Showing posts with label Guadian River. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guadian River. Show all posts

Monday, February 23, 2015

Anchoring in Alcoutim

anchoring in Alcoutim

It's been 4 years since I was anchored in Alcoutim. We just visited by car, and all I can tell you is that my body slumped as I watched an "early-retired couple" dock at the town's free pontoon looking like a million bucks.

boat dock in Alcoutim

Why? Because "watching it" is a damn poor substitute for "doing it". It's unhealthy, I tell you.

mooring in Alcoutim
No schedule, no utility bills, no hassles - 99% of people would die of boredom, I hope you're in the 1% category.
restaurants in Alcoutim
No it's not a retirement home. It's a restaurant and we ate here because that's where I ate when I was here by boat, and I had grilled cuttle fish again. Four fish dishes, wine etc. for 35 euros. The place ain't hopping this time of year (although there were some English-speaking blokes beside us) but it's got charm and an outdoor patio for summer time.
The first night we stayed at a farm bed & breakfast near Vila Real de Santo António located at the mouth of the Guadiana River. 
bed & breakfast near Monte Gordo
They had donkey rides, but apparently the donkeys had been let out as part of a live nativity scene and were returned looking like starving skeletons. 
Rooms in Villa Real de Santo António
We were told that a lawyer sold this old majestic hotel, which belonged to somebody else, and skipped town with the money. Now it's for sale again, by the real owners.
night life in Vila Real de Santo António
Getting older, getting crazier.
We spent the second night farther inland at Reguengos de Monsaraz near an old fort way up on a hill.
Rooms in the middle of an orange grove. The oranges were in season and delicious.
bread and breakfast in Monsaraz

Typical street within the castle walls.
It was a fun trip. By the time I got home I had mostly forgotten about that boat docking in Alcoutim.