A Return to Civilisation

Day 258-273

After a somewhat rushed exit out of Morocco to save our sanity it was a welcome relief to be back in Europe.  

As much as we loved our time in Morocco we were glad to be back in a place where you can do your grocery shopping in peace and not dodge people and donkeys while driving on the motorway!  

The following pictures show our time travelling up the south west coast of Spain (via Gibraltar) and along the length of Portugal.   

Enjoying the sunrise and the view of the Rock of Gibralta from Spain.

Cooking up another delicious dish in our very own Tagine. 

Seville Cathedral: the largest Gothic Cathedral and 4th largest Church in the world! 

Seville was a delight to explore. One of the better cities we have visited in Spain.

The Alcazar of Seville,  apparently it is the oldest Royal Palace still in use in Europe! 

One of the many stylish buildings in Seville. 

Plaza de Espana- an impressive area built in 1928 for the Iberio-American Exposition of 1929.

Chilling on the steps of the Plaza de Espana.

You could hire a boat and row along the canal but didn't feel it was necessary as it was only 200m long.

We loved this place...

Soaking up the sun at the Plaza de Espana. 

The small town of Tavira, an authentic Portugese fishing town.

We managed to time our visit to Loule with its annual Carnival Festival. They had some amazing colourful floats made out of polystyrene that often mocked the political leaders and Portugals current financial situation.   

Luke especially liked this float I think we watched it go by more than any other one.

Note the girl on the top centre platform wearing only a g-string... nothing else!!! 

Loule festival old Nicky boy and the marching band. 

I am not a crook!

Marina Club Lagos!  We stayed here with our good friends Belinda and Nick back in 2010 and just had to get another photo for old times sake. 

Vila Nova de Milfontes in Portugal.

Stunning coastal scenery, the view from Praia do Amado in Portugal.

While Luke was out Surfing I tried to get a photo of these fast little birds that ran along the shore line dodging the waves. 

Post surf Luke after getting hammered. 

Portugal seems to have some pretty awesome graffiti. This work of art is in Setubal. 

North of Lisbon is the cute town of Sintra equipped with is very own Palace.

High above the town of Sintra is the Castle of the Moors.  Luckily you could get a good view of the castle and town below without having to pay the exorbitant entrance fee.

The view of the Palace of Sintra as we walked up the Castle.

Tuk Tuk Taxi - Portugese Style.

Loved Sintra! 

The weather has taken a turn for the worst in the quaint town of Obidos. 

Parked at Nazare beach.  This is where the current world record is held for surfing the biggest wave in history!  We only missed it by 3 weeks.

Check out the link to see for yourself-

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2270128/Garrett-McNamara-The-breathtaking-moment-thrill-seeking-surfer-catches-worlds-biggest-wave-coast-Portugal.html

Some more amazing street art in Portgual.  This photo was taken in Viano do Castelo.