In which Hermann takes Sid and Doris on a mighty journey through Spain and Portugal over Christmas and New Year.
Early in 2021 Doris had booked a trip to Antarctica to follow in the wake of Shackleton and see the white continent but as the date approached had decided the risk of being caught in Argentina with some new lergy variant was not worth taking. A trip on helicopter equipped ice breakers is not cheap so must wait for another time.
That meant a Doris at home making grumpy noises and with a large refund in the bank. Sid does not like to see an unhappy Doris so put together a Sid Tours Special.
We are taking Hermann equipped with his beautiful creamy-white classic Pagoda roof. Top-down motoring is all well and good, but tin tops have their place too, especially when they come with such elegantly narrow A and C pillars as Hermann’s. And especially once our neighbour Frank has lent his sturdy muscles to get the roof back on the car without dropping it very expensively on the floor.
The plan is to make an Iberian Itinerary. Doris will surely show you a deftly swoopy map. In the meantime less gifted Sid will tell you we take the Portsmouth to Santander boat. From there a big day to Braga in Northern Portugal.
The route then goes to nearby Porto (as recommended by Mike Sanders of happy memory), Coimbra, Lisbon, Lagos (home of Mark and Carolyn), Granada, Valencia, Barcelona, Zagora and so back to Santander and Boris’s Island of Lost Souls. The plot is to have a couple of nights in each place we visit, more leisurely travels than the American trip.
That is the plan. Who knows what will actually happen?
