Vroom Droom Adventures

 From the house at night we can see the lights of Marvao on the top of a 960 meter quartzite peak across the expansive valley. Bursting with curiosity, we rode our mountain bikes the 18 km distance to take a closer look. It was a gorgeous ride, but very steep and involved a lot of climbing (and some on foot bike pushing) to get to the top. The reward of visiting the town of Marvao was so worth the effort. Within the many walls are cobbled narrow, tangled, twisting streets. There is a reason almost every street is one way in the village! It is easy to understand why a fortress would be situated in this location as you can see so far in every direction from up there and the Spanish border is only 15 km away. The original castle dates back to the 8th century and was founded by an Islamic knight. For 5 centuries it remained an Islamic stronghold until it was conquered by King Alfonso I during the 1160s. The remains today are largely of a medieval era castle (1300's). Portagem (the clos...

  We are settled in at our new house sitting situation in Portugal, which strangely enough has both Herman and me dreaming of Zambia, Africa some nights. Maybe it is because the previous owners moved here from Kenya and were avid gardeners, planting several trees and bushes native to African soils. Possibly it is due to the fact that the current owners are located in Zambia and some of their art evokes memories.  The Parque Natural Serra de São Mamede is located in the province of Alentejo, known for it's vineyards. Unlike much of the flatter, rolling plains of Alentejo, this area boasts higher mountains. From the property we can see the walled city of  Marvão and the peak of Serra de São Mamede at 1025 meters above sea level (of course Herman has already run to the top of this peak and back!). This area boasts rich and diversified vegetation due to the way the mountains trap moisture. There are also deer, Iberian lynxes, Iberian wolves,  wild boar and badg...

Sam exiting the property through the Sericaia Vineyard O'Cabeco (name of the property) Main house (We are not staying in this house, just airing it out weekly) Small house where we are staying We arrived in Portugal 4 days ago. It was a touch and go situation to cross the border from Spain into Portugal. T he first attempt the border was barricaded. We went to a second crossing place and after two police looked over our paperwork and much consideration, they allowed us to enter. T o our great surprise a recent Covid test did not even come up in the discussion. I think the two officers were too busy deciding if we needed proof that the owner of the house actually owns the house where we were heading.  On the Portugal side, w e had about an hour to drive   to our destination, and stopped to stock up on groceries. We enjoyed our lunch in gorgeous sunshine in SAM.   We have spent our first few days settling back into our house sitting routine. Yoga in the morning, chores on t...

  February 9, 2021: Today was spent exploring the ancient town of Baeza which was declared a World Heritage Site in 2003. This is the site of the second oldest university in Spain. The gracious golden stone buildings are primarily from the Renaissance era. One  building with its ornate exterior facade has quite an interesting history.... The facade of the 15th century Jabalquinto Palace in Baeza While researching the Jabalquito Palace, we discovered some intriguing information surrounding the facade. I do not think you will be able to see the detail necessary in my photograph, but here is a link to a stock photo image depicting the graphic and racy part of the facade more clearly. https://es.123rf.com/photo_ 37224216_umbral-y-decorativo- detalle-del-palacio-de- jabalquinto-palacio-de- jabalquinto-baeza-provincia- de-ja%C3%A9n-.html According to the Green Michelin Guide, this facade has a scandalous history: In 1720 the descendents of Jabalquinto donated this building...

  We have been on the road for a full week. How exciting it is to be at an actual campsite with facilities after a week on the road! As we receive photographs and stories about snow falling in The Netherlands and back in Washington State, we are challenged with the Andalucian Spanish winter weather with rain showers and cold winds. The current forecast involves a ten day stretch of this weather, which you can imagine when confined to a small 6 meter (under 20 foot) camper to escape poor weather, can be challenging. So far we have been managing with smiles, we will see where we are after a few more days of the blasting wind... I am including some random photos from throughout the week of being on the road. The link at the bottom of this post to our Polarsteps journey which includes a more detailed photo journey with stories . We hope you have time to join us for more armchair travel... Amazing mountain biking near Galera, Spain. The trail was sparkling like diamonds or broken glass ...