Day 485 After a hot night it the tent, we started the day with a swim in the pool. Refreshed we set off on our tour towards Agios Nikolos, with a switch of driver and navigator and advice and directions from our camp site and the petrol station attendant, we hit the road. We took the scenic route first, single lane windy mountain roads (fortunately not too much on coming traffic) past the tiny villages , stopping intermittantly for a pic or two until we arrived at Plaka a beautiful little fishing village after lunch by the shore we caught the 10 minute ferry across to the island of Spinalonga, once a fortress for the Venetians and Cretans but more recently up until 1957 was used as a leper colony. We wandered around the small island, ... read more

The Ashes Day 474 (29/7/09) We left warm and sunny Lisbon bound for Birmingham. It was gonna be a long day, first a taxi to the airport for check-in and our flight was already 30minutes behind schedule and it was about to get longer. After an hour queue through passport check we finally boarded and left for London 1 and half hours late. Fortunately, we'd booked our bus with just enough time to grab a bite to eat and not miss our bus which too ran 20minutes late. We arrived into a rainy Birmingham and waited for Shea and Justin who were on the next bus. We got a taxi back to our old place in Moseley where Kara and Leanne and Brian were waiting (after a slight mishap of their own). Gaffy arrived shortly after ... read more

Day 469 (24/7/09) Our last stop in Spain! We started the day the Spanish way with hot chocolate and choritto's for breaky.. deliciously rich! Next, to the Cathedral built in 1402 taking just over a century to complete and recognised as the largest church in the world covering a 11,529 cubic sq. metres, holding the worlds richest and largest alter piece in the world and the tomb of Christopher Columbus, however whether his remains actually lie here is inconclusive. It is impressive in its sheer grandness and well worth the visit even feeling as “churched out” as we were. We finished our visit climbing the giralda (Bell tower) the most beautiful of all the buildings with spectacular views of the city. After a quick lunch on the run, we headed to Alcazar. Alcazar was the Palace ... read more

Day 466 Straight to Cordoba's one and only sight the Cordoba Cathedral or Antigua Mezquita was initally built as a mosque in 785 but reverted to a Church in 1236 and in the 16th century a cathedral was built in the centre. After many years of extensive expansions and remodelling it is now a huge and amazing building. We bought an audioguide to give us some direction as we made our way round the massive building, a strange mix of religion. A building (like many) best seen then described. We wandered about the thick columns under the two tired arches and contemplated how a game of hide-n-seek could go on for hours in here (but decided against it). We made our way back into the glaring sunlight, filled up our bottles from the pure water and ... read more

Day 462 After a fantastic sleep in our perfectly dark room (that will happen when there are no windows) we checked out of Pension Alicante (Valencia), got a taxi to the bus station and made our way to Alicante itself. Past the orchards of Valencia oranges and stunning scenery we arrived in hot and sunny Alicante passing our Hotel on the way. The 26 story hotel Tryp Gran Sol was easy to spot so with our rediculously overloaded backpacks we made it on foot, checked in to our airconditioned room and headed straight to the beach. The beach presumably filled with English tourists with barely enough room to stretch our your arms. We headed straight for the ocean in what can only be described as the near perfect sea temperature (for Carly anyway). When we absorbed ... read more