Nov 18, 2018 - Girona

From Barcelona to Girona we picked up a gorgeous mountain road for most of the way and although a little narrow it was a great drive. Traffic was light but we did have to share our lane with oncoming vehicles on a few occasions which added to the fun. Girona was perfect for us. Not too big, not too busy, a great ancient old town and a comfy hotel although it did have a few too many bag shops. The old town was very interesting with a fortified wall that was fun to walk along. The maze of cobbled streets and lanes could easily get you lost...

Nov 16, 2018 - Barcelona

The drive towards the Mediterranean took us through many small towns and villages including Huesca and La Vilella Baixa. Baixa should have been very interesting going by the info we had obtained but unfortunately that was not the case. But we were extremely lucky to find a small cafe just before it closed for the afternoon and enjoyed a delicious banquet lunch of red wine and potato chips. Yummo ! Rugged mountains and pretty rivers made the trip all the more fun on roads that rarely had any bad spots. Minimal traffic and great weather, that...

Nov 14, 2018 - Alfaro

We left Cuenca in a near perfect Autumn day and headed for the 'Enchanted City', an amazing array of rock formations in the nearby National Park. A three kilometre walk through the natural formations was fun and we were fortunate to have had the weather for it. The continuing drive took us through a really interesting ancient town amongst the hills where nibbles and vino were the order of the day. Albarracin was almost all terracotta in colour and sat on a hillside overlooking a fast flowing stream. Although a little fresh we found a nice...

Nov 12, 2018 - Cuenca

As we neared our next stopover town, Cuenca, the landscape improved dramatically with rocky mountains, green valleys and clean running streams. It was a favourite area for us. The scenery may have been brilliant but the weather was wet, cold and windy with temperatures as low as 9C in some places. No matter, our Cuenca stop was excellent and the weather improved overnight. We covered quite a few kilometres walking the town which had plenty of cobbled streets and lanes and an interesting footbridge for us to explore. The only negative we...

Nov 10, 2018 - Toledo

Once again we headed inland to experience more 'real' Spain in the small villages and larger towns. We completely avoided motorways and highways in favour of country roads and were totally happy with the choice. The landscape was extremely rugged and dry but not uninteresting. At times we felt like we were again passing through areas of Oz. Small towns like Tobarra and Ruidera were great for coffee or rest stops. Temperatures during the day got down to 9C so we avoided spending too much time out and about but on arrival at our hotel not...

Nov 9, 2018 - Cartagena

We passed through Granada on the way to Almeria on the coast before heading north to Cartagena our next stopover. It was not one of our best moves as the landscape was again very hard and uninteresting. Cartagena was a nice town with a great harbour area with many fascinating boats in dock. A cruise liner was berthed so the place was bombarded with tourists some of which we met. The place had an interesting mix of narrow old lanes and wide pedestrian streets with many tourist traps operating at full steam. Somehow we got sucked in for a...

Nov 8, 2018 - Antonio Guadi - Architecture as Art

Be it his architecture or his crafts (ceramics, stained glass, wrought iron and carpentry) we have really enjoyed the modernism style of Antoni Gaudi. Thus a visit to one of his many Barcelona projects was on our A-list. We chose the Casa Batlló. This 1904 project was a commission to totally renovate the owner’s traditional house. It was intended to be a grand display of wealth. Gaudi designed everything from the structure to the furniture to the door handles. The end result is a bit like visiting a set from a Tim Burton film. Gaudi’s...

Nov 7, 2018 - Barcelona - A City Well Worth Revisiting

On November 6, we enjoyed a lovely train ride from Valencia to Barcelona as much of the route hugged the Costa Brava coastline. With only two days in the city, we made a point of hitting venues we had passed over in 2013, when we spent three weeks in Barcelona. Our first priority was the large Picasso museum. At the age of 14 the artist’s family’s moved from Malaga, where we had already visited two small museums of his works. Through five connected houses, the works are displayed chronologically. It begins with Picasso’s classical training...

Nov 7, 2018 - Guadix

We escaped Cordoba's spooky history and headed to Baeza and Ubeda on our way to our next stopover in Guadix. Both small towns were interesting, especially Baeza. The narrow passages and open spaces were brilliant to wander through and provided a feeling of 'being there' in its medieval days. Guadix was very different and is recognised as Europe's capital for cave houses. It is one of Spain's oldest human settlements and going by the lack of care and maintenance we wouldn't argue. Whitewashed homes built into caves were everywhere as were...

Nov 6, 2018 - Cordoba

From Gibraltar we headed north through the Costa del Sol to Marbella then turned inland to Cordoba for a stopover. We were expecting the Costa del Sol coastline to be much prettier although the water colour was gorgeous. The lack of trees made it a 'hard' landscape which did not appeal to us. The inland drive passed across extremely dry, very rugged areas similar to parts of outback Oz we had ridden our bikes through. The small town of Ronda was a great rest stop. Coffees under the ancient Roman bridge which spans a massive ravine to join...

Nov 5, 2018 - The City of Arts & Sciences

Beyond what could be deemed a park, nine kilometres of the former riverbed of the River Turia in Valencia has been turned in to an architectural masterpiece featuring science, culture and recreation facilities. The Príncipe Felipe Science Museum operates under the philosophy of "Not touching is prohibited." It is full of interactive exhibitions about science and technology. Which, while These fun activities and problem-solving challenges, while targeted to children, were a gas for grown ups too. The Oceanogràfic is Europe's biggest...

Nov 4, 2018 - The Fallas Festival - A City on Fire

One upon a time I fancied myself a papier mache artist. In fact, I still have some pre-made forms in my basement so I can build again when the creative mood strikes. But holy cow am I ever humbled by the amazing artists of Valencia’s annual Falles (torch) Festival. Their papier mache creations are larger than life, incredibly ornate and exquisitely painted. For five days each March Valencians party through the Fallas Festival with street dances, parades, fireworks and bonfires. It sounds crazy! These spring bonfire celebrations date back...