Just returned from another lovely weekend with the same friends from the Vejer trip. We rented a car from the Málaga train station and booked an Airbnb in Tavira, Portugal.
Our first stop was the Maiposario de Benalmádena which is a butterfly park just south of Málaga. It costs 10€ for entry, but you get to see lots of beautiful butterflies, including their cocoons and a show. Interestingly, there were also four tortoises, a handful of parrots, and even a wallaby!
We then pushed on for lunch in Castellar de la Frontera which is an old walled Moorish-Christian village in Cádiz that was abandoned in the 70s that now houses a thriving German community. There were two options for lunch on a Friday, the pub outside the wall, or a small restaurant inside. We chose the restaurant and tried some great tapas!
As we along the Iberian Peninsula, we had spectacular views of Morocco! The city of Tangiers and the Spanish exclave of Ceuta could be seen perfectly.
The first thing you notice when crossing the border from Spain to Portugal, is how much smoother the roads are…the second thing you notice is the toll. We still haven’t quite worked out the toll system as the website is all in Portuguese, but we tapped a card when crossing the border and got a receipt with our car number plate on it, so we’re hoping they just keep charging the same card each time we drive.
With our short stay, we didn't have enough time to try all the local dishes, but I was able to eat a pastéis de nata (Portuguese custard tart) and the Tarta Algavira Mista which is the local cake made from figs, almonds, and carob. To drink, we all enjoyed Vinho Verde, which is a fizzy, white wine.
On Saturday, we drove to the Cais de Quatro Águas and took the ferry to Ilha de Tavira. Aside from the lack of shade, we had a splendid picnic and went for an awesome swim!
We scaled the old Castelo de Tavira which is an old 11th century Muslim fortress (free to enter). The garden is well-kept with lots of colourful flowers.
Overall, we enjoyed the quiet beach towns of Tavira and Faro. And as a whole, Portugal is bursting with colourful flowers, white-washed buildings, and cobblestone streets.
We caught up with two other Auxes in Huelva on our way home - so now I just have to visit Jaén in order to tick-off every Andalusian province! We noticed that land was much flatter in Portugal and Huelva than in Málaga. And as we drove past the Seville, the temperature increased by 10°C!
Notes:
- We found it difficult to work out what was the preferred language after Portuguese. As we were close to the border, many of the waiters and shop owners said they spoke Spanish, however, English as a whole, was used more widely.
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