El Puerto de Santa Maria [28th September – 5th October] Staying in El Puerto de Santa Maria for a week let us relax a bit, after five cities in a row, in a large and ultra modern apartment, with a balcony overlooking the main square. The town is bigger than we expected and, like any other Spanish city, it has hidden gems to be discovered. It is a resort to which Spanish holiday makers go, Read more…
Sevilla [25-28th September] We’d both been to Sevilla before, but not together, so we were really looking forward to getting back to the heart of flamenco country. The train ride down from Madrid was First Class on the high speed AVE, which meant the Sala Club lounge before departure, leather aircraft style seats and a nice lunch on the train, and a fast journey! Finding the apartment was easy, and it turned out to be Read more…
Avila [23rd-25th September] Avila, one of Spain’s walled hilltop cities, is the shortest stop on our trip, and it was me who insisted that we stay here. Fiona suggested missing it out, and allowing more time elsewhere, but I wanted to stay in at least one of the walled cities, and Avila was the most convenient, as it’s on the train route to Madrid, and then down to into Andalucia, and our next stop Sevilla. Read more…
Salamanca [20th-23rd September] And so into Spain, with minimal notice taken of the border with Portugal. Quite glad to have the only significant bus journey of the trip done with, as the bus was made for Portuguese folk, who are generally smaller, and so I felt like I spent three hours in a straightjacket. Salamanca, perched on its hill, looked quite spectacular as we approached, and didn’t disappoint. It gives the impression of being a Read more…
Guarda [19-20th September] Guarda, our last stop in Portugal, is the country’s highest city at 1056 metres. For us, it was a one night stopover rather than a destination, as this was the easiest way to transition from Portugal into Spain and our first stop in Salamanca, by bus. The two hour train ride from Coimbra to Guarda was very enjoyable – we went First Class for the first time, as it was cheap because Read more…
Coimbra [16-19th September] The train trip from Porto to Coimbra started with all the bad bits that you try to avoid by being organised – on the platform in plenty of time, tickets bought and seats booked in advance, but then we got onto the wrong carriage. This meant moving up four carriages, which meant eight sets of doors which closed on you like vices as you tried to manoeuvre through them. Add in inevitably Read more…
Bairro do Casal, Murca, Douro Valley [12-15th September] The second stop on our itinerary has provided the hoped-for contrast to the hustle and bustle of Oporto. Bairro do Casal is a few lovingly restored and refurbished village houses, together with a few ruined ones, in the hilltop village of Murca – get off at the second last train station heading from Oporto up the Douro Valley, then get someone else to drive you up the Read more…
Oporto [8-12th September] Our four nights in Oporto have drawn to a close, and the predominant question is: why have we never been here before ?? 2.5 hours from Edinburgh, with those nice Ryanair people, and the place is teeming with life – locals, students, visitors from all sorts of places – especially at the weekend. Oporto is a spectacular city, built on either side of the River Douro, and there are so many things Read more…
OK – I was going to start with Blog One, a few days into our time in Oporto. However, on the way to Oporto, we have been doing such a fabulous impression of two elderly people who are going abroad for the first time, that I’m actually starting at Blog Zero. All was well when we left on time to pick up Kathleen and Lewis – Kathleen was taking custody of the car after dropping Read more…