Author: Hugh Maclean

On to Lisbon via Evora

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Up and at ’em pretty early today as we have a fair way to go, about 330km in all. It was nice to stay in a hotel for a change, and our choice in Caceres, Casa Don Fernando, was great.  And cheap, Only €64! The same quality hotel anywhere in Victoria would be at least twice that. Caceres is a beautiful town, and highly recommended to anyone travelling through Spain.  Our first stop today is at another World Heritage site, the Medieval Roman town of Evora.    Yep, more cobblestones, stone walls and ancient temples.  Oh, and this place has a very special chapel, ‘Capela dos Ossos’…the Chapel of Bones! I’d read about this place ages ago, and was really excited to see it, so you could imagine my disappointment when we got to the information desk and discovered it was closed between 12.45 – 2.30pm, and it was now 12.47!!! Nothing for it but to hang around for a couple of hours, so we thought a reconnaissance of the area would help pass the …

Madrid to Caceres

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Yesterday was huge, we walked about 25km all over the place, so how better to start the day than for Rachael to go for a run around Retiro Park again, while I walked around taking photos. It truly is a wonderful park, and the crystal palace is majestic especially earlier in the day with the reflection from the sun hitting it. Which would have been great if there had been any sun! The weather in Madrid has been pretty ordinary for our stay, unlike Barcelona where it was quite warm. Not to worry, we loved Madrid which is as different to Barcelona as two towns can be. From narrow cobblestone lanes, to wide boulevards with plenty of greenery and park land aplenty. The brash ‘in your face’ hustle & bustle of Barca, to the understated elegance of Madrid is not unlike the difference between Sydney and Melbourne. Both great cities, and it would be a shame to visit Spain without visiting both, as they offer different slants on the Spanish way of life, and the …

Madrid

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With only one full day in Madrid we needed to hit the ground running, which is exactly what we did….running around Retiro real, a beautiful park once owned as leisure grounds for the royal family. About 75 hectares of sculptured grounds, with a magnificent Crystal palace surrounded by lakes, and a huge rectangle man made lake, popular for rowing. Absolutely fabulous, and such a change from Barcelona, with grass and trees aplenty. They certainly knew who to live it up, the Spanish Royals, wallowing in an ostentatious display of wealth, but more of which we would see later! Home, refreshed and off to the Mercato San Miguel, probably the most famous market in Madrid, for breakfast. Unlike Barcelona La Boqueria, this market is quite compact, only about 20 stalls selling the usual market stuff, with a strong emphasis on grog! Looks promising……oh wait, it’s only 9am. Damn, coffee and croissants it is! Plus some fresh peaches to keep the PT crew happy! Ok, ok, maybe a churros as well. Pretty much next door is the …

Adios Barcelona, Hola Madrid

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 An early start today, sadly leaving Barcelona, but not before breakfast at the market once again.  This is the laneway outside our loft. Our front door  The interior courtyard, all musty and mysterious.  We’re off to Madrid by train, a renfe fast train at that, but unfortunately a “stopping all stations” version, so not too much super speed action. A good chance to rest the legs, listen to some Django Django tunes (get on it peeps!) and watch the countryside rush past. But before that, some thoughts on Barcelona. – Wonderfully atmospheric – full of history – outstanding winding laneways packed with interest. – spectacular buildings, none better than Sagrada Familia – the gentle waft of sewerage on street corners can be a little off putting, but… – clean, tidy, and not nearly as dodgy as I was led to believe, stories of pickpockets etc are to be highly exaggerated. If you wear a sign saying ‘I’m a dickhead tourist’ you get what’s coming to you, everyone else…just simple precautions. – not much grass, or …

Barcelona Day Four

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After a much needed sleep in from our 6 hour photography tour the night before, we start the day in true Spanish style at 10.30 am! I truly believe I am destined to live a Spanish lifestyle, siestas in the afternoon, late nights due to a second wind from said siesta, and lazy mornings, what’s not to love? As we head off for brekky at our favourite market to enjoy our usual fare, Hugh is suffering for his art from the night prior, with a very sore ankle from being on his feet for 6 hours straight. As he hobbles along the laneways I am tempted to put an empty cup in his hand to see if he can’t generate enough donations for our last night in Barcelona!!!     Due to the lateness of brekky we are almost tempted to enjoy a glass of Cava, but cannot go past a coffee to kick start our day. With nothing planned we head off towards the Picasso Museum to try our luck for a second time. …

Barcelona Day Three

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First things first….I’m writing this update under duress, I have just discovered the evil powers of Sangria! So has Rachael, who is having a siesta!! Right! Day three…started with a run amongst the yachts and cruisers of the marina and the Barceloneta, followed by coffee/croissant/fruit salad brekky at the La Boqueria which is growing on us by the minute. A great market place! We spent the rest of the day wandering around the Barri Gotic, La Ribera & El Born districts, which are all tightly bound within the old town. Fabulous laneways filled with shops, bars and historic buildings, including the Santa Maria del Mar Church which is the exact opposite of the Sagrada Familia….dark, somber, foreboding! We thought we had hit the jackpot upon reaching the Picasso Museum to find no queues….and no open doors!!! Not open on Mondays! We had what was supposed to be a quick lunch at the Caterina Market, but turned into an hour long battle of wits between the bored waitress and the cranky Aussie tourist. We became invisible …

Barcelona Day Two

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After crashing early last night, and missing the huge celebrations with Barcelona FC beating Juventus in the championship final, we were up early to make amends. After very quick coffee/croissant brekky, we made our way by taxi to Sagrada Familia Basilica, the most famous landmark in Barca, if not Spain. Commissioned in 1883, it is still about 20 years from completion, which seems to be about square with the laid back style around here.    It may not be finished, indeed a lot of it is a massive building site, but this would have to be the most unbelievable place we have ever been in. Words can not do justice to the majestic beauty, the impossible imagination of its creator, Gaudi, and the sheer scope and reach of this Basilica. The colour and light, the volume, the…the…the everything!! How is it possible for one man to have such vision?     It was probably best described by a visitor from the USA we spoke to as being a happy cathedral, unlike most that are gloomy, …

Barcelona Day One

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So here we are, 22 hours flight time later, in spectacular Barcelona. It’s hard to believe after all the planning, and the longest countdown clock, we are actually at ground zero. The flights were long, sleep deprived, and incident free except for the toddler next doors occasional vocal impressions. Bang on schedule we touched down, bags turned up, sim for phone organised and taxis everywhere. First port of call was the city baggage locker to store ours for a few hours, then down La Rumblas to La Boqueria food market, a huge colourful array of all manner of fresh produce from seafood, meats of all description with a strong “pig” influence, through to fresh fruit and sweet delights.      Main interest for us centred around caffeine, which was dutifully satisfied, with a croissant accoutrement! Afterwards we wandered the aisles checking out all the wonderful produce on display, from those we knew to the strange and wonderful.      Next stop was the Barcelona Cathedral which is tucked away in the Barri Gotic region, very close to …

a quick reminisce before the next trip…

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Before we head off again next week to see some of Spain, Portugal & France…here are a few photos from our last trip. Hopefully with another two years practise, and some fancier gear, the shots will be better, and will tell the story of our time away.      Notre Dame will be visited again, and I’m pretty sure we’ll see another of France’s iconic vehicles!               The cafe scene in Paris, to the stunning light show in Reims. One of the highlights, ballooning over Burgundy. Pompeii was breathtaking, a must visit if you’re anywhere near.       There’s quite the art to walking on the beach in Amalfi, and a lot of walking in Rome.                     A strategically placed Vespa in Assisi, and a misplaced Boar in Chianti. In one of the most wicked “butchers/deli’s ever!!     The rugged splendour of the Cinque Terre, and the majestic beauty of Lake Como.      Venice, before the madness …