Vaughan_Ventures

Travel Journal- Bones, Caves, and More Caves

Mira de Aire, Évora, Carvoeiro, & Lagoa, Portugal

August 6th- August 8th, 2019

Some of our favorite adventures from Portugal involve caves! Our first cave experience was a tour through the “Grutas de Mira de Aire” (Caves of Mira de Aire). We loved it! We got to go underground 678 steps and learn about the exploration of these caves that were only just discovered in 1947. Our tour guide was amazing as she was very kind and funny. She spoke English very well, so she was able to give the tour in both English and Portuguese. When we asked her where she learned to speak English so well, she said that she learned it from watching television growing up! She showed us all the stalagmites and stalactites that have formed over thousands of years and gave us some more history on the area.

We were satisfied with our visit and couldn’t wait to see more caves, but not before we stopped in Évora to see the Chapel of Bones…

Quote leading into the Chapel of Bones:

“We bones, are here, waiting for yours.”

How Ben would describe the Chapel of Bones:

“Unique and hallowed”

How I would describe the Chapel of Bones:

“Disgusting!”

Because yea, it’s pretty gross that it’s made up of real human skeletons… but in actuality it is really unique and sacred. Back in the day, the city of Évora was running out of burial space; so they moved the remains of all the monks and holy people into the chapel and began using their bones as decor.

I know, “ummm ew”. Buuuut it was actually considered a great honor to be laid to rest in this holy chapel. Especially since they worked most of their lives in the building and now can eternally protect and literally uphold it. So it definitely deserves some respect and the building certainly lives up to its name. We also visited the museum upstairs and looked at their huge collection of nativity scenes from all over the world. Really beautiful.

Guess what came next….? Mooooorreee caves! In Carvoeiro, Portugal, there is a pretty neat cliffwalk/boardwalk overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Known as the Algar Seco Cliff Walk, it starts you high atop the Algar Seco Rock formation and then takes you down into the caves and rocks hidden along the coast! We enjoyed shimmying through some tight spaces and looking through “windows” with a wonderful view of the sea. It was a great adventure!

We decided to treat ourselves to a little “luxury” in a city not to far from Carvoeiro. Portimão afforded us a camping resort where we could shower for 50 cents and do a load of laundry (with a real washing machine! Haha). It also had a swimming pool and bar. We got in kind of late, but the kitchen was still open. To Ben’s pleasant surprise, the chef was Dutch! They chatted in German for a bit and then we ordered two schnitzels. It was delicious and it made our hearts happy to have a home cooked meal. (Sorry, forgot to take pictures!)

Our final Portuguese cave adventure was in Lagoa at the famous Benagil Cave. You can only get to the inside of this cave by water, so we began the search for a rental. Since it’s high season, many of the kayak rental places are crazy expensive and booked up. So Ben did his super research “thang” and found us a small “shop” on a less busy beach. I think it is best to leave the name of the company anonymous, because we think the owner may have been doing something shady haha. He wasn’t sketchy socially, as he was actually very kind and upbeat! He was happy to speak English and gave us a kayak for only 40 Euro (much cheaper than the other places!) The sketchy part was his explanation of how it is against the law for him to rent the kayak to us from the beach, so we would have to carry it up and down the long walkway by ourselves. We were so happy about the price we didn’t even care, we just hoped for the best 😅😂.

But it was well worth it! We paddled our kayak for about 45 minutes before reaching the cave. The water was pretty busy; as I said before, it is high season so there were lots of tour boats, kayakers, and paddle-boarders around. But once we entered the cave it blew our minds! Inside was a small beach area with big and small boulders. Then when you raise your eyes upward, you can peek through a gigantic hole, revealing the bright blue sky! We went inside a bit further and found a few more stacked rocks, took one last look at the massive opening, and then started our voyage back to the beach. Ben and I got in a bit of a tiff on the way back because he wanted to go into a small “cave” and I didn’t. It was more like a hole in the rock if you ask me and it did not seem safe! So we grumpily paddled back but then settled our differences over pizza at the beach’s snack bar.

Side note: This is not the first time we have had a “tiff” on this adventure. We are learning a lot about each other and how we handle stress and new situations. It is amazing to see my husband overcome odds and put himself out there even when things are scary or uncomfortable. We have learned to love each other through the hard stuff and support one another on both our good and bad days. We are so grateful that we can experience these things together, even when we don’t always agree haha.

All in all, Portugal was absolutely amazing. The people were so wonderful and the sites were beautiful. Now we are headed back into Spain!

Travel Journal- Portugal

Peneda-Gerês National Park, Braga, & Tomar

August 4-6, 2019

This part of our trip was slightly hurried as we had to be in Barcelona to meet my parents and sisters in just ten days! Yay!

On our way into Portugal, we stayed the night in the Peneda-Gerês National Park. A little hike near our spot opened up to a quaint swimming hole and bridge. To our surprise, tucked way back in the trees, there was also a small bar. There were no signs on the road leading to it, so we figured it was the local secret. We got excited when we saw they had ice cream too! They were all very kind, even though we didn’t understand each other at all!

When we awoke, we drove through a bit more of the park, but then headed straight for the city of Braga. Of course when we got there it was very busy and there wasn’t much parking, so we had accidentally parked in a reserved spot. A woman was kind enough to tell us we would get a ticket if we didn’t move. We were a little embarrassed, but also thankful that someone was willing to help us. We are finding more and more that the citizens of Portugal seem to be willing to help, in a nice manner. This is a change from the past few days ha.

Anyway, we stopped to enjoy the small city center with a cathedral and some lovely fountains. We also got to see the Raio Palace, which has a beautiful blue face that contrasts with the dull stones and bricks of the buildings surrounding it. We spent the rest of the day in a shopping mall using their free wifi and eating some easy to order food!

On our way to Tomar, we stopped in a small town to sleep under the cover of beautiful green vines. It was directly across from a glorious chapel and aquaduct. We took a hike around the chapel and then cuddled in the van to get a good night’s sleep. Right as we closed our eyes, the chapel lit up with lights and loud music. Our parking lot filled with a few cars, where we could tell the people were smoking and partying.

There have been a few moments in the van where I have gotten nervous that something might happen to us or suspicious of the people around us (mostly just because I’m a chicken haha). But in this case, we just figured it was some teenagers getting together on a summer night. Everything was fine and I tried to tell myself to be more trusting and less fearful. Ben usually isn’t bothered and tells me to stop freaking out haha.

We woke up early the next morning to drive the rest of the way to Tomar. Here we visited the Convent of Christ and just walked around the garden area. It was very pretty!

Such pretty flowers here and all over Portugal!

Travel Journal- The Perfect Spot

Lastres & Busto

3 August- 4 August 2019

Unfortunately, the hustle and bustle of the big city followed us to the small town of Lastres. We thought we were getting away from the tourists, but this cute town was full of people! We have learned to get in the general area of your destination and then just park as soon as possible! It is very unlikely you will get a spot remotely close to what you want to see; the streets are so narrow and a lot of the spots are either taken or reserved for locals.

Side note: We know we are tourists too haha, it’s just easy (and funny) to say, “those darn tourists!”

However, we are grateful for the exercise, and getting to walk through the old cobblestone streets and alleyways is quite the treat. The walkways are narrow, but once you get to the far side of the town, you are greeted with a beautiful view of the ocean and the small port. We also walked to the highest point where we tried to fly the drone. The drone was met by an angry seagull who called out lots of warnings while swooping back and forth past it. So we thought it best to just enjoy the sights the old fashioned way.

That same day, we drove an hour and a half west to rest for the night near Busto. We found a small campsite near a lighthouse and trail that balanced along the top of a cliffside about 250ft up. Overlooking the cliffside was all ocean, for miles and miles. This was the PERFECT spot. I even said to Ben, “Now this is what we came for”. It took our breath away as the sunset filled the sky and the ocean reflected the colors. When the sun finally hid behind the sea, the lighthouse shined brightly and we were lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves.

We spent the next morning here as we couldn’t get enough of the view. We explored more of the trail and made our way down to the bottom of the cliff where we found a small cave. We used our “Scrubba” to do our first “load” of laundry and enjoyed a rinse from our new, pressurized camping shower (thanks Nona!). We ate cereal for lunch as the trail became more lively and people began staring at our drying clothes and messy van. So we decided to start our new adventure into Portugal!

-Syd & Ben

Travel Journal- Spain

San Sebastián & Bilbao, Spain

1 August – 2 August 2019

Just when we thought we were getting the hang of driving in Europe, we entered the city of San Sebastian. Cars stopping on a dime, motorcycles rushing in between lanes, pedestrians crossing at random places and times, and one way roads without clear marks…. so stressful! We had read before coming on this trip that the busiest months were the summer months (obviously), but we did not expect things to be THIS busy. Driving is difficult here without people around, so imagine how overwhelming it can be with tons of tourists mixed in! San Sebastián was POPPING, which really made it hard for us to find a parking spot for the night.

The lot we had our eyes on was completely full, so we used our “park4night” app to find another spot. We turned down a couple options as they were right in the middle of the city and there were some reviews saying they had been broken into. So we settled for a windy backroad up a mountain where we found a space with a view showing a sneak peek of the ocean. It also had a restroom with running water, but the sink didn’t drain and the open roof allowed for the rain to soak the floor and toilet.

TIP: Always bring your own paper to the public toilet. You never know if there will be any. It may not even be a real toilet. It may just be a flushable hole in the ground. Haha! Oh, and don’t flush the butt wipes – big no, no!

That next morning, we drove to the city of Bilbao to do some shopping for the van and buy some clothes. We also went swimming at a beach just outside of the city. Our newly purchased goggles and fins came in handy! However, I lost my new goggles as well as my silicon wedding band to the crashing ocean waves… so it was bittersweet.

This was also our first experience with Spanish beaches, and beach-goers. So, we saw our fair share of topless women and even some banana hammocks. We actually thought that this part of the culture was pretty cool. You could tell nobody really thinks twice about it and that it was just a normal thing. So no one was staring or being shy because it’s simply the cultural norm. Sorry, no pictures 😉

We finally retired for the night in a busy parking lot near the beach that stole my belongings. We had bought Durums from a small shop in town for dinner. They were supposed to be Döners because Ben has been craving them, but we accidentally ordered the wrong thing in the confusion over the language. It was still delicious.

Syd & Ben

Travel Journal- France

La Rochelle & Dune du Pilat

1 August 2019

We had parked for the night in a lot next to an old fortress near La Rochelle, France. It was already dark, but we were able to get the van organized while listening to music coming from a nearby concert. When we woke, we had a lovely view of the ocean and found a bathroom in the fortress. The old fortress had an aging cannon and anchor on display. We didn’t stay very long before heading to our next destination; the Dune of Pilat- the largest sand dune in Europe. Beforehand, we stopped to shop a bit where French people didn’t hesitate to tell us we were “going the wrong way” in the store or stare at us with a very noticeable stink eye. It was a bit of an adjustment, but we are learning as we go.

The area around the dune was very busy, so it was difficult to find parking. But from the road, we could see the giant dune towering over the trees. We finally found a spot to park! We hurried to nab it, when all of a sudden we sunk deep into soft sand…. We recognized our mistake immediately and tried to reverse out of the spot. We were stuck! We felt like silly tourists as we began digging ourselves out, not really getting anywhere. No one stopped to help us except for a very kind Spaniard from San Sebastián who said, “I have been stuck like this before and people helped me, so I feel like it is my turn to do the helping!” We were grateful he did because we eventually were freed! We thanked him and waved goodbye. I wish I would have taken some pictures, but it was kind of a stressful moment haha.

Once parked in a safe space, we began the hike up the dune. We had to take several breaks as we trudged up the steep sandy hill. This grand French dune reminded us of the Great Sand Dunes in Alamosa, CO. But this time it was nicer because there was way less wind! Our efforts were rewarded at the top with a wonderful color scheme of blues and greens and a white sandy base. The water was chilly and murky, but we were thankful for the break and the cool dip.

The walk back wasn’t as steep and we were able to bound with ease down the path we had trudged up earlier. We think Ben broke the world record for the long jump as the incline gave him a few extra feet! We got back into the car ready to explore the country of Spain!

-Syd & Ben

Travel Journal

Normandy & Brittany, France

31 July 2019

Today we woke up early to drive to Mont Saint Michel, which is an abbey built on a rock about 400m from the coast. From several miles away, as we rounded a corner, we spotted the tall tower and both went “whooooaa”. The anticipation was great as we drove closer and then walked 2 miles to finally reach the island. We had to pay 9€ to park, which gave us the option of riding the shuttle, but we decided to make the journey. This was actually fitting because throughout history, people would suffer a pilgrimage to show or increase their faith. Mont Saint Michel was a popular destination for these believers. We crossed a large bridge to get to the island; they built this because at high tide it is inaccessible.

Once we finally entered the city (over a drawbridge!) it was like waking through medieval times. The stairwells, alleyways, and structures were all made of stone. An old suit of armor stood guard over the entry to the Abbey and the chapel had beautiful decor and candles lit under the Archangel, Michael. We didn’t pay to take the tour all the way to the top, but we could still enjoy the view of the river from the overlook areas.

We drove about an hour and forty minutes southwest to Brittany and found the Paimpont Forest, also known as the Forest of Brocéliande. We chose this spot because of it’s rich medieval history. According to legend, this is where famous characters such as King Arthur, Merlin the Magician, and the fairy, Vivien, made their mark. We walked through the forest and unfortunately did not see any mythical creatures or witness any mysterious happenings, but it was a nice hike with an eerie feel. We visited the Tomb of Merlin where it is said that Vivien cast a spell on Merlin while he slept near a rock and encircled him 9 times to imprison him there for the rest of his days. To me, it simply looked like a rock, but it was still cool to read the stories. Ben thought it was magical.

We then drove to La Rochelle to get an ocean view and found a place to park near an old fortress! We hope you’ll read or next entry about the fortress and the Dune of Pilat!

Ben and Syd

Travel Journal

Paris & Versailles, France

30 July 2019

Well, we made it! I know some of you are thinking, “finally!” and trust us, so are we! Our nine hour flight out of Denver was amazingly rough as we got hardly any sleep. But we DID IT! Some people thought we would never go and others called us crazy for wanting to live in a van (in a foreign country) for four months. This took us over a year in planning, saving, and prepping! After we landed, we made our way through customs without any problems. Ben had done so well prepping all the possible paperwork. For example, we thought we might need things like bank statements, itineraries, and international drivers licenses; but it turns out, we didn’t need any of that. We had heard horror stories of people getting deported or being detained for wanting to stay so long without a visa, so we just wanted to play it safe. We may still need it all in other countries so we’ll see.

As we navigated our way through the airport, we said “Bonjour!” and “Merci!”, because that is the only French we know. We had some trouble finding the rental car place and had to go to a nearby hotel to call. This was our first moment of slight panic and frustration. But the woman there spoke English and called us a shuttle. We got to our car and everything went smoothly as we had done all that ahead of time (we will talk more about our prep in another post, but please let us know if you have questions).

This was it! We had our car and we were free to explore! But it took some stressful moments and some terrifying realizations before we started to feel comfortable. First of all, if you have never driven in Europe and are planning a trip, you may want to take some big deep breaths and say a little prayer because WOW.

TIP: People don’t move for automobiles, no matter how close they get or how fast they’re moving. All the road signs are different and oh, don’t turn right on red!

But we eventually found a parking space (which is like finding a needle in a haystack) and walked uphill to Sacré-Cœur. Sacré-Cœur or, The Basilica of the Scared Heart of Paris, definitely makes your eyes go wide. This tall church sits atop a hill overlooking the massive city of Paris. You can literally see miles and miles of the cramped buildings and small city streets. The area was filled with tourists and there were venders selling trinkets as well as locals offering to paint a picture of you.

We miraculously found our way back to the car and started on the journey of finding a gas station. Our navigation system in the car did not help much, so we used our mobile hotspot to find directions (we use Skyroam, which we can explain better too if you’d like). We soon realized that we had struggled finding gas because some of the stations are underground! We followed the signs to a station below the streets and “people watched” to understand the process. A man helped us by telling us we could pump the gas and then pay inside- they don’t have “pay at the pump”.

After our journey through the city, things calmed down a bit as we made our way to The Palace of Versailles. By the time we got there, it was closed for tours, but we were still able to enter the front gate and admire the gold plated fencing and the beautiful architecture. They checked our bags as we went in and the woman told Ben she’d be watching him closely because he was carrying his drone. He promised not to fly it and we trekked up the cobblestone walkway to admire the huge mural. The city was lovely with less people and traffic. But we still had to pay for parking.

That night, we found a quiet spot to park near a playground and public restroom. IKEA had helped us find a mattress and some blankets for the night, but privacy was much appreciated as we didn’t have a ton of coverage for the van yet.

In the future, we’re expecting these posts to be shorter and more informative…. with more pictures too! But it has taken us awhile to get our footing and figure out how we want to travel, update, and journal/blog.

Ben & Syd