Tapp's Travels

12  BACK TO SPAIN AND ON TO FRANCE The only problem with driving across Spain in a diagonally NE direction is the lack of campsites.  Realistically, for huge sections of the trip there were no camp grounds because there were…

11  LEAVING PORTUGAL – WHO SAID UNPAID TOLLS? I’ve just discovered that “Cima” in Portuguese means “top” and nothing to do with “cemetery”.  So perhaps we were safe the other day after all! On Thursday a lady (Bridgette) comes on…

10 QUINTA DOS MOINHOS Ahhh!  Think I’ve lost part 9.  It sort of half went, then got stuck – now it registers as a draft but nothing shows. So you can count yourself lucky! I’ll try and catch up later…

9  BAD BACKS AND WALL LIZARDS Now I’m trying to put together last week’s news.  Somewhat abbreviated  ….  “Hurrah!” I hear. The reason why I’d been able to catch up was that I hurt my back really badly and ended…

8  TOLL ROADS IN INLAND PORTUGAL Inland Portugal is certainly hilly!  Mountainous even, in parts.  It’s now Wednesday 13 June.  We spent half of yesterday trying to work out how to use their electronic-only toll roads.  And the other half…

7  HEADING FOR PORTUGAL South of Plasencia, running alongside the A66 (of Ruta de la Plata fame) is a series of partly built bridges – some of them enormous – and tunnels and cuttings and embankments.  A mammoth construction project. …

6 PLACENSIA AND MONFRAGUE AGAIN AND PIORNAL Today is Sunday but I’m a bit behind.  On Friday morning we walked on the disused railway that runs more or less parallel to the new one behind the campsite.  Actually, I guess…

5  PLACENSIA AND MONFRAGUE PARK Storks must really have welcomed the discovery of electricity.  And, in particular, the need to get electrons from A to B.  Every pylon we saw on the way South had at least one stork nest…

4  NORTHERN SPAIN Well, now we know why the area is looking so green!  It’s varied from drizzly, low cloud to thunderstorms for three days now – and there’s no end in sight.  All along the north coast of Spain…

3  SANTILLANA DEL MAR We are really amazed at the neatness and tidiness of the countryside, the houses, the gardens and the towns.  It really is soo much better than we were expecting – and it’s sooo green everywhere.  The…