- Another comfortable overnight bus and we landed in Valencia. It had big shoes to fill after Seville but we had heard good things. Unfortunately our hostel selection was poor - a bus-about hostel full of clueless 18-19yo bogan gap-year Australians. Awesome!
- First cab off the rank - Valencia's Formula 1 street circuit. The site where many flying laps had been completed, Michael Schumacher had cheated his way to many-a victory, and where local lad Mark Webber did a full speed backflip downthere back straight just a week earlier. It crossed our mind to hire a car/scooter/segway but the famous swing-bridge was open which quickly ended that though process.
- As has become customary, we did the free walking tour on the first day (well, evening) to get our bearings. Much of the history was a repeat of what we heard in Seville, but it confirmed a few attractions for us, and also provided a few more for us to follow up.
- The next day composed mostly of checking out the local beaches. Adventurous? Not really - but it was the first decent beach I'd seen since Miami.
- Back on track the next morning, we ventured through the old town to check out some of the sites we saw on the walking tour - city gates, brasilica, the many plazas throughout the city, and the riverbed turned submerged parkland.
- Our final day consisted of a quick trip to the beach, with a stop off past the arts and science park located in the former river bed. This was probably my favourite aspect of Valencia and it had nothing to do with it's history - one o the best examples of contemporary architecture I've seen.
Next stop: Madrid, but only to get a flight to the party mecca - IBIZA!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Seville, Spain
- An overnight bus and 1-hour time difference landed us in the Seville bus station at 5am. After getting lost for an hour we had a 7 hour wait till checkin.
- As our first night happened to be a Saturday, we felt obliged to partake in the hostel pub crawl. Good crew, cheap drinks and a bit of rowdiness confirmed a good evening.
- After a bit of a sleep in the next day, we went on the free 2-hour walking tour which gave us a good overview of the cities attractions and historical significance. The 46-degree heat certainly made it hard work!
- Armed with our new understanding of the city, we set off to the Torre XX for. Tour of the bullfighting ring and museum. Unfortunately the summer heat renders bullfighting cancelled, but the tour of what is one of Spains most historic bullfighting rings gave us a good appreciation of the sports prestige.
- Next up we trekked over tothe Real Alcazar. We spent a good 2-3 hours walking through the various rooms, courtyards and gardens, all decorated with elaborate detailing. A must-see if you ever go to Seville.
- On our final day we went to the Seville Cathedral - Europes third largest. Interestingly, the Cathedral was the closest attraction to our hostel and one of the last thing we did. The inside was excessive, massive cielings and over-the-top alters. A climb to the top of the tower cofirmes to us that Seville is definitely viewed from ground level.
- Our final stop was the Plaza d'España - a massive arced building encompassing a yet-to-be constructed river/fountain. The construction took away from it a bit but the overall presentation can only be described as epic.
- As our first night happened to be a Saturday, we felt obliged to partake in the hostel pub crawl. Good crew, cheap drinks and a bit of rowdiness confirmed a good evening.
- After a bit of a sleep in the next day, we went on the free 2-hour walking tour which gave us a good overview of the cities attractions and historical significance. The 46-degree heat certainly made it hard work!
- Armed with our new understanding of the city, we set off to the Torre XX for. Tour of the bullfighting ring and museum. Unfortunately the summer heat renders bullfighting cancelled, but the tour of what is one of Spains most historic bullfighting rings gave us a good appreciation of the sports prestige.
- Next up we trekked over tothe Real Alcazar. We spent a good 2-3 hours walking through the various rooms, courtyards and gardens, all decorated with elaborate detailing. A must-see if you ever go to Seville.
- On our final day we went to the Seville Cathedral - Europes third largest. Interestingly, the Cathedral was the closest attraction to our hostel and one of the last thing we did. The inside was excessive, massive cielings and over-the-top alters. A climb to the top of the tower cofirmes to us that Seville is definitely viewed from ground level.
- Our final stop was the Plaza d'España - a massive arced building encompassing a yet-to-be constructed river/fountain. The construction took away from it a bit but the overall presentation can only be described as epic.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Lisbon, Portugal
- We managed to keep our bearings and possessions between the bus station and the hostel - always good!
- First stop was the Oriente area which is essetially a fabricated docklands style tourist area. On the words of Sam we avoided the aquarium, and took the chairlift the traverses the waterfront. Good views but not mind-blowing.
- On the way back we hopped off the metro to walk through the old town area to see the many plazas and monuments, then back to Chiado.
- That evening we went on the hunt for our Portugese food experience - Portugese style chicken! Success! A whole piri-piri chicken and large serving of rice for €7.50! Such a bargain we got it again the following evening.
- On our final day we took the no.28 histrorical tram (suprisingly similar to the Santa Teresa tram of Rio de Janeiro - wonder why?) up to the top of the town to see the castle and overlook the waterfront. Great weather complemented the view. Glad we didn't walk though!
- Afterwards, we did our customary football stadium trip to the home of Benfica FC. Not exactly an impressive stadium aesthetically, but plenty on history.
- First stop was the Oriente area which is essetially a fabricated docklands style tourist area. On the words of Sam we avoided the aquarium, and took the chairlift the traverses the waterfront. Good views but not mind-blowing.
- On the way back we hopped off the metro to walk through the old town area to see the many plazas and monuments, then back to Chiado.
- That evening we went on the hunt for our Portugese food experience - Portugese style chicken! Success! A whole piri-piri chicken and large serving of rice for €7.50! Such a bargain we got it again the following evening.
- On our final day we took the no.28 histrorical tram (suprisingly similar to the Santa Teresa tram of Rio de Janeiro - wonder why?) up to the top of the town to see the castle and overlook the waterfront. Great weather complemented the view. Glad we didn't walk though!
- Afterwards, we did our customary football stadium trip to the home of Benfica FC. Not exactly an impressive stadium aesthetically, but plenty on history.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Porto, Portugal
- Our first stop for mainland Europe. 3ish hour flight with our best mate RyanAir.
- After checkin, did some quick google-ing and mapped out a DIY walkigtour tour that took us through the old town and down to the riverfront. After a quick refreshment, we headed up the hill on the lift to get a view of the centre and Cathedral.
- The next day we trekked out to FC Porto's stadium in what appeared to be a completely new area of the city. The stadium itself was very impressive, however €12 for a tour seemed excessive. In the afternoon we quickly checked out XX before we called it a day.
- After checkin, did some quick google-ing and mapped out a DIY walkigtour tour that took us through the old town and down to the riverfront. After a quick refreshment, we headed up the hill on the lift to get a view of the centre and Cathedral.
- The next day we trekked out to FC Porto's stadium in what appeared to be a completely new area of the city. The stadium itself was very impressive, however €12 for a tour seemed excessive. In the afternoon we quickly checked out XX before we called it a day.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
UK Roadtrip: Southern England
London-Brighton: walked around the waterfront and famous Brighton pier.
Brighton-Bristol: After a quick stop at Stonehenge (actually, the motorway next to Stonehenge) we headed to Bath for a few hours enroute to Bristol. Walked around the many streets of sandstone buildings and checked out the historic Roman Baths that gave the town it's name.
Oxford (day trip): Left Bristol early to head out to Oxford. Used the park and ride bus system and walked around the town during the morning. After lunch we did a guided walkingtour that took us through the history of the town and many colleges before we returned to Bristol.
Bristol-London: Made it back to te M25 but it was all over after that. Took the M23 exit and got lost somewhere around Croydon/Brixton/Camberwell. Realised we also had a crack in the windscreen. Somehow we got away with being 2 hours late, low on fuel and a cracked windscreen.
Brighton-Bristol: After a quick stop at Stonehenge (actually, the motorway next to Stonehenge) we headed to Bath for a few hours enroute to Bristol. Walked around the many streets of sandstone buildings and checked out the historic Roman Baths that gave the town it's name.
Oxford (day trip): Left Bristol early to head out to Oxford. Used the park and ride bus system and walked around the town during the morning. After lunch we did a guided walkingtour that took us through the history of the town and many colleges before we returned to Bristol.
Bristol-London: Made it back to te M25 but it was all over after that. Took the M23 exit and got lost somewhere around Croydon/Brixton/Camberwell. Realised we also had a crack in the windscreen. Somehow we got away with being 2 hours late, low on fuel and a cracked windscreen.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
UK Roadtrip: Scotland & Northern England
Road trip number two - serious kilometers in this one. Basically we did a big clockwise circle from Edinbrugh, down as low as the midlands and England, up as north as Fort William, and back again. All of this in a casual weekend.
- Edinburgh-Middlesborough: The first leg took us south, across the border with a quick stop at Hadrians Wall (what's left of it), before we set up camp for the night (not literally) just north of Middlesborough at a undiscovered gem called Stockton. Stockton is an absolute backwater and home to the worst hostel on the planet - Metro Inns Stockton.
- Middlesborough-Mancheter-Glasgow: We sadly departed Stockton at the earliest possible hour to trek south to Manchester - home of Manchester United (and Manchester City for that matter). Cade was in his element at Old Trafford. Apprently his highlight of the trip (possibly life?). From here we went north up to the picturesque Lakes District for a few hours. Being a weekend and the best weather England has ever seen, it was full of tourists. Our final leg was a dash for the border to make the following day as easy as possible. Because we were too tightass to pay for accomodation, the three of us spent a comfortable night in the VW Polo rental car.
- Glagow-Fort William: Fresh off a good nights sleep, we headed north to Fort William to see the famous Loch Ness. The weather turned bad making driving difficult but cleared momentarily for some photo opportunities. Unfortunately we didn't spot the monster - probably because it doesn't exist (I was sucked in by a Loch Ness science museum we went to).
- Fort William-Edinburgh: We woke early so Sam could get her Harry Potter fix and see some train bridge featured in one of the movies. In reality this bridge isn't as tall, long or as 'grand' as Hollywood made it look. After a brief stop over in Glasgow to bid farewells to my family, we returned the car an hour late and got flogged accordingly.
- Edinburgh-Middlesborough: The first leg took us south, across the border with a quick stop at Hadrians Wall (what's left of it), before we set up camp for the night (not literally) just north of Middlesborough at a undiscovered gem called Stockton. Stockton is an absolute backwater and home to the worst hostel on the planet - Metro Inns Stockton.
- Middlesborough-Mancheter-Glasgow: We sadly departed Stockton at the earliest possible hour to trek south to Manchester - home of Manchester United (and Manchester City for that matter). Cade was in his element at Old Trafford. Apprently his highlight of the trip (possibly life?). From here we went north up to the picturesque Lakes District for a few hours. Being a weekend and the best weather England has ever seen, it was full of tourists. Our final leg was a dash for the border to make the following day as easy as possible. Because we were too tightass to pay for accomodation, the three of us spent a comfortable night in the VW Polo rental car.
- Glagow-Fort William: Fresh off a good nights sleep, we headed north to Fort William to see the famous Loch Ness. The weather turned bad making driving difficult but cleared momentarily for some photo opportunities. Unfortunately we didn't spot the monster - probably because it doesn't exist (I was sucked in by a Loch Ness science museum we went to).
- Fort William-Edinburgh: We woke early so Sam could get her Harry Potter fix and see some train bridge featured in one of the movies. In reality this bridge isn't as tall, long or as 'grand' as Hollywood made it look. After a brief stop over in Glasgow to bid farewells to my family, we returned the car an hour late and got flogged accordingly.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Edinburgh, Scotland
- From the more industrial Glasgow, we arrived in the more royal capital of Edinburgh - for it's castle centrepiece. With minimal directions to our hostel, the bus thankfully stopped at it's front door on it's way into Edinburgh.
- First off we went on our standard walking tour tour that took us through the amazing old town that remains intact and easily differentiated from the new town. We were told about the history of the city and country, and also some funny stories from yesteryear, ironically by a history student from England.
- The rest of our time was spent walking through the streets of the new and old towns, looking at token souvineers (no - I didn't buy a kilt), and planning our upcoming roadtrip to the north.
- First off we went on our standard walking tour tour that took us through the amazing old town that remains intact and easily differentiated from the new town. We were told about the history of the city and country, and also some funny stories from yesteryear, ironically by a history student from England.
- The rest of our time was spent walking through the streets of the new and old towns, looking at token souvineers (no - I didn't buy a kilt), and planning our upcoming roadtrip to the north.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)