Lisbon

[caption id="attachment_2770" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Another beautiful morning....what you can't tell from this picture is that these wave are HUGE...and the noise they make sounds like thunder![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2771" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Um....BT went to find a loo with a view and came back looking like this........! As you can imagine, I fell about laughing as he described how, in a moment of quiet, he could suddenly hear an enormous rushing, crashing sound. On turning around he was faced with the biggest wave of his life....! Fortunately, he managed to grab the nearest rock and hang on for dear life......! BT certainly got more than he bargained for this morning. We are still chuckling about it now!!![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2772" align="aligncenter" width="640"] We decided that we would cross the river Tejo into Lisbon across the Ponte Vinte e Cinco de Abril..... All was going well until about 6 miles from the bridge when the traffic came to a standstill. From there on in it was a tortuous journey....stop, start, beeping cars, tremendous amounts of traffic.....! We eventually arrived at a place called Belem on the outskirts of the city, where we were able to park, with a row of other motor homes, by the river with a view of the bridge. The good news is that it looks like we will be able to stay here for the night too....[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2773" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Belem tower....on the banks of the river.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2774" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Belem monastery...this took nearly 100 years to build![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2775" align="aligncenter" width="640"] We went here.....it was absolutely fantastic and we would thoroughly recommend it. The exhibits were brilliantly done, and we spent a happy 3 hours ogling the fish and other marine animals......[/caption]





[caption id="attachment_2778" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Stingrays...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2779" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Arctic puffin...[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_2781" align="aligncenter" width="640"] This amazing creature is a Sunfish......even though we have seen it, we still can't believe it's real!![/caption]



[caption id="attachment_2783" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Inca Tern[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2784" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Terns and penguins....the small birds spent all their time hassling the penguins for fish![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2785" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Amazing anenomes[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2786" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Can you believe that the ocean can be this colourful?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2787" align="aligncenter" width="640"] This was a very long legged starfish...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2788" align="aligncenter" width="640"] One of my favourite pictures..[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2789" align="aligncenter" width="640"] These two sea otters are so cute...apparently they go to sleep holding hands....just to make sure they don't drift apart at night!!![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2790" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Cuttle fish...just like the one we saw when snorkelling in the Balaerics![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2791" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Scrumptious colours[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2792" align="aligncenter" width="640"] I loved the jellyfish.....[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_2794" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Looking into a huge aquarium...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2795" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Funny little, stripy and spotty sand eels....[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2796" align="aligncenter" width="640"] It's ok....we found Nemo.....![/caption]



[caption id="attachment_2798" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Outside the aquarium there was a small water park...with a huge waterfall....[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2799" align="aligncenter" width="640"] We took this tram all the way to the top of the hill, and were advised to get the number 23 back down as it went a slightly different way and we would pass many more places of interest. It was an amazing ride...however, the ride back down took us to a completely different part of town and we ended up very lost!!![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2800" align="aligncenter" width="640"] BT buying tickets...only 2€85![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2801" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Sunset over the plaza[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2802" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Tramlines in the sky...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2803" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Narrow streets of Lisbon[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2804" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Oh...and I forgot to say that we got lost in the dark!!!![/caption]

3rd October 2014

Paddy fields in Portugal????

2nd October 2014

Before leaving the guys last night we arranged to meet for breakfast in the nearest bar before we all moved on again....so at 10am that's what we did...coffee and toast all round. Once again, we had a fabulous time and felt quite sorry when it was time to move on...
This time we really did need to make it nearer to Lisbon...time is running out and we still have so much to do!

 

[caption id="attachment_2764" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Our morning view.....not bad![/caption]

 

We followed the coast past Sines.....not a terribly nice place...lots of tall flaming chimneys on the waterfront.....and on and on through many small villages and towns, stopped at Lagoa de Sante Andre...which, in hindsight, we were sorry not to have spent longer at.....it was incredibly beautiful.....and eventually coming to the end of land at Troia, where we caught a ferry to Setubal. It's all starting to get very busy and built up now that we are nearer to lisbon and we had quite a job trying to find a place to park for the night. We eventually found a remote car park right by the sea just as it was getting dark.....

[caption id="attachment_2755" align="aligncenter" width="640"] We seem to be coming across storks wherever we go at the moment...and it seems that they have been built special places to nest....[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_2758" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Not sure I'd want a nest on my roof though....[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2756" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Literally a birds eye view![/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_2759" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The area we drove through today was a wet one...wet enough for this to be a rice growing region...with miles of paddy fields...and storks, of course![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2760" align="aligncenter" width="640"] A beautiful wading bird ...sorry, I don't know it's type...mum or Steve...you will have to help me out![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2761" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Rickety old boat/fishing pontoons![/caption]

 

 

 

[caption id="attachment_2757" align="aligncenter" width="640"] More paddy fields...aren't they an amazing colour?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2762" align="aligncenter" width="640"] We took the ferry across the river Sado from Troia to Setubul....of course, it made BT's day![/caption]

 

 



 



 

Lovely new friends...

1st October 2014

Listening to the sound of the sea as you lie in bed has to be one of the most special things we have enjoyed on this trip....you never get tired of it.
This morning, we met a lovely young family, Julius, Marie, Karl and Greta.

[caption id="attachment_2740" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Gorgeous Greta...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2748" align="aligncenter" width="640"] New friends...Julius and Karl, Billy, Marie and Greta...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2741" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Cuddle time....[/caption]

 

They are from Germany and have been travelling in their VWvan since June. We spent a couple of hours together chatting over coffee...swapping van ideas, places to go and stories of our travels. We really had a great time together hope to see them again one day...perhaps in the UK.

[caption id="attachment_2749" align="aligncenter" width="640"] We passed many cork trees today whose bark had been stripped right back....then many yards where it is all being processed....[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_2743" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Odeciexe.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2742" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Just beautiful....[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2746" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Villa Nova de Milfontes....[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2744" align="aligncenter" width="640"] We crossed the river here hoping to find a place to camp but there were "No camping"signs everywhere ...so we moved on...[/caption]



All too soon, it was time for us to move on again making our way up the coast towards Lisbon.
Once we had found our camp for the night...right next to the beach at Praia de illhe...we decided, as the tide was out, to walk along the beach. We just couldn't believe it when, out of the spray from the waves, we saw Marie and Greta sitting on the beach! What a lovely coincidence!
We were unsure whether or not we might get moved on from our place tonight so, on returning to Bluebelle we thought we would take the rough track behind the beach to camp with Julias and Maria.....however, we hadn't gone very far before we got stuck in sand....just after BT said..."Whatever we do, we mustn't stop!!" It took us 45mins to dig ourselves out.....we gave up on moving elsewhere and returned to our original parking place! It was a very peaceful night and we weren't asked to move on at all.....

[caption id="attachment_2747" align="aligncenter" width="640"] This'll do nicely...[/caption]