Arrived in Olvera

 
We arrived in Spain about a week ago.  We spent the week getting settled in our rented house in Olvera.  

When we flew from Madeira to Malaga, via a 3 hour stop-over in Lisbon, everything went smoothly.  Having registered on both the Portugal and the Spain entry apps, all that was required on entry was quick scan of their entry code.

We had arranged for a rental car and the pickup went smoothly as well.  As usual, we didn’t get the selected vehicle but an “upgrade” to Peugeot Rifter, an SUV sized vehicle, diesel. It worked out well.

It was the first car that I had driven with a lane warning system.  It surprised me the first time I changed lanes when the steering tried to keep me in the current lane.  Once I figured out that the turn signals cancel the lane change correction, it was less annoying.  

We have retrieved our bicycles from the storage garage and have been for one short ride.  Everything seems good with the bikes and their batteries.                         

For our first ride we headed out along the Via Verde de Las Sierras, an abandoned rail line.  It is nice scenic ride thought 18 tunnels and a few bridges. About 36 K in length with 3 cafes along the route. All of which are restored stations.

The photo below is of the Olvera station located n the outskirts of town. It has very nice restaurant and bar. We enjoyed some nice tapas and drinks at the end of the ride.

Getting the motorcycle was ready was a bit more problematic. The battery had been on an “intelligent” storage battery charger but the battery was completely dead.  A new battery solved the problem and the motor started on the first crank. My insurance is valid today, so we will get the moto out of the garage later today.

 

The weather has been quite cool over night.  A couple of days ago it went down to 2 degrees but it warmed up to about 17 degrees by afternoon. Last night the temperature only went down to 11 degrees, which is normal for this  time of year, highs around 20.  Perfect for out door activity.

 

These are a couple of photos taken while walking around town.    On the left, some garden pottery art.

 

 

 

There are lots of orange trees in town along many of the streets. The oranges are a just ripening.

Thursday we took the rental car back to Malaga and spent the night there.  It  was definitely busier in Malaga than it is here in Olvera.  Lots of Brits and northern Europeans. 

We had a nice time exploring Malaga and we bought a few things that we needed, before taking the bus back to Olvera.

These are a couple of shots from the main downtown shopping area of Malaga.    Vehicle traffic is highly restricted on many of these streets. 

The weather forecast looks good for the coming week.  We will probably take the moto out for a test ride down to the coast one day and get in some longer bike rides.

 There are nice villages within bicycle riding distance with good cafes and restaurants. When we eat a meal out, we generally eat midday or early afternoon. Most stores and restaurants are closed between 2pm and 5pm.

Stores reopen around 5pm but restaurants don't reopen until 8pm.

Getting ready to leave Madeira

 Early tomorrow morning we are heading for Spain.  

Travelling now is complicated. One has to try to stay on top of the ever changing Covid regulations.  Spain and Portugal in some ways loosened their regulations but tightened them in other ways.  The entry regulations have tightened in the last week or so.    To enter Spain now, from most countries, you need a booster shot and a negative antigen test taken within 24 hour of arrival.  Both Portugal and Spain have online forms that need to be completed prior to travel.  

We have completed everything except the antigen test. We will get one this afternoon.  They are readily available at many locations around town.   Antigen tests are still required to some indoor activities.  If they are required, they are free of charge but for travel, they cost 15 Euros (about $22.)

 We have stayed pretty close to home this last week but we have been walking every day. The weather has been nice, mostly sunny and a little warmer.  Below are a few photos

 

We hiked up into the urban hills above the apartment. On the way back down we found a dirt path.

 

The pretty little port town of Camara de Lobos.  It is connected to Funchal via a beach promenade.

 

Taken in a park near the centre of Funchal

We had lunch here yesterday. Excellent organic food! A very friendly owner. Highly recommended.

    

Just a couple of more shots from downtown Funchal. 

To the right is a typical street with outdoor restaurants and limited traffic.

Below is photo taken along the water front. The giant concrete piee work very well as a water break  They are about 3 metres wide from point to point.

Time to start packing!

Summary of Outings

The weather has been nicer over the last few days. Unfortunately, strong east winds have carried dust from Africa and the visibility has been limited by the haze. The temperatures along the south coast have been comfortable, 18 to 20 degrees, but inland, at higher elevation, it is cold, uncomfortable cold on the motorbike in the strong winds.  The temperatures were great for hiking though, so we have been out exploring.

 I'm not going into much detail on the posting. Just some comments with the photos.

On one of the days we took the shortest route to the coast to get back to warmer weather. These 2 photos were taken in the coastal town of Calheta

Calheta Beach

One of the many spectacular views going up ER228

 

And another shot from view point on ER228

 

 

The next 3 photos from a walk along Levada do Norte - Encumeada

In this photo you can see the haze from the dust in the air.

Sometimes there is a path beside the lavada other times not.

This is one of the tunnels on this lavada. You have to stoop to get through. If you look closely you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

We encountered these two roosters at rest stop. As soon as they saw us they came running toward us. They have obviously learned that this is the place where people stop and get out the food.

This particular trail was interesting and challenging at times.  We came down it from Lavada do Alecrim heading for the cafe at Rabacal. Linda will take any trail is there is coffee at the end of it! 😀

 

 These two photos (above and below) were taken along the trails in the Lavadas das 25 Fontes area, a popular area with a variety of types of trails.

One of the 25 Fontes. Some are quite large but most are in attractive little grotto

While having coffee and a snack at the cafe we were accompanied by these little birds, Madeira Chaffinch. They are not at all shy! Just like the roosters, they are looking for a handout.

            

 

These photos (below) were taken on a trail along the north shore. The trail starts at a restaurant and bar called Arcos. It is locate about 20K west of the town of Santana. The trail follows the cliff down to another cafe in the next valley.  As we descended the trail condition deteriorated but it was passable.

The handrails became quite flimsy but at leas they were there.

The mandatory Selfie!

Looking down this trail. The destination is the cafe on the other side of the valley

Rain is forecast next couple of days, then back to sun for our last week in Madeira