Portugal

Hello everyone.

We are currently in Lisbon in Portugal and have time to post some photos. I have split them into multiple posts so do scroll down the page.

Emmett

Mr G in the ocean in Lagos (not the one in Nigeria)

We got off the bus from Sevilla and lady called Lucinda asked us if we needed a room. Aimee whispered to me that we hadnt yet been mugged so we followed the nice lady. Turned out it was not a complicated robbery but in fact the cheapest clean room in town. In an apartment which we ended up having to ourselves.

Lovely hot sunny days here and better beer than spain!

Beautiful coves on other side of the town from the long flat beach above.

You can climb through holes in the rocks to each cove from the next. We had a nice two nights in Lagos and are now in our second hostel in Lisbon. Not because there was anything wrong with the first one but because that is how weekend bookings can go sometimes. Now in the Oasis hostel for three nights.

Off to Edinburgh on Tuesday for almost a week in Scotland before heading back to Galway.

Spain

The one time housing development designed by Gaudi which is now a park in Barcelona.

Makes you Gaudi just looking at her.

Super Map Man

Silliness in the Alcazar in Sevilla.

Plaza de España in Sevilla

Geek time: Plaza de España was used as a setting for Naboo in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (though it was digitally modified).

Carcassonne

The view from our B and B in Carcassonne.

Mr Gs birthday lunch: Cassoulet - Sausage, Beans and Duck.

The beautiful Mrs G

Rest of Italy

Venice is for short people ( you know who you are!).

A launch named Joy

Away from the touris route in Venice.

One of the five villages in the Cinque Terre (Five Villages).

Pesto and pasta a beautiful union

Pizza in Santa Margherita. Oh bliss.

Portofino (where very rich yacht owners hang out).

Rome

St Peters Basilica (it is huge)

No boobtubes or miniskirts in St Peters (no amputees either please)

A lovely girl and some famous fountain in Rome

Old ruined stuff

What a handsome gladiator at the Colosseum

Greece

Aimee in Athens

(Double click on this Mum and it will get bigger)

The Red Beach, Santorini (like the rocks in a BBQ - very bad for shoes)

Postcard views of the Caldera (big hole left by volcano now filled with ocean), Santorini.

A hot water spring they said (yeah right!)

Not just for the tourists, a working Donkey on Santorini

The Rain in Spain

Falls mainly on us.

Seriously it is lovely and sunny today but we have had some fantastic rain storms in the last week.

I will run the blog backwards and see how far we get back in time by the end of this Chapter. No photos sorry but we will put some up in a few weeks when we get back to Ireland.

The current plan is to head to Portugal in a couple of days (Lagos and Lisbon) and then perhaps travel to Scotland for a week or so before heading back to Galway.


Seville

We are currently in Sevilla (Seville to us foreign folks) and after a couple of days of rest and mucking around we are back on our feet and enjoying ourselves.

Today we had chocolate con churros (hot choc and fried donut thing) for lunch and had about 300 times our recommended daily saturated fat intake. YUM

We then went and had a tour of the Bull Ring which was interesting. No actual bull fight which was good as the Bull never wins and they kill 6 every fight. Theoretically a really good bull can get pardoned early in the fight but that has not happened since 1964.

We are in a nice quiet dorm room in a separate building from the main hostel so no Bar noise for us. We also have some other nice travellers in our dorm to talk to each day.

Yesterday we went to the Alcazar which is a palace wih lovely gardens and ponds etc. A very pleasant stroll indeed and a bit of silliness chasing eachother in the maze.


Barcelona

We spent three nights in Barcelona and had a lot fun despite the rain.

We went on a cycle tour of the city assuming the rain would ease but ended up soaked to our skin. It was still good fun and we felt sufficiently Mad biking along the deserted beach in the rain. Out tour guide was a South African who is now a Kiwi citizen but currently lives in Barcelona. He said he didnt want a real job (he was a scuba instructor and prof guide type) but was changing his mind by the end of of our very wet tour. Apparently it is is usally the Brits that turn up in the rain.

We also went to a Paella and Sangria class with some others from the hostel and people they had meet on a walking tours (thank God for Aussies and Kiwis). Had a great time making sangria and tapas. the paella was cooked for us by a very entertaining woman and it was great fun.

Stayed at the best hostel ever ( the Alberguinn) where even the cleaning staff were happy to see you. We couldn´t find a single fault with it and they even found us a bed in a different hostel when they were full on our last night ( we hadn´t booked ahead).

Carcassonne

For my birthday we stayed in a lovely B and B in Carcassonne in France. It has a small medieval city which was very pretty. Our B and B was very posh and we got upgraded suites because they were quiet. It only had 8 shower heads in the shower (well more of a shower-room). Unfortunately they drained the hot water in about 4 minutes but it was nice to shower like a millionaire while it lasted.

Birthday lunch was glorious. Over three hours we had a set menu with Cassoulet which is the food of Gods. The sun came out and so did the red wine!

Nimes

We stayed one night in this sleepy little french town thanks to Mel´s recommendation. It was a lovely sunny day and we simply lay on the grass in the park. Luxury.

It also has a fully intact roman amphitheatre just sitting in the middle of town!

Nice

We stayed a couple of nights in Nice with its amazing long beach and promenade. Wild weather so no swimming but we did see a japanese tourist get soaked by a wave breaking over the rocks ( hee hee).

We went to Monaco for an afternoon and saw how the other half a percent live. So many huge launches with security crews and branded vehicles on the dock. Found the beach there deserted except for one slightly loony lady who was swimming (topless) on a grey cold day (we did wonder if she was going to keep swimming off into the ocean but luckily she was not that kind of loopy).

Santa Margerita

we spent five nights in this lovely part of the med but will leave this to the photos to explain later on. Pesto, Pizza and yachts (wished pedro was there).

Prior to that was Venice, Rome , Santorini and Athens.


Will dash off now for a Siesta

Love to all

Emmett (and Aimee, who is already asleep).