho. Whats the temperature like Robert?

We ve met Stefan and Meryl many times, they live a bit closer than you guys.

 

[Lenny HB]

The little bar where we ate tonight as we were too early for all the restaurants but were starving! Gazpacho soup, spinach quiche with a super tomato salad followed by local plum tart and a couple of shots of very warming liqueur.

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Been in that bar.
Only just caught up with thread not been getting the notifications.
If you hadn't have moved on there are some great wild spots down by the lake.

 

[Abacist]

Love Foz Do Arelho. Whats the temperature like Robert?

We ve met Stefan and Meryl many times, they live a bit closer than you guys.

Very pleasant John - mid twenties C!

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