Road Trips

Not planning to drive in the cities we are visiting made us realize it is giving us a limited experience. After being in the middle of and walking around Lisbon, Portugal, for weeks, we decided we wanted to see the outlying areas. We went to Melides in the Alentejo region. We booked into an small 8-room eco-lodge near beaches on the Atlantic coast. That was such a magical trip that we decided to take another weekend trip when in Valencia. In Spain, we booked into another small 6-room boutique hotel in Gandia, on the Mediterranean.

Both trips were similar as they were about an hour and a half from the city we were in, both were near a beach, and both also had pools and meals available. Both trips also featured side trips to Roman ruins. I realized when I sat down to write about Gandia, Spain, that I never posted about the trip in Portugal. I’m new to blogging and I’ll admin I’m finding it hard to keep up with the pace of our travels. This feels like an opportunity to talk about both of these trips within trips.

Alentejo – Melides, Portugal

Getting out of Lisbon was easier than getting back in with a rental car. The best deal and recommended option was to rent from a company at the airport. Fortunately, Trev easily remembered how to drive a stick as all rentals we found that were affordable were were standard transmission. While I can drive one, there was no way I was aggressive enough to manage those roadways.

The drive south was wonderful. Finally, some countryside. We drove through river valleys, but don’t think high mountain Colorado-type valleys. The landscape is rolling hills and the valleys are shallow. Some of the winemakers at the wine-tasting had described the landscape and we were seeing it for ourselves. The Alentejo is one of two major wine producing regions of Portugal – the other being the Douro.

Initially, we saw lots of pine trees we began to call “Seuss Pines” after, you know, the lollipop-looking trees from our childhoods. We then began to see landscape that reminded us both of the Texas hill country. Scrubby, dry, punctuated with clumps of trees. Turns out the ranch-like views were full of cork trees which belong in the genus Quercus, closely related to oaks. No wonder they looked like Live oaks.

Little did we know, among the Mediterranean region where natural cork comes from, southern Portugal produces the most. Vast cork forests are here, and it was an amazing site. As you get off the main roads, you start to see “naked” trees where the cork has been stripped. This is sustainable in that the tree has to be 25 years old before they can start harvesting. Harvest can then continue every 10 years for 200 years. One of the photos shows a tree with reddish color marked with a 3. Another is much darker marked with an 8. This indicates the year it was harvested and when it can be harvested again – so 2023 and not again until 2033 and the other they will harvest next in 2028. Locals told us that people inherit their trees and continue the harvest cycle done by generations of their families.

What made our stay in Melides magical was two-fold, the people and the location. This small eco-resort has a long, salt water pool that is a huge highlight. The woman that is the concierge, manager, and breakfast cook is incredible. She was so warm and welcoming, made us a restaurant reservation and recommendation, and was a big advocate for the Alentejo, her home. The day we arrived we were early and went to the beach. Gorgeous with refreshing water for the hot sun. But the surf was a bit too rough for me so I only walked in a bit while Trev took the plunge.

We spent one whole day doing nothing but reading, laying by the pool, and napping. Aside from some emails and texting, we were hardly on our devices, which was a great break. We were hard pressed to remember the last time we were unplugged and think it was a long ago weekend trip to Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. So glad we did this.

Upon leaving, we headed a bit further southwest to find the ruins of an old Roman dam. Incredible. And not far from that site and up a hill, a church with valley views. What we were so surprised to find up on that hill was the marker for the Camino de Santiago. We walked a short bit of it, to say we did it, with the thought that a future trip to Portugal or Spain will include walking the way.

Gandia, Spain

Lightning rarely strikes twice, but we tried with the trip to Gandia, Spain, and came very close. What was really exciting about this trip was the chance to experience the Mediterranean. Side note: We had actually rented bikes in Valencia and biked down the Turia and south on very nice bike trails 9 kilometers to a beach. Our original target had been Malvarossa Beach close to town. However, the very nice woman at the bike rental shop warned us off of that beach. In her words, ‘full of gypsies and not nice nor safe’. On her recommendation, we went to Pinedo Beach. For anyone wanting advice, this was an excellent option but go early in the day. as the day wore on, the wind picked up, our umbrella couldn’t handle it, the waves got choppier and the sun hotter.

We had planned to find a beach to enjoy before arriving at our hotel but were thwarted repeatedly by closed roads, tricky roundabout traffic, and a lack of parking. We did drive through the town of Cullera which had great beaches but was jam packed with people. Instead, we arrived early and they graciously allowed us to drop our luggage and walk to the beach. It was wonderful. Trev taught me some basics of body surfing the waves. The water was wonderful, super clear, and though there were a lot of people, it all worked.

Back at our hotel, we had decided to just get our meals there and had a wonderful dinner. The next day, as we did in Portugal, we opted for a lazy day at the pool. What this place in Gandia offered which we loved was an “honesty bar”. All we had to do was write down on paper what we were taking – beer or evening making a cocktail, chips, olives, etc. All of this was at an outdoor covered bar at the end of the pool. Our time there was lovely and the food, both breakfasts and dinners, was exceptional. I discovered burata and basil ice cream, yes and yes.

Castell de Corbera

Similar to our trip in Portugal, upon leaving we took advantage of the route back to tuck in a bit more roaming and history. We found a castle in the town of Corbera under renovation but open to limited viewing. I was quite taken with this castle. To access the trail to it we had to drive and walk through the small town of Corbera. It was on a Monday morning and people were out for coffee at local cafes. We turned a lot of heads – neither of us look Spanish – and you got the feeling in this compact town that everyone knows everyone, and visitors stand out. Once we found the trail, it was up to the foot of this massive structure.

Originally, there was a Roman structure here. Upon that, Muslims built this castle sometime in the 11th century. You can see the base that changes from mountain to boulders and then a more sophisticated wall on top of that. The castle was part of a defensive framework across the Iberian peninsula. The Muslims remained in control of it until it was conquered by James 1 in 1248. Later, in 1521, the castle was destroyed during the Revolt of the Brotherhoods that rocked Valencia.

It was further damaged in the 1600s when residents of Corbera were given permission to use materials from the castle for construction projects in the town. We had read that a renovation project was underway. As we rounded the castle you could see where they were working to fill in and fortify walls that could potentially crumble. As it happens, on the trail we took we had to walk around a large container of water and then a pallet of goods. All evidence of the restoration efforts. However, we discovered after rounding the base where there were some steep drops and cave-like hollows under the base, that access was prohibited. Whoops.

It certainly felt a bit post to book weekend retreats at these boutique hotels/resorts. But you know, we work hard and rarely do things like that to reward ourselves. Yes, we are in Europe for 4 months, but we are working everyday we are supposed to, except for the time we have planned in Lithuania. Especially for Trevor, who works so very hard with his business, it was a beautiful gift we gave ourselves to slow down and relax. We might be trying to do more of that in the future because that gift of time was glorious.