The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Sunday, February 12, 2017

The interesting town of Mertola, Portugal

Well, we're working on a very weak cellular internet 2G signal, but at least we have internet. Sort of. But, it's working...so let's see how this goes.

We packed up yesterday morning, ready to move a little further south towards Faro. We pick up Helen and Tony at the airport there on Tuesday morning.

Made arrangements with Glen and Steve to meet them at the little village of Ameixial where there was supposed to be two different free RV parking areas...both with free electrical hookups.

We stopped at the town of Mertola and it looked like a place we wanted to see. Glen and Steve had already carried on ahead, and the rain was holding off, so we parked Louis and went for a walk.

The town of Mertola, Portugal.
Look! There's a castle!

And, there's a nice free RV parking area by the river. 

What a nice little town. If we hadn't made arrangements with Glen and Steve, we probably would have stopped here for the night. There is just too much to see! And, lots of hiking trails in the area too. But, the rain wouldn't have made for a good visit. Instead, we went up to the castle where there was an interesting archaeological site.

The remains of an Islamic village from the 12th century.

Interesting cemetery.

Looking back at town...and notice that there is another RV parking area.

Ruth, at the tunnel.

During excavation, they uncovered an almost perfectly preserved tunnel that dates back to the 4th century.

And the remains of beautiful Meditteranean mosaics, also from the 4th century.

The columns and mosaics, with a depiction at the end of what they thought it looked like at the time.

And it was all free. Including the castle. The only thing that cost was a 2 euro charge to go up to the top of the tower at the castle.

Ruth, and the view from the castle.

Well, I'm afraid that it's taking far too long for photos to upload, so we'll have to make do with that for now.

We made our way back to Louis just as it was starting to spit with rain. As we drove, it rained on and off for the rest of the trip. We only did about 75 kms (47 miles) but it was on a twisty windy bumpy road, so it felt like a lot longer than that.

Oh...have to show you one more pic. Ruth spotted a few deer in a field by the road, and I pulled over to try to get a shot of them....


Made it to the little village of Ameixial where Glen and Steve were already parked up. By this time it was raining fairly hard and we found a spot to park up. I figured I'd wait until the rain settled down before going out and getting us level and hooking up the free electricity. But the rain never stopped. Eventually, it was getting cool enough in Louis that I just bit the bullet and went out and did it all in the rain.

So, it was a wet and rainy afternoon and evening. Watched a movie, and made it over to Glen and Steve's for a few rounds of euchre after dinner.

Lots of rain again overnight, but it's not raining right now so we're going to try and walk around the village before it starts up again as it's supposed to do!

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The top selling first aid kit is on sale right now. For this price, toss one in the car and one in the RV...





16 comments:

  1. That whole rain thing is the exact time that I enjoyed having a motorhome the most. No need to go outside if you don't want to. Take a nap. Make lunch.
    Something about the pounding rain on the roof.
    Hard to explain.
    Sure beats sitting at a bus stop.

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    1. Having a motorhome sure does make it a lot more tolerable but we still go bonkers if we have to sit in it all day long. We were happy to be able to get out and have a quick look at the town before the rain started again.

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  2. A lot to see in Mertola - love the pics - so much history! Barry says TKS for the deer photo. ;-)

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    1. There is a lot to see in the town and outside the town. There is a Natural Park (similar to a state/national park) that I am sure would have had some wonderful hiking trails for us to do. Maybe we can stop in on our way back.

      Glad Barry enjoyed the photos! :-)

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  3. Nice to have your house right with you no matter the weather. More interesting sight you enjoyed again, Thanks for sharing.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, there are definitely lots of benefits to traveling in a motorhome.

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  4. We saw an above ground cemetery in either Barbados or Bermuda.

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    1. We have seen lots of cemeteries similar to this in our travels through other countries. Definitely interesting to see.

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  5. Those deer have some magnificent antlers!

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    1. The antlers were amazing and certainly different from the ones we see on the deer back home.

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  6. I have never heard of Mertola. You two are sure teaching us a ton of history. Love that free electric!

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    1. I am sure the majority of people, including many in Portugal have never heard of Mertola. It really isn't a big town or big tourist draw but we certainly enjoyed our quick visit there.

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  7. Part of the reason I love Portugal is it is difficult to throw a rock and not hit another castle! Most of them away from the major cities are not visited that often

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    1. Portugal is very similar to Spain in that respect. Almost every town seems to have had a castle at some point in their history. We love these kind of places, well off the beaten path. :-)

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  8. That castle looks like a wonderful spot to tour, with the 12th Century Islamic Village ruins and mosaics dating back to the 4th Century. That is so cool. Sorry your weather sucks swampwater, but into each life ... and etc. We enjoyed (and I do mean enjoyed!) a lovely sunny day in Nevada City today.

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    Replies
    1. The weather wasn't the most agreeable but we certainly didn't let that deter us from getting out and exploring. Mertola, definitely had some good history lessons for us as well as some nice scenery.

      Glad you have a wonderful sunny day! :-)

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