Author Archives: AdrianC

En-Route to Salbris

Posted on August 2, 2011 by AdrianC

Fortunately, the CV joint held up – and we reached the foothills of the Pyrenees intact. The views from the pass had been as good as expected, not least because of the dramatic change in vegetation as soon as we … Continue reading →

Posted in By Country - France, Travel stuff, Van stuff | Leave a comment

Out of Iberia (part 2)

Posted on August 2, 2011 by AdrianC

After Marvaõ, we were really intending to have a bit of a tonk across Spain – still with a feeling of slight disappointment after our time in Galicia. The plan was to stop in at Salamanca and Segovia, but otherwise … Continue reading →

Posted in By Country - Spain, Travel stuff, Van stuff | Leave a comment

Out of Iberia (part 1)

Posted on August 2, 2011 by AdrianC

This one’s a long post-of-two-halves, to play catch-up and to help reflect the pace of this leg of the trip, covering more than a week’s travelling across two countries and a huge swathe of Iberia. Leaving Lisbon and starting to … Continue reading →

Posted in By Country - Portugal, Personal stuff, Travel stuff | 2 Comments

Palaces. Lots of Palaces.

Posted on July 25, 2011 by AdrianC

The outskirts of Lisbon sprawl gently right up to Sintra, and it’s impossible to tell (apart from looking at the signs on the retail parks) where one ends and the other starts. But when we did hit Sintra’s historic centre, … Continue reading →

Posted in By Country - Portugal, Travel stuff | 2 Comments

Houston, I think we have a problem…

Posted on July 17, 2011 by AdrianC

Part 1 of a hopefully very occasional series. So there we were, cruising gently down a fairly major dual carriageway, just left Sintra on the way to Mafra, 4.30 on Friday afternoon… and the van lost power. Totally. Change down. … Continue reading →

Posted in By Country - Portugal, Van stuff | 3 Comments

Fatima

Posted on July 11, 2011 by AdrianC

(Warning: This post may contain traces of cynicism. It is not intended to cause offence. I’ll deal with any eternal consequences later, in person, if I have to.) In early 1917, three small children were looking after a flock of … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Culture stuff, By Country - Portugal | 5 Comments

Porto to Lisbon

Posted on July 11, 2011 by AdrianC

Falling seriously in love with Porto meant we spent longer there than we’d planned. That shouldn’t have been a problem but for the rapidly approaching wedding of 2cv friends, Kim & Luke, back in the UK. We’d booked flights from … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Culture stuff, By Country - Portugal, Travel stuff | 1 Comment

Braga to Porto

Posted on July 6, 2011 by AdrianC

Yes, it’s another one of those catch-up posts… Internet access has been iffy, and we’ve just been too busy seeing and doing, in all honesty. As we left Braga, there’s a church on the edge of the city, on top … Continue reading →

Posted in By Country - Portugal, Travel stuff | 2 Comments

St João in Braga

Posted on June 25, 2011 by AdrianC

– or – How Ellie and Adrian got hammered and nearly left under a cloud… June 23rd is St João’s eve – the evening of the feast day of St John the Baptist. Big business around these parts. We’d had … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Culture stuff, By Country - Portugal, Food stuff | 3 Comments

And breathe…

Posted on June 18, 2011 by AdrianC

After the disappointments of the North, and the excesses of Santiago, we promised ourselves a few days relaxing on the coast, doing not very much. We’d found a likely-looking site in the camping guide, near Pontevedra, heading towards the Portuguese … Continue reading →

Posted in By Country - Spain, Personal stuff, Travel stuff | Leave a comment