Towards Lisbon

The question of the moment - which is best way to get to Lisbon from Salamanca? The choice was, head south through Caceres and Badejoz then west to Evora or directly west from Salamanca, through Cuidad Rodrigo, then take the motorway though Castelo Branco towards the Portuguese capital. We chose the latter route because it was slightly more direct and we had not travelled that way before. No matter which way we went it seemed we were going to hit unsettled weather. Indeed, fellow moho bloggers in Hetty Hymer were reporting from Cáceras that vans were arriving from the coast due to a hurricane warning.

There was no hurricane on our journey into Portugal but it became very rainy as we crossed the mountains. We were heading for a free place to stay south of Castelo Branco in the small town of Abrantes. The Aire had good reviews praising the view of the Tejo and the excellent service point. We arrived. It was true there was a great view of the river but the area looked half abandoned, weeds growing through the concrete, no service point to be seen, and just to complete the scene of dilapidation, the farmstead opposite was an a ruinous state occupied only by four beautiful white horses which added a certain mythic quantity to the the experience.

We decided to take a walk down the hill to the riverside promenade. We found the aire exactly as described with a couple of vans settled-in. Unknowingly we had parked in the overspill. We decided to move.. A sign in tin the car park pointed to Abrantes' historic centre but it looked like a steep climb so we decided to walk along the riverside path instead. 

Even this far inland the Tejo is a mighty river. A few decades ago Abrantes' municipal authorities must have decided they were going to showcase their riverside position and develop the area as a visitor attraction. Brown tourist signs pointed us to 'Aquapolis' as we headed towards the aire. Both side of the riverbank had been remodelled as fun place to visit about twenty years ago. Now it looked somewhat faded, all crumbling concrete and overblown giant installations.

Why the numbered concrete 'diving boards' with inexplicable holes lining the bank? We were flummoxed so asked a local. 'Pesky something,' he replied. We still must have looked puzzled; summoning up his best schoolboy English with a beaming smile he added, 'fishing!' The Ebro in Spain is famous for its cat-fish of monstrous proportions attracting sports anglers from across the globe, maybe the Tejo is similar we conjectured. The numbered fishing spots were the only well maintained part of the riverside park, the rest was somewhat scruffy.

However, the motorhome parking area itself was well maintained with a brand new service point and we had a relatively peaceful night apart from the occasional freight train rumbling over the nearby metal viaduct.

Next day, onwards towards Lisbon. It was a short, straightforward drive or should have been had I not made a simple, but costly mistake. Portugal's toll motorway system is famously bewildering to foreigners. There are two systems, one badged as Via Verde, the other one seemingly un-branded. The latter is wholly electronic. Foreign drivers need to register their vehicle to a credit/debit card account at special bays when they cross the border from Spain. That's what we failed to do the first time we came, entering Portugal on a country road, then spending hours trying to find a way of putting the mistake right. This time we had wised-up, sweeping majestically along the autovia clocking up tolls by number plate recognition each time we passed an overhead camera gantry.

Our difficulty this time was with the other 'Via Verde' network. It works the same way as a French motorway with payment booths every so often. You can pay cash or use an electronic tagging system. However it's a different tagging system than the one you register for at the border. The two systems are unconnected but to a foreign driver it is not immediately apparent which system you are using. 

We approached a 'payagem'. I suffered a momentary lapse of reason and sailed through the 'adherent' lane for registered vehicles. Noting the ticket machines in the next lane across, I realised my error immediately, but it was too late to make amends. The ticket machines signal you have changed to the Via Verde and I was now speeding along without a ticket and unregistered on their electronic system. 

We stopped at a service area for lunch. I spotted a Via Verde service van in the car park and attempted to ask the driver, using Google translate, what we should do. He was unfriendly and disinterested. An exchange of WhatsApp messages with Sarah resulted in a copy of Via Verde's regulations to peruse. Vehicles without tickets were subject to a fine of ten times the missed toll. This was not good news 

We arrived at the next toll booth, attempted to explain our predicament, the unsmiling woman nodded, picked up a clip board with a ready reckoner attached and pointed to a figure of €63.20, ten times our missed toll, which duly popped up on an electronic sign in front of us, 'usar cartão de crédito' it advised. Gill handed over our trusty Halifax Connect Card. Toll lady shook her head, rubbing together thumb and forefinger together, 'cash, cash' she repeated. Gill pointed to the sign and waved the Halifax plastic. 'Cash cash'!' toll booth lady insisted, gesturing with thumb and forefinger again, this time with her arm stuck out the window for emphasis. Gill searched through both wallet and purse and by sheer luck we scraped €63.20 together.

A few minutes later driving along feeling grumpy we reflected on the experience, a further problem emerged. We had been reduced to a few copper coins amounting to about €1.30, this was not going to be enough to pay the next toll, so from being in the position of having money but no ticket, now we had a ticket but no money. Gill scoured the road atlas. 'There's another service area before the next toll booth, they might have an ATM' she suggested hopefully.

They did, problem solved. Why couldn't we use our credit cards? Our temporary Lisboastas explained later that sometimes the Portuguese banking network simply stops working for no apparent reason, on other occasions places will only accept cards issued by Portuguese banks. It's just the way things are.

Finally Lisbon, over the Vasco do Gama bridge to the Orbitur site in Costa Caparica; it's our third time here. They still had our details in the system, we are almost locals. 

Our plan was to come here then go camping with Sarah and Rob. However Rob is waiting on DVLC to send him a replacement driving licence so when we actully do the trip is in the lap of a British Quango and the Portuguese postal service. 

The Costa Caparica site offered us seven days for the price of five, it seemed like a good deal. We'll stay over at Sarah and Robs place some nights and camp in the van others. Our insurance will only allow us to leave the moho unattended for 36hrs. We have never stayed in touch one place for a week since we took up touring in 2013. It will be a new experience.