MERTOLA

Arrived in Mertola without a hitch today on a misty morning at 9.30. The sun soon burnt through resulting in a beautifully sunny windless day. But first I'd like to show a couple of pictures from the bike ride I did from Tavira two days ago. 

coastal track from Faro to Tavira

There is a purpose made hiking or biking path which more or less follows the railway line. Along the way it passes through the picturesque town of Fuzeta. 

Fuzeta mariner

So back to Mertola. When I first planned this trip up through the interior I had intended to simply pass by Mertola and make my first stop Beja. I obviously didn't know what I'd be missing. 

Mertola and Moorish castle

The picture says it all. It's a bite size town on the banks of a river with both a lot of Roman and Mooorish history behind it. Just like Cordoba, the church (right of castle) has a very  Moorish interior from when it was a mosque. 

Moorish pillars inside the church

In tourism, places are promoted with glowing compliments, splattered with rather over the top superlatives and some very deceptive adjectives. But maybe Mertola deserved anything that can be thrown at it as you can see for the pictures. Fantastic place and definitely not to passed over. Judge for yourself.

View from my room in Pension Rita

elegant bridge over the river

river north of Mertola

many photos like this one

Unfortunately the castle isn't open the public on Mondays so maybe tomorrow before I begrudgingly leave this place on a bus at 11am. D

TAVIRA AND ONWARDS

At the moment still in Tavira where the weather has taken a definite turn for the better. Nights still quite cool but the days under a cloudless blue sky are exactly what I have been waiting for. 
A few pictures here of some everyday sights that are seen in the Algarve such as a church in Luz which lies just south of here by the sea. 

And then the typical kind of water pump from a not so long bygone age. This one has a  clothes washing shelter standing beside it - used before water pipes were connected to the houses. Of course, the washing machine reigns supreme now much the same as in any other European country. It seems that Portugal has modernized tremendously since it became part of the Union. 

The hedgerows and fields are also a lot more different from those further north in Europe. Oranges and lemons dominate the scenery here but also cactus flourish.

Wine production is a large industry in this part of the world and of course Port is synonymous with Portugal.  Not only that, Portugal has been responsible for a major percentage of the cork  used to seal  bottles produced all over Europe. But in recent years plastic stoppers have taken over, giving the small farmers a problem as how to survive without a steady market for their product. Cork is harvested from the lower 2 metres of the tree trunks and then the tree will regenerate the layer of cork over a period of ten years. 

Cork stripped from the trunk of the tree

A few more days and I'll be back on my travels. This time it will be about 9 days of short hops up the interior of this country, and then back to Lisbon for the flight home.
Starting at Vila Real St Antonio, next to the Spanish border, a bus north to Mertola. Then if all goes well on to Beja, Evora, Estremoz, Portalegre, Castelo Branco, and finally Lisbon on the 15th Feb. Fly home 16th.
That's all for now. D

HOME AND ALMOST DRY

The Cordoba cathedral/mosque

I arrived back here in Tavira yesterday afternoon after 2 bus rides from Cordoba. Quite heavy rain showers all the way but at least the temperature is up to a bearable level now. Managed to process a video to show just how odd the cathedral in Cordoba is. It rises straight out of the halls of the 1000 year old Moorish mosque as if to say 'the catholics are here'. 
Tourists levels are fairly low this time of year but it still didn't prevent the my 6 bed dormitory hostel room from filling up. Perhaps many of the other hostels are closed for the winter months. 

entrance to the cathedral courtyard

one organ doesn't seem to be enough here, but what a ceiling!

originally an entrance to the mosque

orange pickers in the cathedral courtyard

the walls of the Alcazar with cathedral left background

street by the cathedral 

So thats it for now. My plans depend on the weather which is just a bit too unpredictable at the moment. At least its not freezing here, like it is in Pilsen right now. Cheers D

CORDOBA

ghostly statues between the trees

ornamental trees in Alcazar

the high altar

to the east

Cordoba. Alcazar gardens

Owing to a slow connection, not too much writing. Cordoba has one of the oddest cathedrals    in the world, set inside a mosque.

The cathedral jewels look like United's trophy room. 

Similar to Seville, the Alcazar in Cordoba has many sights to see. The gardens aren't so extensive as Seville but just as pleasant.

SEVILLE

Its not the Seville weather that I was hoping for. Four days ago it was 20` and now hardly 12`. But the city has a mass of attractions to see time and time again. I went into the Alcazar palace area again yesterday afternoon and then another visit today. Of course, its free for over 60's. 

Alcazar Real

The underground grotto. Alcazar

 Then onto Plaza de España, the site of an exhibition in 1929. Spanish tiles and ceramics are world famous, and they certainly show them off here. All the major cities are represented with lavishly decorated benches along the curving building.

Tiled seat

 The backstreets are a great place to wander.

The picture below is the street where the hostel is. Its not a great hostel but the position is perfect with the cathedral a 100 mts down, past orange trees, bars and restaurants. 

So, tomorrow I'm off to Cordoba. Hope the weather improves.
D