Pines to Pissos

A 1940’s vibe

The town of Hagetmau looked like it might have been a good next stop. There’s a crypt, an ancient Mary Magdalene church, and a couple of good restaurants. Perfect. However, on arrival we found the crypt was closed, the church was closed - and the restaurants were closed. Sigh. It was a nice place walk around but we ended up spending the afternoon chilling out in the van watching tele as Graham had wanted a short drive and didn’t feel like moving on. We were greeted by primroses and violets on our morning walk so the visit was worthwhile after all.

Good morning

We felt like we needed some yummy food after our disappointing culinary experience and noted that the unfortunately named Pissos (a place we’d stopped at on the way down which has an excellent restaurant) was on our way so we put that in the Tom Tom and headed off. The whole way all we saw along the roadside were pine forests, pine forests, and more pine forests. They like a bit of wood around here.

As we drove along I noticed a statue of a person on stilts and remembered there were shepherds in Les Landes area who used to work the fields by walking on stilts. I found a website with some amazing photos of these shepherds doing what they do best. Click the link Here if you’d like to get more information on this.

Just the occasional pine tree

Pissos didn’t disappoint with the restaurant and the weather was really warm so we took the opportunity to explore a bit more than last time. The forest behind us was dotted with small holiday cabins, probably for Scouts. Opposite was a very interesting cemetery with some unusual headstones. The white gravestones belonged to those killed in both the First and Second World Wars and were obviously very well kept.

Angelic child’s head

War graves in white

Metal headstone

We’ve finally moved on from the pine forests and are parked by the Garonne Canal in Fontet. It’s unseasonably warm and I actually got down to my singlet on our 6 km walk along the tow path - no photos of that you’ll be happy to hear. I fear the weather maybe turning tonight so we’re braced for rain tomorrow.

A change of scenery

A beam of light

Still in the jumper 

Pootling in the Pyrenees

 We took the road across the Pyrenees at a pacey 35km per hour. The weather was clear and bright but the way was dotted with a constant stream of cyclists who were making the most of the gorgeous weather. I was quite happy to go at this snail pace as I didn’t want us to be responsible for a cyclist’s terrible end on such a gorgeous day. We’ve been across these mountains so many times but I think this is the first time we’ve driven it with bright blue skies and not a hint of snow in the air.

St Jean Pied de Port was our stop and we enjoyed a stroll around the ancient streets where many start their journey along the Chemin de Santiago de Compostela. It was 20 years ago almost to the day that Graham set out on his walk to Santiago. The sun stayed out but we woke to fog and cloud this morning - a very different view across the river.

From one day…

…to the next

The ancient road in the town centre is full of 17th and 18th century houses marked with the names of those who lived there and the date the house was built. It makes an interesting walk up the winding cobbled streets.

Worth a walk

Up this medieval street

House of 1722

 When the fog cleared (and after we’d done our washing - boooring) we drove a short 40 km to Sauvetterre de Béarne, another medieval village but this time with a more French, rather than Basque, vibe. We found a fabulous restaurant so Graham tucked into a lamb shank while I consumed a confit of duck and Hugo had several mouths full of both. We came through here last year but everything was closed as the town centre roads and buildings were undergoing a massive refurbishment. I must say it looks a lot better this time.

12th century church

Cute (and yummy) restaurant

View to the Bridge of Legend

Carrying On from Carrion

 It sounds like we left Portugal just in time as I’ve read that the Portuguese farmers have blockaded some of the border crossings into Spain as part of the growing EU wide protests. We actually saw some tractors congregating on the side of the motorway this morning as they prepare to mobilise for their own protest.

Pyrenees in the clouds

 We managed to drive through a vast swathe of vineyards to reach Elciego in the Rioja region unscathed. It’s a lovely medieval village that boasts many wineries, one of which has a bodega designed by none other than the famous architect Frank Gehry.

It’s certainly a contrast

The more usual architecture

One of the joys of being in this region is the choice of good wines and we found Bodega Muriel where we could buy a dozen Rioja Crianzas for 25 Euros. Hoorah!! We tried one last night and it was so good we bought another box this morning. We’re now on the outskirts of Pamplona in Sarriguren surrounded by high rise flats and the sound of children playing basketball in the background. We will head into France tomorrow, taking advantage of the lack of snow on the Pyrenees.

Gotta love a cheap dozen

It’s not only wine they do well here; they also do good doors.

Masks, Meseta, and Misericords

 It was a little frosty yesterday morning so we took the opportunity to lie in - to around 815am (yes, the fluffy one thinks that this is lying in).

Our morning sky

The Iberian Museum of the Mask and the Costume within the walls of the castelo opened at 9 so we strolled up the steep path to discover that dogs aren’t allowed in - sigh. I went in first and paid the 2 euro 26 cents (weird pricing) for both of us. It’s a fabulous collection of costumes worn in winter festivals in several villages around the region of Tras-Os-Montes and into Spain. According to the information sheet they are known in English as the Feasts of the Boys (Festas dos Rapazes).They are ancient pagan celebrations that have been integrated into the Christian religious calendar. Unfortunately the lighting and the glass cases did not make for great photos and it’s a shame there were no videos of the events but the collection itself is very interesting. Some are very similar to traditional British folk costumes, particularly the paper tatters and te straw man. They have a folk dance tradition called Pauliteiras which is very similar to morris Dancing. You can find videos on YouTube if you want to check it out.

Familiar face

Paper tatters

Straw chap

Cute smile

Having had our fill of demons and skeletons we popped into the supermarket to stock up on fabulous Douro and Alentejo wines then bid farewell to Portugal. The route took us across the dry, flat meseta to our next stop Léon in Spain where we parked by the river and walked into the old town to peruse the grand cathedral and find a restaurant. It’s one of the main waypoints on the Compostela and we’d been before several years ago. It’s an impressive cathedral but we both found it strangely devoid of atmosphere - maybe it’s just us. There’s an impressive altar of course and some amazing carvings and stained glass windows. The old town was buzzing with bars and cafes but, as we were eating early (around 730 and most kitchens didn’t open till 830), the only place we found to eat was a pizza joint. Very good it was too.

Understated altar

Cute green man

Mermaid misericord

 We’re now still on the Compostela in Carrion De Los Condes. Just about every restaurant is closed but we found one with a menu del dia for 14 euros - three courses with wine. Excellent.

Our overnight stop

Waymarkers on the footpaths

Child Bride and Perky Duke

Around 800 years ago a Spanish princess, Isabella of Aragon, married a much older King Dinis of Spain just near where we were parked at Trancoso in the mountains of Portugal. She was later canonised for putting up with her husband’s affairs, looking after the children he had with his many mistresses, and turning bread into flowers. I’m sure there was more to it than that but you get the gist. There is a lovely pair of statues of them both outside the walls of the fortified city - apparently the woman is smaller than the man as she was only a child when they married. The town had a very chilled vibe, mainly because it was Sunday and everything was shut but we managed to catch another castelo (yes, with washing hanging on the walls) and a small Jewish centre. 

More washing on the castle walls

Rather like chess pieces, we thought

Our night in the car park was uneventful but for Graham waking up to a strange light show outside. Was it someone checking out the van in an attempt to break in, or was it the spirit of Isabella paying us a visit? It turned out to be the full moon making an appearance through a slit in our skylight, much to the fluffy one’s relief. (In case you’re wondering, I have no idea why this paragraph is sitting in this position on the page)

The drive today took us through the high Douro River regions with vast stretches of vineyards, a few goats, and yet more olive groves along the route. At one point we were driving through clouds and could barely see the road ahead but Graham’s masterful driving got us through unscathed and we arrived in Bragança just in time for a yummy lunch at a restaurant we’d visited many years ago just inside the castle walls.

Unfortunate angle of Duke Fernando

Our last Portuguese castelo

Tasca Do Zé Tuga is a traditional (but slightly overpriced due to its location) Portuguese restaurant with an old fashioned interior, very nice jazz music, and the best chocolate ice cream we’ve ever tasted. Our waiter was very friendly even after Hugo tried to bite him for giving him a pat on the head. We later strolled around town and learned that all the museums were closed (of course) but we hope to see the Mask Museum in the morning before we head to Spain.

Perfection 

Loving this cute interior

Up to the River Below

 On our road north the view is changing. When we look up we no longer see storks on sticks but osprey, vultures, and the odd flock of lapwings swirling above our heads. It’s getting a little more mountainous and a lot more ‘rivery’. And there was a random woman walking beside the road with a large plastic bucket on her head - no hands.

Easy walking

Does this look like two turtles kissing to you?

Yesterday’s route started out as very relaxing as I calmly watched the cork fields slip by. But then - the road got twirlier - and thinner - and more full of gigantic trucks loaded with massive logs bearing down on us from in front and from the rear. I must say it’s a tad terrifying when you come around a bend and see a big blue truck almost on your side of the road. Thankfully Graham’s driving was very calm and measured and the scary bit was only for the last 20 or so kilometres of the drive.

And of course we’re still on the Compostela

The entrance to the town of Vila Velha de Rodão was dusty from roadworks and, of course, we got the red light for the one way traffic system as we were still on the extremely high bridge. EEEEEK! Surprisingly the parking area for the van was down a steep hill that took us directly to the peaceful and attractive banks of the River Tagus. It was exciting to find that this area is famous for its archaeological finds and petroglyphs. The museum is currently closed but we remembered we’d visited quite a few years ago so we  simply enjoyed walks by the river and Graham posed with a few Neolithic individuals (albeit cartoons).

The area is well known for its fauna as well. We didn’t see any of the otters, cobras, or mongooses (Mongeese?) that live in the area but Hugo met an unpleasant collie who tried to nip his heels.

Today we drove further up the mountain to a spa town, Unhais de Serra. There is a river running through the town that, in summer we think, is blocked off in certain sections to turn it into swimming areas. I don’t think I’d like to use the diving board at this time of year. Not sure where we’ll end up tomorrow.

Looks dodgy any time of year to me

Castles Aplenty

It seems we’ve swapped beaches for castles as we’re currently parked by the walls of our third one in three days. Once more our drive has been along a road weaving through green of rolling hills studded with vineyards, cork trees, and yet more eucalypt forests. All along the way we saw storks nesting on the top of power poles and clacking their beaks. At one point almost every pole had a nesting pair.

And they were on the chimneys in town, too

We found our first Castelo in Silves. Graham hadn’t seen his friend, JJ, in some years so we pootled along to Silves to catch up with him there. I think it’s as close to the Algarve as we got. Lots of British, French, Dutch and Germans spend winter there in their motor homes and the food reflects that. We even had a ham and cheese toastie (under duress) which was actually quite yummy. Thankfully we were able to find some fabulous Portuguese food and it was so cheap - two separate restaurants did three courses for 10 Euros. Fresh whole fish, salad, desert and wine - bargain.

The castle was unique as it had an Aldi supermarket at the base of it - very posh. The winding lanes are always fun to get lost in, especially when you find a souvenir shop to top up those essential items like a chicken shaped toothpick holder, an oven glove and a fish-themed tea towel. And I can understand why all those Brits come down here - the temperature was a sunny 22 to 25 degrees all day. Very acceptable.

Once we’d had the taste of our first castelo we couldn’t resist another. Off to the village of Mértola we went and parked by the Guardiana River.

Our view up to the village

A slightly muddy Guardiana River

It has an interesting history and is worth a visit if you’re in the area. The church was once a mosque and still has the vaulted ceilings you’d find there. There is a small museum of weaving which shows a lot of the Berber style brought over by the Moors when they conquered the area. 

Mosque turned church

The castle itself was impressive but a bit of a slog to traipse up the to the top - all worth it to take a photo of the boys looking tiny from a great height.

Where is everyone?

I’m down here!!

Our latest castelo is in Vila Viçosa in the heart of the Alentejo wine region. It was once an important political centre but now is famous for marble and wine.The food’s pretty good, too.

The door of knots

Oh, and it’s on the Compostela

Grand ducal palace

Pretty town house

Naughty (?) sculpture in the church

We’re now sitting in the van listening to the sounds of birds, cowbells and dogs barking in the distance. Tomorrow we head further north.