April 17th.
Staying between the bullfighting arena and the football field didn’t warrant a long morning routine. A slice of bread with juice and coffee. Then off we went. Heading towards Porto – or rather, finding a cheap place to stay along the way. Mostly driving on highways, we stopped for a break at a service station. Refueling and snacking, service station style.
Eva took the driving shift, so I got to rest for a little over an hour. We switched drivers again before crossing into Portugal. Eva was in charge of navigation. I don’t have the skills for such precise tasks. Time and time again, she finds us great places to stay. Today we arrived at a village called Podence, known for its Caretos festival tradition, a UNESCO protected cultural heritage. A really inexpensive and nice camper van park with a grill gazebo, toilet, and shower (€2 for van, €1 per person, and €2 per shower)! And at least by 5:30 PM, no other travelers have shown up yet.
We stopped by a local tavern at the beginning of our village walk. There were several people there who spoke English fairly well. They were fewer on the Spanish side. Perhaps this too is part of the essence of being European!
In the tavern, I ordered two generous glasses of white wine. The bill came to a grand total of €2. If one were inclined to linger over cheap wine, it would certainly happen very easily here. I did have another glass of cool, good wine. I’m writing this in the aftermath of the drinks! The tavern offered a great view of the nearby lake, where apparently a skilled angler could catch some fine fish! We didn’t bring any fishing gear, so we’ll wait until we get to Porto. You can get fish there just by ordering! It’s the first trip like this for me, without any fishing gear. We’re just going as tourists and eating bought food. That’s life for a while… Let the local fish swim peacefully in their waters.
The weather is ideal for us at least. Around twenty degrees warm and nearly cloudless sky. Things could be worse…