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Two peas in a pod
Two peas in a pod

Two peas in a pod

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  • Two peas in a podTwo peas in a podRejsende
    Beautiful border area between Spain and FranceCreysse, village where Tim camped in is childhoodCreysse, camping next to the river DordogneFrench waterfalls (Tim in his element!)Collognes la Rouge

    Back in France & back home

    23. maj 2022, Holland ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    The last few days of our trip are spent in France, starting with a beautiful drive across the border. Mountains, sun and snow make up a perfect landscape. The last few days of our trip are a mix of long hours covering distance towards home and sight seeing a few places on the way.

    There is one campsite where we stay a few nights: for the first time on our trip we actually give in to the slow pace of camping life and do nothing. And then nothing some more. Reading a book, playing a game, swimming in the pool AND river… before we started our trip we had imagined that there’d be a lot of these days as that’s how we remember camping with our families when we were kids, but as we went places the excitement of all there’s to see got to us. We have not stayed more than two nights anywhere else - which was never more than necessary for sightseeing and traveling on to the next amazing place to be. Not regretting this traveling style at all, it is pleasant to wind down and take it easy a little more.

    One of the other stops is in Creysse, a small typical French village that makes one feel like you are stepping right into the Disney movie of Beauty and the Beast. This town is a familiar spot to Tim, who has gone camping here before when he was little. Just next to the scenic town is our camp site. We get to park our campervan right in front of the Dordogne river, adding to our peace of mind with its continuous sound of water flowing. A great spot! Following the Dordogne we continue to travel north the next day.

    Tipped by our parents (in law) we make another noteworthy stop in a village called Collognes la Rouge. A name that means something: the whole town is built using red (rouge) sandstone. The combination of a well preserved historical town and the colour red gives it a bit of a magical vibe. It could have been inspiration for a Disney set, too!

    We have experienced a couple of amazing weeks on the road. Being away together, reflecting on our past five years abroad, digesting an impactful emotional past year, exploring new places, appreciating the beauty of Europe, getting excited for living closer to family and finding a new home for ourselves in The Netherlands. I wouldn’t be able to call out what my favourite place of the trip was: it was the journey and variety that made this few weeks special.

    We definitely found our hap-pea-ness with our green pod! Now that we’re safe and content back home, it’s time for a new chapter in our lives. Let’s go!    Læs mere

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    Olive fields
    UbedaUbedaBlue Magpie

    Ubeda and the desert of Bardenas Reales

    15. maj 2022, Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Before I continue on about our next destinations I realised I forgot to mention one anecdote about our night after visiting Cordoba. As mentioned in the previous post the day had been very hot and our campervan had nicely retained all that heat inside. The swimmingpool and shower didn’t cool us down sufficiently and therefore we decided to sleep with the van’s side sliding door open. It was the first time we tried this and we felt a bit exposed - I normally prefer to sleep with the doors closed AND locked! Necessity winning over comfort, the door stays open. Temperatures drop slowly and while a pack of street dogs is taking over the surrounding streets barking we start to fall asleep at last. Until… There’s a sound. I have woken up Tim twice before during our trip thinking to hear or feel something that wasn’t really there, so I wonder if it is just my nightly paranoia having me startled. Then there’s DEFINITELY a sound again and it is INSIDE of our van. What the..? As fast as I can I grab my glasses and switch on the light. At first I see one pair of eyes staring back at me, probably just as startled as I am, to then quickly jump away through the open door. A cat. A second later (I am still processing what’s happening at this point) I hear more rattling from behind the car’s front seats. A second cat makes its escape. Of all things or beings that could have been inside of the van waking me up, two cats is probably the best thing that could happen to me. But it did freak us out! Whenever we slept with the doors open after this night we made sure to use extra cloths as curtains so that it looks less “open”. Luckily we didn’t have any unwanted visitors after this night.

    Moving on! The next day we drive a little westward to the city Ubeda, a historical town surrounded by countless olive fields. Tipped through word of mouth our plan is to enjoy this UNESCO world heritage site and combine it with hiking in Parque Natural de las Sierras de Cazorla, a park with many beautiful routes and waterfalls. However we soon realise that this area doesn’t have much options to camp (legally) and the campsite we do find (owned by Dutch people, no surprise..) is small and fully booked. And so our plans change: we do still enjoy Ubeda, but we camp a little more north and use the entire next day to drive a longer distance to the north. Our next destination: Bardenas Reales of Navarre.

    Bardenas Reales is a semi-desert like area which is pretty unique for both Spain and Europe. More than 40,000 hectares big, the area is unpopulated and characterised by very hot summer, very cold winters, almost no rainfall, and lots and lots of wind. Unusable for agriculture it is now a popular spot for tourists, hikers, cyclists, and movie/TV makers (Game of Thrones, The Counselor, The World is Not Enough, and many others have scenes that were shot here). The landscape is bare with abrupt reliefs, plains, hidden ravines, canyons, limestone plateaus, and tumbleweeds. Of course we visit in late spring and so the desert is as green as it gets throughout the year: grass fields give the place some more colour. As it is a protected area we register and get a map with a route to drive. The ride is slow as we drive on sand paths, which is actually perfect to enjoy the surroundings well. Every now and then we stop and get out of the van to admire the view - although one can’t leave the paths as clearly warned on many sings along the road. At one point we park next to a mom with a kid and two dogs running around. It’s hard to put a finger on what’s actually off, but we both notice some some strange behaviour by the mom and kid. The look like attempting to leave a few times, getting in and out of the car, calling their dogs (that don’t necessarily listen very well), honking the car horn… it’s weird but eventually they get their two dogs, get in the car and leave. Meanwhile another couple arrives at the viewpoint. While we continue to admire the surroundings, we suddenly see a dog running towards us from the plains. Confused about what to make of it we check if the dog belongs to the couple, but it’s not… Seeing the dog frantically running around the parking spot we start to realise what might be going on and our hearts sink - is this explaining the odd behaviours we witnessed just now, and was this dog left behind by the mom and kid..?! With them being far gone, what should or can we even do?! The dog keeps searching for something, and we ponder about the situation, when… the car with mom and kid returns to the scene. They instantly see the dog, get out of the car and hug it hello. Turns out they went to search for the dog by car in the wider area as it did not return upon their calls and was out of sight for some time, thinking it must have wandered off. When that didn’t help they decided to go back to the place they last saw it. What a relief, and imagine theirs!

    After this strange experience we continue to enjoy the semi-desert in peace. The only other strange things we see is in the shape of rock formations we come across. Apparently in about 60 years time these rocks will be gone completely, by wind and erosion. It’s a unique landscape, definitely. A great place to end our stay in Spain.    Læs mere

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    Córdoba: arches, culture & patios

    12. maj 2022, Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    As an admirer of Islamic architecture and having an interest in the historical confluence / mutual influence of religions, Córdoba is a city we can not give a miss on our trip. Córdoba has such a rich and long history, my imagination goes wild just by walking through the historical centre. The most populair sight in the city is also the best example of historical, cultural and religious dynamics in this area: the Mezquita.

    Civilisation in the region of Córdoba goes a long time back, when about 44.000 years ago the Neanderthals lived here. The Romans came to the city in 206 and gave Córdoba its current known name. In the eight century it was conquered by the Moors who made it the capital city of the Umayyad Caliphate. During this time the city was extremely sophisticated especially compared to the rest of Europe living their dark ages. Cordoba was world leading in education and learning, tolerant of religions, a centre of artistic expressions and was dedicated to science and philosophy. By the tenth century Cordoba was probably the largest city in the world! In this enlightened period the Moors built a giant mosque: the Mezquita. It was supposedly built on the location that was a Roman temple before, and has actual recycled Roman columns as part of its current architecture. The design and size of the mosque was a display of the sophistication that characterised the city at the time. Later, in the 12th century, the christians seized power. They kept the mosque turned it into a cathedral, eventually building a large altar and chapels inside of the existing structure. When we visit the mosque / cathedral today, this mix of influences and religions is still clearly visible. In real life we are dazzled by the actual size of the place - it’s really very large - and we happily get lost between the maze of arches and pillars. At one archway we’re admiring Arabic and Islamic decorations and at the next corner we enter a massive church altar. It’s astonishing.

    After spending some hours at the Mezquita we continue to explore the rest of Córdoba. We try a bit of tapas, we visit some other historical places, and… we are lucky once more to time our visit right: we celebrate a local festival! This time the festival’s name is “Festival de los Patios”. It’s a bit funny to us to organise a whole festival around little city gardens, but it’s a big thing here since 1929(!). More than 50 houses open up their private patio to visitors and contest against each other for the honour of having the most beautiful flowers and arrangements in that year (and a cheque of €1000, an amount that is probably more of a reimbursement of costs). Before and after siesta the streets fill up with long queues of people waiting to take a look at the patios, and vote if they want to. We can not ignore this curious festival and join the queue for a handful of patios ourselves. During the wait entertainment is provided by a group making Flamenco music, singing and dancing through the streets. It must be a famous song they sing because the crowds around us chip in too: suddenly the whole street is singing together! (See video)

    The patios we visit (we select the queue we join by looking at the number of plaques next to the entree, indicating previously won prizes) are indeed very lovely. The flowers bloom exuberant in all kinds of shapes and colours, and patio owners have paid a lot of attention to detail in their arrangements and decorations. Overall it’s the entire vibe of locals catching up with their neighbours while waiting to enter a patio, the house owners proudly showing off their hard work, and the festive music and dance that makes it an adorable scene to be part of.

    We end the day with some more delicious Spanish tapas, then picking up our van and taking a dive into the campsite’s swimming pool to cool off. It’s been a five-star day - again.    Læs mere

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  • Two peas in a podTwo peas in a podRejsende
    Ronda
    In front of the Puente NuevoThe new bridgeRonda's canyonThe bridge, former prison cells visible.RondaWalking to El Caminito del Rey in the early morning: mountain goats!El Caminito del ReyThe gorgePart of the trailProbably how you'd have wanted to hike on the old pathHere you can well see the old path below the current, safe one.Old & new pathWould you have dared to hike here prior 2015?Simply beautiful1Dinner with a view

    Canyons of Ronda and Caminito del Rey

    11. maj 2022, Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Inspired by a recent trip of dearest friend Karin and her partner we continue to explore more of beautiful Andalusia. It’s such a beautiful region, especially around this time of the year when nature is looking lush and green. Our next two stops, Ronda and Caminito del Rey, are both in the mountainous area of the region and are both characterised by a large, famous canyon.

    Ronda firstly is an ancient town frequently visited by tourists who want to take a walk on the Puente Nuevo: the stone bridge that connects two parts of the city that are split by a large and deep gorge running through the middle. It’s name is “new bridge” while being completed in 1793, as the initial “old” bridge collapsed during the built in 1740 and caused 50 workers their life as they fell down the gorge. Another salient detail: the top of the bridge has rooms used as prisons during the Spanish civil war. Apparently people were executed here simply by throwing them out of the window. All dark history aside, the gorge of Ronda provides for an impressive sight and the view - both of and from the bridge - is stunning. We take a stroll through the old and new town, and on a terrace with panoramic view we enjoy a coffee with cake. Pure bliss!

    From Ronda we drive on to El Chorro, the name of the river and tiny village that are close to the canyon walking route of El Caminito del Rey. Driving through a mountainous area we arrive at a campsite right next to a turquoise coloured lake. To get to our spot the road is even smaller, steeper, and curvier than the usual mountain roads, but once settled it’s a beautiful location. The owner tells us that all tickets for the canyon we come for are likely sold out (and online we confirm they are) but also that we shouldn’t worry: if we make sure to be at the entrance at 9:00 AM when the place opens up there should be about 50 tickets available for adhoc sales. Hence, early morning the next day we set out to the canyon to successfully “chope” (Singlish for reserving a seat) our tickets.

    When I told my sister Evelien we were going to walk El Caminito del Rey a day earlier she got a little worried and understandably so: until recently this place was notorious for being one of world’s most dangerous trails. Drawing rock climbers, adventure hikers and, let’s be honest, crazy folks, it used to be an hazardous path high up the gorge with holes, missing sections, and no safety barriers. Not being maintained since 1920 it’s no surprise many (including fatal) accidents happened. However in 2015 the entire route has been renovated and officially opened up as a walking trail for tourism: completely safe and suitable for all ages (if able to walk 5 km). There isn’t one time on the route where I lose my nerve or feel the need to be scared. At all! The outlook on the gorge below, the waterval and the river remains to be spectacular. At some spots we can still see the old path: there is no way I would have ever had the gut or stupidity to complete El Caminito del Rey prior 2015! In it’s current shape however I am glad Karin recommended it to us and I do the same for anyone who loves hikes and nature. What used to be the most dangerous hike in the world is now probably one of the safest. Worth the visit!

    Completing the trail without accidents (😉) we treat ourselves with an afternoon and evening at the lake: canoeing and having dinner with a view. When we are back at the campsite getting ready for bed we overhear our neighbours’ conversation: they are worried about the difficulty and risk of walking the canyon, probably also still presuming to find the unmaintained path. In the morning we see them set out just before we drive off: packed like professional hikers that are planning to walk a long and difficult trail. I’m sure they’ll be fine (a little disappointed, maybe)!    Læs mere

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  • Two peas in a podTwo peas in a podRejsende
    Our lovely spot (and neighbour's camper, judge for yourself 🤭)
    Two streets big, Benamahoma does have a bullring1Benamahoma, Benamahoma, BenamahomaOur hike up11Fear of heights demonstrated in my body language 🤣2The topWell hello friendsZahara de la SierraZahara de la SierraWas mosque, now church11Picnic!GrazalemaThe pool with panoramic viewGrazalema4The top! (With lots of flies 🤣)

    Sierra Grazalema Natural Park

    7. maj 2022, Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    At the end of the first week of May it’s time for us to leave the south coast and slowly start to move back up north, in direction of The Netherlands. We find ourselves a small, green campsite in Sierra Grazalema Natural Park to explore the environment for a few days. It’s Saturday and the campsite is quite packed with Spanish folks who enjoy the weekend away from home. There’s a big group of cyclists, a few families and some groups of friends camping together. Looking at the empty spots that are without electricity, flat and not too close to any of the larger groups we find ourselves a spot next to the only other Dutch camper facing away from the field, with a couple enjoying the sun while reading a book. As they seem to be purposefully isolated we decide to park in such a way that our own opening is facing the other way towards the field so we are back to back to limit any “noise”. However, while we are still in the midst of our parking exercise we are greeted by our Dutch neighbours in the most curious manner. Both have gotten up from their seats and are now looking at us with unhappy faces, while the man says in a critical tone: “well, that’s parking it pretty close next to us isn’t it?”. A little baffled by his attitude we explain that we found this to be the no-electricity spot available and deliberately parked our opening the other way (and hence the back a bit closer to their camper as our seating area is on the other side), to which he responds something like: “is it really? I find it parked VERY close to us…”. I repeat what I’ve just said and so does he, after which I politely ask him if he’s bothered by us taking this spot. I can tell this question makes him self conscious of the unfriendly tone he’s taken to us as he steps back a little and calms down a bit while mumbling “I sure hope not…”. I tell him we also hope not to be a bother and that if we are disturbing his peace at any time we gladly receive his feedback, annoyed by his behaviour but not tempted in any way to reflect his manners. Obviously his behaviour was ridiculous as you can’t deny someone a spot next to yours - it’s a campsite after all and it wasn’t like there were many other spots available - and it was no way to raise any concerns either. Something he now seems to realise too as while both walk back to their spot he states: “I may have reacted too quickly, it was a startle response”. Tim and I look at each other, shrug our shoulders about what just happened with a smile of mutual understanding and finish our business. For what happens next I do want to give the guy credit as I wasn’t expecting it - he actually comes back to us some time later to apologise for his behaviour. He explains they had already moved spot to get away from the noisy Spanish campsite guests (the large group of cyclists had parked right next to them) and they were worried to loose their oases of quiet again upon our arrival. We accept his apology and have a little chat to smooth out the rocky start of our neighbour-relationship, in the spirit of “better a good neighbour than a distant friend”. We don’t receive any further complaints the rest of our stay (of which we are mostly away from the campsite anyway).

    This part of Andalusia in Spain is absolutely incredibly beautiful. As we don’t plan to stay for very long we promise ourselves to come back one day to stay in this region for much longer and explore more of the nature trails and cute little towns. The town we stay at has a name we love to repeat many times for its pronunciation: Benamahoma (try it a few times; Benamahoma, Benamahoma, Benamahoma! 😄). It has less than 400 residents and only two streets, yet it does have a bullring and a brand new padel court calling for tournament participants. Says a lot about culture, doesn’t it? This and the other small towns we visit (Zahara de la Sierra, Grazalema) have cute white plastered houses with flower decorated facades. We spend our visits getting lost in the little streets (mostly in those towns with more than two streets to get lost in) and enjoy the beautiful views of aquamarine blue lakes, green landscapes, mountains and valleys. We also planned a visit to the municipal swimming pool in Grazalema for its panoramic view but unfortunately for us the Grazalema people find May not hot enough to open the facility. Cold fish they are.

    The highlight of these few days on our trip is both figuratively and literally: a difficult hike of 17 kilometer on a path created by live stock roaming brings us to the top of the Albarracin, one of the surrounding mountains. It’s a beautiful nature trail very worth the challenge of walking it. The challenge is because of the steep slopes we climb and the paths that sometimes are only known to us by spotting the little trail signs pointing to a certain direction rather than seeing where to walk per se. The last bit to the top is especially challenging (I actually doubt this was part of the formal route, it may have been Tim’s creative input): it’s a very steep and rocky way up to a very small top. The way down in particular is no joke: first getting off the rocky surface and second getting down to the “normal path” which takes us along steep, long, loose gravel paths and my fear of heights gets the better of me. Suddenly I wonder how we got up in the first place. But, we manage (BIG thanks to Tim) and continue the joyful part back down to town. On the way home we even come across the creators of the path: a white donkey and a group of goats are feasting on the grasslands. Cute!

    We look forward to explore more of this part of Spain in the future. For now, we shall travel on.    Læs mere

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    Morocco in sightThe WII tunnelsThe quirky airport stripThe typical British phone bootsWalking on the landing / departing stripOur spot for the nightThe next morning: the rock is hidden in clouds

    Gibraltar: a quirky piece of land

    6. maj 2022, Gibraltar ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    A single large limestone rock rising out of the Mediterranean Sea, geographically located at the southern end of Spain but formally being British Overseas Territory: welcome to Gibraltar. The Dutch had a hand in helping the British conquer this military strategically located (the Mediterranean Sea is only 14 KM wide here, so no ship can enter the sea without being spotted) piece of land in 1704 and the latter have declined to hand it back to Spain ever since. It’s an ongoing political discussion between the UK and Spain, sparked once again by the Brexit in January 2020. Gibraltar also being part of the European Union held a referendum with a strong 96% in favour of remaining in the EU - leaving it would give significant issues to its economy. Not only does it have work related border traffic of more than 15.000 people per day, it’s also 100% reliant on import of… well basically of everything. A Brexit would imply strict border control and regulations for both people and goods. However not including Gibraltar in the Brexit would likely work against the British negotiation position versus Spain in this ongoing dispute. It was only in the very last hours of 31 December 2019 that the UK and Spain came to a agreement “in principle” to keep Gibraltar in the borderless Schengen area while leaving the EU. All of this resulting in a bit of a funny situation wherein Tim and I can skip the immigration queue entering Gibraltar from Spain (and vice versa) while people with a British passport have to go through formal border control, while actually entering British territory.

    Another way to enter Gibraltar if not by land or sea is by air. Little as the territory is, it does have its own airport with only one (short) runway. Lacking more flat land (it’s mostly rock, after all) the runway is crossed by the main road from the border to the city. Whenever a plane needs to land or depart, one simple traffic light and barrier on each side of the landing strip is all there is to stop traffic from colliding with a flying giant. The event of the strip being used will not go unnoticed anywhere in Gibraltar, or directly outside of Gibraltar for that matter, we notice by the deafening noise of airplane engines echoed against the limestone walls.

    Just when we buy our tickets for the cable car up the rock we are told that while we can reach the top and come back down by cable car, apparently the nature park of Gibraltar has just closed unexpectedly. The ticket seller doesn’t have more information to share, they don’t know why it’s closed and for how long it will be. “This has never happened before”, she tells us apologetically. With the nature park closed we wouldn’t be able to see any of the other highlights of this territory nor would we be able to walk back down on our own. We are here now anyway so we decide to go up for some English style fish and chips at the top of the rock.

    Immediately when our cable car reaches the top we find the next quirky thing about Gibraltar hanging at our cabin: a Barbary Macaque (monkey). Gibraltar is host to the only wild monkey population living in Europe. They have probably been brought here by the Moorish who held them as pets and are thriving here compared to the declining native populations in Morocco. They are well fed (we see various feeding stations throughout the day) and seem to be unbothered by the many tourists taking their picture.

    After enjoying our lunch and walk around the top we notice that the entry to the nature park is re-opening. Great news! Apparently the whole park crew was on strike in the morning to join a meeting with a minister, to demand higher wages and better benefits. As the minister said to make a decision only a few days later, they promised to get back to work at least until a decision was made. We spend the afternoon walking around, making our way down by foot while stopping for some of the highlights. For example: one of the natural caves and some of the manmade caves. The most impressive (in my opinion) are the World War II tunnels that we visit with an audio tour. During WWII, the strategic location of Gibraltar was not left unnoticed by Hitler - he wanted to take over the land and tried to convince back then dictator Franco of Spain to let him attack it from Spain. The British anticipated this move by building a massive underground city inside of the rock. It actually contains more than 50 kilometer of tunnel while Gibraltar itself is only 6.8 km2. People lived there for many months at once without seeing daylight. Some were trained and facilitated to stay underground for up to seven(!) years, meaning to stay there (hidden) even after the rock would fall into hostile hands so they could continue to secretly pass on crucial information. The tour and provision of information is well done and we leave the place wiser and impressed. The “secret” operation planned by Hitler eventually never took place, by the way, as Franco wasn’t too keen to get involved in the war.

    Some more quirky fun facts about Gibraltar:
    - John Lennon and Yoko Ono got married here.
    - We saw a seagull try to kill a pigeon, holding it by its cloaca until we scared it off (it first flew away still holding the pigeon, until the latter managed to escape in the air).
    - In Gibraltar toilets use salt sea water to flush as water is scarce (and no, we didn’t put this to a test).
    - They used to have a habit of dumping old unwanted cars from the cliffs into the sea, apparently you can dive to find a car graveyard underwater.
    - (the obvious) One can see the continent of Africa from Gibraltar, as it is so close to Morocco.

    After a fulfilling day we pass back over the runway and the border to Spain, where our camper van awaits us in the harbour for the night. A warm shower and beautiful sunset later we get ready for the night.    Læs mere

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    Plaza España
    Palacio de las DueñasPalacio de las Dueñas (can you spot Tim?)1Metropol Parasol1Traffic lights in style of Feria de AbrilFeria de AbrilFeria de AbrilFeria de AbrilFeria de AbrilFeria de AbrilFeria de AbrilSomeone in the city center airing her dress (for another night of fun?)SevillaThe royal palaceThe royal palaceIt doesnt do the Real Alcázar justice but.. snippets of the royal palaceOdd illustrations on royal tilesPlaza España on attempt 2Tiles of SevillaPeaking into a tent

    Sevilla: royal beauty, tapas & flamenco

    5. maj 2022, Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    A three hour drive from the Algarve in Portugal brings us in Sevilla, Spain. A city I have visited with my sister Marleen eight years ago and loved so much, I looked forward to go back one day. Like with most bigger cities we have visited this trip there is only one campsite to stay at, this time located at a little town outside of Sevilla called “two sisters” in Spanish. The campsite is packed and the spots are small, made for people like us who just plan to stay long enough to see Sevilla and then leave. For this purpose, it does the job!

    The bus we catch from the campsite to the city conveniently stops at one of the highlights of Sevilla: Plaza España in the gorgeous Maria Luisa park. Built in 1929 as part of the Iberco-American Exposition (wereldtentoonstelling), it was the largest and most expensive project. It still draws many admirers every day. Some come to explore in detail the highly symbolic architecture of the place, its shape and Andalusian tile art representing all Spanish provinces and other historical geographical areas of Spain. Others simply come to enjoy the sunshine. They relax at the fountain or on one of the many beautifully tiled benches, they romantically rent one of the rowing boats floating in the square’s canal, or they stroll around with a selfie stick at hand to catch themselves posing at every little corner - as all corners are just as beautiful. Meanwhile the sound of sweet Spanish guitar music fills the area. In the shade of one of the arches two elderly gentlemen share their talent hoping for some euros in return. We are only just starting our own experience at this attractive square when a single police officer is trying to block our way, clearly having some difficulty in achieving his task as he almost begs us in broken English: “you need to leave, please, no more” while the tourists divert around him in various directions. We ask him for the reason of his request and he replies: “heavy rain”, at which we wonder if he’s mixing up his English: the skies are clear blue and there’s not a single cloud in the sky. But, he doesn’t give in and repeats his plea. We have no choice but to leave both the plaza and park, as police is closing the whole place down.

    Still enjoying the sunny weather we proceed to the city’s historical centre, walking around sightseeing and having ourselves some delicious tapas. We visit one of the palaces and enjoy some ice cream under the famous modern architectural Metropol Parasol, still wondering when the “heavy rain” is gonna come as meanwhile it’s late afternoon and the sky is still blue. Was it a bad weather prediction earlier in the day or some kind of code by the police to clear the touristy spot?

    While we walk through the various neighbourhoods of Sevilla we are met by a lot of people dressed as if they are working at one of the (admittedly, many) flamenco dance theaters for tourists. At first we wonder if it’s just this in combination with tourists dressing up to enhance their holiday pictures, but after a while we conclude that it’s simply too many Spanish speaking people dressed up: young and old. That’s when we realise we find ourselves in Sevilla at the time of “Feria de Abril”, or “April Fair”, the annual highlight of the city. A bit of an odd name for a festival held in May, but that’s because it traditionally follows two weeks after Holy Week. Word goes that our king Willem-Alexander first met his now Queen Maxima at this festival, that’s characterised by socialising, drinking and dancing. As the day changes into evening we see more and more festive people all walking in a particular direction. While our feet are tired from walking the whole day our curiosity wins and we decide to follow the crowd.

    After a few kilometer of growing anticipation we reach the apparently iconic arch of the festival area. This is where the flamenco style dresses, flower head pieces, and traditional suits come together to party. As the dresscode is somewhat holy we stand out from the crowd in our shorts. In front of us are more than 1000 red and white striped party tents lined up; all providing for food, drinks and a dance floor. Lanterns decorate the tents and streets, and live flamenco bands at different corners invite the party people to get up and move their feet. Rows of standing horses have formed along the sidewalks, offering a seat to their single or duo riders (gentlemen astride and ladies sidesaddle) while they enjoy a glass of “Rebujito”. This is a typical drink for Feria de Abril, with the fresh taste of lemon-lime, mint, lots of ice and depending on the taste: mixed with wine or sherry. Something we would have liked to try for ourselves, but because the tents are private (they are rented by families, groups of friends, political parties, business associations, etc.) we aren’t able to reach any bar. It doesn’t really matter though, as looking around at all that’s happening and all the beautiful looking people is entertainment enough. Crossing the street is a challenge: an endless parade of horse carriages is continuously ongoing so you have to be very careful about your timing. At the time we arrive it’s considered early and “quiet” although it’s pretty crowded in our opinion. Most people join later in the evening and then stay until the very late (or early) hours. To be honest, we do feel somewhat sorry for the horses that are made part of this festival. There isn’t much space for them to move around, it’s hot, and they look tired. Still they are much better off than the bulls that are literally fighting to their death every day during the party week - another ugly part of this festival that looks so impressive at the surface. Obviously we stay far away from any such practices as we are strongly against these traditions of animal torture. Anyway - aside from us feeling sorry for the animals the feria is surely an impressive sight. And guess what? Around 20:00 in the evening we finally see clouds appear and it actually does start to rain. Time to hide indoors, eat some more tapas and return to the campsite.

    Our second day Sevilla consists of more sightseeing and walking through the city, with the Real Alcázar de Sevilla as the ultimate highlight. This palace and its gardens is breathtaking! Pictures can’t do this place justice but please do note in the attached odd illustrations shown on some of the tiles in this palace :-). We also use this second day to finish our visit to the Plaza España and Maria Luisa Park, without interruptions this time. Another great day in this fabulous city - I am sure it will be worth coming back again!    Læs mere

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  • Two peas in a podTwo peas in a podRejsende
    The fortress (Tim had to ask me to take a picture 🤣)
    Enjoying the ocean views as the fortress doesn't offer much elseThe cute camper groundCUTE!More cute1Seven hanging valleys trailSeven hanging valleys trailSeven hanging valleys trailSeven hanging valleys trailSeven hanging valleys trailTim finally taking a swim!Lacking more photos - the second place we stay for a night 😅

    Last (in Portugal) and least: Algarve

    1. maj 2022, Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    After so much beauty day in, day out, we still don’t get bored with traveling around and sightseeing every day. That being said, Algarve is probably a little underwhelming compared to all other places we have visited in Portugal. With fierce competition from the various nature parks, wine regions, surfer hot spots, medieval towns, picturesque cities, and dramatic coast lines of the west that have been entertaining us it simply doesn’t cut it to the top of the list. Don’t let the following somewhat sarcastic statement of events fool you: we are still having the best time and a lot of fun together. We did get bored of Algarve pretty quickly though 😅.

    We first visit Sagres, Europe’s most southwesterly point and in historical times known as “the end of the world” as no man had explored the globe beyond this point. Standing at the Cape Saint Vincent we realise that it’s in fact neither Portugal’s (and hence Europe’s) most westerly or southerly point. Also, there isn’t that much to see here except a shitload of tourists, tourist market stalls, and some ruins with a toilet costing €0,70 per visit. Dutch as we are, of course we skip the toilet at this cost and quickly drive on to another viewpoint: the Sagress Fortress.

    Again, on paper this sounds like a pretty interesting place: it’s a 15th century fortress with only one wall. The other three sides are protected by 60 meter high cliffs. To get in we pay €3,50 (unlimited toilet visits included), to quickly realise that there’s practically nothing to see. Walking around the whole area we see a dry bare landscape, some birds, little green and flowers, and a couple of fishermen. The ocean views are stunning but really just as stunning as we could see from outside the fortress, too. The money they earn from the relatively high number of visitors per day is clearly not used to maintain the information signs that are scarcely located in the area: we are left to guess about 50-75% of each sign as they are run down and worn out. Lured by an ice cream advertisement we end our visit in the gift shop, and there you have it… the one place they have clearly invested their money in (and where there’s actually something to see)! Nicer and more interesting than most souvenir shops we’ve seen this trip we decide to make our €3,50 worth by staying here a while. Consistently behaving Dutch, we stick to the phenomenon of “kijken, kijken, niet kopen!” (“look, look, don’t buy!”) and the ice cream is a hard no too: no one should pay €4,50 for a tiny jar (?!) of ice cream.

    With these two “highlights” of Sagres in our pocket we figure the rest of the town isn’t worth staying for. I’m a little sorry to admit our Dutch thrift continues in Luz where we refuse to pay €25 per night for a camping spot, after which we end up on a super cute little camper ground (€13!) somewhat further down the coast with the actual best thing of the day: a chicken nesting right next to the dishes area, allowing us to feed her out of our hand. CUTE! (Video for proof)

    The next day we set out to hike the “seven hanging valleys” trail. According to a survey conducted by a company called European Best Destinations this was voted by 28k people from all over the world to be the best walking trail of the continent. It’s a coastal walk covering about 6,5 KM one way, covering tracks above natural arches and caves shaped by ocean waves (hence the name). It’s a beautiful trail - does not beat the west coast trails in our humble opinion - that we get to enjoy twice as we walk the 13 KM back and forth (not being able to catch a grab on the other side of the trail). The reward is a dip in the ocean (Tim now also dares to go in!) and some time on one of the many the beaches.

    We do proof to be a tough crowd, and so we decide to cut our stay in the Algarve short. We will stay one more night before making a 3 hour trip the next day: we will be leaving Portugal and drive back into Spain. This country has given us the most enjoyable time and many good memories, it’s a little hard to leave!

    Tchau Portugal, muito obrigada 😍    Læs mere

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  • Two peas in a podTwo peas in a podRejsende
    Spring colours
    1Catch the wave... or catch Tim?White and blue housesDeli food in a cozy restaurantMadam Cat, joining us for 2 daysSwim!Cliff nesting storks - nowhere else in the world!The most gorgeous beach everBeautiful walking trailsThis windmill is at the top of the hill we had challenges with (coming from the other side)

    The Fisherman’s Trail, the easy way

    30. april 2022, Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Following more of Evelien’s footsteps in Portugal we finally reach one of the areas of Portugal that we have much looked forward to to visit: Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina. The North part of this nature park still being Alentejo, the South part ending in the Algarve. A 100 KM stretch of Europe’s best preserved coastlines, known by surfers for its waves and ecologists and biologists all over the world for its unique flora and fauna. No mass tourism, no mass development - and hence the best way to explore this nature park is by foot while following a multiple day hiking trail through areas no car can reach. We come by four wheels, however, and therefore only partly follow the footsteps my sister and brother-in-law took on this trail some years ago. Doing the trail the easy way, one could say, although we do face some challenges of our own in there next few days. But more of that later.

    We take it slow and follow a similar route from town to town, while stopping wherever we can along the way to walk up to the beaches and cliffs from a parking lot. A couple of times we take longer hikes on parts of the trail, and other times we watch other people hike past us with their walking sticks and packed backpacks while we chill on the beach in our swimwear. The temperatures have finally risen more consistently and we enjoy the feel of summer on our skin and in our minds. Tim calls me crazy, but I even fancy a swim in the (chilly) ocean! The cooling sensation followed by a light nap in the sun feels like freedom.

    Our first day on the trail starts at Porto Covo, a small fisherman’s town with again little whitewashed houses decorated with blue or yellow borders. Mom, you asked us the question whether these colours have any meaning. We hadn’t given it much thought before but since you asked we start to share your curiosity as to why these towns consistently have similar looking houses across a wider region. We haven’t been able to find a conclusive answer though: some say it is symbolic to reflect the sky (yellow for the sun, blue for the sky that apparently looks more blue in Alentejo than anywhere else, something to do with the way light is reflected in this region in combination of good air quality). Some have heard that it’s protecting residents from malifice (be it spiritual or flies). Our camp ground owner shrugs her shoulders when we ask her the reason: “it is mandatory by government rules to do so in Alentejo, to protect the traditional landscape”. At least it explains why the tradition lives on even today.

    Still in Porto Covo, a first challenge arrives. The display of our car suddenly lights up: “check transmission”. We experienced some vague display warnings before, that after a call with the owner appeared to be solved by simply re-opening and closing the doors (it’s like when IT asks you whether you have tried to reboot your troublesome computer yet), so we try a couple of things but the warning text and beeps stay present. Looking at Google and the car’s instruction booklet it could mean a number of things: small to big, cheap to expensive, quick fix to long waits for specific parts… We aren’t getting any wiser. Thanks to some helpful suggestions of family members and another call with the owner, we eventually drill it down to a probable defect break light switch causing the cruise control to be out of order and more importantly, the break lights to not work. Instead of driving to an automobile repair shop 70 km away we try our luck at the local shop for automobile parts. It’s so small that it’s hard to spot and while it should be open according to the time table we find the door closed. Looking through the window and walking around the building we ponder about what we should do next. Right then, a car pulls up. Some neighbours must have warned the owner about two customers at the door, as the guy steps out of his car and welcomes us inside. And luck we find: of the specific part we need he has exactly one item in store and we can buy it from him for a decent €22 only. We replace the item ourselves and like that, are on our way.

    From Porto Covo we slowly make our way down (via trails and beaches) to Vila Nova de Milfontes where we have one of the best dinners we have enjoyed this trip at a small local restaurant. The owner is super friendly and welcoming, the food is even better. The guy isn’t particular about sharing his culinary secrets: when we compliment him about the mushroom dish he explains exactly how we can make it at home (“it’s very easy!”) and a little while later we hear him go into detail about another recipe at one of the tables. Thanks to the vibe and hospitality it feels like we are having dinner at a friend’s place. I am sure the owner is a good friend to have! At the camp ground we make another friend, feline this time. I meet her somewhere between the sanitary building and our van when she cheekily follows me “home”. Requesting cuddles and staring at us from a small distance when we’re getting ready for bed, it is hard to close our curtains on her. In the morning a surprise awaits when the first thing we see outside is the same two piercing eyes. The whole morning she stays right with us: chilling, sleeping, cuddling. The little charmer almost tempted us in getting Musang a sister cat, if it wasn’t for her fat belly and shiny fur showing us she is already living her best life.

    On day two we include a longer hike. It is on these cliffs that we witness one of this region’s unique natural features: this is the only known site worldwide where storks nest in cliffs. On various cliffs and sometimes in groups of three or more, we see nests inhabited by one or two storks. The breeding season usually starts in April, but we can not spot any chicks yet at the time of our visit. It is very special to see these giant and beautiful creatures against a backdrop of dramatic cliffs and waves. Nature continues to amaze us later in the day when we walk, swim, and relax on probably the prettiest beach of entire Portugal. Thanks to not being easily accessible it is almost deserted (except a few naturists scattered here and there) which adds to our joy. We end our day at Zambujeira do Mar.

    Day three takes us all the way to Odeceixe, where we enter the Algarve and continue our rhythm of hike, beach, repeat. The only two incidents to disturb our zen takes place in Odeceixe on the way to one of the beaches. The first happens a little bit by our own caused misfortune of missing the correct turn and getting stuck into town. The hill town of Odeceixe is a little over 40 square meters with less than 1000 residents. This translates to: tiny narrow one way streets that twist and turn up the hill in a steep manner. No place for a camper van like ours… we are lucky that the one choice of direction we have somewhere midway allows us to skip a street with a warning sign about its width being “>less than two meters<“ (we are more than 2 meter wide), but soon after, our luck runs out. At the final turn to the top of the hill, where we will be able to resume our way on a normal road, we find ourselves in a tricky situation.

    The turn ahead has a rough 90 degree angle to the left after which it’s a 20 meter long steep slope up (our estimate: at least 15%). To our immediate left are houses, to our immediate right a thin little wall at the height of our knees is separating us from the valley below. In front two old local men who see us coming and by the look on their faces they too foresee the trouble we are in. They pause their walk to witness how we make a first attempt to go up. Making the turn, we realise furthermore that the road is only half paved: big chunks of loose gravel slip under our wheels. Pressing the gas pedal does nothing more than spinning our wheels echoing a loud noise against the whitewashed houses, and letting it loose for just a little bit the weight of our van immediately pulls us back down. Tim has to react quickly to react on the van losing grip, jerking us dangerously close to the side of the houses, and manages to keep us straight but not up. Midway the path we have to give up trying to make the van move, and pause to restrategise.

    Partially out of strategy and partially out of worry, I get out of the van (I actually thought to take my phone with me in case I’d need it). I help direct Tim to drive back down in reverse avoiding walls on both sides, the two old men still standing at the corner down below, and not the least of my worry: avoiding the fast way down behind the thin little wall. Having backed up as much as possible, the two men walk past us up the hill we try to conquer and say something to Tim that sounds like an encouragement. Tim hits the gas to try again. My heart stops once when before moving up the van drops backward even more - using every little inch possible without touching the wall - and my heart stops twice when again, the van skids on the gravel midway the road. I can see the front wheels spinning and I can hear the engine roaring, while Tim tries to get grip and make a move. It all takes way too long for both our liking and just when I think it’s an impossible task… The wheels suddenly find solid pavement to get grip and our camper van reaches the top of the hill. A well deserved thumbs up from the two elderly men confirm our success. Ronald, it was a good use of the anti slip training you and Tim once did together! The residents of Odeceixe may find traces of our challenge for a little longer in the black coloured stripes we leave on the road… (yes - we checked the tires and they were still in good shape! :-)). We take a deep breath (perhaps a few!), laugh off our nervousness together, and leave the little town for the beach…

    The second less so zen moment is when we return from the beach to our parking lot, although we are actually lucky this time. A lady who just arrived in her camper van busted two guys smashing in the windows of multiple cars parked right next to us, stealing people’s belongings. Thanks to this lady arriving and bravely starting to shout and take photos they fled before they reached our van. Luck is on our side! With police on the way and some other locals staying with the lady until they arrive we leave the scene and find our camper ground for the night for a good night of sleep, fortunately not reliving any of the challenges of the day…

    These few days were some of the best of our trip (despite the setbacks) and we will long remember the beauty and peace this park brought us! We highly recommend it to all nature lovers, avid hikers or not.    Læs mere

  • Two peas in a podTwo peas in a podRejsende
    The pretty little path to the Neolithic stone formations
    Our lovely camp site for a few daysCork trees everywhereIf not cork, it's wine!A good conversation during our hikeThis town's entrance is well guardedCapela dos Ossos

    The hidden gem Alentejo

    24. april 2022, Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Alentejo, a region that’s covering a third of Portugal but is not so much discovered by tourists yet. Completely unjustified, is our conclusion. We drive through the rolling hills of this wine region and see that spring has arrived here earlier than in Douro, the other wine region we visited. The vineyards are already showing fresh green leafs and it’s beautifully green around us. Very conveniently the vineyards are accompanied by fields of cork trees, native to Alentejo. Another thing that characterises Alentejo are the megalithic monuments. These consist of prehistoric stones carefully placed in shapes and structures that are likely to have had astronomical and / or religious ritual functions. On our way to the camp ground we visit two of such sites. It takes a bouncy trip on a sand path and a muddy walk on a narrow path to get there (see the video and hear the sounds of nature!), but there’s definitely something special about seeing these large stones with our own eyes. This kind of site makes one feel like looking at the past, and wonder how on earth it was built without help of any machines. This has too been topic of many researches done. Possibly these big stones were moved on sleds sliding on rollers, needing up to 150 people to move them around!

    The camp ground we have chosen happens to be owned by another Dutch couple. We find ourselves a beautiful spot with view on the cork fields, where bunnies are hopping about and birds are singing their song enthusiastically. A perfect place to stay a little longer, relax a little, read some, explore the surrounding fields by foot, and use the “resting” day (who needs resting during a holiday?) to do some laundry.

    After one day of “rest” we go for a gorgeous 13 KM walk. It’s a nice mix of vineyards, olive groves, green hills, and the beautiful town Estremoz. Furthermore the sun is out, giving our day an actual summer feel. We also continue to enjoy the peace and quiet: apart from the cities it has been a blast to go without many other tourists around. I know it’s hypocritical but as two tourists ourselves we like places best when we don’t see any other foreigners enjoying the same place as us. We are actually guilty of whispering to each other: “there goes another Dutch couple, yuk!” - something I am not shy of sharing publicly as I know we aren’t the only one feeling like this. We humans are strange creatures, aren’t we? Anyway, we do care to stop for a good conversation with those we meet on the way - see video :-).

    Two nights at the Dutch owned site we pack our van and with a detour of sightseeing through Évora and Évora Monte get ready to return to the west coast of Portugal. A special mention to the “Capela dos Ossos” in Évora. This translates as Chapel of Bones and if you are left wondering about this curious name: that is exactly what it is. The chapel’s interior is not simply covered, but DECORATED with human skulls and bones of more than 5000 skeletons. Franciscan monks living in the 16th century thought this was a brilliant solution to overcrowded graveyards, exhuming the human remains to repurpose them in the chapel. They clearly took their sweet time and creativity to do so, I would almost dare to say they must have had fun playing around with the bones fitting them in the most beautiful patterns. This suspicion is supported by the somewhat humorous text engraved above the entrance of the chapel: “Nós ossos que aqui estamos, pelos vossos esperamos”. In English: “We bones that are here, for yours we wait”. The two mummified bodies also showcased in the chapel could not get my appreciation as much - it made me a little sick looking at them (and therefore you won’t find any pictures included of these bodies here).

    I’ll leave you with this sonnet (dated 1845!) that was on one of the chapel’s walls and that I thought was worth remembering:

    “Where are you going in such a hurry, traveller?
    Stop… do not proceed any further.
    You have no greater concern,
    Then this one: that on which you focus your sight.

    Recall how many have passed from this world,
    Reflect on your similar end,
    There is good reason to reflect,
    If only all did the same.

    Ponder, you so influenced by fate,
    Among the many concerns of the world,
    So little do you reflect on death;

    If by chance you glance at this place,
    Stop… For the sake of your journey,
    The more you pause, the more you will progress.”    Læs mere

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  • Two peas in a podTwo peas in a podRejsende
    From one of many "miradouro" (viewpoints)
    The tile collection continuesSardines & AlheiraGetting a local haircut11A lazy brunch on a rainy dayStreet artMore street art at LxFactory (hipster location)Not to be missed: a Lisbon tram

    Come rain, come shine: visit to Lisbon

    22. april 2022, Portugal ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    When exploring Portugal from north to south, a visit to the capital city of Portugal, Lisbon, can not be missed. We park our camper at the only camper ground around (and priced as such too - with no competition they can ask for a lot!) and get ready to explore. Knowing that the weather was going to be rainy we kind of timed to be in the city as it’s slightly more pleasant to visit urban environments in rainy weather than it is to walk in nature in the rain.

    Being Portugal largest city it is remarkably small compared to some other European cities (less than 3 million people compared to, for example, 11 million in Paris / 9 million in London / 4 million in Rome) and also remarkably charming. It doesn’t have the big city feels, probably thanks to its age (it is the second oldest city of Europe, right after Athens in Greece). Once again we can stroll through steep cobbled zigzag streets and get inspired by the tiled facades. I have a love for anything tiled (you have probably noticed by now :-)) and so I eat my heart out! Fun fact: Portugal has so many tiled facades as their waterproof glazed surface helps to protect the houses from damp weather and low temperatures. It is basically for the same reason as to why our bathrooms and kitchens are typically tiled, only used on the exterior of the house (and making it an art to have the most beautiful patterns). It might not be such a bad idea to have more of this in The Netherlands too!

    Thanks to Evelien (my sister who lived in Lisbon for some time) we came prepared with tips on which highlights to visit, what to do indoors when it rains, and where to eat the best food. It isn’t the first time that we feed our itinerary on Evelien’s experience going places before us and so we know we are in for a treat following her advice.

    We spent a good deal of the first day walking around checking off most of the “miradouro” (viewpoints) and the famous points of interest in the city. For lunch we arrive just in time at a adorable cafe with less than ten small tables scattered on a sloping little street. A small crowd of people have already gathered for it to open in 10 minutes time, obediently following a sign that says “please do not sit at the tables”. We join the queue as anything with a queue is usually worth waiting for, and are lucky to get the last table available after some other people who clearly arrived last rudely pushed ahead of the queue before us. A small annoyance that’s quickly forgotten when we feast on our grilled sardines (Tim) and Alheira (a Portuguese sausage made of chicken, bread and garlic - Judith).

    Walking on we see a small shop with its owner having a smoke in the doorway. It’s a hairdresser “for men only”, located in a tiny space with two seats, a television showing a football match, and the smell of cigarette smoke. The perfect place for Tim to get a haircut local style! The barber puts his cigarette down, still lit and spreading its smoke in the small space, and after some Google Translate magic to explain in Portuguese what Tim wants we pray he understands it and he gets going. The result was a little different (and quite a bit shorter) from what Tim had imagined but ah well, still a proper €10 investment. The shorter the hair, the longer it will take before he needs a haircut again.

    The highlight of the day is THE BEST pastel de nata of Lisbon, some say of Portugal, at Manteigaria. Evelien made it a side job while living in Lisbon to try out many different bakeries specialised in this yellow little custard tart and called this one out to be the actual best. We can’t say we stuck to trying just this one (they are hard to resist when you see them somewhere baked fresh) but we do agree full heartedly that these are the most delicious ones we have had. Good thing we ordered not two, but four! Unfortunately the side effect is that we are so full that we can’t 100% enjoy the Israeli food also recommended by my sister. It is a cute place and the food we eat is great but we simply can’t eat so much… the owners are happy to have us though, especially after sending them Evelien’s regards. The fact that they knew who I referred to without finishing my sentence to describe her as the Dutch girl probably gives away how much time she spent here quite a few years ago :-) (of course she is also a gem of a human hard to forget!).

    The second day is giving us more rain than the first and so after visiting the tower of Belém we spent the rest of the day in a few museums and a hipster neighbourhood of an old factory that now hosts boutique shops and restaurants. Despite the weather we have a great day but without any noteworthy stories to tell. It’s a good thing we didn’t skip this characteristic city this trip. Tchau, Lisboa!    Læs mere

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  • Two peas in a podTwo peas in a podRejsende
    Sintra centre
    Pena Palace1The enchanted gardens (or bewitched?)1The magnificent moorish castle1Fear of heights + strong wind, a tricky combination on these stepsBut the view was worth it!Quinta da Regaleira1My prince charming1

    Fairytales can come true in Sintra

    20. april 2022, Portugal ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    Once upon a time in a faraway land a green little pod on wheels drove on roads steep and winding. It was said that the pod had traveled many miles before, and that it was yet to go great distances ahead. The road it was driving went up and down, left to right, right to left… Countless pin turns were taken before the green pod came to a halt at a city between hilltops. There lies Sintra: a UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to its romantic landscaping that has been influential to the whole rest of Europe.

    The two peas popping out of the pod do so, however, in a slightly less enchanting environment. With our van we can’t get into the city centre and the three large (free of cost) parkings we drive past are all completely full - including cars that have been parked creatively outside of the formal lots. And so we end up at the paid parking of one of the train stations outside of the city, probably the least beautiful spot of Sintra, and catching an Uber into town. It is post paid parking, so fingers crossed it won’t cost us an arm and a leg…

    We step out of our Uber ride at the top of one of many hills. In front of us stands a magical palace. Gracefully looking against a backdrop of blue skies, green hills, and in rays of sunlight, this palace is like no other. It doesn’t take guessing why it’s said to be inspired by the Neuschwanstein castle in Germany - which has been the inspiration of the castle of Walt Disney. The Pena Palace is painted in colours of red, yellow, blue and green and indeed looks like a castle that could come straight out of any Disney movie, with creatively shaped towers and arches that we admire while walking around. Like any proper fairytale having a dark side to the story, ours is that the place is so popular that even with our time slot based ticket to enter the interior of the palace the queue to get in has more than an hour waiting time. As I (Judith) have visited the palace before, I am able to describe to Tim what he’s missing while we decide the exterior is the best part of the palace anyway and continue to stroll through the palace’s gardens.

    These gardens, carefully planted with over 2000 species from the most exotic places, are like an enchanted forest we walk through. We actually imagine ourselves meeting gnomes and fairies around every corner and behind every rock. We don’t find any though - what we do find is a statue in the middle of nowhere high on a rock. Could it be a prince, turned into stone by some evil power?

    Finding our way out of the gardens, the next hill of Sintra comes with another pleasant surprise. Still able to see the palace reflecting sunlight on one side, and spot Sintra’s historical centre on the other, we find ourselves visitors of a mystical castle. Dated from the 8-12th century it is incredible to see how well it is preserved. It is the largest we have ever visited, at least in this state looking as if knights, horses and dragons could still show up at any second. Back when it was built and used it was probably used to defend the entire region, helping the Moors to look out across land and to all the way to the coastline. Conquering the wind (still 7-8 on the scale of Beaufort, pretty scary when you climb steep small and uneven steps high up) we explore the castle and enjoy the views.

    The last stop in Sintra is Quinta da Regaleira, which are basically more romantic gardens. It reminds us a little of “De Efteling” (a theme park in NL based on the concept of fairy tales)! Wandering around we allow ourselves to get lost. Through gardens, up hills, inside dark caves and tunnels (yay to our smartphone flashlight!), and down a beautifully looking well… we could stay here much longer if our legs weren’t so tired from climbing all day. With some difficulty we break the spell and get ready to order an Uber car back to our van.

    The first car we catch arrives, but tells us through the window that “this is going to cost a lot more than the app says it will!”. Something about the road being one direction only (we know for a fact this is untrue) and having to drive much longer to the parking lot, we tell the driver that we’ll grab another then. The problem with Uber is that we can not cancel the trip without paying in full. We wait a while for the driver to cancel on us instead but of course - and probably this was his intention the whole time - he cancels “because we didn’t show up” and he still gets our money. Annoyed we walk down the street and try again. A new driver arrives and tells us a slightly different version of the same story: he’ll only bring us if we pay more in cash, and cancels us while getting the money without driving. What evil sorcery is this? It seems like Uber drivers in town have found themselves a quick and easy way to make money out of tourists wanting to go places… not wanting to get ripped off a third time we take our tired legs for another walk up the hills of Sintra, all the way to our van.

    Disappointment turns into excitement soon after we reach and buckle up to leave. The cost for our parking a full day in this touristy town? €1,50. Fairytales do exist after all!

    PS: After contacting Uber’s helpdesk about the rip off we got our money back the same day. And so the peas traveled on happily ever after…    Læs mere

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  • Two peas in a podTwo peas in a podRejsende
    The tile collection continues...
    And so does the collection of pretty doors/knobsNazaré1NazaréBreaking necks at NazaréNazaré1PenicheÓbidosÓbidos2Portugal appears more of a dog vs cat country, so was happy to spot one!Óbidos city wallÓbidosStrike a poseNot cheesy at all

    Four coastal & windy towns

    19. april 2022, Portugal ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    We’ve been told that winter (Dec - March) has been super dry in Portugal and so while the locals enjoy the changing weather these days, we can’t help to feel a little unlucky getting our generous portion of clouds, rain and heavy winds. As we move on south we are dealing with heavy winds (7 on the scale of Beaufort) and it immediately feels a lot colder. The shorts and t-shirts worn in Coimbra go back in the van’s cabinet: we need long pants and long sleeves for this! It does remain dry so that counts for something.

    One thing the stormy weather does give us is a wild ocean to look at. I guess that’s exactly what we were hoping for when visiting Nazaré. Nazaré is a town popular with big wave surfers: the world record for surfing the highest wave ever was set here (24,4 meter high!). The waves we see do not get as high (by far they don’t), but it’s an interesting place to have visited before driving on to Peniche, another coastal town where we stay for the night. It’s a bit of a practical stop as the town doesn’t offer much special apart from big waves, pretty cliffs and a nice little Indian restaurant. The night remains stormy with gusts of wind pushing our van from side to side, and in the morning we need to rinse the van with water before leaving as there’s so much salt stuck to the windows we can not see through it!

    Wind aside we enjoy the sun when we reach the third coastal town called Óbidos. Óbidos is truely a postcard destination! It is one of Europe’s best-preserved walled medieval towns and the cheerful colour combination of white, yellow and blue used on the houses gives it a welcoming look. Welcoming enough for us to go for a long stroll around and to enjoy a lunch in the sun at one of the little squares in town. It’s definitely our favourite out of these four towns.

    Going where the wind blows, we end up in Ericeira - the fourth coastal and still very windy town in this update. Another surfers destination, although we do not see so many in the water probably because the wind is too strong. It is a cute town: it has a quiet and laid back vibe to it and we can imagine why surfers love this place to come back to and to stay for longer periods of time. We have got other places to be in, however, and get ready to move further down south.    Læs mere

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    The clock tower at the university. Back in the day it would signal the 7pm curfew to students
    1University chapel with pretty tiles1View from the university1Part of the library we were allowed to photograph11Botanical gardensPark viewsPark views1Pretty doors1Pretty tiles

    Coimbra

    17. april 2022, Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Back to city life: the next stop is the lovely city of Coimbra. Located on a hill and providing a good first view of the city, our first visit is to the Universidade de Coimbra (the university of Coimbra). Being one of Europe’s eldest (founded in 1290) it is a historical highlight to visit. The main attraction here is the “Baroque Library”, a place that not only keeps many first editions and historical documents but is also considered to be one of the most beautiful libraries in the world. It’s a little hard to convince you without pictures as we weren’t allowed to take any (rest assured you can google it if you are curious enough) but, maybe, you can try to imagine it… There’s three main rooms of the library that can all be seen from the entrance: they are all square halls with high ceilings and only separated by large decorated arches. The light is dim, and the smell is somewhat dusty. Just like what you’d expect in a very old library ;-). Each room is beautifully decorated: the wood used for the shelves is carved and painted, the ceilings are displaying baroque style paintings too, there’s a lot of gold to be seen and there’s many old looking books wherever you look, all the way up to the ceiling. To reach the higher placed books there’s both little wooden balconies as well as those type of library ladders you mostly see in the movies. We can’t see it, but the shelves of this library house more than just books. There are bat families taking their residence! As they help to get rid of flies and other insects that could harm the paper of books they are well looked after: it actually helps in the conservation of all these classics!

    The rest of campus was nice for a walk but nothing else impressed us as much as the library. The next day we take our time to explore the rest of Coimbra. We walk through little streets and see more coloured houses in the old center, we visit the botanical garden, and we enjoy a few other parks walking and relaxing… it’s a nice day of strolling around and taking in the vibes of this place. Let the pictures speak for themselves…    Læs mere

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    Cute campground
    Traditional Easter bread1Playing with snow while wearing flipflops1Hiking!1The sci fi hole1Climbed to the topIt almost looks like an underwater world with coralTrying to get back with dry feet!1

    Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela

    16. april 2022, Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    It’s funny that most campgrounds we stay at are run by people who migrated to Portugal rather than by locals. And many of them are Dutch, as is the case with the owners of the cute “campismo” in the nature park Serra da Estrela where we end up for three nights. It’s a small and green campground with beautiful views of the valley. As the weather is warm and sunny for days in a row now, we use the opportunity to do our laundry and relax a little more. Reading a book (I’m in the midst of Dracula, the classic I bought at the Harry Potter bookstore in Porto and that I can’t put down), playing some games (Clever, Mölkky), eating freshly made traditional Portuguese Easter bread, joining the campground yoga class, and - because we can’t help ourselves - taking a long stroll through the town of Melo. As we have been quite busy going from one highlight to the other, it is nice to take it extra slow these few days.

    We do take a full day to explore the nature park around us: driving a loop with our van we admire the scenery. The valley of the park by glacial movement during the ice age, which is why aside from lakes and meadows we can also see huge rocks lay about. It is also the only place in Portugal where one can ski in winter - we can even see some leftover snow when visiting the highest point of the country (1993 meter).

    We pause our drive for a 12 km hike. Once more we train our legs while we climb up the rocky paths that sometimes look more like a waterfall than a walkway (only one of us makes it back to the van with dry feet, I’ll leave it for you to guess who :-)). The hike goes up to a artificial lake with a sci-fi kind of hole in it to collect extra water for a lower located lagoon and water dam. The water travels down more than 1500 meter; it must have been quite the task to make!

    With tired legs, rested minds and laundry done we are good to travel on.    Læs mere

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  • Two peas in a podTwo peas in a podRejsende
    Cathedral of Lamego
    A friendly encounter when going for a toilet breakThe Douro river + valleyA very old and beautiful train stationOn the boat1A free camping spot with a priceless viewOur lovely hostsThe vines are just starting to become greenThis is where the wine production takes placeYum yum yum

    Green hills countryside of Douro

    12. april 2022, Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Having seen quite enough cathedrals in the last few places we’ve visited, our next destination is the famous countryside of the Douro Valley for a change of scenery. The Douro region is a UNESCO World Heritage site, for it being the oldest demarcated (i.e. defined by strict boundaries) wine region in the whole world. And, of course, because it’s insanely beautiful! At the time of our visit there aren’t any grapes growing yet as the vines are just coming to life in early spring. Only small buds of green can be seen bursting from the branches. Thanks to the olive trees and blossoming cherry and almond trees there is plenty of other green in the environment and it is a beautiful sight regardless.

    We follow a few specific roads along the Douro river that lends its name to the region, and make a first night stop at the town of Lamego. As it turns out, we can’t escape cathedrals here either: the town is home to another magnificent church with another impressive 686 steps well decorated leading to it. While being there to see it anyway, we do admit it is quite spectacular. Not one cathedral is the same! At first we count ourselves lucky as the campground we are staying at is at level with the church, so we are saved from the climb to reach it. However, then we are brave (or stupid?) enough to also want to see a bit of the town below - a cute place, but maybe not entirely worth the climb that follows back to our green pod.. ah well. It counts for daily steps!

    The next day we move on in our van, following the river once more. Where river and road part we pause for an one hour boat tour and take all of the scenery in. The boat comes with an audio tour (one of those recorded ones) but unfortunately we can’t make much of what’s being said; we are accompanied by a bunch of loud Americans on the boat who are clearly not on the ride for the informative side of it. Any annoyance we have towards these people being loud turns into wonder after about 20 minutes when one American lady yells from one side of the boat to the other: “Ben? Is that you, Ben?! Oh my god it is!”. Next thing we know we witness a reunion of two ex-colleagues, both from America and on a holiday in Portugal, who apparently haven’t seen each other for ten years. It’s a small world…!

    This time, our stop for the night is at another beautiful and special place: we are staying at an actual vineyard and we are staying there FOR FREE! The Dutch in us do get excited over this, furthermore when we discover a tour being included for the next morning without cost too. I can’t help but ask the owner why he’s letting people stay there for free (while providing a nice spot + facilities). He laughs and tells us that the main business they run is the vineyard / wine production and they enjoy having people around. Sometimes guests are helping out on the land and hopefully they are enjoying their wine and spreading the word. The extra pair of hands is no luxury we learn the next day, as the town has shrunk from about 20.000 people to 5.000 people in less than forty years. The depopulation of the area is a real problem here, like in many other countryside areas around the world. I hope there will be enough wine loving people around locally to continue producing these wines, and that it will not be taken over by big investors who aren’t in it for the love of wine. The vineyard we stay at is a family business and currently handled by the second generation. When we ask the owner how they see their vineyard business continue after the current generation of people, he laughs once again at our apparently business minded questions. His son and nephews, now all still very young, have three choices in about 20 years, he says cheerfully: (1) they can continue the business as per the family tradition; (2) they can decide to sell it and have good money for it; or (3) they can throw a big party finish the thousands of bottles with great aged wine at once. “That is why,” he continues, “you should keep an eye out on our social media channels. You don’t want to miss this great party in 20 years time!”.

    The highlight of our stay in the Douro is the tour we get at this particular vineyard. The quality and wealth of information we get here is in no comparison to what we learned from the tour *cough* sales pitch *cough* at the wine cellars of Porto and it’s brought to us with so much passion and expertise. Just alone hearing the guy talk like that is a joy! To illustrate what kind of learnings we had during this tour:
    - The Douro region grows its grapes on terraces of a specific type of metamorphic rock, that protects the grapes from too much heat during the day by absorbing the warmth of the sun and keeping it consistently warm at night by radiating it back up. Now we know why all the vines in Douro grow so low to the ground! We were wondering about this in the past few days. Hills with other stone like granite can not be used for wine to quantify as Douro wines.
    - Seeing olive trees scattered in some of the vineyards signifies that they are old (100+ years) vineyards: when people did not have weather forecasts available to them the olive trees were of great help to protect the grapes from unexpected heavy wind and/or rain. Newer vineyards don’t need these anymore.
    - The rose bushes seen at most vineyards have a similar function: when the area is plagued by fungi, rose bushes are the first to get sick hence the farmers would know they should immediately take action to protect the vines.
    - The taste of the same type of grapes can differ a lot depending on many factors, such as at what direction the slope is facing the sun.
    - Only red wines (vs whites and roses) ages in oak barrels for the best possible flavours, others get bottled immediately after fermentation or else they would be too strong.

    All of that being most interesting, it should not be needed to be said that the most fun part of the tour is the tasting. More fun for me than for Tim as he still needs to drive and therefore needs to spit most of the wine out (like a pro), while I just drink anything I want (like a… well whatever!). We get to taste a delicious extra vierge olive oil, local cheese, a white wine, a rose, three red wines and… we may or may not have tasted of a port that may or may not have been there in an unlabelled and secret bottle. The short story: wine becomes port when before the aging process kicks in the fermentation of the wine is stopped at a certain sugar vs alcohol level, this is done by adding in strong spirits (brandy), in 2000 the Portuguese government made local production of brandy illegal as they wanted farmers to sell the grapes for central brandy production and then buy the product back at much higher cost for more tax income, however since port takes its sweet time to age in barrels there are - in theory, that is - still bottles that were produced and put in barrels before the year 2000 and are just coming of age nicely around the current time of living. If they were there, and I emphasise IF, they might have just been the best ports one could taste!

    If we ever pour you a sweet strong wine from a mysterious bottle while reminiscing about the Douro, please remember not to ask any questions :-)    Læs mere

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    They probably wanted me to take a picture from the other side :)
    The "secret" garden behind a bookstoreMore pretty buildingsEven the interior of churches contain beautiful tilesBeautiful BragaThis city gate is from 1505!Lots of flowers in BragaPalm Sunday decorationsThe statues of Jesus and Holy Mary that are used in the processions577 steps to Bom JesusSight, taste, smell, soundThe Ukraine flag integrated in Easter decorations + other Braga snippetsProcession on palm Sunday

    Holy week in Braga, “Rome of Portugal”

    10. april 2022, Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    It’s almost mid-April and the holy week, the week before Easter, is here. There is no better place in Portugal to spend (some of) the holy week than in Braga. Braga is the oldest city in Portugal and lies a little more North than Porto, and was founded by the Romans in the year 16 BC. It is very religious and for that reason if also known as the “Rome of Portugal”. It by far does not attract the number of visitors like Porto does, but I honestly enjoyed Braga more than Porto because it wasn’t so touristy and more authentic. It does share the same beauty as Porto: the decorated facades, the many cathedrals, the cobbled narrow streets… Tim can account for the many (many) times I have said “Oh, I could live here!” during this trip but I think Braga could actually be a place where I could settle for a while. But don’t worry, dear family, we do intend to come back to Netherlands!

    Adding to the charm of this town we find a little bookshop that hides a secret garden at the back, serving tea and cake that we can not resist to enjoy in the sun now that the rain is gone. In the evening (after a lot of walking and sightseeing done) we find a cute vegetarian restaurant that serves a free-flow buffet of deliciousness. After dinner, the day isn’t over yet! As we have waited for it to be 21:30, when the very first procession for the holy week in Braga takes place. It is the evening before Palm Sunday and this procession is therefor short but sweet. As a statue of Jesus is walked through the streets we follow the procession from one church to another, listening to the people sing religious songs in Portuguese. It’s a special experience. (video attached)

    We continue our holy week activities the next day when we visit the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte: a cathedral that’s located on top of a hill. To reach it, we climb 577 steps. It turns out to be a very enjoyable 577 steps as the staircase up is all in baroque style and again beautifully decorated all the way up. We find chapels that each tell a part of the story of Jesus’ sacrifice as well as statues and fountains built as part of the stairs. Finally we reach the top and conclude that the cathedral itself is also worth the climb, especially now that it’s decorated with palm branches for the holy week. Fun fact: while 577 steps may seem like a climb for anyone, some pilgrims apparently walk the steps on their knees! I shared with Tim that walking the steps on their knees seems like a undoable task, imagining someone going up keeping their body up straight and climbing on their knees only. I even went as far trying to demonstrate how they may have done it as I couldn’t quite grasp how this would be physically done. Of course, Tim burst out laughing, helping me to the brilliant insight that they would probably do it on both hands AND knees. That makes much more sense… (still tiring, I reckon!).

    After the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus Do Monte we climb the hills some more to arrive at yet another beautiful church and view. At this location we take a local bus back to town. At 17:30 we need to be ready for the Palm Sunday procession! This one is much bigger and clearly draws a lot more attention from the people of town. There’s a lot of people dressed up as characters from the Biblical story of Palm Sunday and the same Jesus statue as used in yesterday’s procession is walked down the streets. While Palm Sunday symbolises Jesus’ entrance to Jerusalem this procession enacts the crucifixion and the steps Jesus had to climb to the Calvary where he’d die. Mid-way the procession, where Jesus meets his mother, there’s a service held outdoors before the procession continues, now including a statue of the Holy Mary too. It’s very different from the day before yet just as impressive to witness (The video includes this procession too). One thing beautiful to see is that Braga has paired their Holy Week celebrations and decorations with their sympathy and prayers for Ukraine: for example, the yellow-blue flag is prominently in the middle of one of the town’s biggest festival decor. It is heartwarming to see that everywhere we go in this trip - big cities and the smalles towns - we find the Ukraine flag hanging from both government buildings and people’s homes. Hopefully this will continue to reflect the countries’ political support.

    Submerged in Easter vibes, we leave the sweet little town of Braga while it will continue with celebrations the whole rest of the week without us.

    PS: If anyone knows what music the procession band is playing please do comment as I thought it was absolutely beautiful 😊    Læs mere

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  • Two peas in a podTwo peas in a podRejsende
    Porto in full glory with its hills and churches
    The beautiful tiles are everywhere!A rainy dayWould you mind to wait for the train in a station like this?Tiles of PortoThe bridge by (eh, the student of) EiffelThe boulevard was full of people and street musicians1"Harry Potter" bookstoreBig port barrelsMind the very concentrated guy at left :')

    Porto

    8. april 2022, Portugal ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    Leaving Spain for now, we know that we are reaching the natural border to Portugal when the river “Miño” (Spanish) becomes “Minho” (Portuguese) halfway across the bridge. Considering the not so great weather forecasted for the next few days it is the second time in our trip that we decide to skip a national park, Peneda-Gerês this time, and we head straight to the city Porto. In the city of Portugal’s most famous exports – Port wine – we can be sure that the forecasted rain won’t kill the mood so much.

    Our camping site is somewhat outside of the city and is located directly next to a beach. The big waves give a beautiful sight from the entrance, however we soon come to realise that the view is perhaps one of the few good things this camping has to offer. Our main goal being traveling around we don’t mind the lesser scenic campgrounds (or even a camper parking if well secured for the night), but this one gets no more than two stars by our ranking – and we’re being generous. The campsites are very small so we are side to side to our Dutch and English neighbours, the facilities are old and dirty, the toilets don’t have seats, there’s no hot water for doing dishes and just when we think a hot shower can make up for it all… the shower only seems to work at 40+ degrees Celsius and is practically too hot to stand under. But, in the end, we got what we came for: a place to sleep.

    On the day of our arrival we take transport the “Singaporean way” we came to enjoy so much in the tropics: we book a “Free Now” (something like Uber / Grab / Gojek) to save ourselves travel time to the city center. The driver of the Mercedes Benz C Class it obviously very well acquainted with the streets to and of Porto – while I squeeze my own hands and hope for the best, he races through the narrow streets and turns right or left without tiring his brakes. We do arrive safe and sound in the end, getting some tips for sightseeing and food from the guy before we (somewhat happily) get out. In Porto we quickly learn it’s useful to plan your route well to avoid walking up and down the long steep slopes of the city, we admire the cathedrals that are just as pretty as they are plenty, we are loving the colourful tiled facades of the houses, we are amazed about some of these houses still hosting residents as they look like they can fall apart at any moment, and we enjoy the sunshine popping through just when we need it for the day. I can see why Porto is such a loved city as it breathes strong “Burgundian” vibes and it looks absolutely beautiful. One of the highlights of today is the Sé de Porto (Cathedral of Porto) with its blue tiled decorations (and perhaps a little because we witness the spectacle of the police arresting a guy while searching his car just in front of us – although it doesn’t become clear what he’s arrested for). Another highlight is what we think is the bridge designed by Eiffel. While it indeed has strong resemblance to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, we are a little ashamed to admit that it was actually a bridge designed by a student of Eiffel and that it also strongly resemblances a bridge one kilometre to the east that was actually by Mr. Eiffel himself. I guess we’ll have to come back one day to make up for this little mistake. A mistake, by the way, we made BEFORE visiting one of the Port houses for a tour in the cellars and port tasting with live fado music (see video for an impression). We end the day again the “Singaporean way”: we heard of a very little and very good restaurant with local specialities in town and when we find it we have to join a queue of locals on the street waiting to enjoy the food. The Dutch in us tells us that the restaurant across the street – no queue – looks nice and warm, too, but the Singaporean in us provides us with the wisdom to wait and brave the cold of the night. About 45 minutes later we step inside and immerse ourselves in local delicacies (some kind of kale soup with chorizo, various tapas and the famous Francesinha: a Porto style sandwich that you should probably eat only once a year if you don’t want your heart to give up (Or maybe two days in a row, if you’re only two days in Porto anyways… We may or may not have risked the heart attack, either way we’re here to tell how the adventure went on!).

    The next day we are less fortunate with the weather: we wake up to rain and it does not stop until the end of day. As we still have a lot of sightseeing to do, we do get around while taking shelter in more Cathedrals (I think every corner of Porto has one), local cafes serving fresh Pastel de Nata (Egg Tart), a beautiful bookshop that inspired J.K. Rowling for her Harry Potter books (we didn’t know it was such a tourist attraction, luckily we bought tickets online to avoid a 30 meter long queue in the rain!), and other city highlights until even our waterproof shoes and bags decide it’s just too much rain for a day and we head home for our semi-warm bed and some well-deserved sleep.    Læs mere

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  • Two peas in a podTwo peas in a podRejsende
    The scallop shell: symbol of the route to Santiago de Compostela
    The not so colourful entree to townBut then... the fabulous sight of Cathedral de Santiago!Snippets of the interior - photos can not do justice to the place :) Top left the BotafumeiroThe old quarter of Santiago de Compostela iCelebrative stopover! Say hello to Vera!Our little camping in A LanzadaA LanzadaA hike to O Grove past this chapel & ancient roman ruinsThe chapel from the inside (Virgin Mary looks a bit like a plastic barbie doll)Past beaches....greenery......and the Eucalyptus forest!Reaching O GroveA well deserved meal

    Final days Spain + celebrative stopover

    6. april 2022, Spanien ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Santiago de Compostela: a place that likely rings a bell even if you’re not much of a religious person or a adventurous traveler. There are various famous long routes that lead up to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, and they have been traveled by pelgrims for thousands of years. According to Christian tradition, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, Saint James, was beheaded in Palestina in the year 44 AD before his body was put to sea on a stone boat by his disciples. The boat landed on the coast of Spain, just near of where Santiago now is. His remains were buried in a specially built chapel, later becoming the large cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Besides Rome and Jerusalem it then became the most popular pelgrimage destinations and remained to be so to this day.

    With expectations raised high, we are a little disappointed to pass the town’s welcome sign midst industrial buildings and streets characterised by concrete and lack of colour. After having parked our campervan at the local camping, we walk down towards the cathedral following the scallop shell shaped signs on the ground (the scallop shell is the symbol for the pelgrimage) and are a still little underwhelmed by this famous pelgrim route’s final kilometers. We wonder how the walking and cycling pelgrims experience this: after all the hardship of their travels they too might have expected a more sensational arrival at their final destination. However soon we reach the old quarter of town. Here we find the narrow winding streets we expected. There is no straight way to the cathedral and we even loose sight of the shell signs walking our way there. Then, suddenly, we find ourselves on this large square and look upon the cathedral as well as three other historical buildings being the parlement building, a college building and a hotel. The cathedral provides an impressive sight and is beautiful! We are lucky to visit just short of a year after renovations have completed and the cathedral’s façade can again be admired in its full glory since being hidden by scaffolds for long eight years.

    The interior of the cathedral is just as impressive in size and decorations. One of the many highlights is the Botafumeiro, which is world’s largest incense burner. It measures 1,5 meter and weighs 54 kg! When being used on special occasions it is swung from side to side all the way up to the ceiling with speeds up to 68 km/hour, pulled by a group of red-robed men. Thanks to my dad we know to ask for when this event happens to take place as pelgrims can also request (pay) for it outside of the scheduled dates. You can imagine we are thrilled to hear the event will take place this very evening! After attending the mass (all in Spanish but accompanied by a nun singing pure like an angel) five men come out and start lightning and swinging the Botafumeiro. The size, the speed, the scent… it’s a magical experience that we won’t forget.

    The next morning we move our campervan from the camping to a secured campervan parking nearby, as we have an important pitstop to make outside of our holiday route and need to make our way to the airport… that happy phone call I mentioned in the previous post was my sister Marleen and her fiancé Jeroen calling to introduce us to the newest member of our family: their daughter Vera Sofie Mulder is born on the last day of March! Since Spain isn’t that far away from The Netherlands and we’re keen to meet Vera in person we fly back and spend two days with Vera and family before returning back to Santiago and continuing our trip. It’s a break we are glad to take, and it’s very worthwhile being able to hold Vera as a newborn and support Marleen and Jeroen in little ways during this short time. Hip hip hooray! *happy dance*

    As precious as the time with Vera and others was, we are happy to return to our green pod (and the sun + 20 degrees celcius) in Spain. Our last 1,5 day in Spain before driving into Portugal are spent at the coast of A Lanzada, still in the region of Galicia. We find ourselves a cute little camping hosted by a Dutch guy and his wife. As weather is pleasant and the view on the Atlantic Ocean is magnificent we chill the afternoon with a bite, a book, and the hope to spot some dolphins in the ocean below. Apparently they are regularly spotted from the camping side but it will turn out we’re in no luck to see them during our stay. Ah well, it’s pretty amazing without them in sight! The view gets even more amazing when the sun sets. We take it all in at the cliffs just outside of the camping.

    On Wednesday we wake up to more cloudy weather, and we set out on a 18 KM hike from A Lanzada to O Grove. It’s a nice hike that starts up the cliffs next to the camping, continuing along the beaches and dunes of Praia Da Lanzada, and takes us steep up through a forest and over rocky paths around Ardia. The last bit is through a forest of giant trees and a delicious scent. At first we are a bit confused seeing a whole forest of trees that look like and smell like Eucalyptus - can it really be that this tree native to Australia is growing here? At lunch in O Grove we learn (thanks Google) we spotted it correctly: a Galician monk brought Eucalyptus seeds back from Australia in the 19th century. It adapted so well to the local climate of Galicia that it spread rapidly into large forests. Some of the older trees are 67 meter tall and 10.5 meter in circumference! I’m now carrying a leaf from the Eucalyptus in my bag where I keep my fabric face mask, making wearing it (still mandatory indoors in Spain) almost (almost!) a mini spa experience. Lunch itself is also a pleasure: as it’s already 15:00 pm most spots were closed for siesta (the rather long midday break common in Spain) we find a place that offers a three course lunch including a drink for only €14 pp! Our starters are tomato toast (me) and razor clams (Tim), our main is a shared pan of Arroz Caldoso: a typical local dish similar to paella but more soupy and totally delicious, and for dessert we share one Spanish tarta de queso (cheesecake) and caramel flan. Such a fulfilling lunch. A short walk through the town of O Grove and a local bus trip later, we are back at the camping to enjoy the evening relaxing and only having some salad for dinner as we are still full of the late lunch feast. Tomorrow we’ll be leaving Spain for Portugal, our main destination for this trip.    Læs mere

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    Santillana del Mar
    Vaso de leche y quesada, €2Santillana del MarComillasComillas, El Capricho de Gaudí1Comillas, El Capricho de GaudíOur camper spot in LlanesCooking in the rain1A little robin that came visit us both at night and in the morning ❤️Our private beach1LlanesIt looked like primary school art to us, but this is art by local artist Augustin Ibarolla.LlanesBufoles de PriaTim listening to the sound of the wavesSpot TimSounds of the ocean

    The coast of Cantabria & Asturias

    31. marts 2022, Spanien ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    We travel the next couple of days from one coastal town to another, keeping the Bay of Bisque in sight while we drive into another autonomous region of Spain: Cantabria. Our first stop after leaving Bilbao is the medieval village called Santillana del Mar. Thanks to its name, it’s also known as the city of three lies: it is not holy (Santa), it is certainly not flat (Llana), and it’s not by the sea either (del Mar). By the high number of souvenir shops we can tell it gets crowded with tourists during peak season, however during our visit the streets are almost empty. We spend about two hours in town, and don’t leave without trying the local specialty of a glass of milk with a piece of Quesada: a Spanish version of cheesecake. Thanks to this treat we can postpone lunch with a few hours as it’s delicious but also very filling.

    The next town on our route, Comillas, is actually at sea. The main purpose of our visit here is El Capricho de Gaudí: one of the few projects by the famous architect Antoni Gaudí outside of Catalonia. Like with his other work this house is not just brilliant in contextual and functional design, it’s also full of fun metaphors and hints to the passions of Gaudí himself (nature and organic designs) as well as of the client commissioning the project, Don Maxímo Díaz (music). We learn all about it through a well done free audio tour - making this place so much more special to experience. As the house was custom designed in all its details to fit the lifestyle and preferences of the owner, Maxímo Díaz, we were sad to learn that Maxímo only got to live there seven days after it finished as by bad fortune he then died. What an amazing place it must have been to live in.

    We find our stop for the night in a third coastal town in yet another Spanish region: Llanes in Asturias. As it’s very early in season we need to put in a little work to find a nice camping that’s actually open, and so it’s to our surprise that the large and scenic camping we do find is completely empty except for some permanent stalled guests. We are greeted by a jolly man introducing himself in broken English as “the husband who was told to stay put at the reception while the boss wife went out to town”. When we explain to him we don’t need electricity for the night he tells us jokingly: “No power?! You need power! Power to drive! Power to hike! POWERRR!”. As Tim follows us by campervan, “the husband” and I walk up the slopes of the camping while he keeps singing the theme song of Pipi Longstocking and making many stops along the way to point out multiple locations of toilets, showers (with ranking of which is better to use), and a (closed) camping supermarket. A good opportunity of Tim to perfect the slope test with the green pod - I can see his confused expression from behind the window when we make yet another stop without reaching a destination. Eventually we are pointed to three different fields to choose from, however two out of three are discouraged actively if we plan to leave tomorrow: the changeable weather and soft grounds will likely sink the van into the muds. So much for choice :) And just as “the husband” finishes the tour, a hailstorm (?!) starts pouring down - he runs away laughing “I told you about the fields!” and we settle wisely for a hard ground spot looking out to a beautiful cliff & private beach. Cooking is done inside the van this time, but during dinner skies have cleared. We take a stroll down the beach before we head to bed.

    The next day we go back to the private beach and walk a bit further to enjoy the stunning views of the Spanish coastline here. We explore the town of Llanes a bit more while it starts raining again - the regions of Cantabria and Asturias are known for being very green the entire year and it becomes clear to us it requires a good mix of sun and rain to make that happen. Our second stop down the route is Bufones de Pria. A formation of limestone cliffs along the water gives us a fantastic view, but also impressive sounds! Sea water finding its way into tunnels of the cliffs coming out in holes above the ground gives an incredible sound. The sea is too quiet today to actually splash water above the ground but it’s still a pretty cool experience.

    We end the day in Ribadesella, just because it happens to have a random camping nearby, with the now familiar variety of warm sunshine followed by hailstones. With a good glass of wine, a collection of Spanish cheese and sausages and a very happy call from family in The Netherlands we can’t be bothered. Good night!    Læs mere

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    Gaztelugatxe
    The famous Guggenheim Museum11Streets of BilbaoA old library we passed byOur camper spot just outside of BilbaoA crowded camping at San SebastiánNight 2 in FranceOur very first camper spot in France

    Gaztelugatxe & Bilbao

    29. marts 2022, Spanien ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    As we travel on, clouds appear and the weather becomes a bit more chilly. It’s the perfect weather to visit Gaztelugatxe, or “Castle Rock”. Gaztelugatxe is a cinematic little island that was used as a filming location for Game of Thrones (Dragonstone), but only at times of gloomy weather to add to the series’ vibes. Or so Tim told me as I have never watched any episode of the show. :) I can attest to it being a beautiful place though. The island hosts a little church and is remarkably attached to the mainland by a man-made zigzag bridge. Unfortunately at the time of our visit the bridge was closed for maintenance and we weren’t able to walk the 241 stairs to the island. Luckily it was also very rewarding to do a hike around the area with great views of the castle and Bay of Biscay.

    In the afternoon we visit Bilbao. We park our campervan at a secured camper parking on top of a hill, providing a nice view of the city at our feet. Taking a bus down town we visit the famous Guggenheim Museum - both the outdoor and indoor art is worth the watch - and we explore the streets of the old quarter by foot. I thought San Sebastián was a great place to be, but walking through Bilbao I enjoy this city even more! With about 15% of its population being students there’s a certain buzz to it; it’s a lively and beautiful city. We again avoid the task of cooking in a campervan as we can’t resist to also try the pintxos in Bilbao before taking the bus back to our scenic parking lot.

    So far we are enjoying the camper trip: we are finding our way in the little van and get more and more organised both in placing / finding our stuff and having each our own tasks “in the household”. Tim is the main driver and is informally responsible for stuff like filling the water tank, changing the bed to sofa and vice versa, and finding ourselves the nicest spots for the night. I on the other hand take care of things like getting us ready to camp vs drive in terms of indoor organisation, cooking, doing the dishes, identifying the touristy hot spots on the way, and being the emcee to our road trip playlist entertaining Tim along the way (any favourite road trip songs you’d recommend?!). Including some pics of the sleeping spots we’ve had so far!    Læs mere

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  • Two peas in a podTwo peas in a podRejsende
    Our walk upon arrival
    On the funicular train to mountain IgueldoBay of La Concha2Casino or Town HallThe old Town Hall, you can still see the numbers of each balcony that were used to watch bull fightsLovely streets of the old quarterPintxos and Txakoli!Up the second hill1Isla de Santa Clara, situated in the bay1The newer part of town is also pretty!11

    What's in a name? Donostia/San Sebastián

    28. marts 2022, Spanien ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    After three sunny days of traveling through Belgium and France we reach the northern coast of Spain and arrive at our first real stop in the autonomous region of Basque Country. It’s a small town with a big reputation: Donostia (in Basque language), San Sebastián (in Spanish language), or Little Paris (its nickname).

    Basque, the language actively spoken in this region, is a unique language unrelated to any other language in Europe and has been spoken for more than 2000 years. Hello is not “Ola” but “Aizu”, thank you is not “Gracias” but “Eskerrik asko”, and to order tapas in Basque region one asks for “Pintxos” instead. The language is one of the beautiful characteristics of this region that has kept its autonomy for centuries: Vikings, Romans nor dictator Fransisco Franco could break the nationalism of Basque Country. As a result of Franco’s oppression, however, Basque Country could not obtain independence from Spain. While regaining significant autonomy after Franco’s death in 1975 some wanted full independence and turned to violence and terrorism: the armed organisation of ETA (“Basque Homeland & Liberty”) has been responsible for more than 800 deaths including Franco’s successor, Spanish military, police personnel, other political administrative figures, and 340 civilians. The now so peaceful streets of Donostia / San Sebastián and other cities in Basque Country were filled with riot police and locals were living in fear for decades. ETA only stopped their attacks after (not their first time) calling ceasefire in 2011, and have said to completely dissolve and dismantle the organisation as recent as 2018. Yet a drive for Basque independence remains, and peaceful Basque nationalism is very much alive amongst the locals.

    As we arrive in the afternoon we start off with a 8 KM walk through the hilly coastline right outside of Donostia / San Sebastián. The surroundings are beautiful and quiet; a silence that’s only interrupted by the bells of grazing goats on steep green slopes and an occasional cow mooing. The surroundings are exhausting, too: all the sitting we’ve done the past three days is rightfully compensated by some serious leg work going up and down the paths! Coming back to the tiny town of our camping for the night we join the regulars for some pintxos and a glass of wine in a local cafe. Life is good.

    Donostia / San Sebastián is most known for two things: its beautiful beaches and its food. In the morning we decide to first explore the sight of beaches. We take the local bus to mountain Igueldo and ascend with a funicular train to the summit to enjoy fabulous views of the La Concha bay. After taking it all in, we descend and take a walk on the boulevard along the beach and towards the old centre of the city. This old quarter starts with the magnificent Town Hall, situated in a building that was originally built as a casino in 1887. It was the extravagance of this type of buildings that contributed to the city earning the nickname “Little Paris”. The rich and wealthy of Europe came to this place for spectacular parties. During the First World War the casino was home to European political refugees and spies, including the Dutch Mata Hari. In 1947 the building became the city’s Town Hall. The rest of the old quarter is no less beautiful. We walk the cobbled streets, past various churches and Plaza de la Constitución. This is where the Town Hall used to be and where people would pay the government for a seat on one of the numbered balconies to watch bull fights. As we are walking we are soon welcomed by the scents of that other thing the city is famous for: food!

    Donostia / San Sebastián is ranked #1 as “best food destination in the world”, before Tokyo and New York. The city of just 180.000 people has nine (!) Michelin-star restaurants and on every corner you find a bar serving delicious pintxos (tapas). Therefore it’s no surprise we see some food loving Singaporean tourists walking around! Tim and I skip the Michelin-star places and go for the small local pintxos bars instead. For both lunch and dinner we indulge in a variety of little bites and some wines, including the local Txakoli wine. What a feast!

    Between lunch and dinner we do some more leg work and hike up another mountain. Here we find the ruins of a castle, a sunny terrace for drinks, and views that might be even prettier than those from Monte Igueldo. Definitely worth the climb! Ending the day with a stroll past the city’s river and collection of bridges and into the newer part of town, one day of visiting is enough for us to understand why so many people are raving about this place. No matter the name used, and aside from political aspirations, as per Shakespeare’s wisdom: “that which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet”.    Læs mere

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    To inner peas & hap-pea-ness

    25. marts 2022, Holland ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Well hello there!

    After five years of living in Singapore time has come for Tim and me to move back to The Netherlands. Being close to family and spending more time with them is a great thing, and we look forward to building our life here in the low lands. Still, saying goodbye to our Singapore family has been hard. We’ll need some time to physically and mentally settle - and what better way is there to ponder about life than through travel? (The answer: none!)

    Our lifelong dream of slow traveling through India has been put on hold due to the COVID-19 virus and related restrictions, hence we decided to find adventure closer to home and travel by campervan through the south of Europe. From the red little dot (Singapore) to our green little pod (the campervan), we’ll be riding from The Netherlands to Portugal and wherever else our hearts (and let’s be real - the sun) will take us. In other words: to inner ‘peas’ and ‘hap-pea-ness’!

    For anyone who’s just as curious as we are to see where we’ll be and what we’ll do, feel welcome to follow this trip and say hi through the comments!

    Love from two peas in a pod,
    Judith & Tim    Læs mere

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