Dancing with the Stars...

A panicked message from ours friends saying they wouldn't be able to get to the airport and pick us up greeted our arrival in Mallorca. This phased us seasoned travellers little and we assured Sam and Emer we would make it to them. So with little difficulty (only being a euro short of the fare) we made it across the island which is much bigger than we thought and full of tourists – funny that. The guys had snuck in a couple of extra beds into their room for us which was perfect and after they returned from their evening gigs (more on that later) we had a good old chin wag. 

Although not as warm as the south of Spain it was still pleasant enough to swim so we hit the beach the next morning and were greeted with a huge storm swell rolling in; closing the beach. Unfortunately we could not track down any surf boards so we just ran in for a bit of a body surf. We were met by two lifesavers charging down the beach with arms waving and whistles blowing. Having already created a scene we got out of the water and after meeting up with Sam and Emer headed for the unpatrolled section of beach to swim in peace! Friday evening saw us head along to watch Sam perform in a Greece show at one of the local hotels which was highly entertaining. After a full 6 months performing 6 days a week the guys were stoked to tick off their second to last show and we helped them celebrate with some good wine and cheese and a few G&Ts. 

Celtic Fusion Mallorca; https://www.facebook.com/celticfusionmallorca/

After a slow start (dew to wet weather….) we set off for a drive up into the mountains – yes Mallorca has mountains, some 1300m tall. The narrow windy roads were chocker with cyclists and other tourists including large buses which really slowed progress. We tiki-toured all the way to the most northern point of the island and climbed an old tower which had great views back over Can Picafort. The sea had calmed down on our return so we clambered along the breakwater and watched the sunset and the huge full moon rise before a tasty seafood pasta dinner. 

Sunday, we were up early to go and meet the birdman, a real life professional falconer with around 45 birds of prey. After a look through his garden full with owls, Falcons, Eagles and a cheeky Raven we took a few of the birds for some hunting training. Joining us was the owners 8 year old daughter who left behind her beloved turtles and brought along her expertly trained hawk. It was crazy to see the big eagles flying and have a hold of them. They are used primarily for hunting rabbits, hares and even goats up in the mountains as well as being taken along to the hotels for photos. After a quiet lunch and cervesa it was time for the kids to get ready for their final shows and boy were they excited. Emer’s Irish dancing show was seriously good and even a brief camio from Nick couldn't ruin it. The timing of the dancers and speed at which they flick their wee toes is very impressive but guess that’s why they have been in Riverdance. 

We jumped on a local bus the next morning and headed down to the old town of Alcudia where we had a wander through the narrow streets and saw the old bull fighting ring and cathedral. After a bit of beach time it was time to don our glad rags again and head to another show by a couple of Sam and Emer’s friends. It was a classic piss take, lipsinking gig where they ripped out some classics and generally kept everyone very amused. Tuesday was adventure day as we headed up into the mountains with a full picnic to explore. The roads were windy, rocks jagged and views fantastic. We negotiated our way down to a cool gorge complete with a little beach and plenty of other giddys (Spanish for tourist). After our epic picnic of cured meats and cheeses and some rock hopping up river we had warmed up sufficiently for a swim. We ignored a few more fun police signs and climbed up an old staircase walkway and leapt off into the crystal clear water with only a few gasps from onlookers. You guessed it the evening session was another show by some very talented singers all the way from South Africa.

Our final full day was spent walking along the beach and swimming while Emer and Sam packed up their room and Emer very quickly rehearsed another show. I can't fathom being able to perform with such little preparation and no one would have known it was the first time she had done this show. The two of us got dragged up on stage again and this time even had little green tutus to wear though unfortunately no talent scouts approached us afterwards to offer us a Broadway contract.

The heavens opened on Thursday which sent every man and his dog into Palma creating a few traffic woes. Although we tried to find a car park it proved rather challenging so after a drive by of the cathedral we found a hill to climb which offered good views back over the city. Keeping with the drive by scene we opted to check out the notorious holiday slum of Megalouf though the wet weather kept most of the animals inside. We had just enough time for a quick stroll along the promenade before it was time to hit the airport bound for Portugal. 

Thanks for a great week Sam & Emer

Porto seems to be a very trendy city at present and it's easy to see why with it's picturesque riverfront and old cathedrals. The blue and white mosaic tiles are all over the buildings and give them a very unique look. The free walking tour we took gave us a bit of an oversight into the history of the city and Portugal as a whole. It seems the country has had it all from fortune and fame, conquering foreign lands and slavery to dictatorships and financial ruin. The fish burgers and pastries were pretty good and the francasina was an interesting dish, basically a burger with 6 different meats topped with an egg and chips and not a lettuce leaf in sight. Porto is also famous for its port (funny that) so we sampled a few and had a walk through the area where all the breweries are located. 

Porto

Porto

Porto

We had a nice walk along the river to the sea which is about 5km from the city centre and saw plenty of old abandoned builds which seem pretty common. Lunch was a pretty topical kiwi affair with a whole hot chicken and loaf of bread seeing us straight – so much for eating mainly vegetarian in Norway…. Grabbing our bags we headed to the amazingly decorated train station where we departed for Braga about an hour away. Entering the old city through a tremendous old gate we plodded down to our hostel which had a cool wee veranda looking into the main strip. There was certainly no shortage of churches in this wee town and it was easy to keep track of time with all their bells ringing. 

Porto

Braga

So far we had been lucky with the weather with only the odd shower here and there and this trend continued as we headed for a day trip to Guimaraes a Unisco heritage town. The reconstructed palace was interesting enough and the small but impressive castle on top of the hill provided a good viewpoint. A big thunderstorm rolled in so we grabbed the bus back to Braga but had achieved everything we had intended to for the day. 

Guimaraes

Before we headed off to Spain again we had time to climb the hundreds of stairs up some pilgrimage route to a cathedral at the top. Along the route were some fairly disturbing figurines depicting Christ’s march. The gardens and views (mainly of endless gum trees which are everywhere in Portugal/Spain) were worth the hike. We opted for the stairs back down rather than the old water controlled cable car. Santiago, the end of the famous pilgrimage trail was our next destination (after a pricey bus fair) and it was certainly full of tourists. 

Braga - Bom Jesus

With time running out before our Atlantic cruise set sail we gapped it to Lugo for a brief overnight spell before continuing on to Bilbao via an overnight bus. At the time it seemed like a good adventure and our funds were near rock bottom so we thought what the hell but yea it wasn't the most comfortable night we have ever had but we have also had a lot worse… Lugo has a 2km Roman wall surrounding the old city that you can walk around which was unique, as too was the wee place we stayed in. The nice old lady was seriously obsessed with cleaning and the place had fake flowers and scented perfumes everywhere. 

Lugo

Santiago

Arriving in Bilbao at 5am wasn't ideal especially given Spain's crazy Timezone situation, it didn't get light until 9am while the sun set at 8pm. We napped in a park before a security guard told us it was private residence (yea right) then wandered the mean streets until life started to appear at 8am - no wonder the country is in a financial crisis. After sitting in a café killing time Lucy checked out the famous (?) Guggenheim art gallery which was not high on Nick’s priorities so he paced backwards and forwards along the river outside. Surprisingly Lucy met at the rendezvous sight on time as we had to meet up again with Sam and Emer. People often wonder how we survive without a phone and actually it's not hard it just takes a little prior organisation. We picked out Sam’s right hand drive car from a line of traffic right on time and while he pulled over in the middle of a super busy road we ran and piled in with all our stuff and 6 litres of beer for our up coming cruise…

Lucy very excited about going to the Guggenheim and its Francis Bacon exhibition

Vikings vs Conquistadors

Well well well the time has come to get on a plane and do a little sightseeing. I think we have earned a two month break after working for a whole four months what do you reckon? The last month of work has flown by, we were a little worried that September was going to be a long cold month after the last week of August produced plenty of rain and snow. However we were super lucky with plenty of stella days with lots of sun, little wind and even mild temperatures. We made the most of this and ticked off a few more mountain peaks. The Autumn colours were fantastic too which provided great contrast to the crazy shaped clouds and were especially prominent around the island where we kayaked all summer.  We also had a visit from good old Meadovitch and a few other tag alongs and with a few days off we kicked back and enjoyed some good old kiwi style bbqs, beers, fire and all accompanied with a dancing northern light sky. 

Signing out from work for the last time this summer it was time to head south to Nick’s old stomping ground, Gudvangen. We picked up our peppe sports car in Bergen and made the scenic drive inland dodging showers of rain. Nordic ventures has grown a bit in the last four years, they now regularly pump out over 100 people a day kayaking and have over 180 seats! The rain held off enough to get out and climb the 1200m fiord sides to get amazing views before we experienced the vistas from kayak level with Harley a good old kiwi guide mate. It was also great to catch up with Jan and avid blog reader Rossco while Nick took a walk down memory lane staying in his old cabin. 

Taking off in Bergen in conditions akin to Wellington we headed to the hot sunny climes of the south of Spain. We knew what we were in for but still being hot and sticky was a novelty thankfully cheap cold beers are also when coming from Norway! After sorting out some very important chores (buying jandels) we hit the road for a wee weekend roady into the mountains. Manu our trusty local housemate knew where to find a lake to swim up amongst the dry crusty fields and cork oak trees before we camped out under a great starry sky perfect for northern lights but they failed to arrive….

Next morning we ventured to an oasis at the foot of a cave before pottering around the scenic but very touristy town of Ronda. This old town is perched high on cliffs overlooking the surrounding farmland with a cool river running through a big canyon in the middle. Scrambling down into this it was too tempting not to wade in and explore upstream, much to the amusement of all the Asian tourists. After our dip it was time for a picnic lunch in the cool square before stumbling upon the local town festival feast where they were giving away tasty paella. We made it to Manu’s sisters place in time to watch the sunset from the hilltop castle before we were generously treated to some fine local dining of pork at the Spanish dinner time, 10pm. 

 

Waking the next morning we were guttered to find someone somehow had managed to steal a very expensive camera and a phone from our van but left other valuables like our passports and iPod etc. This slowed the morning but we got back on the horse and headed to another impressive hilltop fort overlooking the rock of Gibraltar and as far as Africa. The beach was a welcome sight even though it was quiet for Spanish standards it seemed rammed for us. The water was a perfect temperature for us though even we eventually got a bit cold of the onshore wind so we headed for the cool island city of Cadiz. An ice cream was the perfect accompaniment for wandering around the city which is an impressive mix of narrow cobbled streets and very old buildings as well as nice beaches which very much reminded us of Havana. As not all of us were on holiday we had to get back to Serville Sunday night so we raced down the motorway at twice the legal Norwegian speed limit. We spent the next couple of nights at Manu’s parents where we were treated to riding a few of the kings noble nags along the beach (no joke) and a walking tour of the royal palace that is situated in the National Park where Manu’s father works. 

Now we all know how wonderful and easy Facebook is to communicate between friends but somehow Lucy and her best friend Holly had not worked out that they were going to be within a couple of hours drive of each other. So for the first time in along time Prebs and Goose went separate ways. Lucy went for a boozy girls catchup on the beach in Lagos Portugal while Nick stayed and did boys stuff like go kayak fishing, shoot clay birds and visit an old iron ore mine complete with old trains and a red river. Nick caught back up and Prebs and Goose spent the day exploring the cliffs, grottos and beaches of Lagos as well as a mandatory viewing of the sun setting into the Atlantic. 

We blew the hustle and bustle Lagos and splashed out on a hotel in Sagres. Sometimes it takes a little digging to uncover a good deal, our hotel, complete with kitchen, lounge pool and buffet breakfast did the trick for a few nights. Being at the end of the “known world” it was to be expected that the wind would blow, unfortunately it destroyed the surf but with a little geographic knowledge we were able to find beaut beaches which were relatively sheltered. Sagres has a completely different vibe to Lagos with old clapped out surf vans occupying the cliff top car parks. Manu came and joined us for a couple of days and we checked out the famous surf beach of Almore which had plenty of giddys (tourists) learning to surf and ate a huge delicious burger in Carrapatte. As time was running low we turned and headed back towards Serville but not before stopping in at Bilgani beach where just a short swim around the corner lies a huge sea cave (now very popular). There are two entrances into the sandy beach cave and the domed roof has a big hole in the top letting in sunlight. The last stop before arriving back at the beach in Matalascana where the paragliders were having epic flying conditions, was to visit El Rocio which is a very cool cowboy town that looks like something straight out of a western. All the streets are just sand and every shop still has railings to tie your horse up.

Our main reason of returning here was so Manu's father could take us on a behind the scenes safari tour of the Donana National Park. So after a long walk/run along the dunes and a huge traditional lunch we set off amongst billowing storm clouds. The public can only walk 300m inland from the beach so we were very lucky to see the dunes, pine nut forest, dry lagoons and marshlands. There was heaps of wildlife running around including red and fellow deer, pigs, huge vultures and even wild horses and cows whose blood lines provided America with their stock - Columbus set sail from this area and all inbound goods from the west came through the port of Serville.

Our final act of our sorte to the south of Spain was a mad dash through the historic city centre of Serville. We checked out the huge cathedral and amazing building of the Spanish square before we strolled through the gardens to the Alcaza (kings palace). The long line moved surprisingly quickly and we visited this cool palace which features heavily in the Game of Thrones. The palace is very grand with amazingly detailed walls and ceilings plus an eclectic mix of architecture from different periods as well as fountains, courtyards and a huge garden. 

Time up, stay tuned for our next adventure to party on the isle of Mallorca!