European Roadtrip 2018

Road tripping through Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Austria and Italy 🚗 Read more

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June 16, 2018
European Roadtrip 2018
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Saturday, June 16, 2018 at 7:43 PM
🌙 9 °C
Altitude: 1,691 m
South Africa Oliver Reginald Tambo International -26.12973, 28.2357726°7’47” S 28°14’9” E
Ready to board
June 16, 2018 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 9 °C
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Sunday, June 17, 2018 at 8:56 AM
⛅ 14 °C
Altitude: 37 m
England Heathrow Terminal 3 51.47064, -0.4592951°28’14” N 0°27’33” W
Heathrow to Barcelona
June 17, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Luckily we are only passing through London...It's raining 😊

Heading to 1st stop Spain ... 🇪🇸
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Sunday, June 17, 2018 at 2:15 PM
⛅ 28 °C
Altitude: 86 m
Spain la Pobla de Montornès 41.18798, 1.4266441°11’17” N 1°25’36” E
Sandwich wrappers in Spain
June 17, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Had a giggle reading my sandwich wrapper ..... 😂😂
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Sunday, June 17, 2018 at 3:44 PM
⛅ 28 °C
Altitude: 11 m
Spain Barranco de Santas Creus 40.86094, 0.7684140°51’39” N 0°46’6” E
Self-Toll gates
June 17, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Take a ticket, drive until you get to where ypu want to leave the highway, and pay the machine 😁
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Monday, June 18, 2018 at 12:30 PM
☀️ 26 °C
Altitude: 29 m
Spain Valencia North Railway Station 39.46745, -0.3754139°28’3” N 0°22’31” W
Valencia
June 18, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Pretty old buildings complete with Orange trees on the pavements 😊
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Monday, June 18, 2018 at 2:00 PM
☀️ 27 °C
Altitude: 42 m
Spain Alquerías del Niño Perdido 39.91813, -0.1391839°55’5” N 0°8’21” W
Ladies of the plastic chairs?
June 18, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
Driving through the middle of nowhere, we came across ladies sitting at the side of the road.

Apparently everybody knows about the places along the highway on Spain’s Mediterranean coast where the mafia brings prostitutes to work.

They sit under beach umbrellas on plastic chairs waitng for work 😐Read more
Travels with L and JWhew how sad 😩
6/24/18Reply
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Monday, June 18, 2018 at 5:20 PM
☀️ 25 °C
Altitude: 9 m
Spain Real Club Nautico Calpe 38.64021, 0.0702638°38’25” N 0°4’13” E
Spanish Olive trees
June 18, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Near the small town of Ulldecona, is a unique piece of natural heritage: a 1,700-year old tree which might be the oldest, scientifically dated, olive tree anywhere in the world.

Researchers at the Technical University of Madrid used advanced laser-based techniques to conclusively date date the Farga de l'Arión, to the early fourth century during the reign of Roman emperor Constantine the Great, who ruled over Britain, Gaul and Spain.

Traditionally, the olive tree is a symbol of peace and friendship. Many garden centres sell decorative olive trees which look like giant bonsai 🌳Read more
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Tuesday, June 19, 2018 at 2:53 PM
☀️ 28 °C
Altitude: 338 m
Spain El Saltador 37.42578, -1.926337°25’33” N 1°55’35” W
Spain's Greenhouses
June 19, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Since the 1980s, Almería in southern Spain has developed the largest concentration of greenhouses in the world, covering 26,000 hectares. The greenhouses reflect so much sunlight back into the atmosphere that they are actually cooling the province, Spanish researchers have found.
.The strange phenomenon had not gone unnoticed in scientific circles, and now a study has suggested a plausible explanation: the white colour of the plastic reflects sunlight into the atmosphere as if it were a mirror, and it slows the warming of the surface. In this way, the greenhouses at a local level offset the rising temperatures associated with global warming.Read more
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Tuesday, June 19, 2018 at 4:40 PM
☀️ 28 °C
Altitude: 165 m
Spain La Garrofa 36.82105, -2.5435936°49’16” N 2°32’37” W
Hollywood in Spain
June 19, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
The only real desert in Europe of approximately 280 square kilometers, is a protected natural park and has attracted film crews since the 1950s. It hardly ever rains (less than 240 mm annual rainfall) snd temperatures range from -5 to 48°!

Some of the greatest gunslingers in film history have filmed here in Spain. Under the direction of the Italian cult director Sergio Leone, Spaghetti Westerns A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More (1965) as well as the classic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly were filmed here 😆Read more
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Wednesday, June 20, 2018 at 9:00 AM
☀️ 22 °C
Altitude: 11 m
Spain Roquetas de Mar 36.76895, -2.6047236°46’8” N 2°36’17” W
Roquetas de Mar
June 20, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Pretty seaside town in Almeria Spain. Stayed at Hotel Don Angel.
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Wednesday, June 20, 2018 at 11:10 AM
☀️ 21 °C
Altitude: 1,365 m
Spain Bayárcal 37.02605, -3.008437°1’34” N 3°0’30” W
Sierra Nevada mountains
June 20, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Finally some scenery without greenhouses 😁

Winter snow still lying in the crevices in the high peaks!
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Wednesday, June 20, 2018 at 11:58 AM
☀️ 24 °C
Altitude: 1,205 m
Spain La Calahorra 37.18131, -3.0642737°10’53” N 3°3’51” W
Castillo de La Calahorra
June 20, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Castillo de La Calahorra is located in La Calahorra, in the province of Granada, Spain. It is situated in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Built between 1509 and 1512, it is one of the first Italian Renaissance castles built outside Italy.Read more
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Wednesday, June 20, 2018 at 4:44 PM
☀️ 22 °C
Altitude: 11 m
Gibraltar H.M.S. Rooke 36.14175, -5.3555736°8’30” N 5°21’20” W
Gibraltar
June 20, 2018 in Gibraltar ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Gibraltar is a headland on Spain's south coast, belonging to Britain. It’s dominated by the Rock of Gibraltar, a 426m-high limestone ridge.

First settled by the Moors in the Middle Ages and later ruled by Spain, the outpost was ceded to the British in 1713.Read more
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Thursday, June 21, 2018 at 11:27 AM
⛅ 24 °C
Altitude: 16 m
Spain Arroyo del Zorro 36.69401, -6.1587236°41’38” N 6°9’31” W
Toro de Osborne
June 21, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
The Osborne Sherry company (founded by Thomas Osborne Mann in 1772) erected large images of bulls starting in the 1950's to advertise it's Brandy de Jerez. The original image contained the name of the company, which was then "blacked out" in 1994 to comply with an EU law that prohibited advertising of alcoholic beverages within 150 metres of a road.

Toro de Osborne, stands proudly alongside roads and on hilltops, cutting the horizon with its mighty shape. Despite it's humble advertising heritage, the bull has since become a cultural symbol of Spain.Read more
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Thursday, June 21, 2018 at 11:49 AM
⛅ 26 °C
Altitude: 80 m
Spain Casablanca 36.79782, -6.0581336°47’52” N 6°3’29” W
Spanish Sunflowers
June 21, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
The late spring and early summer seem to be the time for sunflowers in the south of Spain. In the middle of nowhere, outside Seville, there are field upon field of sunflowers (or girasoles in Spanish). So pretty 🌻Read more
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Thursday, June 21, 2018 at 1:53 PM
⛅ 29 °C
Altitude: 39 m
Spain El Aljarafe 37.36582, -6.2549637°21’57” N 6°15’18” W
Solar collectors - PS10 and PS20
June 21, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
The solar collector towers, named PS10 and PS20, began operating in 2007 and 2009. Each is surrounded by a field of angled mirrors known as heliostats, which reflect solar radiation onto a receiver located at the top of each tower. This reflected sunlight illuminates dust and water vapor in the air, resulting in the brilliant glowing rays.

The heliostats—624 for the PS10 and 1,255 for the PS20—move during the day in order to reflect the most sunlight possible. When the rays of light reach the receiver, their heat produces steam, which is used to power a turbine. The turbine drives a generator, thereby producing electricity.Read more
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Thursday, June 21, 2018 at 8:31 PM
⛅ 21 °C
Altitude: 13 m
Portugal Museu Marítimo Almirante Ramalho Ortigão 37.0166, -7.9369637°0’60” N 7°56’13” W
Faro - Portugal
June 21, 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
After 4 days in Spain, we crossed into Portugal.
I wish I learnt to speak Portuguese from my Portuguese school friends 🤪

Spending our 1st night in a seaside town called Faro. Not too small as it even has an airport!Read more
Travels with L and JWe found Faro to be a dump
6/24/18Reply
Shazzij Travel LogAgree 🤪 We even had people fighting outside the hotel at 4 in the morning
6/24/18Reply
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Friday, June 22, 2018 at 12:24 PM
☀️ 23 °C
Altitude: 8 m
Portugal Barranco do Figueira 37.1113, -8.6817137°6’41” N 8°40’54” W
Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe Chapel
June 22, 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
The Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe Chapel is situated in between the small villages of Budens and Raposeira, in the lovely department of Vila do Bispo, on the western side of the Algarve region.

This small chapel dates back to the 13 century.Read more
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Friday, June 22, 2018 at 1:08 PM
☀️ 21 °C
Altitude: 28 m
Portugal Sagres Skate Park 37.01117, -8.9431437°0’40” N 8°56’35” W
Fortaleza de Sagres
June 22, 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
The Fortaleza Sagres is located at the southern tip of the Sagres Peninsular and this uniquely designed fort protected the town from raiders from North Africa.

This is where Henry the Navigator devised his 15th century expeditions to the uncharted seas around the western side of Africa, which heralded in the golden era of Portugal exploration.

The devastating 1755 earthquake destroyed most of the fort. The actual quake only did slight damage but the resulting tsunami flooded (and washed away) the entire fort by rising higher than the 60m cliffs.Read more
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Friday, June 22, 2018 at 5:15 PM
☀️ 23 °C
Altitude: 23 m
Portugal Marina de Albufeira 37.08705, -8.2718537°5’13” N 8°16’19” W
Portugal Day 2
June 22, 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Much of the drive though the Algarve was through huge citrus orchards. This is because the Algarve produces up to 70% of all citrus harvested in Portugal. Between 300,000 and 400,000 tonnes of the fruit is harvested annually. Incidentally, the word "porteghal" in Persian means orange (fruit).

The drive through little Portuguese villages, which were just as I imagined them to be ... quaint and full of narrow little roads and a mix of very old and newer buildings.Read more
Travels with L and JLovely pics
6/24/18Reply
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Saturday, June 23, 2018 at 10:34 AM
⛅ 25 °C
Altitude: Sea level
Portugal Alcântara 38.69188, -9.1760438°41’31” N 9°10’34” W
Almada to Lisbon
June 23, 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
The toll gates at the bridge crossing the .... from Almada to Lisbon.

The statue of Christ the King is a Catholic monument and shrine dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ overlooking the city of Lisbon situated in Almada.Read more
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Saturday, June 23, 2018 at 10:35 AM
⛅ 25 °C
Altitude: 20 m
Portugal Jardim do Ultramar 38.69884, -9.2068438°41’56” N 9°12’25” W
Mosteiro dos Jeronimos
June 23, 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
The Mosteiro dos Jeronimos is a highly ornate monastery that is situated in the Belem district of western Lisbon. This grand religious building was historically associated with the early sailors as explorers, as it was from here that Vasco da Gama spent his last night before his voyage to the Far East.Read more
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Saturday, June 23, 2018 at 10:45 AM
⛅ 25 °C
Altitude: 7 m
Portugal Jardim da Torre de Belém 38.69271, -9.2159138°41’34” N 9°12’57” W
Torre de Belém
June 23, 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
Belém Tower also known as the Tower of St Vincent is a fortified tower located in Santa Maria de Belém. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the significant role it played in the Portuguese maritime discoveries of the era of the Age of Discoveries.

The tower was commissioned by King John II as part of a defence system at the mouth of the Tagus river and a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon.Read more
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Saturday, June 23, 2018 at 2:25 PM
☀️ 28 °C
Altitude: 62 m
Portugal Forjães 41.60725, -8.7405141°36’26” N 8°44’26” W
Wild fires in 2017
June 23, 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Portugal's fires have burnt 520,000 hectares of forest during 2017, 52 times the size of Lisbon and representing nearly 60 percent of the total area burnt in the entire European Union in 2017.
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Saturday, June 23, 2018 at 11:00 PM
🌙 19 °C
Altitude: 55 m
Portugal Ribeiro da Várzea 40.17061, -8.8569840°10’14” N 8°51’25” W
Portugal Day 3
June 23, 2018 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 19 °C
A beautiful country with friendly people and quaint rural villages and countryside.

The scenery varied from vineyards and citrus plantations to large farms and little villages, interspersed with the big cities like Lisbon, Coimbra and Porto.

We drove through areas devastated by the fires which ravaged Portugal a year ago and quaint little seaside villages. Roadside farmers markets and beautiful old churches.

Tiled houses and buildings are quite popular, and trends range from decorating complete buildings or houses using a single style of tile to facades depicting Mary, Christ and the Catholic saints.

We spent the night in Figueira da Foz on the day São João (St John the Baptist) is celebrated. People take to the streets eating, drinking and generally having fun. A street parade consisting of singing and dancing traditionally dressed entertainers passed right in front of our hotel and we had a bird's eye view of the procession. The festivities started at around 10pm and continuing well into the early hours of Sunday morning 😆Read more
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