Trust the Romans to make things big. In Segovia you'd have to be blind to miss the amazing aqueduct over 700 metres long! As usual, everywhere I go I seem to get caught in the rain, was drenched from head to foot here too. Not only was it hard to take pictures, it was terribly hard to walk in soaked jeans! Tried the famous suckling pig (cochinillo) - very yummy. And a host of other dishes whose names I have now forgotten! Only spent half a day here, would have loved to spend more time exploring the city. [View Full Entry]

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I made an unplanned stop at El Hoyo de Pinares, the hometown of a friend. It's 90 minutes from Madrid, up in the mountains - the name literally means 'Hole surrounded by pine trees', and it is in a hole, there's no hidden meaning there!! It's a small town with the population of 2000 people and it's so cosy! Unfortunately because it's so small, everyone knows everything and there isn't much to do - there are many pubs here, though, so take a wild guess as to what people get up to when they're bored! It's great to experience a family [View Full Entry]

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I know there's this raging battle between Barcelona and Madrid but I have to say, this is a pretty great city to be in. A bit quiet in August because most people are away on holidays due to the heat, but still really enjoyable. And it's really not as humid as it was in Barcelona, still bearable. I did the juvenile pub crawl. It is crazy and full of drunken madness but no, I didn´t get drunk and especially not out with people I have only just met. Still everyone here is friendly and out for a good time so it´s [View Full Entry]

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The Cathedral del Apostol is gorgeous. I can only imagine what it´s like for someone who´s done the camino, to arrive at this destination. It´s a little crazy here due to the influx of tourists and pilgrims but the vibe is great. The Cathedral takes up a whole chunk of the old city, the rest of it is easy to walk around although most of the shops are tourist-oriented. I've tried the pulpo a la galega (octopus with sea salt, olive oil and paprika) and it is delicious!! Also met a group of Spanish people who gave me a taste of [View Full Entry]

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The day I arrived in La Coruña was also the same day the 50th Anniversary Tall Ships Races arrived there and the place was swarming with sailors. (One for the girls: I had a sudden flashback of the episode in Sex & The City when it was ´Fleet Week´ in New York. This was like Fleet Week in La Coruña!!) It was a little too chaotic for my liking - many summer programs in the plazas which mean crowds and inability to get very far in a short time due to being squashed by people. The Torre de Hercules (Tower of [View Full Entry]

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The most popular attraction is the Roman walls surrounding its old city - the walls are about 15 metres high and there are stairs that lead up to the walls so you can actually walk on top of them, all around the city! That has got to be the most interesting thing I´ve seen so far. It's a very small town, easily explored in a day - great place to relax with a coffee or vino! I find that bars in little towns are cosy chill-out places, so easy to just sit for hours and chat or read a book. Or [View Full Entry]

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I moved on to Gijon, another seaside town although smaller than San Sebastian. There's a beautiful park here which was formerly a fort - if you walk along the beach you won't miss it. The views are fantastic from here, and there's sculpture is pretty amazing - and huge!!! Met some crazy 21-year-old Spanish girls whom I partied with and who made me some ´calimocho´ (wine connoisseurs look away NOW) - it´s a mixture of red wine and (shock horror) COCA-COLA. I imagine only a Uni student could think that up. After Gijon, I can honestly say I am waaaay past [View Full Entry]

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The Guggenheim is amazing. It´s everything it´s cracked up to be and more. Some people may kill me for saying this but the interior spaces were so much more interesting than the artwork it holds - then again my disclaimer is that I´m looking at it from a different eye to most people. You kinda want to stop people and go, "Do you SEE that? Do you notice this space you're walking in???" :p Stayed in a nice pension here, next to the Cathedral de Santiago, overlooking the plaza. Only drawback was the churchbells ringing every 15 minutes. Thank God they [View Full Entry]

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Arrived at 6:45am in the pouring rain! The start of my trip on my own, since I had friends in Barcelona. This is the perfect seaside town. But if you ever get sick of the sun and sand, there´s also the parte vieja (old city) to explore with it´s little streets and character-filled shops. The atmosphere here is relaxed, you can tell from wide spaces and the way people stroll the pavements. You get a feeling that kids here spend all their waking hours in the sun. The pintxhos ('tapas' in Basque) selection in bars here are incredible. They have e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g [View Full Entry]

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Girona is a beautiful medieval town, with buildings on each side of the Riu (River) Onyar which runs through the centre of the town. It´s a strange feeling that overwhelms you when you´re in the midst of huge ancient buildings with so much history. A realisation that they hold much more about the world than you´ll ever know, and by stepping into them you´re now a tiny part of its history too. Managed to catch an Andy Warhol exhibition here which was a plus! That's another reason I love this country - you never know what you'll find. [View Full Entry]

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