This day starts long and slow. It was much cooler overnight and the morning has woken up in a similar vein. Today there is no rush to get out of the van before it starts to superheat due to the rays of the sun. To be more accurate, due to the wonderful summer breeze, the van doesn’t overheat as long as the doors are open. An interesting fact is that the average windspeed is slightly higher during the summer months in this area than in the winter, but only ever two thirds of the windspeed in Milton Keynes (England).
We are charging everything up for our last off-grid stint in TUT before heading back to the UK. There is no rush today. It is just an average day doing what will become our life when we move out here. A bit of writing, a bit of coaching, a lot of learning. We are spending so much time on Google looking things up, that I know when we are back in the UK there will be a surfeit of research to do.
Blogs written and posted, we get TUT ready for a trip into Castelo Branco. We have to find somewhere for an antigen test on Monday before we can go on the Eurotunnel. We have found a couple of potential providers in the area.
We set off for the first one where you are not allowed to book, and it seems busy but will suffice if necessary. Then we drive into Castelo Branco to find the second one which is right in the centre of the town. Kimberley dives out of the van to investigate whilst I stay with TUT as there is nowhere to park. Traffic flies by hooting their horns at me, making me feel very self-conscious. Actually, what really happens is that three cars pass me in the five minutes I am waiting, and the only thing I got was smiles. I love this place.
Kimberley comes back with a major result. We have booked slots for 9.00am and 9.10am for the day we leave Portugal. The cost of these tests is €15 each. Now it does seem to me that somebody in the UK is making a whole load of money if actually they can be done for €15 and in the UK we’re paying around £60 each. I pull away and we find ourselves heading towards the old town.
Shamefully we haven’t been to visit the castle or the wonderful gardens and waterfalls in the centre of the region’s capital. We park at the bottom of the hill and start walking up towards the castle. It is steep and we stop a couple of times for water. The view from the top of the city is spectacular, and we take our time walking through the castle ramparts and the nearby houses built around the 15th century. It is a pleasant interlude.
It is only surpassed, in my opinion, by the wonderful city park. How have we not been here before? I have no idea, but I am glad we are here today. The fountains are imaginative, and I particularly like the waterfall steps you are allowed to walk up to cool your feet.
So having spent some time wandering round town, we head to the outskirts to get a few bits we will need from Hiper China. Ribbon, a travel mug, and magnets. We find the ribbon which is very suitable, the magnets which aren’t suitable so we don’t buy them, and can’t find a travel mug at all! There is no Amazon in Portugal (yet) so the China shops are like all the bits and pieces of (mostly tat), but all the things you can’t buy from a good department store!
To round the day off Kimberley has found a really nice Italian restaurant for us to try called Arena di Verona’s. The food is fantastic, and it is buzzing with all the tables full. It is lucky that we always arrive early at these places! We round off the day with a few groceries from Continente and then head back to Oledo for our overnight stop.
A restless night awaits as tomorrow promises to be a very big day, one way or the other.
Night night all.