We left AWAKE to spend one night at
the coast at Alvor before driving to Lisbon airport. On the way we stopped for
the night in a dedicated camper parking area for the night at Grândola.
It was from here that the famous song “Grândola, Vila Morena”, came stirring the uprising against the oppressive regime
of the unpopular dictator Salazar.
In the morning we continued north to Alcácer
do Sal, parking by the river for a break and walk.
We continued to Lisbon and found a
parking area about 6 km from the airport. At 4.30 am I dropped Anita at the airport for her fog
delayed flight to Poland. Traffic was light so the fog did not stop me going
carefully south east in darkness.
I crossed the 12 km Vasco de Gama
bridge (you pay tolls only travelling north) over the Tejo (Tagus) River, and
saw nothing!! I continued carefully until I reached Beja, arriving before shops (and toilet) were
open. I slept before continuing into Spain.
The Tom Tom gps took me over narrow
roads into Spain over the Guadiana River about 60 km north of the south coast.
Driving south towards Ayamonte I was able to buy an exchange Cepsa gas cylinder,
the light weight aluminium ones which are really the best to carry but not
available at Cepsa petrol stations in Portugal.
The purpose of this expedition into Spain was
to make the annual inspection for the vehicle, but with the problem of repairs
to the wheel arch and running light I had no appointment as I did not know when
this would be fixed. No appointment had been no problem in the previous 2 years
at Lorca, Murcia. It was a problem however around Huelva, and after waiting
three hours, and being 11th in the queue of those without
appointments I gave up appointments waiting ahead of me, I gave up and went to
Ayamonte at the border to Portugal for the night. The next available appointment
was two weeks away.
Next day after wifi time in a café in
Ayamonte, and a café cortado, and the vehicle full of diesel (20 cents per
litre cheaper in Spain), I returned to Portugal .
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