Spain

Centuries of history, picturesque coastlines, incredible food, crazy festivals and amazing architecture, Spain has it all! Although with only a short amount of time left on our visa and limited kilometers before an expensive car service, we had to be a little selective with our destinations.

Starting in the north, we travelled down from the mountainous country of Andorra and slowly made our way towards the coast. After some extremely glowing recommendations from friends Tara and Aaron, we decided on Figures for our first stop, mainly to visit the very extravagant Salvador Dali museum. Arriving in the late afternoon we set out in finding some accommodation, however the weather didn't exactly corporate which left us running around in a massive storm, ankle deep in water searching for somewhere to stay. Eventually we managed to find a place to dry off and wait out the rain before stepping out again for some tapas and a spot of shopping in town (on Louise's part). The next morning we were first at the door to get into the museum, as the crowds pick up quite quickly as the day goes on. With such an extensive collection of his works, we enjoyed a few hours of wandering the museum and works that he has inspired, we then moved into the jewelry section created by Dali which was fascinating, a favour been the beating heart made of rubies.

Next we headed down to Valencia in preparation for the world famous La Tomatina. During our 3 days here we spent our time wandering the city with our Topdeck guides learning a little about the local culture and history. Having participated in the worlds largest food fight and 3 showers later, it was then time to head to the south of Spain (via Madrid for a new passport for Ryan - not enough pages left!). With our next stop in Granada Louise started coming down with the flu and chest infection, with Ryan quick to follow. After a day of rest, but still not feeling much better, we dragged ourselves out of bed and went to see the Alhambra. Originally built in 899 as a palace and fortress, before been renovated in the mid 11th century by Badis Ben Habus the Berber king and converted into the royal palace in 1333 by the sultan of granada, Yusuf 1.

After seeing the Alhambra, we were not sure if there was anything could top it, however when we walked into the Mesquita in Cordoba we were awestruck again. The endless red and white striped arches and beautiful alter were yet another example of the magnificent architecture in Spain. After spending an hour or so in the catherdral, turned mosque, turned carthedral again, we wandered the quite streets of Coroba, enjoying a frozen yogurt and snapping a few photos of the local 'artwork.'

From Cordoba we then headed west to Portugal to travel up the coast, seeing the main Portuguese sites along the way (see Portugal post). Crossing back into Spain, we took the back roads for both the scenic views and to avoid the ridiculous Portuguese tolls. Whilst initially this proved to be a great choice, our GPS on the other hand had a different idea and once again we found ourselves testing out the Peugeot's off road capabilities.

With our chest infection still lingering we decided to treat ourselves with some fancy accommodation. So after some hefty research we decided on a castle in the small town of Oropesa, just outside of Madrid. As we approached the town we were met with beautiful views of a castle overlooking the surrounding hills and quaint medieval town. After checking in we wandered the entire castle reading up on the families that lived in the castle in the past. We then dressed up and heading into the town square, bustling with locals, to sample some of the local foods and a sangria. Having done almost everything medieval throughout our tour of Europe, staying in an actual castle was definitely a great way to start rounding off the end of another chapter. Although I am sad to report it didn't cure our illness...

Of course a trip to Spain wouldn't be complete without a stop over in its capital, Madrid. As mentioned in an earlier post Madrid was a unexpected surprise when it came to culinary delights. However it wasn't the food that captured our attention, it was the chance to see one of Spain's most well known yet controversial sports, bull fighting. Having secured some A-grade front row seats, we settled in on our piece of concrete bench and watched the spectacle unfold. Whilst unfortunately no bulls were able to make it through to 'greener pastures' the matadors put on an interesting performance and kept the butchery to a minimum.

For our final few days in Europe we stayed in Barcelona, enjoying our return to health and the fabulous food on offer. We spent most days going from restaruant to restaurant enjoying the endless types of tapas, taking photos and wandering from funky shop to funky shop. We left Barcelona (and Europe) with significantly lighter pockets, but many good memories.

- Louise & Ryan -