We went up a mountain

The Mountain, the world calls it that even if they are not a very high mountain, is situated North of Barcelona, (read the wiki here). But we did not go to the mountain to climb we were off to see the Monastery (wiki here) and ride the Funicular to the top.

Starting at the railway station, just three hundred yards from the hotel we arrived at platform 3 to wait for the R5 train. This train is a local train that runs hourly and passes through the stations that lead to Montserrat. Before one goes to the Monastery there are a couple of decisions to be made. Inn order to get to the place there are two ways of doing so - a cable car or a rack railway. There are different stops for each. Secondly when one buys the ticket at the machine, or in the kiosk, you have to decide what kind of combination ticket you want - the basic ride, the basic ride with Funicular rides, or the combination that gives you access to some sites.

The train ride is an hour long and takes at least half an hour to get out of Barcelona into the suburbs, twenty minutes of the half hour is spent in the underground subway, occasionally emerging for sunshine. The scenery is pretty scrubby until about ten minutes before the first stop, which is the cable car, and then it opens into a green valley alongside a gungy brown river. On arrival at the Monistrol station we transfer to the rack railway (wiki here) that will take us up the mountain. The five kilometre route takes fifteen minutes to ride and hugs the outside of the mountain all the way to the Monastery. On the way up it was tough to get a seat but the way down the car was empty, but for us. Bet the last car off the mountain would have been chaotic!

Disembarking at the Station we then tried to orient ourselves with the guide in the Guru's book. Moved through the Main Square and saw the Basilica. We also saw a closed sign "due to religious services". Deciding that the inside of the Basilica (wiki here) was yet another Church we walked over to the Funicular (wiki here) building for the ride to the top, where hikers and ramblers will then move on to the next site a Holy Shrine - a twenty minute walk).

This Funicular is 503 metres long, rises 248 metres and rides at an angle of 65.2 degrees - the steepest funicular in Spain. Goes every twenty minutes and takes five minutes to ride. We arrived to see at least twenty-five Grade 2 kids waiting in line, the line looked pretty small from the outside until you realised that these kids took up very little space in the lineup - we had to wait for the next one.

The amenities at the top were sparse and really only were a stepping stone for the walkers, so we took piccies and waited for the next car down. Rick the Guru had told us that there were plenty of eating places so heading off for one we then had the chance to sit down after all the standing and waiting. This was only going to be a snack as we have fallen into the habit of eating big in the evening, even though the big meal in Spain takes place between two and four in the afternoon.

It was now time to reverse the trip and make the big train at the bottom of the mountain and into Barcelona. As the trains were coordinated in departure times there was little waiting around and we boarded an almost empty train for the Barcelona ride.

That was the adventure for the day - back to the room for wine and cheese and then back to the restaurant, scoped out earlier on the walk back to the hotel.

Just another day in Barca

Barca is the name given to the Barcelona Football Club and so goes the football club so goes the City, "This Barcelona team, which reached a record six consecutive Champions League semi-finals and won 14 trophies in just four years under Guardiola's charge, is considered by some managers, players and experts to be the greatest team of all time." - wikipedia quote.

So today was just another day for us in Barca. The sun shone the three and a half hour bus ride was most interesting and the sights we saw were  unusual. We both agreed that this hopon hopoff tour was the best we have ever taken. Both for content - we saw most of the City, and for commentary. The extensive tape commentary must have been tied to a GPS because it never misspoke or got left behind of the location that was being described - well done!

So what were the sights I hear you ask. The ride hit all of the spots - the Montjuic mountain and its Olympic facilities sites, the World Trade Centre, the Port District and the olympic Village, now converted to housing and the waterfront. Back through the Gothic District and to the heat of the City - Placa Catalunya. We changed routes at some point in the first route so that we could go and see the Sagrada Familia read the long version here, theis place is a Church under construction and has been since 1883. The architect Antoni Gaudi assumed control in 1888 and even though he died in 1926 (hit by a tram) his vision as been carried  on by successive builders. Plagued by many things including the Spanish Civil War, conflicting religious points of view and underfunding, its future is now assured by the millions of visitors a year coming to see the number one attraction in Barcelona who pay to get in.

Arriving at the sight the first thing we saw was the  fact that this construction site is only about a City Block in size and is surrounded by normal Barcelona. The other thing was the massive lineup to get in. Only allowing a few people in at a time we calculated the four hundred metre lineup was at least four hours long - we just admired the place from the outside. But it lived up to its reputation. The pic shows a completed Church and the best estimate of a finish date is 2026.

Another feature of Barca is the Public Art, many Placas have statues or modern pieces at their centre , the one on the left took my fancy.

Traditional statues or monuments may please others the pic on the right is normal for some, pleasant for others.

Getting back to the first route we then passed the Stadium (shrine?) of the Barcelona Football Club, got off one stop before the dropoff and walked the remaining distance to the hotel. A quick shower then on to another restaurant and wine, then home.

Tomorrow we are off to Montsarrat.

This is Wednesday isn't it?

Losing track of the days is easy when you are on a schedule that only requires you be in a place for so many days as opposed to being to have to be in a place on a certain day. Consequently we are now in Barcelona for five more days. Today being the first day in Barc we decided to get the heavy lifting done first - figure out the Subway system, see the big sights and generally get the bearings needed for efficient touring.

Thanks to a Barcelona website that explains everything (www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/) we had the theory down to a tee, but when one is confronted with actual ticket machines in the Subway - for example - and the lineup is behind you waiting for their turn the pressure is on. Thanks to a patient lineup and instructions in English, on the ticket screen, we did manage to get it.

The first site to see was the one kilometre of pedestrian Mall/open space/recreation called the Ramblas. This walkway is lined with vendors and food tables and a fantastic place for people watching. Running through the heart of the old Town to the waterfront walking it is a great way of seeing Barcelona as they see themselves, of course it is seen better at night but we don;t stay up that late so it was done in daylight. Of course deviation is encouraged (how else can you see what is behind the Main Drag?) and we did deviate.

One such deviation was to see Placa de George Orwell. I was unaware of such a place until this morning when an old school pal mentioned that it was near to Place Real. Looking it up the Orwell spot was very near - I had to visit it, much to the amazement of my better half. Still don't know the circumstances of this place being proclaimed as such but Orwell did serve on the Republican side during the Spanish Civil War. Ironically there is a surveillance camera next to the plaque.

Walking down to the waterfront there is yet another monument to Christopher Columbus. A 288 foot column - we ascended to the small observation tower in an elevator reminiscent of the cage that rescued the Chilean Miners - four people max. The observation deck was about sixteen feet in diameter, on the outside edge but was only about thirty inched wide. A tight squeeze for the people trying to move about.

Down on the ground it was time to hit the next site - the Cathedral. Nothing special as far as Cathedrals go and smaller than some we have seen but it had to be seen. The journey passed many interesting stores and eating spots we would be needing one when we finished with the Cathedral.Entering the place, for nothing the price would be applied five minutes after we were in.

Two outstanding and unique features were the Crypt and tomb of St. Eulalia. This tomb was built under the High Altar and the steps going down are a feature of the both the Altar and the Crypt. The third feature that should have been seen was the roof and the views of the City. Unfortunately that part was not available as the elevator was closed. C'est la Vie.

Now it was time to find a place to eat. The choice was: an Irish pub and order off the menu, a Spanish Tapas Bar and nibble or take any of the the thousands of restaurants that offer "Menu del Dia" a three course meal for a good price. We chose the Menu del Dia - veal for Doreen and pork for me - yummy. Tasted even better with drinks.

Fully refreshed it was time to reenter the Subway and navigate our way home. The Green L3 Line was the one and very quickly we were at the Place d'Espanya. Lucky for us we emerged from the catacombs at the very spot we will need on Friday when we start our journey to Montsarrat. The train to there leaves from the Place d'Espanya and we would have had to find the embarkation point - now we know.

Tomorrow is the HoponHopoff tour and it had better be more informative than the one in Sevilla!

Gibraltar - the final day in Andalucia

Leaving Sevilla after breakfast Doris the GPS lady didn't let us down today, we ended up in Gibraltar in just over two hours and in the right place. Checked into the hotel, settled in and went exploring the Rock. The hotel was on the Spanish side of the Border ((El Frontier) and was booked because of the price and none of the five hotels in Gibraltar had any rooms for the night.

Deciding to eat before we crossed the line we idled into a Burger King, this franchise is the most rampant in the Country, more of these than Mickey Ds. However the menu is the same as home and the prices as good. Following the crowds across the line was easy and this is the most relaxed border I have ever seen. The Spanish guys could not care less and the Brits really didn't want to hold up the traffic so we waved our passports at the bored looking Gib guy and passed through. Rick, our guru, Steves had told us that the way to get down Town was to board the red double decker and get off at the third stop - we did and then another bus took us to the Cable Car - our destination. This site was overpriced and there wasn't much to do at the top except admire the view and walk down. Doreen got to achieve one of the bucket list items - see the Apes, plenty of those hanging around. After taking a few piccies we got back in the Cable Car. On the bottom, still following Rick's advice we walked back to the bus stop. This was on the Main St. of the Old Town. Pity it was Siesta time on a Sunday, the worst time to be in a shopping area, but we survived. The scenery was good and the architecture old and amazing. Took the bus back to the Border and were back in time at the hotel to catch a drink.

In the morning, when sitting down to the ritual of writing the travelogue, technology let me down - again. The netbook froze on opening and with me not knowing enough about my hated windows 8 the words didn't hit paper until a few hours later (my pal Michael googled the problem and we managed to reboot) so there was no post this morning. I am writing this on the plane to Barcelona. But back to the morning. I still wanted to see the Tunnels in the Rock. Doreen certainly did not want to so I left early and got caught in the morning rush hour, couldn't find a taxi and had to take the #5 bus again. Arrived at the bus terminal and discovered that the Tunnels were not on a bus line. Found a nice taxi driver who told me the tricks of the tourist business. In the pricing of the attractions they are bundled and I only wanted one of the bundles, so a 'walking pass' was purchased and he dropped me off at the ticket office. Walking the first two hundred metres - uphill, did I say the Tunnels are halfway up the Rock?, a static display was looked at. This depicted the Great Siege, a three year blockade by the Spanish and French, mannequins and artifacts got the message that it was not a good place to be at that time. Another two hundred metres uphill brought me to the the actual Siege Tunnel. This tunnel had been dug, by hand in an attempt to get the large guns higher up the Rock to fire down on the besiegers. The idea of firing from the tunnel was discovered by the tunnellers when they vented the tunnel to get rid of the blasting fumes. Having cracked a hole in the wall somebody must have said this is a great way to fire the guns. After all they were only trying to get to the "Notch" a flat piece of land high enough to fire on the Spaniards. At this attraction the bundled pass was needed to get in. Explaining to the ticket guy that I had little time and only wanted to see the Tunnels he said, "OK take a quick look and I won't charge you" Terrific, thanked him profusely on the way back ad he refused a tip.
Nipping into the free Heritage Centre to see what a Victorian Gun Placement looked like, walked down the hill to the pickup place, which happened to be outside the WW2 tunnels (this one was a 45 minute guided tour) and I definitely did not have enough time for so settled for a quick look around the artifacts at the front. Amongst the artifacts was this tribute to the Canadian tunnellers. Time to phone Douglas the taxi driver for a ride home.


Another trip in the car - the last one back to Malaga, but before handing the car back we had a sidetrip to Mike and Sue's house at Fuengirola - on the way. Doris let us down, and the phone lost its service so when we pulled into a small restaurant near where we thought they lived, we did call them, settled in for a drink and then went back to their place. A very quick trip to the airport and a late flight to Barcelona. When you consider that you can fly from one end of the Country to the other for the price of a good bottle of wine it is no wonder that the plane was full.

Tomorrow we move into the jewel of the vacation - downtown Barcelona.

If you do enough of them you will get a bad one!

Tours that is. Today was going to be the Full Monty of sightseeing and had signed up for the HoponHopoff tour. Today in Seville

Busing on the transit, 1.40 euros a ride will take you anywhere on the system, we rode downtown and disembarked at the main station, just 500 metres from the attractions. Got on the open air us, after handing the booking voucher over we set  off. First thing to say was that this tour was the worst one we have done and we have done many all over the World. The commentary was insufficient to point  out the sights, the route bypassed many of the sights and then the route was changed ("by circumstances beyond our control") so we had no idea of where we were on the map.

Having said that we did manage to see sights, we didn't know what they were but they still looked good. Arriving back at the start point after about an hour we then did our own tour. First stop the Cathedral. We have been avoiding Cathedrals, every place has one and they usually all look the same. Sevillla's was different. Same cross like design for a footprint but inside was smaller than most and had the High Altar and the Choir areas enclosed by cages, a different style of Church.

One of the artifacts in the Cathedral was Christopher Columbus's Tomb. He was buried in a few places before being brought here in 1900. Buried first in NW Spain (he died in Valladolid), moved to a Monastery in Sevilla then the Dominican Republic (he had requested this) on to Cuba and then after Cuban independence he came back to Sevilla and put in this magnificent arrangement. The four Pallbearers are actually Kings that represent the neighbouring Regions. One the great things about this Cathedral is that is a working one. While we were there, a Saturday there were two weddings in the Chapels. Another fine unpaid show as we watched the celebrants in their finery, we didn't stay long enough to see the Bride and Groom but the clothes the guests wore were "reet posh!" especially the women and the hats they had on.

By this time we had to sit down, picked a Cafe in the Plaza Nueva and were astounded, once again, by the lunch. I had a burger on a donut, never heard of such a thing and Doreen had a salmon filet on puff pastry - a definite five forks award for these. a two wine lunch and then on to the shopping. We were looking for a specific item - two Spanish Soccer shirts for our little boys. We had seen a pair on the first day but none since. Today we got lucky and found the sizes for both and priced to match. Meandering we came back to the start point and it started to rain. Doreen, ever the thinker/planner had put the folding umbrella in the day pack and now we got to use it. Made it as far as a Starbucks 500, meters away from the bus stop and nipped  into the Cafe next door and waited for the rain to stop. It did but not to soon, we had enough to time to get on the interwebthingy and skype home.

Bused it home, the driverlady told us where to get off, printed the boarding passes for the next flight on Monday, finished the wine and looking forward to the drive to Gibraltar tomorrow morning.

When our daughter in law came back from Spain last year she raved about a trip they had made to Jerez to see the dancing Andalusian horses at the The Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art. So having booked tickets online we knew we had to be in Jerez at Noon.

Yesterday references had been made to our problems with the parking garages we have been using. Just imagine driving your smart-car into the house, down the basement and trying to find a slot amongst the support beams - it's something like that here. To add to the hassle all the controls come from computerised tickets on a 24 hour cycle. So driving in, extracting the ticket to the garage from the machine and then driving down the ramp to the third floor we came across another scanner. This one controlled the gate to the hotel's section. Problem one; I had put the car in the wrong position to approach the ramp (bounded by a kurb).  Scanned the ticket - gate went up and I had to back up to avoid hitting the out gate, took too long and the gate came down, the car was out  of position. No problem just get Doreen to scan the ticket and I drive through. NOT. The ticket was good for one scan! Just leaving the car where it was, in an empty bay, it was decided to sort that out later.

Coming back later I figured I would just push the button on the first machine and get another ticket and start the process all over again. Since I wasn't built like a car (I might be after all this food) the sensor didn't allow me to push the button to obtain a ticket. Hmmm what to do? Ah - press the help button - did that and got a uni-lingual Spaniard. I gave up and then he chased me down in person and we came to the understanding that I could leave the car where it was. So this morning when we came to get out the ticket I had did not work at the exit machine - pressing the Help button again I assumed the travelling attitude of the Grand English Ladies of yore - talk loud and aggressively and you will get want you want. The chappie behind the speaker obviously looked at his camera, saw the lineup behind me and opened the gate.

On to the road, another sidebar, the GPS we had borrowed had European maps installed but TomTom obviously considered Spain to be another part of Europe - it wasn't on this GPS. But we had a backup the app on my phone. Today it wasn't finding the right satellites and we were without our directions for a while. Upshot was we were late getting to Jerez, even allowing an extra hour for the journey, but we did see a lot more of Sevilla than we had planned to!

But back to the travel stuff - good quick ride to Jerez, an hour South-East of Sevilla, but encountered another Spanish peculiarity, a Toll Road. Nothing new about that what was different was the position of the tollbooths - in the middle of the stretch between Sevilla and Jerez, not at either end. So what would stop cheaters just coming off the ramps before and going back on one ramp later. Just a question?

Arrived at Jerez and Doris the GPS lady did get us to near the spot except as usual the place you are looking for doesn't match up to the actual location. Found a parking spot - a bloody miracle, and walked over to the School for the performance. The ninety minutes went fast. Stole a piccie (no cameras allowed) during a pee break and this is the fine interior of the Arena (horse barn). We saw performances from both horses and carriages. Impressive.

We had time to kill and had decided to visit Cadiz a thirty minute ride away. With Doris leading the way we found it and a parking garage, this time the problem was finding a pedestrian exit. Had a bite to eat in the first place we saw (always) a mistake, and then explored the City.

Siesta time (from 1400 t0 1630) is not the best time to see places but enough stores were open to get a flavour of the place. Another modern place with small streets and very clean. We did get caught in a rain burst, no problem it only lasted five minutes.

Drove back to Sevilla in the evening and after a stop to pick up a bottle of wine and a snack for later we were finished by seven PM.

HoponHopoff today and the weather looks overcast - that's good not too much sun beating down on the open bus.

We have seen something amazing

We went to a building that just took our breath away today. As you know we have seen many sights - this place, for me, is the #1 sight i have ever seen.

Wikipedia has a page - here - that describes the edifice far better than I, but you get the picture  that this is an impressive place.

Backing up, today was a drive from Iznajar to Cordoba. We went to meet an old pal and his wife, who are building their winter house away from the bustle of the Costa del Sol and stayed overnight. A bit over an hour's car ride took us from an idyllic lakefront hotel to the bustle of Cordoba. The countryside moved from the olive treed hills to the flatland around Cordoba. The downside, with a plus is that the number of English speakers has declined drastically, that means that our meagre collection of Spanish verbs and adjectives has been put to the test - quite successfully in fact.We are still able to order food and drink and bookin to the hotel.

We have been sleeping in many hotels but have been using the IBIS hotel change for a couple of nights. Tonight we are booked  into an IBIS Economy. Prior to coming here we wondered what could be cheaper in terms of room amenities and supplies than an IBIS. Now we know, the IBIS economy is like sleeping in a Uni Residence and if you expecting any little bathroom goodie forget it - two bars of soap, two towels and a very clean and efficient bathroom. For a price twenty euros cheaper than the real IBIS you get what you pay for, but it will work for us.

Put mildly Cordoba has been a large surprise and we really liked it here. The only parking problems we have had today were the problems encountered here, in Sevilla, when trying to navigate the small interiors of the garage. 

Tomorrow we shall visit the "Dancing Horses" at Jerez, stay tuned.

Granada - one day was not enough

This sight was a common one as we meandered through the larger streets of the main City. After being further impressed by the food prices $5 each for a full breakfast we set off the pick up our tickets to the Alhambra (wiki definition here). This UNESCO world Cultural site is Spain's premier attraction we are told not to miss it. But walkup entry to the site is impossible so tickets must be  booked on line and then picked up before entry at a special ATM type kiosk. The one we were off to see was in the large public area of the City near the Cathedral. Only 8,000 visitors per day are allowed on the site and when we booked, online the early visit times were taken and we picked 1400 hrs and hoped that the sun would not be to hot that day.

Anyway yesterday was that day and it started off brisk and ended up nice 26 degrees. But prior to the leaving of the hotel the saga with the car had to be completed. After finding the hotel in the maze instructions were given to park the car outside on the street as the space in the garage was gone. "But you have to move it before eight!" Up at seven thirty to move the car, it was naturally hemmed in by the car behind me and as I get in the onlookers on the street all had the same attitudy look - "What you can't get out of there?" I did after a seventeen point turn, and following the map I drove three kms to get to a garage less than fifty yards away, but up a one-way street. Squeezing into the last space available I felt secure enough to start out on foot.

So leaving the 'maze' we entered downtown and proceeded to meander. Wandering around the area about the Cathedral our mind was made up for us, not to enter (just how many churches can you see on one trip, all the Cities have them!), by the cost to enter 8 euros ($12). So waving off the 'sage ladies' - Rick Steves describes them as "down and out women who accost you trying to pin a piece  of sage on you and them demanding a tip".  couple of pics of the street scene are below.

 This one was a beauty, just park where you can buddy!

These are wonderful inventions - coin-operated Banos.

Anyway after the meander we settled on a place to have coffee and people watch before leaving to go to the Alhambra. We soon learned the hard way the difference between 'cafe con leche' and cafe con crema, at least at this place. Having spoken the wrong phrase we were surprised to see our 'coffee con crema' - a coffee glass half filled with dark coffee and topped up with whipped cream. Eating half the cream and then stirring the rest into the coffee gave us a very good tasty drink, But at three times the normal price we learned to order the proper item.

Back to the car and driving to the Alhambra was a breeze, found a space and at 1230 we presented ourselves at the gate. Noticing our tickets were stamped 1400 the gatekeeper officiously told us "Come back at 1400". So we attempted to find the free stuff in the place to kill time. Our travel guru Rick Steves explained in his guide book, ensconced on my e-reader, that we should do this. So strolling leisurely (we had to kill time) we found ourselves at the top of the site and the place to lineup at. Again "Come back at 1400". Even when we tried to enter the Fort the same refrain, so biting down on an icecream we stood in line.

Finally the appointed time arrived and we entered the Palace, the finest example of Moorish relics in Spain - it was outstanding, impressive and worth the wait. Moving from room to room we saw the interior of the Sultan's Palace, as it was in the Tenth Century. This self-guided tour lasted about a half hour and we exited into the gardens.

Now we were allowed to go anywhere we moved into the Palace of Carlos V, another large square building with a large interior circular courtyard.

 

Then on to the Fort,  climbed to the top and enjoyed the view - time to leave. 

Onto the highway to the next place to stay - a small hotel in Iznajar, an inland Town on the way to Cordoba. This is where we met up with an old friend from my Army days, he now lives part time in Spain and is building a house in Iznajar - it was on the way to Cordoba so we agreed to meetup. We did and caught up over a meal in a rustic Mensa, for an even cheaper rate than previous days. The meal for four with drinks and wine came to ninety euros, $135.

Off to Cordoba Today.

Into the most garish cabin we have ever seen

The return of the car to the rental place, in Brussels, was the quickest and easiest ever consequently we had more time to waste in the Terminal. Finding two comfortable armchairs and having good books we settled in. Food prices were average for Airport plus location, i.e Brussels Airport.

Four hours came and we went - from the lineup at the Ryanair desk to the lineup at the screening and then into the lineup for the plane. Having read about Ryanair's policy of handbaggage - they have smaller bag limits and aggressively charge for infractions (well that's what many pages on the interwebthingy told us),  we were worried about our bags. Well strike that one out, a frequent flyer told us they backed off a couple of years ago. It showed; passengers surrounding us gleefully packed and toted bags far bigger than usually allowed - take that Ryanair! 

Landing at Malaga we finally met the car rental chappie, certainly the most "back of the envelope" booking arrangements I have ever seen. The  internet car rental company must have subbed out to rental operators just like "Uber" which has taken over the taxi industry. After being led out of the Terminal to a godforsaken place in the lot he asked "which car do you want?" Picking one filling out some forms we were off.  He showed us where he wanted us to return the car to and then he drove to the hotel. Being another IBIS the room was identical to the one in Belgium, they must have a factory prefabbing the rooms and then ship them out to the next new hotel. Must be confusing for very frequent travellers who wake up hungover in the same room but a different City!

Malaga was the first day in Spain, and supposedly the scourge of the Costa Del Sol, due to yobbos and yahoos committed to serious partying ruining the Town with loud music and drunken revelling. Disn't see any of that - it was midday when we hit the streets. What we did see was a bustling tourist Town - clean and pedestrianised and free of cars in the downtown shopping areas. Time to have a casual coffee - loving these Spanish food prices, and then a very slow drive along the Coast to a Town called Molita where we turned inland to Granada.

The drive was along the road that links all of the Towns in the Costa del Sol thus the scenery in the Towns was large developments of apartment and hotels filled with Northern Europeans, the roads between the Towns were windy affairs with spectacular sea views. The pic on the left was a snap of the view of such a development - hotels in former farmland.

Stopping for a break in Nejer, a less developed but easy Town, we discovered the clientele of such a place - wrinklies who love the sun. These folks were sitting and drinking in a place run by a Dutch couple. We had a very nice "toasty" and drinks. We did observe that these folks must have been English and obviously not introduced to each other as they were not talking to anybody other than themselves - very strange.

Out of there after buying a SIM card for the phone, and one hour later we landed in Granada. Our hotel was in the inner city a place where cars have been banned because the streets are only eight feet wide - hence the maze of one-way streets. We found the place thanks to a free GPS app on the phone. Entering the hotel we discovered that the hotel was on the fourth floor and did not occupy the whole building - another European feature, we found one of these in Rome a few years ago. Nice place, the wrinkle was the car had to be registered as a hotel visitor, as the Police check the cameras and fine the non-allowed cars for being there.

Last order of business was to find a place to eat. Pointed toward Calle Navas, featured in the pic on the left, we found one from a choice of many.

Tomorrow we visit the jewel of the South of Spain - the Alhambra.

If this is Saturday it must be Belgium

A six and a half hour hour flight, faster than we thought, a mixed bag of fellow travellers, grandparents going home, young parents and a preponderance of older adults just travelling -  destinations unknown. 

Usual routine for European flight: get on, sit down, and then....read, listen to music on personal devices. One hour into the flight get a packaged dinner, three hours of lights out, another box of food (breakfast) then another hour until touchdown.

Touchdown and wait for three hundred people to leave, did we mention that our seats had been preselected for their position on the plane - two seats by themselves in a row of two, at the back of the plane - great bargain at $40 a piece. Anyway the plane had taxied for twenty minutes (how big is Schipol Airport anyway - too bloody big!) and a walk that was twice as any in YYZ (Toronto). Finally get to baggage claim 18 and yet another wait - total waiting time 70 mins. Clear customs with nary a glance from the one Officer at the gate and on to the car rental. Quick paperwork and then another long walk to the car.

Get the car, make sure the (in)attendant marks down the huge gash in the rear quarter panel, familiarise oneself with the controls and we are off to Aalst. Two hundred and thirty one KMs. With Doris the GPS lady telling us exactly where to turn we made it in just over two hours. Speed limits are variable but range from 90 to 130 KMs very good for an impatient person.

Check in at the IBIS in Aalst and the room is ready, Doreen immediately closed her eyes and slept, I was off to the bar for a coffee. It arrived in a small Euro cup, just enough milk to turn the black less black, two cubes of sugar but it was a caffeine jolt equivalent to any four RedBulls. Welcome to Europe! Mitigating the price was the free croissant and the two little dessert goodies that came with it - just what was needed.

What with Doreen's eyes refreshed and mine not closing, because of the coffee, we are ready for the Family Stuff this afternoon and tomorrow

That's all for today next post after the weekend when we fly to Spain.

The bane of travellers

Airports, that is. You know the drill - hurry up to get through all the procedures and then wait to get on and sit down. Today was livened up by the stupidity of the people in front of at the scanner. After doing all the usual stuff - belt off, coins in tray, laptop out of backpack, we waited to go through the scanner, load up all we had stripped off and be on our way - not. A couple with a kid and a cat in a cage struggled to obey all the rules, all of which they were conspicuously ignorant of. Their cat had to come out of the cage to avoid being x-rayed to death - it didn't want to come out - a small cage and a large cat. Next their carry-on luggage, which consisted of many carryons and kids stuff, how they got past the ticket agent is any guess, but the woman had packed all of her toiletries in two bags, of the many, and all of them were full size - gone in the garbage, the piece de resistance, a steak knife - obviously a utensil to be used when making up the sandwiches on the plane - it went too, with little fanfare.

Finally watching this with interest, what else can you do? we arrived at the gate. For those who haven't been to Terminal One lately you should know that in the quest for more money the seating has been pulled out and replaced with a Cafe. But signs invite you to sit without having to buy anything. With the free food (on the plane being hours away) we gave in and realised that the holiday in Europe started at Gate B29 with european prices. A Tuna sandwich $9, a yoghurt $6, round out with a KitKat bar for dessert and the smallest bottle of water and there is little change out of $24, amazing but expected.

Next stop the plane.

Yesterday's answer to the 'bag crisis'

Not doing much of anything yesterday, before hitting the highway for a twelve hour shift., I get a phone call asking if spending a large sum of money on a carryon bag that fitted Ryanair's smaller dimensions was OK by me. Of course I said, "If you like it you buy it." So she, the love of my life, my life partner who can do no wrong and my travelling companion did. 

I then returned to doing nothing in particular only to be interrupted by the bag buyer returning home. "Look at this" she said, "It fits everything you wanted" Then it dawned on me that the bag buying was for me not her, why I thought that was understandable, after all her bag needs were greater than mine - I had adapted another larger bagpack. I deserved a medal for the next action - I said "That's very good dear I like that."

Bloody Ryanair!

A BIG crisis

After many years of travelling all over and to many places one would have thought that we'd have it cracked by now - the logistics that is. The bags we use and the routines of the airports. Wrong! This trip involves two legs travelled on Ryanair. Attracted to the mode by the price one is aware that everything you do with these guys will cost you money. For instance the one bag we are putting all our stuff in costs more to place in the hold than it costs to put our bums in the seats (After all Ryanair does promise "cheap seats" it's just all the rest of the experience that costs money.)

So starting to pack I went to the website to see about the carryon luggage rules. Now the poop hit the fan Ryanair's carryon baggage size is about 1.5 inches smaller than the industry standard. Another tale involves Doreen's woes when trying to find the perfect carryon bag - she found one after years of experimentation with every size imaginable and now the bloody thing is too big!!

CRISIS.......So we think we have the problem solved, I moved my stuff into another backpack and a small manbag and she is off, at this very minute checking out local bag purveyors. Armed with the measurements she will find one, but will it be to her taste and become a favourite or will it be just another bag to put "stuff" in?

Getting closer

So now the conversation is, "How can we get enough clothes in the suitcase to last 17 days?"

I don't know the answer all I have to worry about is which charging cord goes with which gizmo we are taking and how to get all the gizmos in one backpack. The unknown worry at the moment is where to get the SIM card for the unlocked phone which will be doing double duty as the GPS.

Despite the fact that the planning binder is one inch thick and every day is accounted for I am sure that there will be something that will crop up - the mystery will be what will it be?

It's that time of the year again!

Yep Spain is going to get a visit. After a family visit to Belgium we fly to Malaga, rent a car and discover the Southern Town's of Spanish Andalusia, then fly North to Barcelona for five funfilled days.

Why don't you come along as we explore the Moorish history of Medieval Spain, we hope that we find the time to complete this travelogue.