Mixed feelings so far about here...

So we left Spain yesterday and crossed the boarder with nothing to tell us we had left other then a good bye sign on the bridge. As you move further west you do notice a increase in trees and greenery. It is much more green here and less dry and we found real grass to day in a park. It is more like England as a landscape with rolling hills with trees rather then sharp mountains. we are at a camp site just across the boarder near Estemoz.

Today has made me realise just how unprepared I was for this bit of the trip. I have just stumbled into Portugal with out knowing a single word of Portuguese, and not really knowing what I am doing. We went off to explore a national heritage site today in the ton of Evora. It is a beautiful walled town with medieval and Roman parts to it. of course we ending the tour in a park, and this is where we found real grass growing! Now you don't get this in Spain at all. All the grass, if any that you find there is hard and strange a, and so looked after it is untrue. This however is real grass growing on its own. 

The place was lovely, although I must admit the poeple were not as friendly as in Spain here (In this town anyway!) and when I asked for directions a older llady waved me off as though I was a fly in her way? I am hoping that this is just the locals getting fed up with so many tourists in the town? The langue is very different and I was expecting it to be similar at least to Spanish, which it is not! (again at least not here!) I have mixed feelings about it here. The town was amazing, yet the people less friendly. 

We are moving on again tomorrow to try and find some more chatty people. We will head to Castello Branco which is near the first family we have had contact with. I can then arrange to meet up with them and get some support (I hope) and a bit if bearing on where I am. It is much harder to wader randomly about in the heat with two children. I need someone to give me a heads up on where is good to go and hopefully introduce us a bit into the culture here. (which I know nothing about) When I headed to Spain I knew we were headed to People who knew the terrain. They had lived there a while and could help a bit. I feel like I know Spain now. I can communicate (If only in baby talk) enough to be understood , and to understand even more. I knew the shops to expect in each town, and general rules about the land. That has gone again now and I know nothing here. Spain had become my friend, to the point that just as we were about the cross the boarder I was pulled by the police for a supposed driving offence. Something to do with over taking a tractor. I explained that I had no idea what I had done and they said that I had overtaken on a bit of road that I shouldn't have. I apologised and they told me it would be 100 euros. Great I said, While in Spain a Spanish driver hit my car, the police hit my car, and on the way out you fine me. Viva Espanya! After my rant which was entirely in poor Spanish as neither of them spoke a work of English, they looked at me, looked at the children and our crappy old caravan, felt sorry for me and let me on my way. I felt redeemed by Spain and that we had at last become good old friends. I could get off a fine in Spanish well enough anyway. I would love to go back and explore some more. We will see. So the children could do with some friends again, as it has been a while since they played with other children so on to the next place tomorrow and.....

Some more pics before we leave Spain....

As I have five minutes and some wifi, which is rare so far, I will waffle for a bit.

The children are off playing in the park and I am sat on the terrace in the sun. I must say it is nice here. I would like to return here at some point and explore more, but for now I am keen to get into Portugal and see the difference. I feel a bit like this summer has been very cereal. I am sat in Spain in the sun with the kids on my own. I don't know how I got here really. I have no idea what is going on in the world out side here. We have had TV, no phone, an no internet access bar the blog writing. I have been told there is a possible job waiting for me in Portugal teaching English. Could be interesting. We will see what unfolds in the next few weeks. Living the unknown. Will let you know when I do. 

Off to Portugal we go...

Ok, it ha been a while, I know. We have been suffering with lack of internet issues. Were to start? Tim arrived on...hang on what day is it now? (she checks her phone to see) Ok so he arrived on Sunday afternoon and promptly fell asleep. Well it was just like being at home. he was knackard and running on two hours sleep so spend the rest of Sunday asleep. (I will have to load all the photos as and when I can get a signal, as there is no signal here at all on my phone. (So I can't make any calls until next site tomorrow) He woke up for Monday and we went off to the oceangraphic in Valencia and had a lovely day! (Photos to follow) We then spent Tuesday on the beach, and Amy's Birthday on the Wednesday at the water park. A good time was had by all and we were sad to see him leave on the Wednesday evening straight after cake and candles with Amy.
Random photos now that I have managed to get off my phone, however they are in no order as the emails aren't coming through in order and taking hours to go off. this first one is Amy just after she had ridden her bike for the first time...Oh the shock...

So here are the gallery photos and the last of the Mariola ones.

So these are the ones from some of last week, including Tims visit and Amy's Birthday. 

We saw lots of animals at the zoo, and have had a few great days out...

So now we find ourselves here.....

And can I just say that the caravan was reversed into that space by me! Don't ask how, as I still don't know how. I think I was speared on by the fact that at the last two sites I have seen people hit trees and take down bins, smashing their lights in, and that was couples who had help. No one can reverse them like experts as you just don't have the space to practice. I saw one couple really take a bin out and smash their lights in and that was while she was supposedly giving instructions through the window. Any way, we are now just under two hours off the Portuguese boarder. On the N 430. We drove from Valencia straight across from east to west and are now ready to cross the boarder tomorrow. The site here is lovely and the owners are really nice. So tomorrow a new country, and one I know little about. This should be interesting. we are going to stay in a site not far from the boarder the other side for a night or two, before going on up to near where the families we have been in contact with live. I must say the kids where great in the car yesterday and considering it was nearly 6 hours I still felt like we had a great day. we stopped and chatted about the journey and looked at the map, and then went swimming as soon as we arrived. I am really enjoying being with them. A moment of feeling very lucky I think. I meet a guy who was cycling to the Sahara dessert  yesterday. We chatted for ages and he left London on his bike and will return in four years when he has seen the world. We talked about fear and how it can stop people from following what the want to do. The fear of doing something is never ever what it is actually like to do it in reality. Fear is nothing more then a thought saying something that it actually know's nothing about yet! It hasn't done it yet. To feel the fear and do it anyway is a real buzz, and what's the worst that can happen? You can brake down on the side of the road, get your car smashed, and have your card eaten in the same week. Do you know what though...I would do it all again tomorrow. I have met some wonderful people and seen some amazing places because of that. All those friends who have emailed me and said you are inspired to take off with your children...go for it! The world is amazing and there for the exploring. Spain is Beautiful, friendly, and warm! I could be sat in that house in England, waiting for my husband to come home and fall asleep....er...no....Next country tomorrow.......

Will try and post gain later as loads to say still...Wifi dependent.

Zoo, Beaches, and lot's of sun...

As our time on the Mariola has ended I must say it is nice not to be running for water from a font every few days. I enjoyed cooking on the fire, but not smelling like one all the time, and the ability to go for a semi warm shower is much appreciated by us all. 

We ended our stay with a gallery exhibition by all the children who showed off their work and then sold it off for money for charity.  

I do have photos of the side of the caravan covered in their work, but as my phone can't connect to the wifi here as it is so poor I can't get the photos off my phone yet. They will have to come on mass later on. We are now in Devesa, which in right next to Valencia in a camp site that is not great. It will do until Tim has been. We have been to the BioParc yesterday which was really nice and then the beach. We seem to spend a lot of time here at the beach as we are right on it. It is nice to feel like we are on holiday again for a bit. We are now waiting for Tim to arrive on Sunday at lunch time and then we have some more days out planned. Until then it is mainly the beach and hopefully a few siestas! It is hot here now and we are coming out of the midday heat to find shelter in the shade and snooze. We are having our first really child day today at the camp site and just playing and veging as we have been out and about a lot lately.  The children are playing in the soft play area (which from next week they charge 4 euros for a pop?) and we are off to the beach when it cools down later. The pool here opens on Sunday so no doubt there will be a lot more swimming from then on too. We are booked in here until the 27th, which is the day after Tim leaves and then we are heading off towards Portugal. I will have to post the photos from our days out here at the next camp site when or if I get wifi. It is nice to be on our own for a bit now before we stay with another family. We have five weeks until we are due to arrive with them at the beginning of August. I will post again when Tim has arrived and if I can get the photos off of my phone and onto here. Until then....the beach! 

We have moved.....

After returning to Mariola from the coast i decided that it was time to move on. Being on the mountain is not conducive to learning any Spanish as you don't actually get to speak to anyone in Spanish up there, and it's so isolated that once we had done that area it was taking longer and longer to explore other regions. So we have moved. We are now in a camp site in Valencia. We are planning to explore the city and the local attractions and stay here until Tim comes at the end of the week for a few days, and then it is on to Portugal. We will travel across Spain and Straight into central Portugal. The Wifi here as ever is only available on the cafe terrace, so yet again I am sat out side with the laptop with the kids running around. Spain really hasn't got the whole wifi thing going great yet. Anyway. I will post and get photos up when I can. We have already hit the beach and are off to the zoo tomorrow for the day. I will let you know how it goes, and what it is like. Tired today as towed the caravan and loaded and unloaded on my own yesterday and am feeling it today. More details to follow when not under pressure to go and cook some tea....Now. Relaxed post at some point.....maybe???

and now to see my Parents....

We had a great time here. Yes it is very busy and hectic, but we managed to stay to the outskirts and not go into the hectic bit much. We did the circus, the animal park, and the water park, and the children had a great time.

here is a bit of a quiz for you all...Where is Matt in this picture?

Have you found him yet? 

Yep, typical Matt...

So as our time in Benidorm comes to a close, we are heading of to see my parents who are out here on holiday for two weeks. We are staying the night before heading back to the Mariola. The place here is very posh and the villa they have is really nice with it's own pool and posh bathrooms. It's a step up from the caravan on the Mariola boiling water on a fire. I will be pleased to get back to the quite of the Mariola though and retreat to the hill where the kids can run around. We will stay there for a few weeks before planning our next trip off. So the wifi will be no more and we will be back to the cafe again. 

With regard to work here, I have been talking to loads of people and there is lots of work here. I could walk into a job in a private school today just with the TEFL or there are lots of people setting up private lessons who are full and have waiting lists here. I think anywhere in land in Spain will have more then enough work if I want to teach here. As for a more alternative education project, I don't know. The towns here are very conservative and I think we would have to head to a larger city. I have had lots of intercambios with teachers here now, who say the education system is a nightmare here. I think this would suit Portugal better maybe? We will see when we head there next month. All I know is that where ever we are we would like there to be nice people, nice weather, and other families with similar values whom the children can play and socialise with. This is important for us as a home educating family. I don' t want to teach all the time and yet my own children feel isolated out here. Lets see what Portugal has to offer?