Russ Pearce

rrruss

Russ and Trish are trying something new - Spain!

It's quite unusual being in Europe. We'll even have to pay taxes!!!!

For those who want to see all about what we did before May 2006, follow these links:

Sept 2005 - April 2006 Peru, Bolivia and Argentina
June - Sept 2004 Bolivia
Our previous Travels

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Travel Blog Posts

Belchite - Reminders of Spain's Turbulent Past

Published: May 16th 2013Europe » Spain » Aragon » Zaragoza

Ruins of Belchite

rrruss
May 11th 2013

It was another grey weekend in Pamplona, but the weather forecast suggested that just under two hours away in the car, we might find some sunshine. So we headed off to Zaragoza and, sure enough, just as we were getting close, the clouds broke up and we were left with a beautiful blue sky. About 50km Southeast of Zaragoza is the sad sight of the crumbling remains of Belchite. To get there we drove through spartan countryside on one of the straightest roads we have ever seen. The ruins of the cathedral loomed large in the distance and helped us get our bearings. Not really knowing where we were heading, we went through the new town and parked up out side the ruins of the old town. It seems that once upon a time wandering idly ... read more

Words: 405 | Comments: 2 | Photos: 13 | Videos: 043 Views

Bardenas Reales - not quite the desert we expected to see!

Published: April 27th 2013Europe » Spain » Navarre » Tudela

Where's the desert?

rrruss
April 27th 2013

Towards the end of last year Trish was given the opportunity to be an "extra" in a film. You should be able to see The Counselor before the end of this year. Her scenes were shot in the desert of the Bardenas Reales and since then we have wanted to go and explore the area a little. Staying in Tudela gave us the perfect opportunity. We set off after breakfast and headed straight to the southern section of the national park. On the maps a road was marked which we could drive up to a spot from where we could do a nice walk. The road was a track and very rough at times. Luckily we have been on such roads before and know how to drive on them. Even so, we would rather have had ... read more

Words: 520 | Comments: 1 | Photos: 29 | Videos: 067 Views

The sun was shining in Tudela

Published: April 27th 2013Europe » Spain » Navarre » Tudela

Beautiful scene by the river

rrruss
April 27th 2013

We hadn't planned to go away last weekend but as the sun was shining we thought we had better make the most of it. So, off we went down the motorway, paying our tolls, and soon enough we were negotiating the different coloured parking zones in Tudela. We ended up settling for the blue zone and, astonishingly had to pay just 75 cents to cover ourselves for the whole weekend! That's because there was only an hour left that we needed to pay for. Once again we got a good deal with NH Hotels and they allowed us to check in early which was nice. We then strolled through the town centre (or is it a city centre?) where we sat in the Plaza de los Fueros and ate our lunch. The sun was shining and ... read more

Words: 505 | Comments: 0 | Photos: 30 | Videos: 044 Views

Mundaka and some more of the Basque coast

Published: April 2nd 2013Europe » Spain » Basque Country » Mundaka

Enjoying the sun at Gaztelugatxe

rrruss
March 24th 2013

With a promise of some sunshine the Basque coast had a real feel of spring about it last weekend. Ok, so it wasn't as warm as a couple of weeks ago, but we weren't complaining. We jumped in the Bogey Buggy and headed to the small coastal town of Mundaka where we stayed in the imaginatively named Hotel Mundaka. It was really comfortable and not badly priced compared to most other options in the area. We were also lucky to find a parking space near the harbour for most of the weekend. In summer that could be a bit of a problem. As we couldn't check in straight away we had a bit of a wander around. The small harbour is lovely and there is a nice outside bar on the square overlooking it. There are ... read more

Words: 1321 | Comments: 2 | Photos: 37 | Videos: 0104 Views

The Painted Forest of Oma - A Natural Artists' Canvas!

Published: March 21st 2013Europe » Spain » Basque Country » Guernica

Up close and personal with some all-seeing trees!

rrruss
March 10th 2013

A short drive from Guernika we found one of the most extraordinary sights we have seen on Northern Spain - the Painted Forest of Oma. To get there we had to park up in the small village of Lezika where we had lunch at the restaurant. If you have time you can also visit the url=http://www.gernika-lumo.net/en-US/Tourism/Near-Gernika/Pages/cercadegernika_CuevasdeSantimamine.aspxSantimamine Caves. We didn't have enough time but it looks like there are some impressive cave paintings inside. From there you have to proceed on foot. We decided to walk up through the forest of Oma instead of taking the low road to the village of the same name. It was an easy to follow footpath and is quite well maintained. The only danger at the moment is the number of processional caterpillars. ... read more

Words: 400 | Comments: 0 | Photos: 17 | Videos: 051 Views

Guernica - Gernika - The Museum of Peace

Published: March 19th 2013Europe » Spain » Basque Country » Guernica

Guernica in tiles

rrruss
March 10th 2013

Many places around the world are known for the terrible things which have happened there. When you think of atrocities in Spain, most people immediately think of Guernica and it's a place we had wanted to visit ever since we moved to the North of Spain. Although we had been disappointed with Picasso's painting when we saw it in Madrid 8 years ago, seeing it reproduced in the woods of Zilbati as an environmental protest restored our interest in the subject. On 26 April 1937 the town was the subject of a massive aerial attack. This was carried out by German and Italian bombers under the orders of Generalisimo Franco. The result was widespread destruction and large numbers of civilian deaths. Spain was engulfed in its bitter civil war and this was an attempt to gain ... read more

Words: 647 | Comments: 1 | Photos: 25 | Videos: 067 Views

Basque-ing on the coast again

Published: March 17th 2013Europe » Spain » Basque Country » Lekeitio

Great view

rrruss
March 9th 2013

The weather forecast suggested getting out of Pamplona for the weekend and heading down the Basque coast was a good idea. Who were we to argue? So, we took the Bogey Buggy out for a drive and tried to find the small town of Lekeitio where we had booked ourselves into the Hotel Metrokua for the night. Unfortunately we missed our exit from the motorway and ended up travelling cross country over a hill where we had to battle with a large number of cyclists out enjoying the weather. We eventually found where we were going but it had been an interesting diversion along the way. Driving through the town was a bit of a challenge because the streets are so narrow, especially around the marina. We later found out that we could have avoided that ... read more

Words: 545 | Comments: 1 | Photos: 28 | Videos: 0102 Views

Walking in the snow in Roncesvalles

Published: March 12th 2013Europe » Spain » Navarre » Roncesvalles

Russ enjoying the snow

rrruss
March 3rd 2013

Winter will soon be over, or so we hope! Bearing that in mind we headed up into the Pyrenees and revisited Roncesvalles. At first we were disappointed by how little snow there was but then suddenly we hit the snow line and it was impressive. Huge banks of snow lined the road where it had been swept to one side and enormous piles could be seen between the houses. A short time ago several of the villages in the region had been completely cut off due to fresh snowfall. A glimpse inside the courtyard of the Real Colegiata de Roncesvalles showed us exactly why. It was full of snow as you can see from the photos. Many people had parked up to get a closer look and to supervise their children sliding down the small slopes ... read more

Words: 404 | Comments: 1 | Photos: 22 | Videos: 0100 Views

Spring has sprung in Aoiz!

Published: March 2nd 2013Europe » Spain » Navarre » Pamplona

The Bogey Buggy enjoying a day out!

rrruss
March 2nd 2013

Has spring finally sprung? With blue skies and a warm feel in the air (well, anything that's not a biting wind feels warm these days!) we decided to take our car, affectionately nicknamed the Bogey Buggy due it's yucky green colour, out for a spin. The snow has cleared from the nearby hills and it felt wonderful to be out on the roads and wondering if the air conditioning will be needed soon!! We headed out South East from Pamplona looking for the turn off to Aoiz which we had seen only on a map and wondered if we might be able to walk around the banks of its reservoir. Needless to say, we missed it! Not to worry, we picked up the road we needed when we got to Lumbier, a place we have visited ... read more

Words: 549 | Comments: 0 | Photos: 37 | Videos: 078 Views

Vitoria-Gasteiz - Europe's Green Capital!

Published: February 23rd 2013Europe » Spain » Basque Country » Vitoria-Gasteiz

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rrruss
February 17th 2013

An hour from Pamplona lies the capital of the Basque region, Vitoria-Gasteiz. It's a beautiful drive there through mountainous countryside, but we couldn't see a thing as it was extremely foggy! It had just started to clear as we got to the city, found somewhere to park for free and checked into the hotel. We found a great deal at the AC Marriott General Alava. it's probably the poshest place we've stayed in for a while and we were even allowed to check in nice and early. The main focal point of Vitoria is its medievel city centre. It sits on top of a small hill and there are lots of tiny streets to explore. It's a bit of a maze and it's easy to lose your bearings but the fantastic murals on some of the ... read more