Monday 1st November to Sunday 7th November 2010.

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Monday 1st November to 7th November 2010.

Monday 1st Nov 2010
Still in Oporto
Sun is out and wind has dropped - so Tom off for a ride along cycle way on road bike - there are lengths of cobbles - one brake block fell off - found block but no sign of bolt so now we have to find bike shop.
Got home and found that a bidon bolt works with 2 washes he has - checked other brake block and its alignment washer was cracked so fixed it - and tightened all other loose bolts - bloody cobble stones.
Into Oporto - found out it was Public Holiday - 1st Nov is ‘Visit The Dead’ day - the bus went past a cemetery - full of people, flowers everywhere and spotlessly clean. Into town and everything it shut except tourist things.
We did a train tour of town - our car was behind the engine - shithouse - we couldn’t hear the commentary very well - too noisy - Gaye pissed off. The sky was turning black and it looked like a big storm was brewing, so we headed off to the bus stop to go home. We had to wait a while and in that time it looked like the clouds had blown over - so we decided to continue looking around. Walked down and around the narrow back streets to the river and had a lovely lunch - wine, starters, mains, coffee and sweets.
Then walked over a bridge to other side and did a tour of ‘Calem’ Port wine and had a tasting.
Walked home along river - 2 hour walk from wine tasting, so all up about 3 hours of walking - now 8.30pm and just a cuppa as still full from lunch.

Tuesday 2nd Nov 2010
Up at 6.30pm as we were not sure at what time the motor mechanic would arrive to repair the immobilizer.
At about 8.30am Tom checked in the caravan site office, and they rang the mechanic and he said he would be here about 9.30am. Well, we thought he was coming here to fix it. OH NO!!!. He sent a tow truck - aaarrghhh. Lucky we were dressed and ready to go to town, except we had to run around like chooks and pack up the van, so nothing would fall off shelves etc. We had our doubts about this right from the start. The tow truck was one that could fit a car on it - not a bloody 4 ton motorhome. He started to wind the motorhome onto the truck and because the motorhome has had a motor scooter rack put onto the back of it, it was longer than normal, hence it dug into the ground and dragged in the dirt, and got bent. We (some local campers who came to watch of course) all screamed at him to stop. He got out and had a look. So then he decided to back it down again. We all screamed at him to stop again as it was now bending the rack under the other way. In the end he had to keep going a little way further onto the tow truck. We got him to stop then, as we could access underneath, and Tom got out a spanner and undid the bolts and took the rack off the back of the van - which was now bent in half lengthwise. The tow truck driver, said ‘no worries, will get that fixed for you’ - and we of little faith were a bit worried about that as well. So he continued to wind the van onto the truck.
The girl in the van across from us, her eyes were bulging out, she had her hand across her mouth and her jaw was down to the ground in disbelief at what happened next. The tow truck front wheels started to lift at the front because it was only a light truck and the motorhome was heavier than it. Both front wheels of the tow truck were up in the air by about 1.5 metres. We all thought the tow truck was going to totally lift and flip backwards, and we could see our motorhome totally smashed. But the tow truck driver kept going as if all was well, and what was all the fuss about. Well, he got the motorhome up OK in the end, and drove off to the mechanics. We watched as it went past the caravan park, up high in the air, bobbing along. We expected to see it up the road having bounced off the back, and us without transportation and a home to live in.
So Tom and I went into town and knew that we could not worry about it anymore. We had a good day in the end. On our way to an exhibition, we went down the narrow lanes to the river and saw inside one of the little doorways, a lady hand making ceramic sculputres and tiles. In we went. She could speak good english and we had a look around and purchased a tile she had made - it was blue and had a picture of Porto on it. Off then to see an exhibition on the human body. This exhibition had cadavers dissected, parts removed showing how the human body works. Very confronting, but so interesting - Tom was a little woozy there at one stage. I said ‘thank you’ to each one as I studied them, out of respect. I know, I know - but I couldn’t help it - that’s just me.
Then we found a push bike shop to buy some parts for the bicycles. The people at the caravan site then rang us up and told us the motorhome was ready, so we got a taxi back. The taxi driver took us to the wrong campsite as he did not look at the map properly that Tom showed him. So again off we go to the one we are staying in. He did not charge us the full price - only what it should have been - I was watching the meter from the back of the cab, but he was an honest taxi driver - never sure if you get ripped off as a tourist and can’t understand them.
The owner of the campsite then drove us to the mechanics. All was fine. The immobilizer was removed as per Tom’s instructions, the motor scooter rack had been repaired. Cost €160. We then drove it back to the campsite.
Too much excitement in one day for us, so we headed down to the beach (100 metres away), and had a very nice 3 course dinner and wine in one of the restaurants along the esplanade - only €33.
The only thing that we wish we did, was to take photos of the motorhome and it getting onto the tow truck. But there were too many descriptive expletives coming from our mouths to think about that at the time, LOL , but it was funny when we think about what he truck looked like with the front wheels in the air and the look on that girls face. As the saying goes ‘a picture tells a thousand words’.

Wednesday 3rd Nov 2010
Lazy day today. Walked 1.5km each way to get groceries. Had a nanna nap. Then went for a 1.5 hour bicycle ride to the suburb of Miramar, to see the ‘Capela do Senhor da Pedra -(Chapel of Sr. Pedro) a 17th century chapel built on the rocks at the ocean edge. Incredible what they did without machinery, but many hands make light work they say. Then home for tea.

Thursday 4th Nov 2010
Tom up early for a 28km bicycle ride - 1 hour. Talked to 2 couples from Norway-Bergen. They were in big, modern motorhomes each - bus size - one couple had 2 small dogs and 2 cats with them.
On the road at 10.30am and went to Villa Real - saw the black pottery - not to our liking so we did not buy anything.
On the road again to Salamanca, Spain. Arrived at about 8.30pm Spain time. It took some finding, but we found one in the end - plugged in the heater - all’s well. Will remember not to get to any new site in the dark. Too hard to orientate ourselves.


Friday 5th Nov 2010
10am and very foggy and cold.
Waited for bus where the lady in the campsite told us - but we think we did not understand her well enough and waited in the wrong spot. We waited 35 mins and went back to get the van and drive in. She was going into town, so she gave us a lift.
There was a book fair on in the main Plaza, so we purchased the last 2 books in the Harry Potter series as we had not read them. The local Municipal band was going to play at 12.30pm so we went off to do the postage to home and then back to listen to the band for the next hour. Quite good, today was the day they played all Spanish music. Other days they were playing some classical and US music. Into a bar for a drink and a tapas lunch - food not so good today.
The sun has finally come out.
Walked around the town looking at the old buildings. Then onto the Roman Bridge built in the 1st century. (google : Salamanca Roman Bridge). Walked across it and along the river, over next bridge and back into town. Needed a sugar hit - so into bar for coffee and cake - very good. Chatted with the barmaid - she was from Holland.
Took a taxi back to campsite - he also went to wrong campsite. He just assumed he knew the one !!!
Tom went for a 1 hour bicycle ride on the back roads - nice ride. We are at 800+ metres above sea level - quite cold.

Saturday 6th Nov 2010
Today headed off towards Valladolid and then onto Penafiel. Walked around. Lovely town. Eventually found tourist office that was opened so got information and off we went.
Went to Penafiel Castle, looking very majestic up on the hill. It is now a wine museum, with this being a major wine area. We did the tour of the castle - it was just OK, as tour obviously was in Spanish, but there was a lady who worked there who spoke good English and she explained more for us. She had lived in New York for 4 years. So then we did some wine tasting. The lady who worked there told the wine guide that we only spoke English being from Australia, so we had him all to ourselves. With us using the translation book, his English and Gaye’s ability to pronounce words correctly due to her Italian studies, it went not too bad. I would be totally lost without her, for both language and computer skills.
As we were in Spain, we finished at 6.30pm, so off to find campsite.
Down narrow road, not good, and into reverse with a local person stopping the traffic for us. Eventually found a campsite but they were closed as at 30th Sept., so we slept out front of it.
BAD MOVE. They had dogs that talked to all the other dogs in the area all night. Not much sleep.

Sunday 7th Nov 2010
Up early and onto the blue road (winery tour road) . It is nothing like in The Hunter Valley - there is no free wine tasting and no-one opens on Sunday.
So drove along until we got to Avila. This town has an intact city wall around it - very impressive - the best preserved in Spain and built in 12th century - 88 towers, 6 gates, 2500 battlements plus the apse of the cathedral. Took lots of photos. Did a tour of the cathedral and museum.
Had lunch in a restaurant and walked around the city wall.
It was getting dark and we did not want to try to find a caravan park which was at least 30km away, so we camped in the carpark. The next thing it is 8pm and cars are coming from everywhere. So out goes Tom and asks what’s going on. A live show in the theatre next to us. The show is called ‘Sexos’ - and had been booked out for weeks. We went up to the theatre and had a coffee. It was warm in the bar - not like outside, as we are 1000metres above sea level. Gaye tired - so went back to van and bed. Tom stayed and watched the football on the TV in the bar - the Real Madrid demolished Barcelona - had a drink - a good night. Back home to cuddle up to cold wife -no electricity so no heater.

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Photos

1.11.10 - Oporto
view of where we had lunch - taken from across the river

2.11.10 - Oporto
Alley/street in Oporto old town area

3.11.10 - Miramar Beach - Chapel
Chapel of Senhor da Pedra - built on rocks on waters edge - 10km south of Oporto

4.11.10 - Villa Real vineyards
The vineyards on the road out of Villa Real where they grow the grapes for the port wine

5.11.10 - Salamanca
House of Shells - Built at the end of the fifteenth century by Rodrigo Arias de Maldonado, a knight of the order of Santiago, this city palace is decorated with more than 300 scallop shells.. The shells on the front of the house allude to that order since the scallop shell is traditionally associated with St. James--Santiago

5.11.10 - Salamanca Convent
Convent of Las Duenas - used to be a Palace

5.11.10 Salamanca cathedrals view
view from across the river of Salamanca's old and new cathedrals built next to one another

5.11.10 Salamanca Roman Bridge
view of the Roman Bridge arches built over the River Tormes - 15 granite stone arches. Constructed in the year 89, but reconstructed in the 17th century due to damage caused by flooding.

6.11.10 - Penafiel
Plaza de Corso - bullfights are held here each year

6.11.10 - Penafiel
View of Penafiel Castle from the town below - here is a wine museum inside that we did the tour of and wine tasting

7.11.10 Avila Wall
This city wall built in 12th Century, is 2.5kms long