The Ham Nomads

7 Feb 2015. <PT> Castro Marim, & Anmancil, & Fonte Santa, Quarteria, Algarve —

Woke up in Castro Marim after a little rain overnight — but today promised to be fine! We got moving, and decided to walk about the place. We walked around the sports ground where we were parked and found the centre of the town. It looks like it is set up for the itinerant tourist trade, with numerous cafes ready to provide sustenance.

We walked up to the fort, a feature of the town. This fort is permanently closed, but outside it you have a wonderful view over the town and back to the bridge between Spain and Portugal that we crossed over yesterday, and of a windmill over the other side of the hill.

Then we went to the the other hill, to the Castle, which dates back to the middle ages, and which has archaeology going back to about the 7th century BC. When we went in, we were struck with he way its interior looked much like the Mexican haciendas you see in film! We wandered the place, interacting with a very frisky black kitten that seemed to take a liking to us! We have been seeing fruit trees — particularly almonds — in blossom ever since we came into the Algarve, and there were a few here in the castle precinct!

After this, we went back to the van and moved on. We were hoping to find a McDonald's not far away, in Olhão, which we did, but its power points were inactive (dammit!). So we went on to another in Anmancil, about 20km further on. Perfect — power, fast internet, and staff who spoke English! Sheer luxury! We spent a couple of hours there, recharging the computer and getting on with the blog. The very fact that we were looking for a Macca's was a bonus, in that the Garmin took us over back roads, away from the tollways, and we saw places that we would have missed otherwise. We are getting a grand idea of the way the Portuguese get on with life!

Then we moved on to a — very — nearby aire, at Quarteria, Fonte Santa. Thus is a huge commercial aire (€4 per night) but, in the typical Portuguese laid-back way, there was nobody there to let us in. It fell to a friendly Cornishman to let us in and explain the ropes — the attendant will be here tomorrow at about 8, and we can pay him then! So we've settled in for another comfortable night!

Distance driven — today, 55 miles ( 89 km ); to date, 12,539 miles ( 20,180 km )