Jane & Rog Plod to Portugal

[pjay]

Jane And Rog how do you get on with the Skotti grill, quite fancy one myself?

Pete

 

[G-RMPS]

Took the words out of my mouth

 

[Mousy]

Excellent, we are off to India next week for a few weeks and this is on the list.

Check out the site known as the baby Taj Mahal. It’s beautiful, not busy and you can spend ages exploring the wonderful workmanship.
I’d 100% recommend a visit.

Baby Taj Mahal: Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah in Agra, India - Through My Lens

Located in the same city as the Taj Mahal itself, the Baby Taj is a beautiful example of both the history and the architecture of the country. It is an amazing place to visit in Agra.

www.throughmylens.com

 

[cliffanger]

Healing crystals

We’ve mentally turned towards home. Of course we physically turned towards home in Portugal but last night (actually day before last as I had trouble posting this) we calculated the mileage to Calais and days to our Shuttle booking. We never really planned to be on the current 5th November crossing but by now it would have been far from a leisurely trip back. Who knew Spain and France were so big? We pushed back to the 16th after which we have to be back in Blighty anyway. It does make the trip back somewhat leisurely but even this means we need to move a little more quickly.

So today was a driving day. We also did some touristing: the world’s second biggest geode - or biggest if you, like the BBC, split hairs about geodes vs mere “caves filled with crystals”.

View attachment 970370

Jane near a mine​

We arrived at about 10am and rushed to beat a coach load of brits to the ticket office. Sadly we were informed the whole day’s tours were booked. It’s the Alhambra all over again. Thinking I’d grab a similar screen shot of the booking form I loaded the page and strangely it showed availability. In just an hour. I ran back to the ticket office where they explained they’d had two cancellations which, if we were ok with a Spanish tour, we could have them. Of course we would. Especially as they had talkie machine tours available.

View attachment 970369

And splendid hats​

The Pulpí geode was discovered in 1999 and only opened to the public twenty years later after the cave was made safe. The tour of the mine itself was interesting enough - originally a hand dug iron mine which switched to lead and silver when they discovered that. It was closed when all the gypsum started to be too bothersome. It’s not clear when it was closed but I’m guessing during the civil war.

View attachment 970331

The gypsum inspector ​

In my limited experience, there are only a few things that genuinely exceed the hype they’re given and make you say “wow!”. One other is here in Spain: Gaudi’s Sagrada Família. The Great Pyramids and James Cameron’s 1986 film Aliens also spring to mind. To enter the geode, we descended a long spiral staircase, then another straight flight before climbing a tiny set of steps, leaning forward “like Superman” then craning our necks to the left - unlike superman who could just X-Ray vision through the rock.

View attachment 970371

We’d later be smug about being able to climb these without needing a rest halfway up.​

Sadly, we couldn’t take photos of the inside of the geode but the BBC link above has one. The best we could manage was this photo taken by the guide at the whatever-the-hole-in-a-geode is called.

View attachment 970372

Lois and Clark​

After spending a couple of hours in the mine we wanted to get some kilometres under Denby’s wheels. We set the GPS for Banyeres de Marolia; a smallish town off the tourist trail with an impressive castle. As we approached town, signs started appearing directing us to a different aire. We dutifully followed - it was slightly further outside town but right next to a large park with a river, ruined paper mill and lots of sticks.

View attachment 970375

would camp here again.​

When Flynn and I got back to the van, Jane had been in investigating our new home:

“P4N people say only day parking…”
“… yeah, there is nobody else here, I’ll check.”

Sure enough for some unknown reason the whole park is closed from November to Easter. No reason given and not much obvious signage. As Spain seems hot on enforcing camping laws at the moment, we packed up and drove 200m closer to town to our original destination. It’s nice but not quite as good as the first one.

For dinner we walked 25 minutes up the steep streets of Banyeres to L’Almàciga a little bar promising to be open before 8pm.

View attachment 970376

Dos vermout por favor​

Although the bar was open, the kitchen wasn’t so we had to have a few drinks before they would feed us. they were really friendly and the food was very good.

View attachment 970377

“Russian” salad​

The Russian salad was just to keep us going. We pleaded with them for something whilst we waited for the kitchen:

“We’re English, it’s a long time since our lunch.”
“Yes, you should be in bed by now”

Veal tonnato, korean crocettas, squid soup and tuna tataki.

On the way back down the hill it started raining again.

View attachment 970379

Meh​

Flynn got a quick walk around a haunted factory just below the aire. He suspects rather strongly that this was also a paper mill and there’s a mill pond to be found.

View attachment 970380

We were in Las Vegas years ago. We went to the Nevada Museum of Prehistoric history (purely because we had a book of coupons, one of which was free entry to the museum).

It was a distinctly underwhelming experience, with nothing original and everything made of plaster of Paris.

It was however, our first ever experience of customer feedback, as we were proudly handed a pre printed sheet of ‘Questions often asked’

The first question?

‘Is this all there is?

Some 40 odd years later we still find it incredible that they would have printed that - only in America!

It has become the byword for underwhelming visitor experiences though ….. ‘Questions Often Asked’ I’ve had to snatch the pen from his hand more than once

Keep up the brilliant thread - absolutely loving it.

 

[Zoobec]

Another driving day.

We’ve driven Another 344km and about most of that east past Barcelona, back near the coast at the nice “fishing village” of Capella de Palafrugell. The site is another we wouldn’t normally choose - full of caravans parked here for the year and now wrapped in tarpaulins - but it’s a nice enough location.

View attachment 971112

Haunted caravans.​

The friendly lady on reception gave us a pitch with a sea view and it’s pretty big - we feel like we have a balcony.

View attachment 971110

A van with a view, later this evening.​

We walked down into town and gave Flynn a brief swim from a small sandy beach below the village. Then a drink looking out over the med before back to camp.

View attachment 971113

Swim & view​

View attachment 971118

Salt and sweet.​

We’d bought a Gallacian steak earlier in the week and this felt like the right time to eat it. Jane made a tomato and avocado salad, we cooked up the last of the spuds and even broke a bottle of cava albeit one we brought all the way from England!

View attachment 971122

Not been for years and not been in the van yet but we love Callella de palfrugell. What was the name of the campsite you stayed at please?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Jane And Rog]

Not been for years and not been in the van yet but we love Callella de palfrugell. What was the name of the campsite you stayed at please?

The Moby Dick. Friendly receptionist, tired but good showers, we got a prime spot with Med view. Lots of trees for summer shade. Downside is the most of the site is through a tunnel under a road, so a bit of a trek to walk out & no direct access to trails & woods behind. Not far from town though. Also not cheap - wish we’d not had electricity as we didn’t leave Flynn so didn’t need aircon

 

[Zoobec]

The Moby Dick. Friendly receptionist, tired but good showers, we got a prime spot with Med view. Lots of trees for summer shade. Downside is the most of the site is through a tunnel under a road, so a bit of a trek to walk out & no direct access to trails & woods behind. Not far from town though. Also not cheap - wish we’d not had electricity as we didn’t leave Flynn so didn’t need aircon

Thanks! I don’t mind tired as long as it’s clean. And for there I think other sites would be out of town.

 

[Jane And Rog]

Thanks! I don’t mind tired as long as it’s clean. And for there I think other sites would be out of town.

Clean and powerful, though they did have a press button. We chose it for proximity to town too.

 

[Jane And Rog]

We were in Las Vegas years ago. We went to the Nevada Museum of Prehistoric history (purely because we had a book of coupons, one of which was free entry to the museum).

It was a distinctly underwhelming experience, with nothing original and everything made of plaster of Paris.

It was however, our first ever experience of customer feedback, as we were proudly handed a pre printed sheet of ‘Questions often asked’

The first question?

‘Is this all there is?

Some 40 odd years later we still find it incredible that they would have printed that - only in America!

It has become the byword for underwhelming visitor experiences though ….. ‘Questions Often Asked’ I’ve had to snatch the pen from his hand more than once

Keep up the brilliant thread - absolutely loving it.

I love those moments that become a thing. We’re still shouting “Pozor!” at each other on dodgy footpaths.

 

[Jane And Rog]

Jane And Roghow do you get on with the Skotti grill, quite fancy one myself?

Pete

We love it. I was always against gas BBQs but the ease of use vs size with this thing turned me around. I’m not sure we are yet at the stage where we can assemble it in under a minute but I’m getting there. I would definitely be happy breaking it out for breakfast on a day we’re about to leave. We’ve only used it in France and Spain so far so not tested it with charcoal or as a fire pit but on gas it cooks really well. We bought the lid - which is more difficult to assemble but useful and a couple of other accessories we’ve not tested yet: the Smak smoker (basically a concave burner shield without holes so you can put charcoal or wood chips in it) and the split griddle. We used their steel pan for the spuds above - they work really well and clean easily.

Pros: packs really small. quick to set up, gas readily available (e.g. Decathlon sell it), gets pretty hot, easy to clean (goes in dishwasher at home)
Cons: cooking surface is fairly small - it’s definitely for two at the most. It’s expensive.

If you aren’t bothered about gas, I’d also look at the Fennek 2.0 which is the same tech (stainless sheet) with slightly more cooking surfaces and temperatures.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Jane And Rog]

The rain in Spain is faster than the Denby. Even though we’ve had three driving days aiming at a week in a rain-free patch of Catalonia, the clouds have overtaken us and the next week’s forecast looks like this.

After a chilly discussion over coffee, we decided it was best to move on again and get well into France, where the forecast looks like this.

But tomorrow, rather than today. Today we needed a break from driving. It was rain time, i.e. time for the Jane & Rog Boozy Lunch . (Round 2.)

On the way, we stopped for a look round Begur. The Lonely Planet describes the town thus: “With exquisite coast glistening in its surrounds, Begur is one of the most beautiful and sought-after spots along the Costa Brava. This fairy-tale town, has a tempting array of restaurants, beach-chic boutiques, soothing heritage and boutique hotels, and Modernista mansions that add splashes of colour among the stone streets of its medieval centre.”

This is how it looked today. Even Flynn had to shelter from the rain.

On we drove to a free carpark outside the village Peratellada. Park For Night seems fairly sure that the police are happy about people camping here, so fingers crossed.

Our meal was at L’Eixida. We’d booked the latest possible lunch in the hope that it worked as a very early dinner.

Quite appropriately, on the way there, we saw this sign. 100% would not bank with them, condescending wbankers.

We shared four courses, served sequentially, which was a really nice way to taste a lot but not get too full.

The first course was a steak tartare with Jack Daniels and sea urchin cream.

Next was octopus with green mole and raisin relish.

Then the first main course was lobster with rooster crests and pork jowl.

And the second main was a prawn rice with tripe and Catalan mince.

All delicious.

It had stopped raining when we finished lunner at about 4:30pm, so we explored the village. Very twee indeed and 50% restaurants, 50% holiday homes (probably).

Then, back to Denby to relax before another driving day.

 

[Lenny HB]

surprised me by exceeding the hype was the Taj Mahal. I’d arrived in Agra by train at 4am

I remember getting dragged out of bed at 5:30 am to see the Taj a sunrise. Flipping thing was covered in mist until 10 am.
I was not impressed, I don't do mornings

 

[jockaneezer]

" Rooster crests" wattle you eat next !

 

[Jane And Rog]

" Rooster crests" wattle you eat next !

Just ask us about when we lived in Japan…

 

[Grianan]

Check out the site known as the baby Taj Mahal. It’s beautiful, not busy and you can spend ages exploring the wonderful workmanship.
I’d 100% recommend a visit.

Baby Taj Mahal: Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah in Agra, India - Through My Lens

Located in the same city as the Taj Mahal itself, the Baby Taj is a beautiful example of both the history and the architecture of the country. It is an amazing place to visit in Agra.

www.throughmylens.com

Agreed this was one of our favourite places.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[G-RMPS]

Just ask us about when we lived in Japan…

What about when you lived in Japan?

I remember being offered size 3 slippers to wear on the train.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Love the idea of "lunner', it is now part of our vocabulary