Jane & Rog Plod to Portugal

[Jane And Rog]

If you like your pastries , A brasileira in Lisbon is the place to be …….., outrageously good

I think Rog had one from there back on a city break long ago. The standard no other PdNs are reaching.

 

[Dutch 68]

I think Rog had one from there back on a city break long ago. The standard no other PdNs are reaching.

We skipped dinner one night and just had a takeout with a variety of their amazing goodies

 

[Jane And Rog]

Pasteis de Belém in Lisbon Is the gold standard so far. I forced our friend on a 5km route march through the sun to have one.

 

[jumartoo]

Pasteis de Belém in Lisbon Is the gold standard so far. I forced our friend on a 5km route march through the sun to have one.

We were taken to the old building (all blue and white tiles), to eat the real thing, by a local Lisbonian friend. They are VERY nice.

We also had to taste three different Ports (at 10.00 in the morning)

 

[Jane And Rog]

We were taken to the old building (all blue and white tiles), to eat the real thing, by a local Lisbonian friend. They are VERY nice.

We also had to taste three different Ports (at 10.00 in the morning)

We tasted about 7 (two different places). At least it was the afternoon. We were a bit tired and emotional at dinner though.

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[Jane And Rog]

Espania!

The rain hadn’t arrived when we woke up but it came soon afterwards. We’d already decided that although we liked the beach and town, the camping in Fuseta which from some angles looked like a refugee camp managed by Disney wasn’t for us.

Surely a princess awaits​

We checked out and Jane was given a bollocking for my mistake of incorrectly attaching Denby to shore power.

The rain abated a bit and allowed us to do some touristing. First the tiny village of VIla Nova de Cacela. This polished little village gives you a feel for what the Algarve was possibly like in the 50s and why it drew those early package holiday makers. Of course now the village is dead during the off season - there’s nobody anround and every house is a locked down AirBnB. You can’t have everything.

A princess.​

From there to Monte Gordo - the modern algarve. The only real reason to visit was that we were running out of chances for a final Pastel Del Nata. Monte Gordo didn’t feel promising with most restaurants offering variations on British pub classics.

Does the apple pie also come with chips?​

Self awareness comes slowly around these parts and we decided that we’re not Algarve beach type people. Maybe fishing ports are more our thing. They also have ferries and we haven’t done that yet. Sensing our dismissal, Monte Gordo pulled a rabbit from a hat - or rather a PAstel Del Nata from a pastelaria. The Coral Pastelaria on our way back from the beach delivered the best yet. Slightly overdone but good custard. A solid 8.

Winner!​

Our port stop was the last town in Portugal - Villa Real San Antonio. We hoped that we’d be able to get the tiny ferry to Spain but the lady in the ticket office mimed that Denby was too big for the ferry. Shame. We had plenty of parking on the clock and spent a pleasant hour wandering round the market then swerving this alarmingly named restaurant, returned to the Marina’s cafe.

Gulp​

It was our first (and only) Portuguese Tapas:

Clockwise from the top: anchovies, ears (pig), cuttlefish, tuna belly and gizzards (not pig) in the middle. ​

The ears were a little undercooked and hence slightly harder than our teeth so Flynn got most of them.

I also bought this at the market

which is going to have the effect of reducing future blogs posts where I’m on duty to “Hu? Sorry, I wasn’t listening”
We had planned to stay just over the river in Spain but the site gave us PTSD flashbacks to last night so we continued on though the increasingly heavy rain to Camping La Alexa near to El Rocio where they still think it’s the 1850s and conduct all their business on horseback. They also have a rather special pilgrimage but it’s at Pentecost so we’re about as poorly timed as you could be.

The rain came on heavily about 4pm. Flynn got a cursory walk around the site and then we sat around until dinner time. Luckily they operate on camp time not Spanish time so we were actually late for the limited tables. Luckily the staff were happy to help us out, pulling a table out of the breakfast areas and serving us some nice pata negra and then black rice. An unintentionally gothic meal.

Just imagine the colour of the ham!​

We returned to the van to find a message from Lenny HB they were also washed out from a posh 4x4 trip and back, three pitches down from us. In a Motorhome fun version of a Marvel Crossover edition we abandoned Flynn and took them up on their offer of Rioja and under-sold (“we don’t like it very much but have some if you want”) but delicious gin.

Gin, models own​

 

[Lenny HB]

Lovely to meet both of you a very plesent evening.

 

[Jane And Rog]

Lovely to meet both of you a very plesent evening.

You too though I feel a little worse for wear after all that gin!

 

[Jane And Rog]

Do people like seeing my scribbles on the iPad? If not, sorry, because here’s a doodle I did of Flynn yesterday.

 

[Lenny HB]

You too though I feel a little worse for wear after all that gin!

I'm fine just woken up.
Did Jane finish the bottle before bed?

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[Jane And Rog]

I'm fine just woken up.
Did Jane finish the bottle before bed?

No! It was that quadruple you poured me!

 

[Steve and Pam]

Do people like seeing my scribbles on the iPad? If not, sorry, because here’s a doodle I did of Flynn yesterday.

View attachment 965754

Brilliant, but I would get Flynn to the vets he looks jaundice.

 

[Lenny HB]

You have done a runner.

 

[Jane And Rog]

You have done a runner.

We did pay, unlike Morocco! And wave but I think you were still in bed Decided to take a look at town & then move on. All the best for your trip!

 

[Jane And Rog]

Brilliant, but I would get Flynn to the vets he looks jaundice.

His eyes are that colour! In sunlight anyway. The dog with amber eyes.

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[Orion]

His eyes are that colour! In sunlight anyway. The dog with amber eyes.

Hare raising!

 

[Grianan]

I love the iPad drawings! Keep them coming please