Walking Barcelona

The first thing that strikes you from our apartment when walking is the broadness of the avenues and the planned design of the blocks and buildings. Many trees line the avenues and no more so than on the famous La Ramblas.
We walked down the very broad Avenue Diagonal to Passeig de Gracia, where we took time to admire the Gaudi Apartments. Continuing down toward the harbour we walked into the Gothic quarter and the Cathedral. Here we had a great lunch in a Pinxos bar with a wonderful array of treats.
Continued down La Rambla to the harbour where the three of us took a boat ride through the working harbour talking to an Australian lady working as an English teacher.
Used the Metro to return most of the way back. Sandy, Gail and I organised dinner in the apartment that again bettered most of the restaurant meals we’ve had in Spain.

Hiccup on the way to Barcelona

Travelling always presents a few challenges, but this trip has had more than it’s fair share. An email that our train from Montpellier to Marseille had been cancelled due to French strikes caused a bit of a panic. All bookings flow from one to another, so a broken link is not good. After not much sleep the crisis appears averted, with some deft work and extra expense. We took the train from Valencia to Barcelona for our next stay.
After checking into our modern apartment we had to do a little catch-up washing and some shopping for breakfast supplies. Only time for a look around our immediate neighbourhood and dinner at a disappointing Italian restaurant.

Valencia

After our late night arrival, we were a little slow this morning. The Langford party set off earlier, while Robert and us enjoyed a hearty breakfast.
We then caught a taxi to the Arts and Science precinct wher a group of stunning buildings sat in the park that runs through the centre of the city. A lot was going on with a huge event for disabled people and lots of school groups visiting the Science building and Oceanography.
We spent quite some time in the Science exhibits before walking to the oceanography area to discover a very high ticket price. Being already tired of walking and in need of a late lunch we instead grabbed a taxi back to our hotel to have a nice paella in the square out front.
While others rested I went for a walk to see the Cathedral and many other sites of interest nearby. After a pre dinner drink at the hotel bar we three took a taxi to the beach club for an excellent dinner overlooking the main beach. Unfortunately the Langfords had been earlier without us, so we parted company until Barcelona.

Cordoba to Valencia

The Langfords were up and away early for the long drive to Valencia. Robert had a very leisurely morning, while Gail came with me to navigate the return of our hire car. It proved stressful as the hotel car park exited in an unknown street, but we were soon back on track. We made the station without further incident, but finding the Avis drop-off area was complicated by very poor signage.
Eventually sorted after much stress, we took a taxi back to the hotel.
We met a relaxed Robert for a couple of trips around a Cordoba on tourist buses and a late lunch in an excellent Asian inspired restaurant. With so many attractions closed on Monday we killed a little more time in the hotel bar before our evening train.
The train trip was excellent with the train regularly hitting 300 kph, while we had a few drinks from the restaurant carriage next door. Nice views of the countryside flew by and certainly a great way to travel.

Cordoba

Today began with a drive from Granada to Cordoba through rolling hills of mostly olive trees. The scenery was very enjoyable as we past by several white villages and towns largely built atop hills.
Arriving in Cordoba, we were grateful for the parking station below our hotel Alfaros close to the old centre of town.
First priority was a quick walk to the Alcázar to meet the last entry time, as it is closed tomorrow (missed it by 3 minutes!). A short walk away was the famous Mesquite mosque/church that was now closed for Sunday lunch.......so we had our own late lunch.
Entered late in the afternoon to be impressed by the size of this incredible mixture of Islamic and Christian architecture. Gail and I were particularly impressed with the beauty of the Islamic designed forest of columns, opposed to the baroque catholic additions.
A wander back through the old Jewish quarter to meet up again with the Langfords for drinks in the bar and dinner in house.

Alhambra

We all were up early to catch taxis up the hill for our visit to the number 1 site in Spain. After collecting our tickets and audio guides we entered quickly through the “skip the line” and seemed to have avoided the rush of tour groups.
First area visited was the Generalife gardens and Moorish pavilions of the last Muslim bastion in Spain. The flowering plants and lots of running water and fountains made this a very beautiful and relaxing walk.
Next we headed into section created by Carlos V with a church and incomplete palace with a circular courtyard. His attempt to Christianise the place didn’t go down well with the local Muslims who were paying the taxes to build it.
The last part was the old fortress that was never conquered. Very imposing and affording great views over the rest of the complex and the city of Granada below.
We had a nice evening stroll, a few drinks and a great value meal before watching Real Madrid beat Liverpool to win some big tournament. Lovely place to walk in at night.

Granada

A drive with just a few navigation issues led us to check in Hotel Anacapri at lunch time. The wonderful Cathy at reception solved our parking issues and gave us a great recommendation for lunch on the corner.
After lunch we strolled up the riverside just below the Alhambra Palace walls to walk off a little of lunch. I managed to convince Gail to take a trek up the hill in the Albycin area to get a good view over toward the palace while the others walked back for a rest. Some steep cobbled lanes and steps led us to the best photo spot.
My childbride and I were also alone for a very nice walk near the Cathedral to see large numbers enjoying Friday night. Back alleys were filled with merchandise that gave the appearance of Marrakech. A couple of wines, a tapas and enjoyable people watching rounded out the afternoon in Granada. Classy city.

Last day in Seville

For our last day in Seville we opted not to drive again, but to see a couple of the highlights that we have been unable to see. A slow morning was followed by lunch at a restaurant situated overlooking the river.
The boys dropped into the “Cathedral of Bullfighting” Plaza de Toros for a behind the scenes tour and a look at the impressive ring and stadium. No bull, but very interesting.
After struggling back, Gail, Sandy, Robert and I walked to the Real Alcázar for the final session available to us. Well worth the effort to see this remarkable combination of Muslim and Christian architecture. The gardens were equally stunning before the rain started.
Dinner mopping up food and wine we had left before drive to Granada tomorrow.

Drive to Cadiz

The plan for our days here in Seville included taking a couple of drives to see some other places. Today we decided on a trip to Cádiz followed by a drop into Jerez to taste a little sherry at one of the many bodegas there.
First part of the plan worked well as we found parking near the harbour and walked into the town centre. A pretty reasonable lunch was followed by a walk along the sea front past old forts that once guarded the Spanish fleet. We attempted a visit to the Roman theatre and Cathedral, but found them closed.
Driving onto Jerez late in the afternoon my maps.me navigator went to sleep, so we found ourselves lost and unable to rendezvous with the Langford vehicle. We beat a retreat back to Seville. The Langfords also declined to wait for their bodegas tour and tasting, so Jerez proved a disappointment.
I opted to use our supplies to cook dinner again at home, using our pathetic kitchen equipment.
Gail and I finished the day with an evening stroll with the locals. At 10 pm the restaurants were at their busiest.

Feeling holy

A beautiful day had us out walking to the nearby Iglesias San Salvador to get tickets to it and the Cathedral. While the Iglesias was interesting with its Roccoco alter pieces, we were most excited by skipping the long line to walk straight into the Cathedral.
What a wonderful site this huge church was, with epic proportions and the tomb/edifice of Christopher Columbus taking an important corner. The size of the four organs led me to wish for a rendition of “ Funeral for a Friend” or similar.
Somehow I found the energy to climb the endless ramps to get to the top of the Giralda Tower before meeting the others. Proved my recovery.
Lunch was a bit of a disaster in a tourist trap near the Cathedral before I had to grab a taxi to collect our hire car at the main station. Al and maps.me were my guides back to the Plaza.
Dinner was at home as I took over Sandy’s intended meal with Gail’s help. Best meal of the day.
Nice evening at home.

Civilised Sevilla

Our first days in Seville revealed a beautiful city as we wandered from our Plaza Nueva apartment up the main drag to visit the Cathedral and Alcázar. Unfortunately the lines were too long for the patience of our group, so we moved on to visit the old tobacco factory of “Carmen” fame and the very impressive Plaza de España. The usual cliches of flamenco dancers, guitar players, beggars and sellers occupied sections of the Plaza.
After a paella lunch Gail and I went on a longer than expected walk across the river to see the old Triana side. It looked a good spot for an evening drink and meal.
The rest of the group went for an evening drink at the rooftop bar on the hotel next door as my lungs recovered from earlier long walks. Dinner was in one of the numerous restaurants down a nearby lane. My decision to go for an post dinner walk found me no companions, but led me to the stunning Las Setas architectural wonder, described as the “Seville Parasol” - more like mushrooms to me.

Adios Madrid

Finally on a course of antibiotics and things for my lung infection I have been able join the others to see a little more of Madrid. Saturday morning saw us join the line to get into the Real Palace that was at least a reasonable size.
The walk through revealed many of the sumptuous rooms that we saw over forty years ago. It is to our minds one of the best in the world because of the original furniture and fabulous decoration. The curious thing was that they were forceful in stopping photos, butShortness of breath and Gail having a migraine led us to a quiet afternoon after lunch watching the royal wedding......well, I watched a bit!
Sunday is moving day to Seville. Langfords were first to leave for the airport to pick up their car and Sandy, while we got on a train that ran very late due to “technical problems”. Many hoped it would be at least 30 minutes late to receive a refund!
Our new home in Seville is a 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom apartment right on Plaza Nueva and a short walk to most attractions and with plenty of restaurants and bars. First night, however, I felt well enough to cook dinner for our full complement of 7, now that Sandy has joined us.

Turning a corner

Hope for improved health appeared a dream, after a slow morning and a decision to try getting into the Royal Palace. The short walk with the Langfords was difficult for me and we faced a long line to get in. Instead, we had look at the Cathedral and Crypt to see if the line changed. Indeed it did, by moving to a different position, but not decreasing in size.
A walk through the gardens and Plaza de España put me in need of a break, so we had drink in a cafe, before preceding past a Medical centre. Gail took me in to try our luck and this time we got an appointment. A nice female doctor gave me a prescription for a small truckload of medicines and antibiotics to deal with a bad lung infection.
After taking the mixture while Jordan helped Gail with her hair, we stood on the balcony of their apartment to watch the victory procession of the Madrid Atlético football team. Matched the Porto experience, but this time even closer to the action.

Rule 1 - Don’t get sick

The ravages of the “Portuguese Flu” took hold with a vengeance and after a night under sedation, I awoke in zombie land. The duty of welcoming Al and Alex to Madrid fell to Gail and Robert.
As soon as I was capable, Gail took me for a walk to the nearest doctors clinic with a letter explaining my situation. I managed to get there to be greeted by 3 office “assistants” who provided no assistance at all. We offered cash payment but were given another place just another 20 minutes away! Defeated and another day lost in bed. Gail and Robert had a few explores and afternoon drinks on our terrace before dinner downstairs with Al and Alex.
After another poor night, I at least felt well enough to do something on Thursday morning. Gail suggested an art museum visit. The closest was the Thyssen collection a 20 minutes walk away, so here we bought tickets to the big three in Madrid.
The Thyssen is an extraordinary private collection of more than 1000 paintings from great artists that range from pre-renaissance to modern. Well worth the visit but about the end of me.
A slow light lunch with water revived me enough to agree to visit The Prado, while we were nearby. Foolish of me to think it could be just a lightning visit to one of the great art museums of the world. By the time we walked a large slice of it and then home, it was the end of me for the evening. Robert collapsed as well.
Gail was joined by the newly arrived Jordan Langford on the terrace for afternoon drinks before dinner. Am I enjoying Spain yet?

It’s a long day to Madrid

Monday was to be the most difficult day in the planning as getting from Porto to Madrid presented few options. In the end the best one was a short flight, but the only one presented didn’t leave until 8.15 pm, leaving a day to fill in Porto and a very late arrival at Madrid.
My flu had me up most of the night going through all my t-shirts etc as I sweated it out. Totally drained, my only saviour was the new lounge area in the apartment building and the sweet Paula who took care of our luggage and kept an eye on me. Luckily they had Sergio available to take us to the airport, but unluckily we were hit by a 1 hour delay to our flight.
We arrived at Madrid airport to at least have a driver waiting for us, but by the time we paid an extra 50 Euro to get in, it was after 1 am. Another sleepless night for me, but Gail and “sleep for Australia” Robert woke refreshed to tackle the local area on the holiday of the patron saint Isador
The streets were crowded with locals and tourists and nearby Plaza Mayor was filled with people watching traditional performances of dance and music. We are certainly in the busy, sweet spot of Madrid and I was fit enough to venture out for my first full meal in days at a very nice restaurant just around the corner. Hopefully things will be on the up.

Four walls and a two-day growth

I am wondering what the flu injections I had before leaving were for. A day lost in bed with the “Portuguese Flu” means I have little to blog about today. Feel terrible that I couldn’t stay upright to take Gail for a Mother’s Day lunch or dinner.
Gail got out for a couple of hours to look through the shopping streets, but found Sunday to be a quiet retail day. She refused to wait in line with Robert to see the book store that inspired JK Rowling. In the end he spent a couple of hours there, before dropping into a Sunday service at one of the many churches.

Slow start

After a bad night with a refreshed cold from the cold and wet weather, we decided to take our time. Robert went his own way while Gail did a little washing. We then took the slow bus out to the beach area to have a seafood lunch.
One street was lined with restaurants grilling fish on open barbecues. We stopped in one for a cheap and lovely meal of fish and seafood rice.
The walk along the beachfront had to be shortened because of the strong arctic wind that wasn’t going to help me. A ride back and a rest was the sensible option, waking in time for a light dinner and to see Jessica Mauboy do her thing in the Eurovision contest. Sleep after was made more difficult by the incredible noise in our area as a massive party went on for the Porto FC side.

Doing Porto

Today was supposed to be a slow day, with me waking feeling sick after a bad night. While a day in bed as my preference, Gail suggested a  easy bus trip and afternoon rest, but after getting  on the bus and seeing unpredicted sunshine, we hopped off and walked to the 6 Bridges cruise on the Douro.
Things turned weather wise when we got on board with a fierce, cold wind hitting us in the face. Robert turned heads by sitting a the front in t-shirt and shorts! Tough or insane?
Following the cruise we walked over the bridge to the port houses side. Lunch was in an excellent restaurant with a flamboyant waiter and some nice company from  German lady, and two French ladies on next tables. One lady from France was also from Granville like me. She didn’t know Paul Hogan even though her Granville was in Normandy.
Decide that a port tasting in Porto was essential, so we ventured into the impressive  Calem cellars. Not happy to go with the standard fare, we had a chocolate and port tasting. Very nice time spent matching artisanal chocolates with ports.
Wine tasting and dinner on the way back in the rain had me feeling no worse than at the start of the day, but we will see how the morning dawns once the euphoria wears off!

Dramatic Douro

Met out driver/guide at the crack of 10 for our “Relax Douro” day trip. On our minibus was three French Canadians and two stunning young women from New York. A drive of over an hour brought us to a spectacular view of the valley and a bend in the river. Both sides covered with vines and olive trees grown in narrow fields created with dry stone walls on the steep slopes.
On to our first stop, Regua, where we had a wine tasting followed by a very nice light lunch and plenty of wine. The conversation also flowed so that be the time we got back on the bus we were now all friends.
Next stop of Pinhao was to board a “traditional” boat for a one hour cruise to get the perspective below the steep hills. We managed a space of sorts at the back of the boat to take in the views.
Last stop involved a winding drive up to the top of the valley to a small family port maker. The view from the winery was just incredible. The drive back saw Robert taking a spot next to the New York girls and chatting for nearly two hours on the return, while some of us tried to doze.
Memorable day, only spoiled by having to go to bed with the hot and cold sweats.

Moving to Porto

Main order of business was getting to Porto. Luck with a cab got us to Oriente station quickly and well ahead of schedule. Train went fast, but behind schedule, to get us to Campanha station to pick up a cab to our new home at Spot Apartments Trindade. Being ahead of check in we had a late lunch at the downstairs cafe. The charming young waiter suggested a local special and a bottle of Vinho Verde and so we followed the advice and were presented with some toasted concoction swimming in gravy with chips........the wine was good.
Went for a walk down to the famous tile murals of Sao Bento rail station, and a walk in the old town, before shopping for some supplies. Impressed with the quality of wines we bought by stretching our budget to “Reserve” wines at $5 -7. Our apartment is very new and comfortable and our hosts are very obliging. To the Douro valley in the morning.
Porto delicacy and murals below.

Free day turns full

Our last day in Lisbon began slowly, with a bit of organising needed. With a few options we decided to take the ferry across the estuary to Cacilhas where the fish restaurants were recommended and there were views back to the city.
The lunch in a local restaurant where no English was spoken proved to be a memorable experience. I thought our communication may have been wrong when my fish stew arrived. It was family sized, and along with Gail’s fish, prawns and rice dish, it was fantastic.
Robert opted to head back for another tram ride up through the hills while Gail and I trudged up the hill for some spectacular views of Lisbon across the bay. Thankfully there was an elevator back down to see level. We realised we should have gone up the elevator and walked back down 5he hill to the ferry! Dinner was Gail’s choice of a wine and tapas at a place called Nova where we enjoyed the sommelier and the company of a French couple over some excellent Portuguese wine and food. Wandered down to the Eurovision site at Placa de Comércio to finish off a great last day in Lisbon.
My lunch half eaten, the restaurant and the view with elevator shown below.

The big day out

Up early to get on our tour to Sintra and Cascais. After a run around Lisbon to pick up other tourists, we had a van full of 8 Australians and began the run to the summer palace area of Sintra. A winding road up to the Pena Palace was clogged with tour buses and after parking we faced a long uphill walk to the palace. One lady found this to be impossible and we all were delayed while our guide tried to find tuk-tuks and shuttle buses to get her to the top.
The palace was an eclectic mix of architectural styles and colours, but in an incredible position on the top of the mountain, looking down on the old Moorish castle. The walk through was interesting but slow going, before we headed down to the town of Sintra for lunch with our new friends, the sisters from Melbourne. Our time now became rushed because of time taken to cater for our infirmed participant.
Trip out to the Capo Boca to see the cliffs, and then the coastal resort town of Cascais were shortened. We then hit peak hour traffic getting back to our Lisbon apartment for an early.

A little respite

Our trio were up and about to do a bit more touring. First order of business was another bus trip around the north-eastern parts that too us past the famous oceanarium and the entertainment centre that hosts the finals of Eurovision. Our plan to have a look around this area was abandoned when Gail was having a migraine, so we kept on back to the centre.
A walk back to home was interrupted for a quiet drink in our favourite square before Gail had a lie down, while I foraged for a few supplies......... only to meet Robert coming back in a distressed state and heading to bed. A few hours extra sleep had him looking good again.
Gail and I had an afternoon wander in the uphill Chiado-Barrio Alto area before a nice traditional Codfish dinner close to home. The slower pace that several days in an apartment allows was a nice thing to have on days when people are feeling the pinch of travel. Quite a change for me to be the healthy one on this trip!

Buses, walks and trams

Last night’s post dinner walk took place after Robert succumbed to jet lag and stinky cheese at dinner. Gail and I walked up to Praça Comércio to find techno beat and music assaulting the sense. It turns out we are in the midst of the Eurovision Song Contest! No wonder there are so many young people around, although there seems a large number of stage/hens parties going on too.
After our included unique breakfast we set out to do the city on a sunny and busy Saturday. Jumped on the tourist bus that did a circuit of a large chunk of the city, getting off at Belém to stroll with the crowds to the Belém tower that welcomed returning sailors, and the impressive Monument of Discoveries featuring some of the great Portuguese sailors. Gave the line to the Monastery a miss and headed back for a wonderful lunch on the water near our apartment.
Ventured out again to pick up the Hilltop Tram tour through the Alfama and Chiado districts, which proved really fascinating as we negotiated the steep, narrow streets already jumping with night life. Certainly glad that I’m not driving or trying to park a car here.
A stop for a drink on the way back led us to a simple repast in our nice apartment after a n enjoyable day well spent.