A Night in Porto: Dust, Fado, and a Very Small Dog
We stayed in Porto after the sun went down. No rush to get back to the van. The air had cooled but the pavements were still warm, and the light over the Douro turned from gold to something softer. Mary said we’d regret it if we didn’t see the city at night, and she was […]
Porto: A Grand Arrival
We’d left Viana do Castelo late, hugging the coast where we could. Porto didn’t welcome us like we’d expected. Lanes split without warning, signs popped up after we’d already guessed the turn, and I’m fairly sure we circled the same block more times than I’ll admit. Eventually found a spot by the river that looked […]
Crossing into Portugal: First Stop, Viana do Castelo
We slid into Portugal like we were sneaking out of a party we never got invited to. One faded sign, no fanfare. I’d expected a dramatic border moment—a stamp, a sigh, a sudden burst of fado music maybe. Before Portugal we dropped into Santiago de Compostela as you will doubtlessly remember! We did. Instead, Kevin […]
Santiago de Compostela: Pilgrims and Reflections
We didn’t walk the Camino. Let’s get that out of the way upfront, before the walking boot brigade starts firing off emails about “missing the point.” We drove to Santiago. All 88 diesel-chugging kilometres from Coruña, powered not by faith or spiritual awakening, but by the promise of hot showers and a decent laundrette. And […]
Coruña: City Life and a Bit of Football
We were warned. Back in Viveiro, a man selling sardines out of a cooler box told Kevin, “Coruña es bonita, pero no es para campers.” He said it with that half-smile Galicians do when they know you’re about to suffer. I think he even winked. Kevin took it as a challenge. By the time we […]
The Spanish We Should’ve Learned Before Driving the Costa da Morte
We should have known the Costa da Morte would push us around a little. The name alone—“Coast of Death”—was a pretty good clue. But after surviving Finisterre’s relentless wind and an unfortunate barnacle-related incident, we figured we were ready for anything. We were wrong. It started in Muxía, a tiny coastal town with waves that […]
The Rías Baixas & a Vineyard Tour
We didn’t mean to end up in wine country. Not in the way people plan for it, at least. No careful itinerary, no list of must-visit wineries, no pretentious dreams of swirling glasses and nodding knowingly. It happened because of a wrong turn. One minute we were following the coast, the next we were rolling […]
The Finisterre Experience: The End of the World
We weren’t even sure we wanted to go. Finisterre, the so-called “end of the world,” felt like one of those places you visit because you’re supposed to, not because you actually care. A tick-the-box kind of stop. But when you’re already drifting along the coast, when the Atlantic keeps pulling you west, you eventually run […]
A Beachside Stay in Carnota
I don’t know why we nearly skipped Carnota. It was just a name on the map, a maybe-stop if we had time, if the weather was good, if the van didn’t make any weird noises that day. But somehow, we ended up here. And then, we didn’t leave. Carnota Beach is huge. Not just “oh, […]
The Rainy Day in Ortigueira
The drive to Ortigueira started off well enough. The road hugged the coastline, offering up stunning views of the sea, dramatic cliffs, and the occasional lighthouse standing defiantly against the elements. But as we got closer, the sky darkened, and before we knew it, the rain had arrived. And not just a light drizzle—the full […]
Playa de la Catedrales & a Night in Viveiro
No lorries on the road this morning. A couple of farm vans, one guy on a battered scooter with a bag of bread hanging from the handlebars. Smell of something burnt drifting in from a field. Mary wasn’t bracing herself against the dashboard, which made me glance over twice just to check. Playa de las […]
Madrid and the Unexpected Wine Encounter
Madrid was loud, fast, and exhausting. We’d spent weeks in the quiet of northern Spain, where the biggest decision of the day was where to park the van or whether we fancied another coffee. And then suddenly—bam—city life. We weren’t ready. But we couldn’t not stop. It’s Madrid. We gave ourselves one day. Doing Madrid […]