Mortons Abroad : 2012/13 and beyond: Over the border to Portugal

After travelling through Spain down to Badajoz we crossed the border almost without realising it – no “Welcome to Portugal” signs at all. It seems most of Europe has a very relaxed view of borders unlike the UK. Now we had to get the Portuguese phrase book out and start swotting up just to say a few words, the people don’t like the Spanish much and seem a bit affronted if we use the few Spanish words we know by mistake. All quite confusing for our little brains!

The further south we travel the more wild flowers we see in and around the trees - the countryside is still green and beautiful but now with a carpet of yellow and white flowers. There are cork oak, eucalyptus and olive trees - brown cows, sheep and brown pigs graze underneath, making for a very pastoral scene.

South of Castro Verde we climbed up over the last mountain range to Säo Bartolomeu de Messines and were surrounded by orange and lemon trees. The almond blossom was also beginning to show. Spring seems to have arrived early here and we don’t mind at all.

We will now spend a week with Les’s uncle, where he has plenty of room to park the van in his garden. Then we will move on south to the coast and then further east as far as the Spanish border where we are told it’s quieter. Our route since 1 January from the Gite in France to Portugal is below.