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chrisj - Christopher Jack

Christopher Jack It is 2008 and again I travel the well worn-path to Europe - this time to a number of new cities and of course I'll be spending a fair amount of time in my favourite European country Spain. Check back often to hear the stories of food, culture, history and football as i travel to London, Paris, Milan, Sardinia, Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona (plus a few other places on the way)
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Joined on: August 9th 2005
Last Login: June 21st 2009

Blog Entries: 85
Photos: 438
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Blogs & Travel Journals

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By chrisj
November 18th 2008
Home Oceania » Australia » New South Wales » Sydney
Home
Home
OK, so this photo wasnt taken today but Dee Why beach isnt the worst place in the world. Its always nice to come home.
Amazingly I am sitting on my couch, in my flat in Dee Why, watching my television and drinking a cup of tea from one of my own cups. It is raining outside, the sounds of traffic in the street are very familiar and the accents very normal. It feels like I have woken up from a normal night of sleep - Oh I did have a great dream last night though- quite weird and wonderful; I flew to Europe on this airline called Etihad and what was more of a nightmare than a dream the entertainment system didn’t work, I then [View Full Entry]

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296 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 1 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: November 18th 2008 | 15 Views | [diary=346356]


A special tribute
A special tribute
This photo is dedicated to the German tourist who bumped me out of the way as I was taking a shot of la Boqueria Market. Nice!
Sitting in the departure lounge at Barcelona airport I carefully and patiently unravelled the skin of my clementine. I have become quite the master of the single peel/combined twirl pirouette technique - Fruit in one hand, thumb making it’s away around it anti-clockwise as the turning fruit spins in my hand in a clockwise direction. If clementine peeling was a sport, I would be high up in its rankings! It had just been announced that the flight to London would be delayed for 90 minutes; this gave me an additional hour to sit and twiddle my thumbs (or peel and eat [View Full Entry]

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396 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 2 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: November 14th 2008 | 22 Views | [diary=345060]

Adios!

Entry to Torres
Entry to Torres
This is the start of our tour of the Torres Winery. This high techology set ends with our train coming through the door to the left of the picture.
I needed to drop in a few more photos of my trip around Catalonia on Wednesday and so here is but a small selection [View Full Entry]

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24 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 23 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: November 13th 2008 | 50 Views | [diary=344597]

Inside the cellars
Views from Montserrat
This was not in the brochure!

The coastal retreat of Sitgues
The coastal retreat of Sitgues
Dusk had arrived and the pinkish hue of the sunset presented a great ending to the day
It’s 11.30pm in Barcelona and today sadly is my last day in Barcelona and my last day in Spain. At lunchtime tomorrow I fly out from here to London for the last four days of my holiday. Today has been a lengthy one. It started very early (just after 730am) when I went searching for a coffee in nearby Gran Via. It was then on to the Bus Turistic for the trip to the Torres Vineyards, Montserrat and Sitgues. First stop was the famous Torres Winery (Bodegas Torres), where we discovered how the famous Torres wine is made. We continued onto [View Full Entry]

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476 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 10 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: November 12th 2008 | 49 Views | [diary=344545]

Chris and Sonia outside Casa Batllo
Stalls in la Rambla
Inside Boqueria

By chrisj
November 11th 2008
The Barcelona Wash N Dry Europe » Spain » Catalonia » Barcelona
The Roman defensive wall
The Roman defensive wall
In former times, Barcelona was only a small Roman village called Barcino, surrounded by a massive defensive wall
I started today at the crack of dawn, determined to get to the lavandaría to get my clothes washed. It had been a few days and although my clothes weren’t beginning to smell, I was down to my second string apparel. The brochure for Wash n Dry stated that they were open from 7.00 am so I charged down to beat the rush (I still didn’t think that there would be many there at 7.30am when I left Hostal Goya.) On arrival the place was completely shut up. 7am- 11pm 365 days a year the brochure claimed, it was near 745am [View Full Entry]

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503 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 3 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: November 11th 2008 | 169 Views | [diary=344042]

Night Time in  Barcelona
Cava and olives

By chrisj
November 11th 2008
Tuesday in Barcelona Europe » Spain » Catalonia » Barcelona
A view from Montjuic
A view from Montjuic
There are some fantastic panoramic shots from the top of Montjuic. Gaudi's famous Sagrada Familia can be since in the distance.
Once I had sorted out my washing, I headed to Plaza Cataluyna and jumped on the bus turistic for a tour around Barcelona. The Barcelona tourist bus (like so many of its type in other cities) is a great way to see the sights and gain some knowledge of the history of the place. I took the southern route this morning which snaked its way around the southern part of the city up to Montjuic, down via la Barceloneta and to Ribera which is where you can find the Picasso Museum - a museum that I just love. The first part [View Full Entry]

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497 Words | 1 Comment(s) | 10 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: November 12th 2008 | 48 Views | [diary=344049]

Montjuic to the Plaza Espanya
The best views of Barcelona
Montjuic

By chrisj
November 10th 2008
Adios Valencia Europe » Spain » Valencian Community » Valencia
Inside the impressive Plaza del Toro
Inside the impressive Plaza del Toro
This bullring is very impressive both from the outside and from within
Its Monday morning here in Valencia, today I’m taking the train to Barcelona- the last leg of my journey in Spain. Valencia was a very pleasant experience and being near the coast (even if I didn’t go to the beach) made a change form the inland cities and towns that I had visited. Valencia’s a great city and its residents are very friendly. I had some lovely food during my stay here and I would recommend it especially if you want to spend some time on the coast and if you are also visiting Barcelona. The trip between these two famous [View Full Entry]

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519 Words | 2 Comment(s) | 11 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: November 10th 2008 | 47 Views | [diary=343676]

Plaza del Toro
Valencian Architecture
Sunday morning

Citrus Galore
Citrus Galore
Inside the Mercado Central you have so many options when it comes to citrus. Oranges, Clementines and Mandarins are sold on every stall
After a sleep-in (by my standards) I decided I would Valencia’s fresh food market the Mercado Central. Situated only five minutes from the hotel the market is THE place for locals to buy their fresh produce. The market is open Monday- Saturday and if you want to taste the real Valencia I recommend a visit and mingle amongst the locals and curious tourists. From its fruit and vegetables, fresh fish and cured meats (including the ever present jamon) this market has the lot. Of course there are lots of oranges on sale (at less than 1 euro per kg) as well [View Full Entry]

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534 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 13 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: November 9th 2008 | 49 Views | [diary=343268]

Jamon
Grapes
Seafood at the Market

Streets lined with orange trees
Streets lined with orange trees
I did say that Valencia was more than just oranges however its hard to avoid the orange trees. It just makes a whole lot of sense. Councils are forever planting trees so why not fruit trees?
It is Friday morning and an early start as I check out of the Hotel Petit Palace Italia bound for the coastal city of Valencia about 350km south of Barcelona and the same distance west of Madrid. With its idyllic coastal location, Valencia enjoys a Mediterranean climate, warm dry summers, mild winters, and beautiful beaches. Having arrived in Madrid in my overcoat it would be a relief to pack it away at least for the next few days as I wind up the Spanish leg of the trip first in Valencia and then Barcelona. The train journey took three and a [View Full Entry]

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480 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 10 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: November 7th 2008 | 46 Views | [diary=342625]

More oranges!
Plaza de la Virgen
Plaza de la Virgen

By chrisj
November 6th 2008
A day trip to Segovia Europe » Spain » Castile & León » Segovia
The Aqueduct of Segovia
The Aqueduct of Segovia
This incredible structure is thought to be 2000 years old
Yesterday (Wednesday) I took a trip out to the historic town of Segovia. I caught the train from Chamartin Station in Madrid and the journey takes only 35 minutes. It was cloudy and very cold on arrival - about 5c at 1030am. The train to Segovia was fantastic, very comfortable and incredibly fast. Once at the train station at Segovia you need to catch the local bus to the centre of the town. They tend to run the buses at the same time as the RENFE trains arrive. The first thing you see when you hit the old town is the [View Full Entry]

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302 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 5 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: November 6th 2008 | 46 Views | [diary=342121]

The Cathedral of Segovia
Scenes from Segovia
Wandering the streets



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