Monday 7th March 2016.
Moving day. Well it should have been, after three months here at Sulflor we should be on our way to ALCACER DO SAL, but discovered yesterday that the caravan charger is not working. The TV which was being used to play music and kept turning itself off, on investigating we found the voltage on our new Banner battery had dropped to a level no battery can drop to and survive. This morning Frank and I took out the old charger (well Frank took it out while I “supervised") it was kaput, defunct.
Tuesday 8th March 2016.
The battery we bought a little before we left England was this morning given a decent burial (chucked in the local recycling bin) and the old one, just a year old and in perfect condition (long sad story, please don’t ask) that we had brought with us and given to Frank we took back and re-fitted.
Fortunately just an hour or so down the road to the west is the largest supplier of batteries, chargers, etc in Portugal (we bought the refitted battery there a year or so ago), we all jumped in the car and off we went expecting to pick-up exactly what we wanted off the shelf. Sadly the supplier was at best unhelpful at worst bl**dy obstructive, so different from when we bought the battery from them in 2014 when they could not have been more helpful.
Coming back and just a couple of kilometres from the caravan we popped into a car accessory shop and bought a first class Bosch charger that will do the job a treat. Unfortunately we will not be able to fit and forget as it is not designed to charge while the battery is in use but we will turn it on at bedtime and off in the morning - Da Da!! problem solved (we hope).
Thursday 9th March 2016.
Well the battery charger has worked as well as we hoped and today
WE ARE ACTUALLY MOVING - HURRAHHHHHHHH
not that we have gone very far, just a couple of hundred kilometres to the north-west to Alcácer do Sal. We are only here for a few days with just a short list of things to do and places to go.
Friday 10th March 2016.
To day is the main reason we are visiting this area, the TROIA PENINSULAR. It is a hip hop and trendy place for the Lisbon gliterartie to visit but, despite the “exclusive” golf course half way down the peninsular and expensive tourist village, with it’s posh hotels and expensive yachts and frequent ferry to Setúbal,, just south of Lisbon, at the very end, it is almost entirely unspoilt. Once you walk past the hotels and restaurants (cheap by London standards but pretty expensive by Portuguese standards) boardwalks take you to the beaches for which no other words than absolutely stunning will do. They are extensive, white and without any of the overt commercialism that blights many beaches round the world. THIS LINK takes you to a pdf article about Troia that appeared in the MAIL ONLINE on Friday 27th March 2016
Driving back down the peninsular we spotted a sign for “Ruinas Romanas” (roman ruins) we followed its brown finger down a long dusty and potholed track to a very well presented and conserved ruins that although they had a fence around and a high gate we were allowed (free) to wander at will and see the ruins that had thoughtfully been provided with signage and explanations in English as well as Portuguese. It had been a fish processing plant where the romans made Garum fish sauce that they loved so much. It was made by the crushing and fermentation in brine of the intestines of fish such as tuna, eel, anchovies, and mackerel. Because its production created such an unpleasant smell, its fermentation was relegated to the outskirts of cities. The finished product was quite mild and subtle, and was mixed with wine, vinegar, pepper, oil, or water to enhance the flavor of many dishes. Garum is similar to fish sauce used today in Thai and Vietnamese cooking.
Saturday 11th March 2016.
Just a short drive into the town of Alcácer do Sal today and a wander around its steep and narrow roads up to the castle and its contrasting wide riverfront promenade. The castle car park requires concentration as there is no fence in front of a huge drop that could painful if not fatal to the careless motorist.
Sunday 12th March 2016.
Another short day today, this time to a reservoir we have heard much about (as a wild camping spot for motorhomes) Barragem do Pego do Altar, where there is a huge system of reservoirs that unlike UK where many are private and protected these are open to the public. Once you reach the barragem the tarmac turns to dirt for the many kilometres around the lakes, plenty of room for everyone to have their own private stretch if that is what they want. Unfortunately while we were there the battery on my camera ran out and I have been unable to find this amenity on an English web site so the two photos I do have sadly do not do justice to this magnificent water system.