Hello Spain and Portugal

Off to the south, we are looking forward to sun, beach and tapas. We make another supply stop in Germany, we replenish our supplies in Kiel and Christine treats herself to what she believes is an urgently needed visit to the hairdresser. The next stage we head for is Duisburg, where we spend the night in an old factory area and have our gas bottle filled again, because we don't know when we'll have to heat up. And then we do meters... our route takes us via Belgium through France to Spain to the Bay of Biscay, where we make our first stop in Hondarribia. A beautiful hiking area that we initially underestimated. Due to the breathtaking nature and the bright sun, we are extending the planned 6 km dog walk to a 13 km hike along the coast. We have to cross a friendly herd of horses and learn that the Spanish sun in October is significantly stronger than in Denmark and, above all, water, sunscreen and, for Christian, a hat are mandatory on all further hikes. Blissful and with a bit of sunburn, we commute to the sounds of the Gipsy Kings to the town of Zarautz, where we have booked a campsite for two nights because it is Christine's big day, happy birthday my love! Coincidentally, our nice neighbors from Bavaria also made our two days sweeter. At this point we would like to send them our warmest regards, we hope you got home safely!

But for us it's going in the opposite direction. We decide to briefly examine the interior and go to the Parque Provincial de Garaio, a great area around a reservoir near the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz. After our first hike was more than twice as long as planned due to the signposts, we now of course inspect the hiking map more closely and decide to walk the 9.9km path along the lake. Well, Spain and the hiking trails or us and the hiking trails, it became 13 km again. But this time it didn't matter to us, because we are foxes and a fox has to do what a fox has to do, and we had been proactive in packing enough provisions.

On the way to the sea we get to know a special feature of the Bay of Biscay: autumn storms. When wind gusts of over 120 km/h were reported, we immediately thought back to our night in the North Cape and decided to drive to a sheltered parking space between bushes in Penagos. We are rewarded because we notice almost nothing of the storm and unexpectedly find ourselves next to elephants. The place is located next to a kind of free-roaming animal park over which you can ride gondolas. Very strange thing, we leave it at that and prefer to watch the elephants from the fence.

The next day the wind is no longer noticeable and we go to a small town called Ajo. On the one hand there is a nice, colorful lighthouse and a geological feature. The waves whip against the rocky shore with incredible pressure and into a small cave that has formed. The pressure has caused cracks to form on the top which now serve as a pressure relief valve, the Kelomat at home is nothing against this.

We listen to the spectacle for a while, sleep well and then continue our journey along the northern Spanish coast. Via Cuchia, where we have a beautiful little sandy bay all to ourselves and where around 40 people visit in the evening, we go to Llanes, a quaint town with a medieval flair. Very nice here and the right place to enjoy Spanish cuisine and wine.

One of the nice things about northern Spain is the beautiful beaches, which is why our route goes from one beach to another all the way to Foz. Of course we also went to the much praised Playa de las Catedrales, beautiful… Thanks for the tip!

From Foz we continue south, quite a bit, to Peniche in Portugal. But we make a worthwhile stopover. Originally our idea was to visit the famous thermal springs in Ourense. But somehow this place doesn't appeal to us and so we drive a little further to Bande. Bande is located on an artificial reservoir. An ancient Roman camp was uncovered through this lake. Aside from the military fortress, the ancient Romans had built another highlight. Hot springs rise from the ground around which they simply built small stone baths. If the water level of the reservoir allows it, you can still use the baths today, and what can we say, we're lucky. Our muscles relax in the hot pools and we enjoy this wellness evening under the stars, at least until the next rain front comes.

In Portugal we head to Santa Cruz, a little south of Peniche. Portugal, waves, Christian can finally check off one item on his to-do list: surfing lessons. The teacher tells him that the classes are taking place in Peniche, so we move there and stay. Christian goes surfing, Christine and Lilli explore the beautiful landscape on another coastal hike. Conclusion: Peniche is beautiful, surfing is fun but not Christian's sport. But we still stay in Peniche for a few days, go for a walk, weather the foothills of the huge Atlantic storm and visit the small medieval town of Óbidos, where we walk on the old city walls and enjoy the excellent Portuguese cuisine. Another highlight is a visit to a park. Admittedly, a park is usually nothing out of the ordinary, but in this case it is. In 2001, the Taliban destroyed the 2 largest standing Buddha statues in the world in Bamiyan, Afghanistan. This gave a wine grower in Bombarral, Portugal, the reason to create a huge oriental garden on his estate, including a huge Buddha statue. We are excited! The many sculptures paired with the beautifully landscaped garden invite you to stroll despite the cool temperatures. On top of that, of course, we buy several bottles of Portuguese white wine, you can't go too far.

Lisbon is chosen as the southernmost point of our little detour to Portugal. Our route there next takes us to the small town of Mafra, where the Palácio Nacional de Mafra, the largest palace and monastery complex in Portugal, is located. Of course, Christian doesn't miss the 38,000m² building and visits it from the king's bed to the library with its 40,000 books. Christine also likes the place, not least by finding a very good Indian restaurant, which of course she tries out for dinner.

The next day we drive a bit into the blue. The route takes us to Sintra, which is known for its many small fairytale castles. But since we can't find a parking space without various stories of break-ins and the crowds as we drive through are already too much for us, we simply note that we have been here and head for Cabo da Roca. When we arrive at the western point of Portugal and mainland Europe, we realize that a Sunday with the best weather is probably not the best time for this. But we're here now, so let's take a little walk along the cliffs, enjoy the air and the sun, and watch the waves crash against the cliffs for a while. We briefly consider spending the night here, but decide to continue along the coastal road until we end up in Lisbon a little earlier than planned.

Lisbon, a pretty little town, you can say that. We really like the charm of the old houses, narrow streets, steep hills, small cafes and bars and the little bit of rancidity. We stroll through the city for 2 days from the Castelo de São Jorge down to the Praça do Comércio, visit the tiled houses and elevators in the Bairro Alto district and look at the LxFactory. Finally, we visit the Torre de Belém and treat ourselves to original Pastéis de Belém in a park under palm trees - thanks again for the tip.

We'll let you know next time why we're heading towards Madrid again, whether ski equipment is necessary and why Christian suddenly shares Christine's love for Maroni.