What a lovely city Salamanca is

Had breakfast and then plotted out the rest of the day. Whilst at breakfast there was single elderly guy having breakfast and we chatted for a few minutes, and he lived in Southern Spain and was visiting areas of Spain following the death of his wife.

 Noël was unsure whether to use his mobility scooter as it might hinder visiting certain locations so decided no to take it. We tried to book a taxi on Uber and Bolt but then it turns out neither operate in this city and so we had to call via the Hotel front desk to take us up to Plaza Mayor.

The taxi took about ten minutes and dropped us off and we initially wandered thro the food market which very clean and tidy and then we walked in the o the Plaza which n the sunlight was really quite beautiful and it was not too crowded apart from the odd tour guide towing a few people along . We stopped at a cafe in the square for coffee and watched the activity for about 30 minutes and then took a slow walk in the direction of the Cathedral. By this time it was around 2pm and so for lunch we at at e cafe with seating outside and Jennifer had a chicken burger and Noel a pizza, boy that's Spanish for you. But you have to remember that each time Noel has to order food he has to go thro a rigmarole of requirements with he serving staff and sometimes its just easier to pick something that is OK.

From there we walked down to the Cathedral which is really very impressive and beautiful at the same time and I would say its the best Cathedral I have ever visited. Unfortunately you are not allowed to take photos and I did take one then got told off, ah well.

We continued walking trying to find a taxi but then we discovered th
at Taxis are not allowed to stop anywhere and only and designated taxi ranks and so we started to track back to where we had just come from and bumped into the English we had met at breakfast who informed s the Taxi rank was over a kilometer away whilst the Hotel was a lesser distance and so we followed him back but it was much greater distance than he had indicated. Noel needed a couple of breaks but eventually we got back very hot and sweaty and so straight to the room for a shower and rest.

 

Following our rest we met the English in the bar for a chat but he did not stop talking , no wonder his kids find it difficult to meet with him.

So then we returned to the room Noel to do his blogging and Jen to catch up on the news. Tomorrow morning we leave for Santander where we spend the night before taking the ferry to Portsmouth on Wednesday the 29th April

 and   from and  and then bumped 

Drive to Salamanca

 Well we got up early for us and was having breakfast downstairs at 0845 and so was able to leave the Hotel at around 0930. The roads were extremely quiet , whether this as because it was s Sunday or in Portugal people getting over their hangovers from partying due to the overthrow of the Dictator, I don't know.

Some of the motorways are not bad but others have a terrible surface and sometimes large holes and so you have to be very careful when driving and you could easily damage your car. After about two hours we stopped for a brief break and Loo's and then carried on and arrived at the Parador De Salamanca where we stayed on the rout down at about 14.40 which also allows for the one hour time change. So we checked in and went to the room and Noel started to find out how to watch the football and yesterdays gam was on BBC Player and he assumed the same for the Chelsea match, but no, it is on TNT Sports which I can get at home , what a pain.

So he signed on to the BBC radio and listened to the commentary and eventually the Blues won at 1--0 although the second half sounded a bit stop and go.

For an early evening snack we went to the Cafe in the Hotel only to find that their main menu does not start until 8.30 pm but they did do a Club sandwich which we both had ad it was very tasty, along with a beer.

And thn nak to the room for Noel to do the Blog and Jen to do some reading.

Best laid plans

Well our plan to visit Evora again was so that we could visit the small historic town of Monsaraz which we tried to visit last year but was to buy and no parking and so our plan this year was to return, stay ate Evora, then visit Monsaraz and leaving the Hotel around 0830 and spend some time getting there. Unfortunately we did not consider the following, that Monsaraz was further away from Evora than we both thought in fact nearly 90 minutes away as its on the border between Portugal and Spain but that we were both tired.

So waking up at 0730 I looked and Jennifer was still asleep but she wok at 0745 and as I said we were both feeling tired and so we said lets forget it for this time and do some necessary shopping then a trip back in to Evora. This was the right decision as I subsequently discovered there were many events on in the town due to the celebrations of freedom from a Dictatorship, see yesterday blog, and so we could have driven there and  still not parked.

So we took it easy and went for breakfast at about 10.30 and then back to the room to decide next steps. Noel wanted to get some fuel for the car and did not want to mess around tomorrow morning as out journey from here to Salamanca will take about 4.5 hours and he wants to be there so can watch on the PC the Chelsea vs Leeds game.. 

We checked where the cheapest fuel was and it was an Auchan Petrol station about ten minutes away and so fully loaded with fuel we then went in to the main Auchan store for some food shopping and also stopped off at another store to pick up somethin for lunch and then back to the Hotel. By this time it was about 13.30 and outside was going to be 25 C and to trudge around a town which we visited last year seeing the main sites we changed our minds and stayed in the Hotel and took it easy.

In the evening we went up to the top floor bar and restaurant and we both had a shrimp salad which was excellent. Tomorrow we want to leave a bit early so as to arrive in Salamanca as Noel would like to see the Chelsea vs Leeds game if possible and our plan is to leave around 0930

Sines to Evora

There was no rush to leave the Hotel in Sines as our journey to Evora should only take approx. two hours and so after a late breakfast we left the Hotel Sines Seaview Hotel and headed along the sea shore until we arrived at the recently opened area where many supermarkets and fast food restaurants were just getting established.

Whilst Jennifer bought our lunch from one of the supermarkets Noel sorted out the car and to avoid to many rattles and then we were good to go. We had planned a roundabout way to Evora and stretching the time but we had not foreseen, no Tom Tom, that the motorway that we were on for a short distance was under renovation and we could not exit where we planned and then ended up being unable to exit for the next approx. 30 miles or so which messed up our plans totally. The authorities had closed one side of the Motorway and so two way traffic and no exits was not easy to digest but nothing we could do.

Eventually we came across an exit and so we took it and then re planned the sat nav for country lanes which we did for about an hour until we came across a nice lake where we stopped to have our lunch. En route we noticed that there lots of storks on their nests on the electric posts in the road which was nice to see. By about 3pm we arrived at the Hilton Garden Hotel in Evora an checked in. We stayed here last year an thought it a nice Hotel.

We decided to have an easy and restful afternoon an then for dinner we stayed in the Hotel. There are due to be fireworks tonight around midnight but not sure I would wish to stay up so late as we want to leave early to visit a small ton called Monsaraz which we tried to visit last year but it was very busy and so we plan an early start tomorrow. Now the rest of the evening will be quiet. T then noticed that on the TV in the restaurant they were showing a football game which I suddenly realized was the Brighton vs Chelsea where the Blues lost by 3 goals and were totally outplayed. I did not own up to the American guy avidly watching the game that it was MY team as I would have been to embarrassed.

Tomorrow is 25 April and Portugal celebrates as follows

"Portugal celebrates 25 April as Freedom Day (Dia da Liberdade) to commemorate the 1974 Carnation Revolution, a largely peaceful military coup that overthrew the 48-year Estado Novo dictatorship. This day marks the restoration of democracy, civil rights, and the end of colonial wars, signaling the transition to a modern democratic nation. 

Visit Sines day

Following a good breakfast at the Hotel we went out in the car and our plan for today was visit a supermarket to buy food for lunch then a tour of the town, followed by lunch on the promenade  and then visit the castle, or so we thought.

Well the first part went according to plan but en-route to the supermarket we passed by the castle and the main car park was closed with lots of building activity going on and then we realized this was due to the planned celebrations of the passing of Salazar the country dictator and their are countrywide events on Saturday 25th when their will be concerts in the castle and lots of other events, hence it was closed which is shame. We arrived at a brand new are with lot of large chain from McDonalds, Burger King and Intermarche, LIDL and others and we both our sandwich and fruit for lunch.

I came across

this video of a walking tour of Sines which I thought was good and so attached

So we toured part of the old town on the way back from the supermarket but the roads were very narrow and with cars parked and two way traffic it was not fun and so we stopped on the promenade to have lunch. Whilst parking we started chatting to a Belgian guy who was living out of small van which he said had everything and he enjoyed Portugal being a much nicer country than Belgium and more freedom of self expression. We wished him well and enjoyed our lunch and then went to a local seaside cafe for a coffee which was nice.

On the way back to the Hotel we passed the castle and this time the car park was filling with beer and food stands ready for the forthcoming events. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing before Jennifer goes for her massage and then later for dinner in the restaurant.

Tomorrow morning we leave for Evora where we visited last year but this time for two nights and we plan to visit the old town of Monsaraz which visited last year but to much traffic and no parking and so we plan to go early on Saturday and hopefully park, we shall see how it goes.

Quinta to Sines today and Chelsea fire the Manager

We needed and earlyish morning start as we are leaving Quinta Do Lago and driving to a new location on the west coast called Sines. En-route we plan to visit a town called Monchique which is the top of a hill which had been recommended to us. Just before leaving Quinta we visited a nearby gold club which also has apartments which looked very nice with coffee shop and bar etc however it was very busy with golfers. Where we are is very quiet so perhaps if we return than we will stay in same place.

Whilst driving to get on the motorway there is a two mile length of road with no obvious signs of speed limits but I just caught a sign saying radar traps, so ensured my speed was Ok but when coming over the top of the hill up to the main roundabout I noticed a lot of police activity and it looks like they were pulling drivers over for speeding, but thank heavens not us.

We arrived in Monchiqure with the main road in going past garage after garage with the road littered with damaged and half repaired cars, looks a mess really until we reached the town Centre which looked nice but parking was a nightmare. The nearest car park seemed to be about a mile away so that was a no no for us but the town was not really inspiring. The only nice bits were that some sculptures had been placed at strategic corners and they were most interesting.

You have to go early to get a parking place it seems as there were also quite a few coaches.

We changed the SatNav for our next destination called Sines but this mountainous roads and we eventually came to what seemed a closed road which would be a problem, the signs were unclear and so we decided to risk it rather than go all the way back to find another route and the problem was there were a few areas where the road had collapsed down the hill but on the three occasions we came across these obstacles we were able to get by.

We arrived in Sines an located the Hotel called Sines Sea View Hotel and checked in and had a nice sea view. Noel did some work on the computer catching with a load of whats app messages and then had a rest and Jennifer went for a swim. It was then that I discovered that the Chelsea Manager had been fired, THANK GOD.

In the evening we went to the Hotel restaurant where they worked very hard to help me overcome my food challenges as the waitress said, cooking in Portugal starts with onion, garlic and herbs, however they produced a very nice filet mignon and fries after changing the cooking oil.

Then back to the room and we sat watching You tube for a while...

A little shopping and then a football disaster

There is not to much to do today other than start looking at the last bits to pack. Its amazing how much stuff you have when travelling for nearly six weeks and the car boot will be full. We needed a little bit of food shopping this morning and so headed in to town and bought a few things and then went for a coffee and sat in the sunshine watching the world go by.

We had lunch mid afternoon and Noel was looking at different locations for next year on the Brittany Ferries website and we happened upon a new location quite nearby which is a gold club with apartments and so we shall check it out tomorrow if we have time.

Jennifer went for a final swim in the pool and it was empty again, it was a little busier over the easter week and as we can see the aircraft in the distance landing at Faro Airport with one aircraft nearly every five or ten minutes u can understand whey they have had so many immigration challenges with the new system.

Come the evening Chelsea are visiting Brighton and my god I have never seen anything like it. The Brighton team cam on to win the game and the Blues were a right mess although many of the main players were missing but still it was appalling. After the second goal went in I turned off the program as I could not watch anymore such poor performance. Somebody needs to get fired, perhaps the whole lot and |I will start watching my grandsons team who really try.

And so to bed.

Starting preparations for our departure

First thing this morning Noel popped down to the resort reception to carry out a key transfer as a result of us staying a couple of extra nights and to settle the bill for same.

So after breakfast we also started to start basic packing for when we leave on Wednesday morning for our Hotel in Sines. Throughout the the rest of the day Jennifer also sorted out the fridge and other areas of the apartment so that when we get to our leaving day we are ready to go.

Back home on the Broadkoaks Estate there was meeting to discuss the current financial shortfall's which are quite alarming. The receivers are not helping by withholding money due to the Estate Managing agents which then are unable to pay suppliers like the gardeners, tree people etc etc. Its not a good situation to be in and their is a lot of animosity towards the managing agents... wish we could change them.

In the evening we decided to watch a film on Netflix and up came Apollo 13 which, to be frank, we have seen several times before but its a good film. Also having visited Canaveral Space center and seen the set up its adds to the film.  The computer that was used for the space visit was huge and filled a large room (s)  and today would all fit on a good laptop of mobile phone.

So that's it for today

Now this was a good game

 Slow morning as usual and we had a nice walk around the estate and sat by the Ayrton Senna sculpture and watched the traffic go by for about 15 minutes as others stopped to look at the statue.

We had cheese and biscuits for lunch on the balcony anf then later in the afternoon Noel watched the Man City game against Arsenal and from an outsiders point of view it was a good game and really should have been a draw, which would have suited Arsenal no end as they are now under pressure from Man City for the Premiership title this year.

We were concerned that the steak we had kept for tonight was not up to standard as the freezer does not appear to be as cold as the one we have at home and the last thing we need is the author of this blog to go don with something just prior to us leaving the resort. The weather the last few days has been really nice and another 'small world' item , one of our good friends from Wey Road it was her birthday and so with my usual greetings mentioned I was sending from Portugal and ten minutes later she came back and said so was she with a groups of tennis friends about one hour from here.

Right now the Political bit. I am really pissed of with Labour Government and also the conservatives for allowing so many illegal immigrants in to the country and they now pose a serious security risk as many of them come from countries that do not like the UK and our religion and general way of life to whom the government seems to be sucking up to. In addition u have a scenario where we go hook line and sinker to support Ukraine with money and military equipment against that naughty boy Russia but when it comes to a regime that kills its own people , whoooo steady on their better not get involved. Effing idiots.

The fact that many Labor MPs stick up for this man is amazing and will come back to haunt them for years to come.

In the paper today.". Having landed in Downing Street promising to banish sleaze and restore competence, Labour has swiftly reminded everyone that it can be at least as crooked and useless as the previous lot

I cannot believe this Chelsea team

A quiet morning catching up on paperwork which still carries on even whilst you are away from home. At lunchtime Noel watched the Brentford vs Fulham game but neither side played well and their was a draw in the end. Jennifer is reading books like crazy which she enjoys very much and its a time for her to have a break from normal day to day living and working.

In the afternoon we went for a  brief walk when the other aspect of my health issues kicked in with a missing gall bladder , No details here but its not fun. 

We had tempura prawns and vegetable  rice for lunch and then in the evening Noel watched Chelsea host Manchester United and lose one goal to nil. There goal was scored when we were temporarily down to ten men, bastards. I think the boys played quite well but after multiple shots on goal not one went in, We hit the post several times which must take a lot of practice???

Ah well that's life. Lets see how long the current manager lasts.

Some light shopping and just hangin' around

We needed to visit the super market this morning to top up a few things and so about mid morning we went visited the local store for a few odds and ends. We are due to leave this apartment next Wednesday morning as we start wending our way back to Santander but in the meantime we do need to  keep stuff in the fridge as eating out is not a major requirement for us when we will be doing this for the week we travel.

The supermarket has taken away all but two of the cashier check outs in favour of self checking and the system which is in Portuguese and English can be confusing in the translation and so part the way thro we had to call the assistant to unblock the machine. These so called improvements are not good.  Following yesterdays successful afternoon out we were hoping for another walk this afternoon but at check out noel was hit with the old famous LARS issue and so we had to rush from the shop to the apartment for loo safety. This problem is very difficult as one moment you are fine and then the next moment you need the loo within minutes, hard to plan anything.

So we made it back to the apartment and then spent the rest of the day reading and Noel doing some work on the computer. In the evening we had pasta with stir fried pork which was excellent and the bloody Lars started all over again. It drives me crazy... Watch out Loperamide your going to get hit,

In the evening we watched the usual TV stuff and Noel called a friend for a chat. Lets hope tomorrow is a better day but this could be ruined by Chelsea losing to Manchester United.

In the meantime the Starmer charade continues , what an idiot this man is and he honestly believes that we trust him and his party. What I find incredible is that the whole population can see through him except his own party, if the the party had stood up against the PM they would be more respected but now, once out that is the end of the Labour party forever

A good day for a walk, or ride

Its a lovely morning again today and we need to go for a long walk and Noel a ride for a while. So we decided to head of to the Lake walk which takes you on a long trip alongside the Lake and marsh area and around to the coast where there are a number of quite expensive restaurants, mainly due to their location. En-route we passed the Ayrton Senna sculpture and Noel decided to hold a race with him.

There were quite a few people out today on bikes and scooters and you have to be so careful as they creep up behind you and no bells to warn you of their impending arrival but the weather was nice and warm at about 25 C and we walked for about an hour then returned to the SHACK and sat by the Lake having a beer and some crispy cut fries. We also noticed on the way back the amounts of crabs n the marsh area.

We then returned to the apartment and Noel was working with several residents with regard to the financial issues of the estate.

Noel spoke to friendly Accountant to review the estate figures and the results are plain to see, poor controls.

In the evening we watched some of the usual stuff and then to bed.

Our morning view

Immediately after arising in the morning and making a cup of tea and draw back the curtains this is our morning view each day. Noel had some paperwork to do in the morning and then planning a visit and walk around the lake in the afternoon. Well that was the plan anyway.

So for lunch we had a prawn salad produced by himself and then decided to have a rest and the some LARS issues kicked in again including PN (Peripheral Neuropathy ) and that ruined the afternoon and so no walkies. Life can be difficult sometimes..

So the rest of the day was spent around the apartment and then we got together to have cheese and biscuits and the rest of the evening back to the TV where we watched another video on a couple who purchased an old water tower in Knutsford in Cheshire and what a fantastic job they did on it. 

Out of the blue and over Easter the owners, or potential owners ,of the land next door have re submitted an updated application to build a load of houses and a Travelers Residence. This was all objected too in previous years due so many valuable reasons we are surprised they are trying again particularly when there so many houses for sale in the area and and further 1500 being built on Wisley Airfield.

Ah well thats it for today