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!
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