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.
Why? Because "watching it" is a damn poor substitute for "doing it". It's unhealthy, I tell you.
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No schedule, no utility bills, no hassles - 99% of people would die of boredom, I hope you're in the 1% category. |
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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.
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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. |
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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. |
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Getting older, getting crazier. |
We spent the second night farther inland at Reguengos de Monsaraz near an old fort way up on a hill.
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Rooms in the middle of an orange grove. The oranges were in season and delicious.
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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.