Frogbound

My water bottle was confiscated by security even though I am only transiting Charles de Gaule airport, it is just a con to make people buy more water in the airport. So I am now on my second .25lt of vin blanc. Airports are great people watching sites, I have never really noticed before, usually I am one of the hurrying throng desperate to get to my gate after queuing for hours in security.
Paris is shrouded in thick fog but it does not seem to deter take offs and landings, so far there are no delays posted, so hopefully Havana by 6 pm local.

Hello Raul how is Fidel?

Tomorrow we fly out to Cuba via Paris on the next leg of our adventure. My research so far has been poor, I hope to sort out my plans after talking it over with Sarita my host for the next few days in Havana but my overall plan is to avoid all the Mega tourist sites and live in B&Bs with the people of the country. All the guides say that internet access is not good so the next month's blogging could be patchy. Stay warm and dry wherever you are.

Beaches of West Portugal

If the wrong people visit the beaches of West Portugal it will be turned into another Algarve overnight but right now it is beautiful. Empty cliff backed beaches, the only occupants were fishermen and a group of six people in wet suits having an absolute ball collecting shellfish for their table. 

Vale Furado

There are also small resorts but all very low key, I know it changes nearer Lisbon.

Foz do Arelho

Tonight I said goodbye to Rei dos Frangos, (the king of chicken), until next time, nothing fancy just a whole small barbecued butterfly chicken with your choice of sauce applied with a wallpaper brush, delicious, again.
I seem to have been away for ever, not just two weeks, it just goes to prove the theory that time only flys by when your routine does not vary, note to self -mix it up more.
The shorts and flip flops are packed, the journey home begins tomorrow at 9am.
Cheers.

More churches?

The Portuguese tourism industry are very proud of all their religious institutions and every Tourismo gives a list of churches, basilicas, convents and monasteries that you must visit.
Today I did visit the Templar church in Tomar and what a simple inspiring place it was. 
The story of the Templars in Portugal is a real lesson on obeying the letter of the law. When instructed by the Pope to disband the Knights Templar in Portugal the King did just that and confiscated all their lands and wealth which the following day was all given to the Knights of the Order of Christ which funnily enough were the self same chaps under a different name, outstanding. 

The Templar Castle and Convent of Christ

I had to have early lunch today when I found a barbecue chicken shop in Tomar, it took me back to my first trip to Portugal when I went to Albufeira in 1984, it was also interesting to see that a litre of house wine was available for just 3 euros. 

Heaven.

One of the places I had to see according to the hotel receptionist was the monastery in Batalha but I did notice a museum close by and what a find that was, it was an interpretation   centre for the battle of Aljubarrota. I had never heard of it but it was the decisive battle between Castile and Portugal in 1385, a two hour fascinating visit and it was also enlightening to know that there was a large company of English archers on the Portuguese side.

Rocky.

I booked a Peugeot 206 with the car hire company and I was looking forward to trying out Edith's young petite sister but I ended up with Rocky, a Mitsubishi Space Star. I called him Rocky because he rocks and rolls all over the place, that combined with the automatic gear box, keyless ignition, stop/start system, auto wipers and lights most of the time I don't know what's going on.
Last exploring day tomorrow, I am heading for the coast.

Back to the country

A day full of hiccups but the first beer is at hand and nothing is broken. The first stop after escaping from Lisbon was in Torres Vedras where the famous lines were built, I managed the museum and castle but the fort of S. Vincente was closed so I hi-tailed it for Obidos, what a lovely place, well worth half a day and I would imagine it is even better at night so an overnight stay would be good especially as the castle is now a pousada but the highlight of the visit was a tasting of the local cherry brandy, Ginjihia, knockout, I think a stay over is a necessity but especially as they cater for the chocoholics by serving it in an edible chocolate cup.

The best Ginjinha in town.

The castle from the town wall.

Bougainvillia and pavement cafes, I may emigrate.

What health and safety.

The contrast between my funky apartment and tonight's luxury hotel is unbelievable and what is also amazing is that they are the same nightly rate but luxury includes breakfast. I have been given so many recommendations by the receptionist that I would have to stay for a fortnight to fulfill them all.
Last night's meal was OK, more than made up for by the excellent bottle of red and a young Hungarian couple on the next table who regard themselves as Londoners.
I am really impressed with Lisbonians? I did an Adamson and asked the waiter to recommend a good red which he did and it was only mid-range i.e.  10 Euros not the most expensive on the wine list! and after all the horror stories I had heard about Lisbon taxi drivers the taxi I stopped in the street put his meter on and drove me directly to the car hire office, he deserved and received a tip.

The view from my hotel room.

Rain

I awoke to the pitter patter of falling rain only to realise that I did my washing last night and that it was all on the line, 5 minutes later I was drenched but the washing was in. I had planned a visit to the Thieves Market but my wet weather programme was a visit to the Military Museum which had an excellent collection of small arms and the large bores on some of their huge collection of cannons were unbelievable. Two hours later the rain had stopped so I visited the market, I am glad I didn't make a special effort to go earlier - expensive rubbish.
Lunch was taken at a pavement cafe opposite the main train station, great people watching with half a bottle of wine all for less than a Tenner.
Time to pack the case now before visiting Pedro's no 1 recommendation for dinner then pick up the car tomorrow for three days in the country away from this ants nest.

WHTT.com again

Lovely towels.

Slippery cobbles when wet

View over Lisbon.

Today's Wehatetourismtours.com was with Pedro, again he was having so much fun it overran by over an hour, finishing at 5:30pm after a 10am start. My companions on this tour were a Californian couple and five members of the crew from the touring production team of Cats, again we visited all the non-tourist sites and sampled pastries in two locations, fresh fruit juices and Portuguese sandwiches with piri-piri sauce, delicious. What a great day.

Volcano fountain at Belem

Copy of the statue of Jesus in Rio.

Pedro also recommended local restaurants that serve good food at local prices and also lots of bars etc for the nightlife which I won't be attending - I am still recovering from Saga.

Cities? No thank you.

I have come to the conclusion that big cities are not for me, sure there are some nice buildings here and the maritime museum today was a joy to visit but Lisbon is a decaying rabbit warren swamped in tourists. Don't get me wrong, the majority of the inhabitants I have met are lovely friendly people but they are outnumbered by the tourists. I discovered the multitrip transport ticket today which gives you access to trains, trams, underground and buses. Superb value for money but don't bother joining a queue for the tram, if you do eventually get on one you become a member of that line's human sauna and get your pocket picked while enjoying the experience. The buses are a little better and the trains and Metro even better - at least they adhere to their advertised times.
I took myself seriously today about having a day off, and after a home cooked meal I am finishing off the white, I hope there are not too many spelling mistakes.
More soon.

Hills, hills hills

Lisbon is all hills. I had forgotten what a touristy city was like, Lisbon is like Venice with hills. What have I let myself in for!
Yesterday's travel arrangements went of without a hitch, I can't fault the express bus service, on time and comfortable. I was picked up at the bus station by Vasco who took me to my funky apartment on the top floor of an old house in Bairro Alto, I had time to walk a couple of the hills before meeting Marta for our Portuguese meal, boy that girl can talk, she didn't stop for five and a half hours. The meal also included a nighttime tour of Lisbon which was great for the views and as an orientation exercise.
I have really struck lucky, Vasco and Marta are such genuine helpful people, their one wish is to make sure their clients have all the info they need to enjoy Lisbon.

Travelling

Mr Sandeman guarding his vineyards.

Yesterday was one of the highlights of this tour with a railway journey up the River Douro, I enjoyed it so much that I did part of the trip again on my own today. I caught the local bus down to Regua where I had an hours exploring before catching the train up to Pinhao. 

Pinhao

Hotel boat at Pinhao

In the short time I was in Pinhao I circumnavigated the town, had a relaxing lunch overlooking the river for a whole £5.00 and met some interesting people in a local bar.

Wonderful lunch stop.

Tonight is my last night with the Saga Louts, my liver is looking forward to some down time.

I have a taxi booked for 07:30 tomorrow hopefully catching the bus from Lamego to Lisbon at 08:00 and meeting the owner of the apartment I am renting at 13:00ish . I have an evening meal booked with We Hate Tourism Tours .com tomorrow night then I am taking Sunday off.
More soon.

Solo exploring

Much as I enjoy the company of most of my travelling companions, today exploring Lamego on my own was a real pleasure - no schedule to follow and go where the mood took me, also it was a relief to not sit on the coach for hours.
I walked into town this morning and visited the church on the hill, just 606 steps up from the town.

606 steps to go.

The view from near the top.

I also visited the museum which surprisingly had two pairs of huge Japanese vases on display, the detail was amazing, I will post photos when I get home.

Two of the vases.

After fruitlessly searching for a cafe or restaurant that sold piri-piri chicken the highlight of the day was inquiring at the bus station about the bus to Lisbon which I need to catch on Saturday. Mr Grumpy behind the counter spoke no English and only limited French so we got by in written notes, basic French and lots of grunts. I will be catching the 0800 bus on Saturday morning, I think.

A train trip is planned for tomorrow following the Douro river from Regua up to Pocinho.
That of course is after tonight's wine laden dinner.
More tomorrow.

Toe in the water.

At Porto airport the man holding the SAGA clipboard told me to go over and wait by the Avis desk, I joined a small group of people which soon expanded to 46. Looking around I thought to myself Oh God what have I let myself in for, all these people were OLD. I then looked again and realised that at least 20% of them were younger than me and I imagine everyone in the group was thinking the same thoughts as me.
That was thee days ago and my feet haven't touched the ground since. I have been out for meals with huge amounts of wine, toured a port warehouse with tasting afterwards, been on a tour of Porto, a cruise up the River Douro which included a meal with copious wine and today been on two tours with another meal booked for this evening. I am having a day off tomorrow - I can't keep up.

Our pirate ship for the cruise up the river Douro

The last day

Walmart early to exchange yet another suitcase, I am now on my third, then north up the Blue Ridge Parkway, first stop Craggy Gardens to climb Craggy Dome for a 360 view of North Carolina, it was a serene moment on my own at that height with the world spread out all around me, then a US aircraft flew over and waggled his wings, obviously time for me to go.

The next stop was Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River, I couldn't not go there but by the time I did it was mobbed by tourists and little black beetles, I asked a Ranger what kind of beetles they were and he said they were annoying black bugs, says it all really.

The view south from Craggy Dome

a  view from Mount Mitchell.

Ok I'm going

That was going to be as far north as I was going to go but I hadn't done much walking for the past two days so I went up to Crabtree Falls and it was an inspired decision, it is a beautiful setting and not too heavily visited because of the 3 mile circular trail to get there and back rated as strenuous in the guide books. As I have said before the photographs do not due justice to any of these sites you will have to come and look for yourselves.

Back in Asheville I made an amazing discovery, there is a Pinball Museum where you can play all day for  $10, I managed an hour before I could hear Jan telling me enough was enough. (Battle Square if you ever want to visit)

Tomorrow I start my journey home by driving down to Atalanta. It is probably good that it is all over because I am beginning to run out of superlatives describing my experiences, but it will be good to get away from the sound of Harleys and the smell of grease, so I am looking forward to home.

The Blue Ridge Parkway South

Another wonderful day. The Blue Ridge Parkway south of Asheville is a haven away from trucks, traffic lights and advertising hoardings. The speed limit is generally 45mph which is fine especially the further south you go and the road becomes a series of sweeping bends, ideal for the motorcyclist of which there were many enjoying themselves today unlike the poor boys on their Harley two-wheel tractors. They don't know what to do when they encounter bends, they were weaving, wallowing and wandering about the road at an average speed of 30mph.
The Parkway is the ideal jumping off point for many sights and attractions but I had covered some of those yesterday so I headed for the town of Cherokee to visit the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and what a two and a half hour eye-opener that was. I would have liked to visit the Oconaluftee Indian Village but I ran out of time, maybe next visit. See http://visitcherokeenc.com

The photos cannot do the scenery justice, you will have to come and look for yourselves.

This was taken from the highest point on the Parkway looking south

For all the Scousers out there.

Waterfalls and humming birds.

Today started at Sliding Rock Waterfall, when I heard the first yells as people slid down the rock into the pool I thought maybe I should stay dry but when a guy not too much older than me went down the slide I gave in and dressed in an FOCC t-shirt went for it. The rock isn't as smooth as suggested and the pool at the bottom was as cold as expected but it was a refreshing start to a long waterfall bagging day.

The next stop was Moore Cove Falls just a three quarter mile walk from the road.

The lovely thing about this fall was you can go behind it just like Last of the Mohicans which was filmed in this area along with The Hunger Games.

Just down the road stop three,

which as you can see being next to the road makes it very popular.

That was Pisgah National Forest where I called in at the Ranger Station and saw my first ever humming birds, I was captivated and spent at least 30 minutes just watching them.
 When I surfaced I had a chat with another Ranger and I followed his very accurate directions to the Du Pont State Forest and Hooker Falls.

Just a half mile from there, mostly uphill obviously was Triple Falls.

The next stop was a further mile uphill to High Falls the most impressive of the lot. I did have Bridal Veil Falls penciled in but my poor old legs had had enough so we staggered back to the car park for the trip back to Asheville and prep for the move in the morning.

Back to Asheville

Chimney rock from the car park.

Up at  sparrows this morning to escape the humidity of East Tennessee and got hit by two deluges on the way south, we bypassed Asheville and headed for Chimney Rock. We were blessed with a clear sunny day so lots of photos were taken.
There are 494 steps to the top of Chimey Rock if you don't take the girly elevator, I know I counted them all, and there are a similar number to the viewpoint at the top of the cliff, but all that effort is worth it. Minutes after we left we got hit by another deluge.
The highlight of the visit was seeing Hickory Nut Falls as seen in the film Last of the Mohicans, I always promised myself I would go and see it, so that is another ticked off the list.

Chimney rock from the cliff above.

 Chimney Rock from the car park and from the cliff above

The Devil's  Head

Hickory Nut Falls

ore  

Biltmore

We are staying for the next two nights in posh billets at the Biltmore Residences 'cos it's cheap during the week, we move into more familiar digs for Friday and Saturday.
Tomorrow we start bagging waterfalls starting with Sliding Rock Falls.

Intermittant internet access

I am making the most of this unexpected bout of access  --  Uh-Oh spoke too soon.

Bill Bryson is Mad.
I walked a few miles on the Appalachian Trail today, I have walked lots of places but this bore no resemblance to any trail or footpath I have ever been on and he walked it for miles carrying all his gear and even came back for a second helping. I take my hat off to him for perseverance but suggest his wife should book an appointment for him with the local head doctor.

The temperature at Clingman's Dome, the highest mountain in the Smokies was a cool 60F back in Pigeon Forge it was 88F and humid as hell. I am looking forward to getting back up into the mountains around Asheville tomorrow.

The great outdoors

I have been over here for a month and have walked at least 100 miles over old battlefield sites, towns, cities basically everywhere, in my trusty flip flops and shorts. I have now seen a sign telling me to wear sensible footwear long trousers etc and not go anywhere at dusk or dawn because of the risk from ticks, chiggers, black widow spiders, mosquitos, yellowjacket wasps, red ants, biting flies and biting ladybirds, poison oak, poison ivy, not to mention the various poisonous snakes and of course black bears.

Just to make Keira , Kay and Anthony happy I have been bitten a few times since they left me and yes I did come out in lumps but today I went on my first proper walk in the Smokey Mountains with I must admit with some trepidation. I saw a lot of birds and quite a few deer so I was getting quite complacent when I spotted what I thought was a dog on a converging course with me across a meadow, as we got closer I realised it was a bear with two cubs - the worst combination so I had been warned - she wasn't worried and after having a quick look at me she continued on her way, thank god. The photo was  taken about 50 metres away from her and her cubs, I erred on the side of caution.

I had a great day out but the humidity was horrible apparently more humid than the Amazon rain forest (according to the local news channel). 

Blue Swallowtails getting frisky at the oasis.

Blackpool in the mountains

Pigeon Forge was teeming with holidaymakers when I arrived here yesterday afternoon. I had this mental picture of a cute folksy village in the Smokey Mountains, boy was I wrong!
The Dixie Stampede was everything it promised, great show and far too much to eat, I finished off the night in a Hell's Angel bar.
Today I went to the biggest flea market in Tennessee, bought leather belts for $2 each and cowhide working gloves that fit like a glove!!!
The plan now is for two days walking in the Smokies before going to Asheville for my last four days in the good old USA.
More with pictures when I get a decent connection.

Last day in Nashville

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum polarised my thinking on country music. I realised I really like the very early stuff and the more modern which brings in the rock beat but middle of the road cowboy and yodeling leaves me cold so sorry Jim Reeves but you'll have to go, pun intended.

The full sized replica of the Parthenon here in Nashville (who knew) took a good couple of hours to go around and all for $6, bargain. Well worth a Google if not a visit. As you can imagine I have lots more photos.

West face

Athena

East Entrance

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum polarised my thinking on country music. I realised I really like the very early stuff and the more modern which brings in the rock beat but middle of the road cowboy and yodeling leaves me cold so sorry Jim Reeves but you'll have to go, pun intended.

The full sized replica of the Parthenon here in Nashville (who knew) took a good couple of hours to go around and all for $6, bargain. Well worth a Google if not a visit. As you can imagine I have lots more photos.

I caught a brilliant Texas band in the Tequilla Cowboy last night which was fortunate as I was refused entry to a number of establishments 'cos I couldn't prove I was over 21 - passport in my room. I am going down again tonight. Friday night  should be lively.

Nashville skyline

I didn't know 

This amused me because of the street it is on,

I think you have to be a certain age to remember

Lunch today was at the famous Loveless Cafe, waiting times for a table were one and a half hours so I took mine to go. The food was good but I wouldn't go out of my way for the experience, though it is near the terminus of the Natchez Trace so could fit in quite well.

Pigeon Forge and Dollywood tomorrow for four days, will I last out? More importantly, will the money?