September 3, 2019

September 3, 2019

Today is a travel day. We left Lisbon driving southeast across the countryside. Southern Portugal is rural with gently rolling hills. Besides Olive trees, we also see lots of Umbrella Pines (Pine Nuts) and Cork Trees. Portugal is the leading producer of Wine corks. This market has been hard hit with the introduction of plastic corks and screw tops. Cork is harvested by peeling off a thick layer of the outer bark from the trunk. It doesn't kill the tree. Rather a new skin will be grown over a period of roughly nine years. The trees in the Cork grove are all numbered to keep track.

We stopped for lunch in the little town of Tavira along the southern shore of Portugal. After eating we shopped for cork souvenirs. I bought two cork covered purses for Aimee.

Unfortunately one of the ladies on our tour tripped on an uneven surface, and fell breaking her front teeth. Walking surfaces in Portugal are in dire need of maintenance. It would be so easy to trip if you aren’t paying attention.

Soon after we crossed into Spain. We saw several solar thermal plants in the distance. A mirror farm bounces light upward to a central focus point where steam can be produced to drive a turbine. I have seen them before, but this is the first time I can see the area glow from the intense sun shining. I bet they lose a lot of birds that accidentally fly past.

We end our day in Sevilla, the capital of the Spanish Andalusia Region. We had dinner with our tour group and then joined our friends for a Mojito at the Pool Bar.