We decided that we were so close to Portugal that it would be rude not to go there! We thought we’d go across from where we were in Merida and then down into The Algarve then back across into Spain. Our first stop was a town called Evora which was inland and probably about halfway between Lisbon and the Spanish border.
Evora
We arrived at Evora late afternoon and our time immediately went back an hour in line with UK time! Spain is an hour in front.
We had a roam around and the highlight of the town is the ancient Roman Temple of Evora, built in the first century as a temple dedicated to the cult of Augustus. It is the best preserved temple on the Iberian Peninsula.
Here it is from a bit further away. There was also some sculptures a little further down from the temple. I only took a photo of the one below. There was a big group of students who were getting graduation photos done so it was quite busy.
The old town centre is partially enclosed by medieval walls and has monuments dating back to various periods in history. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Here’s a few more photo’s from Evora. We thought it was a great place to stop for the night.
Olhão
In the morning we continued South to The Algarve, the city of Faro was more or less a straight line down from where we were, but we decided that might be a bit commercial so we headed for Olhão which was just on the outskirts of Faro heading back towards Spain.
I was actually getting excited at the prospect of a swim! It had been almost 2 weeks since I’d last swum. That is such a long time for me! I was starting to feel a bit desperate.
We arrived and it was a bit wet but we were able to go for a walk around. I discovered that there was no beach as such only a harbour. Apparently to go to a beach where you could swim you had to get a boat. There appeared to be lots of little islets when you looked at the map. I then found out that there were no boats operating in the winter so any chance I thought I might have of a swim wasn’t going to happen here!
We found a nice place to have dinner that night. We tried the local red snapper and it was really nice.
We’d read about a big fish market and a fruit and veg market that was on every morning at Olhão.
In the morning it was raining really heavily. We tried to choose our moment and dodge the rain but it proved quite difficult. Luckily the fish market was inside but the fruit and veg part was mainly outside. We still managed to come away with quite a lot of both!
Can you spot Dee in both of the photos below?
Once we got back to the van the rain seemed to be set in for the rest of the day. Time to move the next day.
Monte Gordo
The following day was a sunny one! We headed to Monte Gordo which was very close to the Spanish border so it would be our last stop in Portugal before heading back into Spain.
Monte Gordo was a ‘proper’ beach resort with sand and a beach and no boat needed! Finally after 2 long weeks I was going to swim. I was so excited! Here I go!
It was the Atlantic and supposedly cold but I didn’t care and it was still much warmer than the sea I left behind in Brighton!
I really liked Monte Gordo, we had a park up right next to the beach and it wasn’t far into town where there were a few shops and restaurants.
The rain started again around 4pm that afternoon and it continued all night and the next day. It was relentless! Finally after being stir crazy in the van all day it stopped! Probably around 4/5pm. Gradually everyone started coming out of their vans! We went for a walk.
This is Monte Gordo.
When the rain finally stopped we walked around town to find that everything was closed. It had been so wet that we guessed the shops and restaurants just thought it wasn’t worth opening! Eventually we found somewhere open and managed to get a traditional Portuguese dish of grilled sardines.
The following morning it was still dry, we went for a walk and we decided it was time to move on back into Spain. We arrived in Portugal on Thurs afternoon and we left on Tuesday morning, hence the title of a long weekend in Portugal.
The next post will continue our journey back in Spain.
We hope you are enjoying our blog and we’d love you to follow us.
You can also choose to follow us on Facebook and Instagram just click on the icons below.
Our Life on the Road 
You have never eaten great sardines until you visit Spain and Portugal, soooo delicious. Once again great photos, too bad about the rain though, that can really ruin travel arrangements. Did you find somewhere that sold the obligatory Portuguese tarts?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes sardines were delicious . Sadler no Portuguese tarts 🙁 . I have had them before though in Lisbon and they are lovely too x
LikeLike