Jane & Rog Plod to Portugal

[Jane And Rog]

As we headed off to town just before six, it was still raining. We want our money back! We can (and do) get this kind of weather anytime at home.

We were aware that an early lunch and Spanish dining hours are not the best match, so we started the evening off with a look round the Colegiata de Santa Juliana. The cloisters were lovely, particularly the different carvings around each column.

The chapel was, um, quite Catholic.

Saint Juliana is quite the lady. She dedicated herself to Jesus, but then her father promised her in marriage to someone. When she refused, the man who’d hoped to marry her, “his love having turned to hate, ordered Juliana's body to be torn to pieces with such strong lashes that the strength of six executioners was exhausted. Then he ordered her to be suspended by her hair, leaving her face entirely disfigured. He had molten tin distilled over her naked body, and at the same time she was burned with flaming axes; then he sent her to the dungeon.”

Note that last phrase, “then he sent her to the dungeon.” I think a swift burial would be more likely after six lashings, molten tin and some flaming axes for good measure. Luckily, after that she was beheaded, along with 130 followers, so became a saint.

There was also a display of episcopal robes. Reminded me that I need new cushions for our sofas.

When we came out, it was still raining. It’s a shame, because Santillana is a very beautiful town - even in the rain.

It’s just that we’d have had more fun exploring in the sunshine.

With our early tapas lunch, we had to choose somewhere that was open before 8pm and serving more than tapas. The place we ended up at had a three course menu for €19, and the food was good, but just a bit too big for me.

My highlight was my squid rice - this is a starter! I followed it with fabada and a decaff espresso.

Rog had a local pork and bean mountain stew to start, and then pork and chips and a flan (not pork) for pudding.

As we walked home, it was still raining.

As I type this, it is still raining.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Oh no, we didn’t do so well. A bit because we ate too early. Where did you eat?

I can’t remeber, it was a proper steak house I think. But 9pm or later probably.

 

[Jane And Rog]

I can’t remeber, it was a proper steak house I think. But 9pm or later probably.

I don’t eat breakfast, so generally have a pretty early lunch, so eating at 9pm would be a bit of a stretch. Peavy - do most people eat so late on normal working days?

 

[Wanders from Glos]

I don’t eat breakfast, so generally have a pretty early lunch, so eating at 9pm would be a bit of a stretch. Peavy - do most people eat so late on normal working days?

Our experience previously is that most places don’t even open before 8, and further south sometimes later. At a town near Cadiz I recall walking into town at 9 and being fed up everywhere was closed, then by 10 everywhere was full! Peavy is better placed I expect. We ended up often going for menu de dia at between 2 and 3 as our main meal

 

[Lenny HB]

Our experience previously is that most places don’t even open before 8, and further south sometimes later. At a town near Cadiz I recall walking into town at 9 and being fed up everywhere was closed, then by 10 everywhere was full! Peavy is better placed I expect. We ended up often going for menu de dia at between 2 and 3 as our main meal

Always found it's in the north they don't open until 9 down on the southern coast they are often open from 12 through to 11pm probably in the more touristy areas.

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[Wanders from Glos]

Btw Portugal seems more normal, restaurants open around 7.

 

[Jane And Rog]

Our experience previously is that most places don’t even open before 8, and further south sometimes later. At a town near Cadiz I recall walking into town at 9 and being fed up everywhere was closed, then by 10 everywhere was full! Peavy is better placed I expect. We ended up often going for menu de dia at between 2 and 3 as our main meal

I love Spain, but I don’t think our meal times align. I can do a main meal at late lunchtime occasionally (Christmas Day, the odd summer barbecue) but generally I prefer to walk and see stuff in the day time, and eat in the evening. More 7pm than 9pm though.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

I love Spain, but I don’t think our meal times align. I can do a main meal at late lunchtime occasionally (Christmas Day, the odd summer barbecue) but generally I prefer to walk and see stuff in the day time, and eat in the evening. More 7pm than 9pm though.

You’ll get into the swing of it, we did especially when it is hot. Think you’ll find Portugal will probably work for you though.

 

[G-RMPS]

Never use Google translate for official signs. Never ask a lawyer for advice. The rules for tonight’s stop could be phrased rather more succinctly.

View attachment 959437

“Park at your own risk”​

What is it with Duolingo? Nearly two years of Spanish bajo mi cinturon and Duolingo doesn’t touch useful stuff like this

 

[Peavy]

do most people eat so late on normal working days?

Yes, we've been always kind of later than most European countries, right? but I believe things are changing a bit here now. We two are kind of earlier than the typical shifts here. We prefer lunchtime around 13h and dinner at 20h and we're seeing earlier reservations in the restaurants, specially at dinner time.

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[cliffanger]

I love Spain, but I don’t think our meal times align. I can do a main meal at late lunchtime occasionally (Christmas Day, the odd summer barbecue) but generally I prefer to walk and see stuff in the day time, and eat in the evening. More 7pm than 9pm though.

We go to France every year, and it takes us most of our holiday before we remember that shops close for three hours for lunch and they close on Mondays too!

We’ve never aligned our eating habits to theirs either. I remember years ago, when we asked for a second bottle of red. We were met with a disdainful stare and the comment ‘Une bouteille de rouge de plus? Certainement pas’. Sûrement un café à la place.

Just as well we didn’t understand them, or we’d have been well embarrassed!

We just asked for the same thing, only louder, along with a coffee. We got both, but from the look on his face, we didn’t add much to any ‘entente cordiale’.

Having said all that, we love France, and Spain, and Portugal, and Italy, and Greece - get my drift?!

 

[Mr porky]

It's after you have just got your eating habits adjusted to spanish time then arriving into France is just not british. If you know what I mean.

 

[Neilh]

Sorry to see it's raining so much, hopefully it'll blown through, on plus side there'll be some spectacular waterfalls.

 

[Jane And Rog]

We go to France every year, and it takes us most of our holiday before we remember that shops close for three hours for lunch and they close on Mondays too!

We’ve never aligned our eating habits to theirs either. I remember years ago, when we asked for a second bottle of red. We were met with a disdainful stare and the comment ‘Une bouteille de rouge de plus? Certainement pas’. Sûrement un café à la place.

Just as well we didn’t understand them, or we’d have been well embarrassed!

We just asked for the same thing, only louder, along with a coffee. We got both, but from the look on his face, we didn’t add much to any ‘entente cordiale’.

Having said all that, we love France, and Spain, and Portugal, and Italy, and Greece - get my drift?!

I remember a similar thing happening in Greece with an old boyfriend. We must have been about 25, so felt quite up to a bottle of red with our lunch in the mountains - but the old guy running the taverna was having none of it - a glass each was plenty!

 

[Jane And Rog]

It's after you have just got your eating habits adjusted to spanish time then arriving into France is just not british. If you know what I mean.

Reminds me of another trip with Rog, car & hotel rather than motorhome back in those days. We arrived late at a little village in the French Pyranees, and walked out to find dinner just before 9. Nowhere would serve us as it was far too late, so we ended up with a takeaway pizza. The next day, we hopped 20 km over the border to Spain headed out for dinner at 8pm. We didn’t get it till 10pm, after far too many “pre-match” drinks.

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[Lenny HB]

generally I prefer to walk and see stuff in the day time, and eat in the evening. More 7pm than 9pm though.

We are like that and struggle in France, the menu's are served 12 until about 1:30 and if you are not in a restaurant by 12:30 all the decent suff has gone. We are still digesting breakfast that early. And if you can find a restaurant open in the evening the same meal is twice the price.

 

[MichaelT]

I love Spain, but I don’t think our meal times align. I can do a main meal at late lunchtime occasionally (Christmas Day, the odd summer barbecue) but generally I prefer to walk and see stuff in the day time, and eat in the evening. More 7pm than 9pm though.

Remember first time we went to Spain in Covid, stopped at an Aire at Fraga. Thought we would eat out so walked into town but everywhere was shut, some people in the square for evening walks etc. Just thought it was because of pandemic so went back to van and did some pasta. Wasn't till a couple of days later we realised the Spanish don't come out till after 8 and we were just too early.

 

[Jane And Rog]

We are like that and struggle in France, the menu's are served 12 until about 1:30 and if you are not in a restaurant by 12:30 all the decent suff has gone. We are still digesting breakfast that early. And if you can find a restaurant open in the evening the same meal is twice the price.

You’re the complete opposite to me. I wake about 6am, ready for breakfast at midday (most people call it lunch), then on an ordinary day at home eat dinner at 6pm to give the food time to go down before bed at 10.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

We quite enjoy adapting to the life cycles of the country we are in, although as others have said Spain to France always comes as a shock.

 

[Lenny HB]

In northern Spain we walked into a restaurant at 7:30 two girls were setting the tables. We asked if we could eat, they burst out laughing then told us they didn't open until 9:30.

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[Jane And Rog]

Day five if you’re counting.

We left the still-damp-but-not-actually-raining Santillana del Mar for the coast. Specifically the two Gaudi creations in Comillas. As we drove north under grey skies I suggested it might be an idea to drive south instead to where it’s warmer and drier. After all, we’d made the plan to circumnavigate the peninsula based on leaving a whole month earlier.

Ten minutes discussion in a lay-by later we were on route south. Specifically the A67 over the Cantabrians and (eventually) towards northern Portugal. We briefly left the motorway for lunch in Frómista; a nothing town that’s obviously a convenient stop on the Camino de Santiago. The place was crawling with Americans bearing their carbon fibre St James’ staffs. Sadly the food in town was also aimed at pilgrims. Big (walking all day) and either very expensive (Americans) or very cheap (all other pilgrims). We settled at a locals bar and ordered a couple of drinks and some tapas. It didn’t look great but it was very good and super cheap.

Oh, maybe it did look great.​

We reboarded Denby and rejoined the A26. Our initial goal was Zamora but once we’d left the motorway we decided to stop earlier - our whole goal is slowing down after all. We decided on Camping El Astral in Tordesillas.

My writing desk just now.​

After parking, Flynn got a walk up the dusty lane to spitting distance of the river. Sadly walls prevented him swimming. On the way back he protested by lying in every muddy puddle he could find.

Revenge!
​

Luckily Camping El Astral as a dog shower.

Foiled again, if it wasn’t for you monkeys etc.​

Before dinner we walked up into town but Tordesillas is a bit meh. Some nice bits but overall a bit modern and down at heel. We had a drink at a nice courtyard bar and then retreated to Camping el Astral.

* See note later.​

To be honest that wasn’t a surprise. CeA was chosen because it has an excellent asador on site. We ordered stuffed peppers and then abanico iberico. Abanico is one of those mad cuts of meat a Spanish butcher ferrets out of an Iberian pig. It’s from “the outside of the ribs” which I would naively say meant belly pork but it’s not.

Jane using an iPad to look at pork.​

Based on tonight’s serving it’s some of the best pork I’ve eaten. Which as jane will point out is a lot. Also they serve it rare.

* Oh, I promised a note later. In the Palacio del Corregidor, an honestly great courtyard bar, they gave us a bowl of nuts. What I thought were cranberries (go back and look at the picture) were midget gems. There was a gummy cola bottle in there too. “Oh, it’s probably like that peanut and jam thing they do in America” I said. It wasn’t. It was awful.

 

[Jane And Rog]

Looking at that photo, I’m not quite sure how we got Denby in there or if we’ll get him out. Still the pork is good so no harm staying until the tree dies.

 

[cliffanger]

Day five if you’re counting.

We left the still-damp-but-not-actually-raining Santillana del Mar for the coast. Specifically the two Gaudi creations in Comillas. As we drove north under grey skies I suggested it might be an idea to drive south instead to where it’s warmer and drier. After all, we’d made the plan to circumnavigate the peninsula based on leaving a whole month earlier.

Ten minutes discussion in a lay-by later we were on route south. Specifically the A67 over the Cantabrians and (eventually) towards northern Portugal. We briefly left the motorway for lunch in Frómista; a nothing town that’s obviously a convenient stop on the Camino de Santiago. The place was crawling with Americans bearing their carbon fibre St James’ staffs. Sadly the food in town was also aimed at pilgrims. Big (walking all day) and either very expensive (Americans) or very cheap (all other pilgrims). We settled at a locals bar and ordered a couple of drinks and some tapas. It didn’t look great but it was very good and super cheap.

View attachment 960096

Oh, maybe it did look great.​

We reboarded Denby and rejoined the A26. Our initial goal was Zamora but once we’d left the motorway we decided to stop earlier - our whole goal is slowing down after all. We decided on Camping El Astral in Tordesillas.

View attachment 960097

My writing desk just now.​

After parking, Flynn got a walk up the dusty lane to spitting distance of the river. Sadly walls prevented him swimming. On the way back he protested by lying in every muddy puddle he could find.
View attachment 960098

Revenge!
​

Luckily Camping El Astral as a dog shower.

View attachment 960099

Foiled again, if it wasn’t for you monkeys etc.​

Before dinner we walked up into town but Tordesillas is a bit meh. Some nice bits but overall a bit modern and down at heel. We had a drink at a nice courtyard bar and then retreated to Camping el Astral.

View attachment 960100

* See note later.​

To be honest that wasn’t a surprise. CeA was chosen because it has an excellent asador on site. We ordered stuffed peppers and then abanico iberico. Abanico is one of those mad cuts of meat a Spanish butcher ferrets out of an Iberian pig. It’s from “the outside of the ribs” which I would naively say meant belly pork but it’s not.

View attachment 960101

Jane using an iPad to look at pork.​

Based on tonight’s serving it’s some of the best pork I’ve eaten. Which as jane will point out is a lot. Also they serve it rare.

* Oh, I promised a note later. In the Palacio del Corregidor, an honestly great courtyard bar, they gave us a bowl of nuts. What I thought were cranberries (go back and look at the picture) were midget gems. There was a cheery cola bottle in there too. “Oh, it’s probably like that peanut and jam thing they do in America” I said. It wasn’t. It was awful.

That’s the weirdest mixture of nibbles I’ve ever seen!

 

[scousebird]

We once had a drink at a bar in Marboue and was given a bowl of tiny cherry tomatoes.

 

[cliffanger]

Now that’s just classy scousebird Helen!

We had a dish of those awful sunflower seed things that Just smiffy Garry loves so much, he buys them by the bag! I nearly lost a tooth trying to eat them without shelling them first!

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[Wanders from Glos]

The restaurant at Torsidillas is good isn't it. I seem to recall the portions are huge but we thought the site was a bit pricey for Spain, but then perhaps I am just tight.

Can I ask what have you done to the weather, it's all wet since you got to Iberia. There seems to be a clear link to me.

 

[Jane And Rog]

The restaurant at Torsidillas is good isn't it. I seem to recall the portions are huge but we thought the site was a bit pricey for Spain, but then perhaps I am just tight.

Can I ask what have you done to the weather, it's all wet since you got to Iberia. There seems to be a clear link to me.

Yes, massive portions - we’re hoping to get dinner tonight out of my leftovers. Think the site was €27 - I was hoping for ACSI but the sign was actually saying not accepted - amazed ACSI make a sign to refuse it?

Sorry about the weather. I sometimes think I should charge rich Arab states a fortune to visit and create rain in the desert.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Good idea No doubt ACS sell the signs.!

 

[Jane And Rog]

We’re in Portugal! Our site for the next two nights is an ACSI site called Cepo De Verde, which is in the middle of Portugal’s only national park, Peneda-Gerês. There are actually Iberian wolves and wild boar living in the park, which ought to make Flynn quite nervous.

Our drive over was uneventful - just a stop in Zamora for supplies of various sorts, including the essentials for Rog to make a replacement dog-rope for keeping Flynn close to the van without him tying himself in knots. We left our original one on the top of a foggy mountain a few days ago when we were evicted by a film crew. I think we can be forgiven for not walking the site properly.

Our first trip to Mercadona this holiday too - hard to resist these amazing hams, but I don’t think Denby has the spare cupboard space.

After pitching up and indulging in a cuppa, we had a lovely walk in the hills, only marred by persistent flies. Up through a grove of chestnut trees,

and then a lovely little hamlet, where Flynn found a welcome cool bath.

On our return, I had a swim in the pool - nice to find one still open in October. There was a sign saying that the water was at 26C. “Except it’s more like 26 below,” said an Englishman edging his way down the steps at the shallow end. It was fine once we were going, though, and we swum lengths together exchanging dog and motorhome stories.

He told me that a few years ago, in Spain, one of his flat-coated retrievers was suddenly quite ill one evening. The dog was completely frozen, wouldn’t move, and they were convinced it had had a stroke or something equally serious. They just managed to squeak into a vet’s surgery before they closed at 8pm. The vet looked at the dog, standing there, frozen, moved both his hands in swiftly as if to hit the dog and then clapped them together loudly. The dog didn’t move a millimetre.

“I know what’s wrong with this dog,” the vet said.

“Don’t you need to do tests?” the man asked.

“We’ll x-ray to confirm it, but what’s wrong with your dog is that he’s stoned.”

And indeed the x-ray confirmed that the dog’s stomach was full of the butts of “fancy cigarettes” that the dog had scarfed on the beach that day.

“He’ll have a 3 week hangover, but he’ll be fine,” the vet said.

Back at Denby, after a few drinks watching the sunset…

I made us Portuguese pork and clams, with the leftover pork from yesterday. Not bad.

 

[Jane And Rog]

Time for a quick map catch-up - this are all the stops except our first.

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