Because we have two bank holidays in the beginning of December, I was planning an escape to Madagascar. Until… I realized that I start late (and the flights were no longer that cheap) and we do not have enough (holi)days to discover even half of the island (yes, we do have limitations 🤷🏼). So then we brainstormed an alternative and this is when, to my complete shame, I found out that there is a country named Cape Verde. Google helped, as always! The idea of going to a sunny place when Europe is starting winter, seemed apealing…For the ignorants like me (or worse 😝) Cape Verde is an island country, made up of ten islands in total, somewhere out of the African Coast, into the Atlantic Ocean, at the level of Senegal (is Dakar ringing a bell?). It used to be a Portuguese colony so there are plenty of flight connections from Portugal (and again we’re lucky to be so close to Portugal).We bought the flights and started looking for touristic information. At least to my surprise, there’s not much one can find about this destination. We had to access various sites and mainly personal blogs. It was clear from the beginning that we could not visit all islands- although rather small, we still planned to relax (at least a bit) . We decided over five, with at most a sixth as option. When we looked at how to organized the transfer between islands we reduced the number… unfortunately. Leaving something for next time 😊. So this post won’t be about Fogo, Boavista, Maio, Sao Nicolau, Santa Lucía or Brava.
I’ll tell you about Santiago first. We landed in Praia, capital city of the country. Elena missed the plane in Lisbon so we took to discovering the capital. We had about 5 hours but unfortunately (and hopefully no offense to anyone) the city does not have much to show. Arid, with a lot of works going on some time (but now visible just the fact that things are not finished) we ended up doing a walk around in no more than 2 hours. We had a good dinner and sleep. The day was long and we were really tired.
Next day at noon we had the flight to Sal. But before the flight our host took us to a place to have breakfast – the typical cachupa and empanadas and then dropped us at the airport.
We started with one hour delay but then once we got to Sal, taxi was there, room was ready so we jumped into our swimsuits and went to the beach. Santa María ‘s beach is a long stretch of white sand washed by a water blue/ turquoise, 24 degrees Celsius… The only thing we were missing (but not for long) were some Caipiriñas. When Elena finally joined us, we went for dinner.
For the next day we had booked a tour of the island. We had an excellent guide that took us to a bay where small sharks were swimming through our legs, then to the Pedra do Lume salt mine for a salty floating session (a mine which today is only exploited for tourism purpose), a quick round through Espargos (you really do not need more than a drive through), a stop in the desert to see the “Fata Morgana”, a quick look and a swim at the blue eye, lunch in Palmeira and a last stop at the Kite beach- this is where we found out that Cabo Verde has 3 world champions ( one already “retired”, one competing for Spain and another one competing for Italy) and that the Kite beach from Sal is one of the World Cup stops. What we liked most? Everything! It is really a very good way to know the island, showing basically all that is to see. Since we ended the tour in Santa María’s Pier, we went for some Caipiriñas, following the advice to have three… (We actually had four each) on a beach club, of course.
Next day we had booked snorkeling but before that, Elena and me decided to walk to the Shell Cemetery Beach- basically a strech of beach covered with broken shells. For snorkeling the wáter is so clean and warm that it is a pure pleasure to jump in. We saw turtles, lots of fishes, some corrals and a shipwreck. For me the turtles were the highlight as the corrals were not spectacular but I recommend the activity- nothing related to wáter should be bad in Sal. Coming back ashore we had time for a quick shower before checking out and then went for an amazing lunch at Sol Doce. We missed the Tuna tataki but the Tuna carpacio was excellent. Actually everything was great! I had to try the cracas- delicious! And then it was time to head to the airport.
We had a flight to Mindelo/ Sao Vicente through Praia. Mindelo is the capital city of the third island we visited- Sao Vicente. The island is best know for being the birthplace of Cesaría Evora (and the international airport bears her name).
Mindelo is lively, colorful and much more cosmopolit than Praia. We spent half a day wandering its streets and art shops and early afternoon we left to Sao Antao with a wish to come back and explore more of this island. Once arrived in Porto Novo we looked for a place to have a good late lunch and then met our driver for the north part of the island- the Green Hotel, on a cliff between Synagogue and Ribeira Grande.
The next day we took to island discovery. From the rocky soil close to the sea we got to the inner green area- so beautiful! Of volcanic origins, the island shows formations such sharp, ridges reaching straight to the sky. We were lucky to reach Miradouro da Cova before the fog filled it in. The biggest caldera of the island is nowadays where most of the agriculture is being grown. Coming back to the shore, we made a stop to see the Xoxo, another peak-strange rock formation. Next we took the seaside road to Ponta do Sol for a short walk and lunch. We then drove to Synagogue to see the natural pools. Yes, only see them because we did not have the swimming suits with us but we did use them later that day for an afternoon swim in the incredible swimming pool of our hotel.
We all agreed we needed one day for relax so this was on Friday. Saturday morning we took the ferry back to Mindelo and met our guide for the next four hours. We booked a tour of the island with the local tourism agency for solidarity so our guide took us to places where locals were growing vegetables (despite the soil being really rocky and dry), making cheese, hospitalizing turtles, making things out of trash found on the shores- a totally different kind of tour! And all this, of course, driving through this beautiful island. We drove from Mindelo to Madeiral, Calhau, along the amazing Praia Grande to Salamansa and last stop up to Monte Verde for a 360° view of the island (plus Sao Antao and Santa Lucía).
Back in Praia we had another island discovery tour booked. Santiago is where the money goes and this can be seen on the roads, houses, infrastructure. We discovered a green island, rich in produce and a Tarrafal that was a bit dissapointing. It might be the nightlife that we missed that makes the place special but we did not find it any special.
Some useful information: to enter Cabo Verde most European countries do not need a visa. You can check your requirements here: https://www.ease.gov.cv. This is where you can register and pay online your entry tax five days before arrival. Or you can do the payment on arrival, in the airport. Price wise Cape Verde is not cheap for tourists. One can have a good lunch for 20€ and a good dinner might reach 50€ (wine included). The thing is that because it is so arid, almost everything is imported, water is scarce and almost all income is related to tourism… Except the fish that is really excellent. Accomodation can be found for 30€/person/night (double rooms) and places are very clean. The islands are safe, I was very nicely surprised that compared to Tanzania I did not feel the constant hastle. The locals are polite, genuinely friendly maybe even shy. I enjoyed the trip a lot, definitely a good warm escape from December in Europe and I hope to be back for visiting the other islands. Otherwise this is how I marked “checked” on my country 54! 🥳
I had Japan in mind for some years, was actually planning to attend a U2 concert there but then came pandemic and the travel restrictions. So when the tourism ban was off, we started planning. When they finally abolished the obligation to wear a mask- we were in heaven!
We started planning quite early, bought the flight tickets in April for the trip in October, so 6 months in advance. We used different engines for the search and then went to the airline and booked the tickets directly. As we were expecting the trip to be quite costy, we looked intensively for the best flights that would offer good price, not more than one connection and no long layover. We flew Air China (part of Star Alliance) from Madrid to Tokyo Haneda over Beijing. We were debating to fly into Tokyo and out from a different city. In the end we flew in and out of Tokyo because most international flight are through Tokyo.
One thing you should pay attention to when planning the trip is that Tokyo has two airports- Haneda and Narita. Haneda is though much closer to downtown Tokyo.
Next thing we did was plan the trip. It wasn’t easy job! Between Hokkaido and the paradisiac southern islands we should have covered around 3.800 km in two weeks… So we started cutting and in the end defined an itinerary that would take us from Tokyo to Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Himeji Castle, Naoshima, Shimanami Kaido, Hiroshima, Miyajima, part of the Nakasendo trail, mount Fuji and back to Tokyo (and home).
We booked our accomodation vía Booking in June and some of the places we wanted to book where not available anymore. My advice- book everything as soon as you can. The same advice would go for activities- Team Lab, sumo tournament, etc.
We did two more smart aquisitions and those were the JR Pass for moving around and a pocket wifi from Japan Wireless that for our group of 4 was excellent choice. Pick up and drop off at the airport which means we were fully connected to internet at all times. While renting the pocket wifi I was offered the option to add a translator. Since it was only 20€ for the 2 weeks I took it but we never used it. With internet and Google one has more than enough to get around (even though English is surprisingly not that widely spoken).
Very excited and ready for this vacation, we set off!
The flights were long (12+4) and by the time we got to the first hotel we were on the “road” since more than 24h. My legs were swollen but we were not tired and the jetlag was easily overcome with some effort to go to bed when it was getting night.
I am now realizing that I do not remember what we did the first day so I had to check my photos 😊. We set off for a short stroll (we wanted to move, yes) through Yanaka, a rather “old” part of Tokyo with narrow streets, one of the oldest and largest cimiteries and wooden houses- with a backdrop of skyscrappers! One thing we did not realize is that It was going dark around 6pm…so our walk was mostly in the dark- a pitty!
We finished the day in a Izakaya trying our first authentic sashimi and sake.
Day two we had booked tickets for Team Lab. I guess everything we did could be rated as “highly recommended” so I will simply tell you where expectation was higher than reality. Team Lab are installations by a Japanese company, spread in several places, now even international. As a fact, we were looking to book entrances in Beijing, during our 9h layover on the trip back home. I would spoil the surprise and even pictures or movies cannot describe how nice the experience is. Just go and you will say I was right. (Book as early as posible!)
To move around in Tokyo we bought daily metro tickets and they were excellent buy. With Google Maps we found our way always. Google would indicate the track, direction, how many stops, even which car is better for connections and which exit to take. It makes us stupid, yes, but I would not waste my time looking for directions on my own especially when the things to do/see list is soooo long.
So when we were out of Team Lab we headed to Tokyo tower. You’ve seen (at least on TV) Paris’ Eiffel Tower, right? So Tokyo tower is the Asian replica ( and it is not as bad taste as the one in Vegas). Went up to the last level and we saw forthe first time Tokyo…well, as much as eyes can see!
Next stop was Meiji Sanctuary, one of the largest Shinto Shrines in Japan. Apart from the temple itself, the Toriis and the sake barrells everything was interesting! And we considered ourselves very lucky to witness a wedding there- the bride wore no white dress but a beautiful colorful kimono.
Shinto and Buddhism are Japan’s two major religions. Shinto is as old as the Japanese culture, while Buddhism was imported from the mainland (China) in the 6th century. Since then, the two religions have been co-existing relatively harmoniously and have even complemented each other to a certain degree.
Next we strolled around Harajuku and on to the Shibuya crossing. I told you I will say when expectation was higher than reality- Shibuya crossing is so. I mean yes there are a lot of people and lights and a diagonal crossing but this is not THE most crossing Japan has… One can book (well in advance) tickets for the Observatory deck of Shibuya Sky (level 45) or (if you did not book in advance) you can take a lift to one of the lower free levels and still get a good view. Oh, and while you’re at Shibuya, don’t forget about Hachiko’s statue.
Our last stop for the day was Shinjuku with its full of lights, smells and colorful streets (plus Godzilla and the red district).
On day three we headed to the colorful Sensoji Temple (budhist). We had a walk in the gardens around and then headed to the National Museum of Tokyo.
Kimonos, knives, Samurai’s armours, you name it, it’s all there and not only from Japan as they have an extensive collection from all over Asia.
Around lunch time Masaki came to meet us and she took us to lunch, trying Japanese specialties.
After lunch, when Masaki went back home, we headed to Ginza. The big boulevard is closed for traffic on Sundays. I have never seen so many Louis Vuitton stores in my life nor have I seen so many luxury stores all gathered in one place… But what we did see and impressed us was the Kabuki theater. By the way, did you know that only men perform there?
One last stop for the day- Roppongi Tower for some Manga exhibition and a night view over Tokyo.
Day four- we knew it will rain so we built our plan to spend the day mostly inside. Yet, there were portions of Tokyo that we still wanted to see so we brought out the umbrellas and off we were! We walked the Omotesando street from Harajuku to Nezu Museum. Why? Because this street with its trees and fine shops and modern buildings resembles the Champs Elisee. By the opening hours we were lining up at Nezu entrance. Next was the National Art Center Tokyo. Amazing building, nice exhibition and good food in the basement canteen.
Next stop was Akihabara, the electronics shopping hub, full of manga, anime and anything else that might cross your mind. I personally would not recommend it unless you are interested in such products.
To finish the day we went again to Shibuya, with all the buzzling we found it almost familiar.
I did not tell you anything about the hotels. Very clean, with all ammenities (including pijamas!) but small (to European standards). I mean all available space was very well used but we were not able to have two suitcases open at the same time. And the small size rooms were especially in Tokyo.
On day five we moved to Kyoto. We took a rush hour metro (I know, bad idea, especially with the luggage, but we survived) and then the bullet train. With the JR Pass we had covered most of the trains and what is reccommendable is to reserve seats and large luggage space (it is free but you need to do It in one of the JR offices). I would recommend you reserve the seats and the big luggage room as soon as you can, for all your trip.
We arrived in Kyoto, dropped the luggage at the hotel and started exploring. Well, we started with lunch, some gyozas (my mouth is wattering right now) and then walked through the Nishiki Market. We were no longer hungry but the eyes and our noses were charmed. One thing that I loved in Japan was that people do not eat on the street. Yes, they have street food but if you buy it you stay in front of the place, eat your piece and then walk away. There are no litter boxes on the street and everything is so clean.
We continued our walk crossing the river to the Gion part of town (where most Geishas are living) and went to visit the Kenninji temple. What a “WoW”! First we walked through a typical Japanese house, with those beautifully arranged interior gardens and some rock gardens, for our zen. Then we walked into the great hall with its beautiful dragons. Not to forget that the temple itself has more than 800 years…
Strolling through Gion later on we reached the meeting point of our evening free tour and then we walked around Gion with stories about Geishas, Maikos and Samurais. Just a quick note- geishas are very rare to be seen, most of the times Maikos are to be spotted and (geishas) are very educated, doing entertainment for rich people (and no, additional service is not included).
We ended our tour and the first day in Kyoto at the Yasaka Sanctuary.
Day two in Kyoto was an early wake up because there was a lot to see. First we wanted to get to Fushimi Inari before the crowds (and with the morning light). We did a nice walk and so many pictures! These red torris on the backdrop of the green nature were a continuos “don’t move” foto moment.
After Fushimi we moved north of Kyoto to visit the Golden Pagoda. It is beautiful and worth the visit but expect crowds and no privacy. I wanted to visit two other temples in the nearby but we did not run well on time so we skipped the temples, took a taxi and headed to the bamboo forrest of Arashiyama. Don’t think the crowds were less here…no way! But still nice to see, especially hearing the noise of the wind blowing through the forrest.
To end the day we got back to Gion. We wanted to explore more of the old wooden houses streets (of course- we and half of world’s population!). And for dinner we had our first crazy choice. I told you already about izakaya and when you visit Japan you will see that small (up to 10 seats) places are very common eateries. What we found out that night is that apart from small, some of these places have a machine at the entry where one is ordering and paying for the meal. All excellent, right? Of course, but not so great when the description is only in Japanese. Luckily (and trust me that you’ll thank me for the pocket wifi tipo) Google translate helped (again) and we were safe- we had a delicious dinner, almost what we imagined we ordered!
Next day we took the train to Nara. Imagine a big, open (no fences) park, with some streets crossing the park but with cars stopping to allow the deers to cross. And then deers coming so close to you, without fearing humans. As a bonus we also saw the big Buddha at the Todai-ji temple.
After a quick lunch from a street food place (takoyaki, delicious octopus balls) we headed to Osaka where we met Masaki again. But before meeting Masaki we visited the Osaka Castle. Now just that you don’t get dissapointed, the castles (at least the ones we visited) are empty. They provide an excellent view of the city though. With Masaki we headed down to Dotonbori. And as much lights and sounds you see during the trip (or as often I mention them here) you’re still surprised by the crowds, lights, movement.
We had dinner with Masaki – the famous okonomiyaki and tried the warm sake- we all agreed it tastes better than the cold one.
And back to Kyoto to end the day.
Last half a day in Kyoto and still so many things left to explore… Masaki had to catch a train to Osaka and then a flight to her Hokkaido so we stayed in the city center, exploring the park around Yasaka Sanctuary and the Chíon- in Temple. Around noon we packed all the luggage in a taxi and headed to the train station, direction Himeji.
All train stations have lockers for storing luggage, which is excellent. Not so great when there’s none available in the size needed but even so, at least during our trip, this only happened once. So luggage stored, heading to the castle.
Himeji is a UNESCO herritage monument, the largest and still intact Castle of Japan and definitely worth a stop.
Next day we took a train and a ferry to reach Naoshima. As the island was getting almost forgotten, someone had the great idea to bring it back to life through art. So today there are several collections that can be visited (I will not stop repeating: book entrances in advance!) such as Benesse, Hiroshi Sugimoto or Chichu Art Museum and several outdoor exhibits. We also took the time to visit the Ando Museum and the Art House Project- mainly beautiful restaurations of local houses.
Day 10 of our trip was meant for sport activities- biking as much as possible from the Shimanami Kaido biketrail. On its fullness the trail runs xxx and is connecting Onomichi and Imabari over six islands. We did not book the electric bikes in advance so when we got to the rental place we were left with the classic option. The ride was nice (if we do not count the scratched knees and an arm or the complains from the beginning). We managed to do half of it and I was proud of the team. It is a nice ride and with more time and a little training it can be done whole in one day. I was a little dissapointed by the scenery- maybe the longer route is more pictoresque but ours was rather industrial. A strange combination of beautiful nature, industrial buildings and ocasionaly, residential areas.
After a late lunch and some refreshments we were ready to hit the road back, recover our luggages and take the train to Hiroshima.
We started the day with a train and a ferry to Miyajima. (Btw, the JR Pass is covering as well the ferry cost to Miyajima, the turistic bus in Hiroshima and provided several discounts to turistic sites. Ask always if there’s an advantage when holding it). Miyajima is an island in the “interior sea”, in front of Hiroshima. It has a cable car that takes tourists up to an Observatory deck or, for those who enjoy a hike, to several temples. In the harbour it has a temple floating on water and a Tori (red gate) in the water. The place is very instagramable so you can imagine how many people visit the place daily. Hiroshima and arounds are known for oysters- almost everything has oysters in it so of course we tried it.
Once back on firm land, with the perfect before the sunset light we got off the turistic bus at the Hiroshima Castle. We were expecting just another castle like the ones we saw before but Hiroshima’s was nicer, with a lot more of wooden external decoration (despite being reconstructed). Pictures taken, next stop was the dome. We strolled through the Castle park, going out through the main gate, passing by some impressive, new and very chic buildings and then…here it was!
Maybe it was the light and the weather and the colors, maybe it’s the age or maybe it’s the current wars in Ukraine and Palestina but I got goose bumps. The building itself is well known to everyone, seeing it live is just more personal. Close by is the children’s memorial and on the same lane the pond, the flame and the arch, below which you can see the dome in the background. We managed to get into the peace memorial before the closing time. The whole afternoon was emotional. One cannot think but how much wrong we do to innocent people in the name of…what??? And when will we stop?
Since the next day we had an early start (train departure at 6.20am) we went for an early dinner and nothing else. My feet were hurting so bad. But I was happy.
Early wake up because the night before, when we wanted to reserve our seats and luggage places our choice was fully booked. So either train at 6.20am or one at 12.30. The midday one was not an option- we would waste too much time…
In 3h we arrived in Nagoya, changed trains and arrived in a lost small town in the Gifu Prefecture where we got reservations for a sumo tournament. I am not a big fan of this sport but since it’s so unique to Japan, I did not want to miss it. And puzzling with our travel dates and locations on one side and the tournament dates on the other side, we booked tickets for Tajimi. What can I tell you about Tajimi? Almost no-one speaking English, limited lockers at the train station and no other option to deposit our luggages while at the tournament so we took them with us. Luckily a nice man offered to store them for us and we were free to move in the building. So to my surprise the event was more than a competition. Apart from the ritual presenting every competitor we had two music sessions, one show on how to comb the fighters’ hair, a cómic session and of course, the fights. I was not counting on spending 4h there but time flew and we enjoyed it a lot- highly recommended!
In the early evening we took another short train ride to Nakatsugawa where we slept the night before walking part of the Nakasendo road (Nakatsugawa has nothing special as town but as you step out the train station you hear music, jazz…through street difusors. When did you hear this last time, if ever???) Originally Nakasendo was one of the roads connecting nowadays Tokyo to Kioto. The road was full with post towns, some of them well preserved to our day. We chose to do a small walk, 9 km long and I was not expecting to take us more than 3h to finish it (including breaks, fotos, etc) so wake up time was not that early and I could even try the onsen the hotel was offering. It was more for curiosity because (sorry to say) despite the talks about the thermal springs, they are just thermal spring water. A nice to try but not a lifetime experience.
Back to our Nakasendo trail- we walked from Magome to Tsumago and had a lovely sunny autumn day. The trail runs mainly through forest, with some bells to be rang to scare away bears, some going up and down but minimal, two waterfalls and of course, two postal towns.
When we finished the hike we took the train back to Tokyo.
We still had things we wanted to see or go back to so we used the evening for this. We went back to Shinjuku to see the 3D cat, we had sushi, we did some shopping… I guess we all felt that two weeks were too short.
Last full day in Japan was for mr Mount Fuji. We managed to get there changing two or three trains (because we did not book the direct bus in advance…), took the cable car to the Kawaguchiko panoramic view platform of Mount Fuji, had a street food (again delicious) lunch and went to see the Chureito Pagoda with Mt Fuji in the background. Another beautiful day!
Last day we agreed to leave the hotel at 11am to catch the train to the airport and because a long sleep was not what l wanted to enjoy in my last day, I stepped out at 7am. The sun was up, the streets started to get filled with people rushing to the office and I headed to the Imperial Palace. It cannot be visited inside as it is the official residence of the imperial family but guided tours of the gardens are offered in English – unfortunately this is another tour we missed because of thinking to book too late. Nevermind, I had my share of a calm, sunny morning in the external gardens of the Palace. So it was 8am and what was I suppose to do? Opened Google Maps and look for what is left to be seen. And that’s how I ended up walking around Ginza until the meeting hour with the others.
Am now finishing this story in a plane to Germany, 2 weeks after our return to Europe…so many mixed feelings. Japan is a beautiful country, I am highly recommending it to anyone, it was not as expensive as I feared it to be (we spent altogether below 2.5k€/ person for the two full weeks, everything included). It is clean, safe, accesible. The people are nice and respectful, even though not many speak English we were approached and asked several times if we needed help even when they were not speaking English. They respect not only others but also their rules. Seeing how they line up on the left side of the mechanic stairs to let others pass was almost driving me a little crazy…up to the point that last week, in Europe, I almost claimed that people do not line up on any side. We were traveling in a train fully booked, some seats were showing reserved and yet nobody was sitting there. And you read well, we were standing and nobody was sitting! Because the seats were showing “reserved”.
I saw them as special among the Asian countries but actually now I think they are specials among all countries. They definitely have something different! With all this and considering all we’ve seen and experienced I would not like to live there. I love my adoptive land that is loud and full of life and colors and hugs and kisses.
I really do not know how my holidays are gone whenever I get close(r) to the middle of the year and I keep telling myself that when negotiating for the next raise I will ask for more holidays. Haven’t done it yet though.
A late flight on a Friday evening and an even later flight back on (let’s be honest) Wednesday morning gave us four days on the island. We rented a car and booked an apartment in Funchal. The plan was made by Silvia- one day exploring North East, second day North West, third day South and last day Funchal. If you ask me now- I would say that the fourth day could have been used for anything else in a wiser way.
Anyway, landed late, checked in and went out for a drink. Following reccommendation of our host, we walked 200m to a corner pub with a loooot of good feeling: Barreirinha. The same night we’ll discover the elevator to the “beach” with the same name. Don’t go there unless you’re desperate for a swim.Of course we woke up late on Saturday but who cares? We’re on holiday! Less steps than the day before and we were sitting in a bar where the guy who served us could not decide if he had the longest night without sleep or…just his regular grumpy Saturday morning. Oh, although we were 500m away from the old town, the first day when I heard cars in the morning was on Tuesday- no joke! Old part of Funchal has totally the laid back feeling.
After breakfast we took the car and headed to Ponta de Sao Lourenco. Before starting the hike along the Dragon’s tail, we realised we had to pay online an entry fee of 2€/person. No need to tell you what a queue was formed there…and me just thinking- what if one would not have a mobile phone? Unthinkable, of course! So we start the hike- we and some other xxx people, like on a highway… The views were great, the traffic horrible. By the time we got to the end of the hike I was growing pale. A pain in my lower back was killing me. Luckily Silvia had medicine with her and it got almost instantly better. The way back we decided to do by boat, with a small detour ride to the lighthouse. This ride was nice because all the lava layers were so much more visible from the waterfront. Once back at the car we decided to skip Machico and go directly to Santana to see the typical houses. Directly does not mean we did not stop several times on the way, mostly to admire the mindblowing combination of luxuriant green vegetation, dark volcanic soil and blue and so clear ocean water. Once checked, we drove further to Sao Jorge to see the gate of the old mills, now in ruins, but leading to the ocean. An ocean so furious (yet on a calm day) almost whispering “come on, dare to step in and I’ll take you with me”. Scarry. But we found a house with a beautiful garden facing the ocean- perfect for a garden party with friends. We then took the road through the middle of the island- curvy, with inclination degrees I never thought I would drive, quite narrow and foggy… We stopped at the Levada dos Balcoes, well we stopped on the road and hiked up there. It was a rather easy and very nice hike, along watter channels and through an UNESCO protected laurisilva. The dissapointment was that the peaks were with the heads in the clouds…
Second day we explored the North-West part of the island. We took another road crossing the island and the story from the previous day repeated- sunny when we left the coast, foggy, drizzling when we got up… We stopped though at Fanal to see the bended trees. With the foggy weather we could almost spot the witches on their brushes. I did not mention but my back pain was now either continuos or medicated. I chose second. We continued our drive to the North shore and surprise! As we started to approach the big blue, the sun came out as well. First stop was on Ribeira da Janela. Wow! The beach was rocky, the ocean was not as agressive as the day before but the rock formations coming out of the water were incredible! Next stop was the mirador del Velo de la Novia- viewpoint (to) the bride’s veil- which was a cascade ending in the ocean. Next we went to Seixal- the black sand beach. I checked the internet photos afterwards and yes, they do show this (amazing) beach but empty (not with half of Earth’s population laying down) and the photos are taken from an angle where one does not see the promontory on one end of the beach. Of course the view IS amazing but…overtourism is bad.Since we could not decide to bathe there, we continued to Poca das Lesmas. Now imagine this: a road one is supposed to drive down without seeing the road from the car. Yes, really, that bad. And then this road goes all the way to the partially natural pool. More, the road has a bar with umbrellas overlooking the pool. The good thing? We got there with the rain so everyone was running away. We had the pool basically to ourselves.Next stop was in Porto Moniz. If we would have not bathe in Lesmas, this would definitely be a place for a bath. And I am talking about the (almost) natural pools, next to the old Fort that is now an Aquarium. Next stop was at the viewpoint of the cable car of das Achadas da Cruz. Unfortunately we got there too late to enjoy the ride down, to the ocean level, with one of the most steep descents in cable car. The whole drive around and through the island is amazing because of the green luxurious vegetation and the flowers along the way….After this last stop we decided to head back to our accommodation in Funchal. We were looking forward to the roof top swimming pool all for the two of us. We had a swim and then got out for dinner. This is when things got complicated with my back pain. While the two days I was counting the hours until I could take my next potion, this night the pain started strong after just three hours. I do remember the painful way back to our appartment but cannot say when and how I fell asleep.
Day three was planned for the South part of the island. I was nervous about the pain but misteriously I could survive my first 14h from the last dosis. We started with Cascada de los Ángeles – a watterdrop on the old road, now closed for traffic but open for adventurers looking for a good memory. Our next stop was Ponta do Sol- definitely worth a visit, no more than one hour to see the promenade and the old bridge. Next was Cabo Girao Skywalk. A clear dissapointment. I mean 2€/person for a 5×5 transparent platform… Next was Cámara de Lobos. Nice little fishermen village where Churchill might have spent summer(s) and the local artists of today expose all around the old city. We then stopped shortly at Doca do Cavacas but once you’ve seen the northern pools, these pools are a bad joke.
Last day was for Funchal. We overestimated the time we needed here because the old town was familiar to uso from all the evening walks, praca do Lavadores is nice but don’t buy anything there- it’s a rip. The cable car up to Monte and the tropical garden are worth the money. I would add the ride down in the carreiros- if you manage to skip the long waiting line. I would definitely change the day in Funchal with a day trip to Porto Santo. And if one day I go back to Madeira, I hope the peaks will not be that shy anymore.
Long weekend of 4 days and exactly 4 girls planning a trip. After debates and votes, we decides over Bordeaux. Straight flight from Porto, apartment booked on Airbnb and here we go! I did not study anything upfront but could bet that 4 days would be too much for a city. I previously seen part of Bordeaux one afternoon/evening in 2019 and I remember liking it. So what we did: walked quite a lot on Saturday, through the Oriental corner of Bordeaux, went to visit the Cité du Vin (of course), danced the night away on a boat, visited the les Bassins de Lumière- an ex submarine base transformed into an unique place of inmersive art. We did a day trip to Saint-Émilion, a beautiful hilly village, surrounded by wineyards, with cobble stone streets. Bordeaux surprised us with its amazing transformation, access to art, events and boheme feeling. Short post but the photos will speak more about this place.
My brother and my sister in law wanted a trip to Copenhague, to spend the orthodox Easter there and I said ‘yes’ to seeing them and my nephews. I did not spend much time checking what we can do and see but was sure we’ll have a good time. First day was for walking around the city. We started next to Tívoli and walked by the City Hall building, along the commercial and pedestrian street of Strøget all the way to Kobmagergade and then turned left past the Round Tower to Torvehallerne where I actually planed to have lunch but my 9 years old nephew wanted a soup so we ended up in a ramen place nearby that I would not necessarily reccommend. We then continued our tour through the gardens of the Rosenborg Castle towards the Kastellet and then stopped to see and photograph the little Mermaid (which is really little!).
We then took a walk along the channel, admiring the Opera House and the modern buildings that looked like vikings tents.
Next stop was the colorful Nyhavn, full of terraces and people and colorful houses. Then we passed by Christiansborg Palace. The kids were tired after almost 30k steps so we went to our place and rest a little before we went out for dinner in the Grabødretorv Place.
I think we did a lot of sightseeing with two kids and without visiting any museums or palaces but enjoyed the good weather outside.
Second day was for Bakken’s ammusement park. Opened in 1583 it is the oldest functioning park and highlights a wooden roller coaster. The kids were in heaven, only complaining about the 10x limitation for each attraction.
Third day was even better- Tívoli. 180 years old park, right next dor to where we stayed in Copenhague and just great- for all the family! As a tip- if you travel in a group of min 5 persons in April- May, check out the “blue Monday” package. We found it a very good deal for the money including not only the entrance and unlimited access to all attractions but as well a meal package and free download on your phone of the photos taken in the park.
Last day we travelled to Malmö. Despite the great weather and the excitement to go by train through the half tunnel/half bridge cross from Denmark to Sweden, Malmö itself is not worth the trip. We did spend a day close to the beach, taking in the sun and enjoying the company because my family was leaving back home from Malmö.
All in all- a great trip! Copenhague is very walk friendly and for kids- definitely reccommended! I also wish more places would be that bike friendly and all capital cities as laid back as Copenhague.
Bekken- the oldest functioning wooden rollercoasterTorso in Malmö Boat houses in Malmö The airport in Copenhague
What crosses your mind when you think about this country? I think of mountains, Toblerone, watches and banks. I still remember a time when I was traveling quite often to Geneva airport and had to get out on the French side, drive an extra hour just because the color of my passport was not admitted to Switzerland. And then I remember hiking the Haute Route some years ago from Chamonix to Zermatt, struggling to understand both the French and the German. But the mountains were amazing. A good friend just got a job there and I had a 4 days weekend (Easter included) so I bought the ticket, hired the car and was on my way to there. The first shock- the supermarket, regular shopping and a bill of… I do remember very well but let´s just say I do not know when (if ever) have I paid that much. My friend just moved to an idyllic area, in between mountains, on the board of a lake, in a village with 5.000 people. I can bet that in some years she will get bored but for now the area is amazing- for hiking and resting. On the way to her new home, I stopped at the Rhine Falls, “the most powerful waterfall in Europe”. If you are in the area- stop by but if not- detour not worthy. My next stop was Lucerne- nice old town with the wooden bridge and the old tower and a lot of painted façade houses. Of course, on a lakeshore and with a view over the mountains, still snow peaked in early April. First day together we went to visit Zürich (if I am not wrong- the most populated city of Switzerland). The old downtown is nice, and it got us busy walking for several hours. The last day we went to the Fraumünster that has the Chagall windows. We were as well lucky to visit a temporary Klimt´s the Kiss immersive exposition and wanted to do a Banksy as well but… something for next time From Zürich we took (as expected) the road less traveled- we went to Zug and then all along the east side of lake Lucerne. What we saw? Beautiful small typical villages, perfect roads and tons of tunnels, and mountains and the lake. Ah, and houses with elevators from the parking place at the road level to go down to the house level and Maseratis and Porsches and Ferraris, you know- like you normally see cars on the road. Second day we took a road through the mountains all the way to the French side on Lake Geneva and stopped in Montreux to visit the Chillon Castle, then have a photo at Freddy Mercury´s statue and wonder at the super busy Promenade of Montreux. We headed north afterwards as we did not want to come the same way back and stopped at Gruyeres. This is a place I would definitely recommend! Of course it is touristic and busy but it is on my taste. Some might know the name from the cheese used for the famous “fondue” but it is also the name of a fortified town, on top of a hill, with his castle and a court of old houses. Really nice place! The next stop for the day was a place where we dined the fondue (of course!). By 10 pm we were in bed. And I felt like a whale landed on a beach. But it was good… Day three we headed to Interlaken and bought the Jungfraujoch ticket. Now here I will need to remind you all that this is my very personal opinion so if you are an engineer fascinated by what the mankind could do 100 years ago, this is definitely for you. For me it was the most expensive trip I did not need to do. It includes train, gondola and cremaillere up to “the top of Europe” with amazing views on a see of ice and the mountains of this beautiful country BUT all this for a super expensive price and with endless cues and people skipping lines and pushing and too many crowds no one needs during a holiday. We stopped at the Lauterbrunner´s waterfall which was as well not very impressive- sorry, maybe with more water is more spectacular… As we got back to Interlaken we took a stroll through the city- nice to visit. Overall, I was happy to spend time with my friend and see new places BUT this country is absurdly expensive. I cannot imagine what could happen on earth to justify their prices. Ah, and I am happy I live where I live- which is a happy place with nice people and a common sense towards luxury.
This is a place that I would not have in my mind when someone’s asking “where to” but since my buddy had to be there and I wanted to spend time with him, here I am, spending some hours around the city.It is not a turistic destination but then it’s not that ugly as not to be able to see nice things. And then…”beauty is in the eyes of the beholder”, right?
What to see:- the Cathedral- I choose NOT to pay the entry fee but rounding it was for free- the Casino – very nice, well maintained, mix of moorish and andaluzian details- St Catalina’s Monastery- for am andaluzian patio and some nice reliqs- a walk along the river- Cristo de Monteagudo. When we went there, it was closed for visitors but they have a great visitors center. PS I do not know to whom it might occur that instead of reabilitating the castle, a statue of the Christ should be put on top. But then tastes are different…
If you want to try some typical food, I tried and liked the pisto murciano and the paparajotes.
Before I end my short post- Murcia was used in the past as a place where un-desired people were sent to live. It could be a beautiful place if humankind was not so focused on wars, domination and destruction.
Three years ago, just before the pandemic, I went to Israel and was kind of dissapointed about their attitude when they saw my Moroccan visa (muslim country) so ever since then or maybe even more since then I had Jordan on my list.
There were words that a man is needed when travelling there so I was looking for one and when a friend booked a ticket with her husband, I was in! In the end we did travel together to and from there but in Jordan we were four girls, on our own, perfectly safe and welcomed.Jordan Pass is what we bought online to cover the entry visa in the country plus several entrances to touristic sites (Petra, Jerash, Wadi Rum among them).
We started our trip in Aqaba, by the Red Sea. A city not really touristic, if not for the excellent snorkeling/diving experience. It looked nicer from the israelí side- with the mountains in the background…First stop was Petra which is a complex of “caves” spread in a valley. We had accomodation booked in Petra and our host suggested we take a ride to little Petra, drive to 40min walking to the monastery at the end of the valley and do the walk in reverse, to the main entrance. This was a very good idea, especially since we had the two days Pass and the way to the monastery (following the valley entrance) would mean going up…800 stairs. So this is what we did the first day- all the walking backwards plus a detour to see the high place of sacrifice. Second day we started pretty early and did the walk through the valley and the detour to the kings’ tombs which actually ended into a viewpoint of the Treasury.
After taking all the Instagram photos we headed towards the Dead Sea where we reached our hotel just in time for access shut down to the beach- 5pm…army restrictions, troubled borders…We did search the internet for a good local place where to eat and found one very authentic.
A pharantesys here maybe to talk about the food: amazing! Hummus, falafel, mutabel, labneh, chicken liver, shawarma, kunafa, zarb, za’atar…one would definitely not starve there!
So first day at the Dead Sea we went for the full body mud experience, of course! But we also did a trip to Madaba, to see the mosaics (including the largest map of the Christian World). We passed Mount Nebo- where Moisés was lead to see the Promise Land and where he also died and we also went to see Jesús’ baptism site. Ironically, in a región so politically disturbed, this sacred place of Christianity is on the border between Cisiordania and Jordan. Next day we started with the mud/floating experience and then headed north. First stop was Amman. Honestly, there’s not much to see there apart from the Citadel that gives a nice view on this hilly capital. We actually spent more time going into and getting out of the city than on the site itself.
What I would reccommend/put it mandatory on a visit list for Jordan is Jerash. The Roman ruins are amazing, a huge lesson of civilización that we unfortunately do not take care of as we should.
We then headed south again for a last stop before Aqaba into the Wadi Rum reserve. The área is served by the bedouins, all included: accomodation in bedouin tents, food, activities like 4×4 drive, climbing, camel riding, hiking. Wadi Rum is another must see. The vastness, the colours, the nature…everything meant to let us know how small we are in front of nature.
And too soon we were back in Aqaba, at 24 degrees in December. I did a snorkeling session just the morning of my departure and it was definitely a great experience. Because of the warm temperature of the Red Sea all year round, the waters are blessed with colorful and diverse corrals so close to the sea shore. I rented some googles and snorkel finns at one of the dive centers at the south beach and saw the Japanese Garden with a boat plus a tank and a plane- all on the bottom of the sea with no neoprene needed.
As a conclusion I would definitely reccommend visiting Jordan. It’s beautiful, the people are very nice, the food is great and the touristic offer is of 5*.
I was so keen to leave, to pack my stuff and go on a trip, to enjoy new places, new flavors, to feel like a traveler again…We started planning this trip somewhere in the summer (if I remember well). We figured out the timing, which whereabouts we wanted to explore and of course- with whom. I made an excel- I know it sounds dull and boring but I am getting old (and dull and boring) so yes, we do need planning… So we ended up with a plan for eight days in the north part of Italy. Ah, Italia… I will never get bored of you! We took a low cost flight from Santiago de Compostela to Bergamo, late arrival, on a Friday night. We missed the last public bus to the city, had a Uber driver ghosting us, woke up Elena around 2am when we finally got to the accommodation BUT started the Saturday morning with a stop in a bakery. Ita was laughing because through a window we could see the baker preparing goodies we could not even decide which one to choose but then I did not see the entry to the bakery and was getting nervous.
We did not plan time for Bergamo and this was bad. The up-the-hill city seemed really nice (on our way to the airport to pick up the rental car) so something for next time. We did though stop in Sirmione for a lunch in a garden, by the lake shore and a walk through the narrow streets. Beautiful! By the time we said it’s time to leave, we were to drive directly to Merano- our second accommodation. So the evening was for relaxing indeed. Almost two hours at the Therme with sauna/spa included. The spa center is quite big and really nice, with several pools- in and outside, different temperatures… BUT bring your own towels otherwise you risk to go through the rather complicated procedure for getting some or having it “stolen” by a forgetting (other) client that afterwards would kneel to beg a pardon.
When planning this trip we took care to have a bit for everyone. I love nature, Sara and Amparo are more city girls, Ita conforms with everything (thank you Lord for making him!) and Elena, who was our last addition to the group, is also like me, with a drop of pack-the-necklace-for-a-roadtrip-to-Greece. So the second day of our trip was one of my highlights- we were driving the Dolomiti way on a beautiful sunny day in October. First stop was at Lago di Carezza/Karersee. (Small break for clarifications- the northern part of Italy, also called Süd Tirol, is highly populated by German speakers and therefore it is sometimes easier to get along with German than Italian. The German influence is visible in the way the houses are built and maintain and yes, the names of the places are shown bilingual). The parking lot was nicely organized (we assumed that this was a recent addition) and from the parking, taking us via under the street to the other side of the road- a tunnel. When we got out into the light on the other side an emerald looking lake with the background of rocky mountains in the well known shape of the Dolomiti awaited us. We enjoyed the place almost to our own…then we had a quick breakfast and took off to the next stop.
There’s only a one hundred km stretch of “the great Dolomites road” between Bolzano and Cortina d’Ampezzo but the views are so great that yes, it easily takes a day ride and a lot of “wow”s. Like for example seeing around 20 Ferraris in a row.
Next stop was Passo Pordoi. The road to there: curvy. Once we arrived there, we took the cable car to Terrazza delle Dolomiti (Dolomiti’s terrace). Imagine this- peaks with snow, green valleys, blue sky, sunny AND a magnificent view of the Dolomiti. Really, nothing could have been better. We had a view to Marmolada as well- the only glacier in the Dolomiti. And then descended to continue our trip. Next planned stop was Marmolada but unfortunately both cable cars were out of service so we continued to Passo Falzarego where we took another cable car up to Rifugio Lavaredo. And because we were reaaaaally hungry, we started with a late lunch on the terrace. In the sun, with an amazing view. The plan was to check out (and walk down to the parking lot) through the tunnels built during the first world war when this region was the camp for many battles (I have “bella ciao” in my mind right now). This was the plan but due to my mistake or wrong signs we missed the way through the tunnels and ended up hiking down on the north face for the first portion (covered with snow/ice) which pumped me up to first place in the top of persona non grata for the day 🙈. Obviously we were not equipped for snow, less for ice so the first one-two hours were not really nice. I was eager to get to the portion where we changed side as on the south there was no snow but was as well worrying a little as I saw how slow we move. Well in the end we made it safe, with several stories to tell and amazing photos but not a trip I would do again (or plan as such!).
The final stop for the day was our accomodation in Cortina d’Ampezzo. About Cortina I will not say much- you know it- the Mecca of the Italian skiing/biking/hiking.
As we woke up in the morning the next day we were all eager to see the Tre Cime. Italia did not disappoint and we had another beautiful day, hiking around the Tre Cime, which with some icy portion, lots of ups and downs, no lunch (as the Refugio was closed) made us call “enough” for the day so we stopped at Misurina lake for another late lunch and headed back to Cortina. That evening we started to feel our muscles sour. It was just the start…
Day four of our trip and we were descending to Venezia. Amparo was checking the weather forecast telling us each day that the planned rain for next day has moved again to the next next day. In fact this was the only cloudy (cloudy not rainy) day we had during our trip. But seeing Venice again was priceless. And this, without the usual crowds of people! We met Franco as well and got a 2.5kg present of olive ascolane (you can only understand me if you tried it). So one and a half day of Venice with Piazza San Marco, Ponte Rialto, Ponte dei Sospiri, pizza, pasta, aperitivo, Murano, Burano, gondola and muscle pain 😁
On day six we started quite early our drive to Verona but Italian highways, even outside of summer season, are pretty crowded. We were not sure if this was normal traffic or an accident but with deviation we got to Verona around 11. We stopped for a breakfast in the amazing Vittorio Emanuele in Piazza Bra, on the terrace of course, overlooking the arena. La vita e bella! Walked to Julieta’s house, through the Piazza Delle Erbe, under the balena’s bone to Piazza dei Signori, to Romeo’s house (no crowd here, door closed) and through the streets of beautiful Verona to Porta Borsari. As we got recommended to stop in Mantua, we drove away. I never stopped in Mantua before and now I can say it is definitely worth a stop. The old city is still surrounded by the city walls, the lakes around give the feeling of a fortress…And then we drove…to Cinque Terre.
We got our accomodation in Monterroso al Mare- the northernmost of the five villages. The plan was to hike the three ways between Monterroso, Vernazza, Corniglia and Manarola (as the last portion- the Via dell’amore to Riomaggiore has been closed since some years). For coming back we would have used the train. Our plan though failed because even if it was hard to believe by a weather of 20+ degrees Celsius in the middle of October, September was rainy and did some damage to two of the three ways. So what we did was go by train to all the villages and hike Corniglia to Vernazza. This avoided the second persona non grata prize for me. After the best foccacia in Monterroso (at Fornaio di Monterroso) we drove away to Portofino, our next stop. We simply wanted to see how the rich live and oh, are there rich around there…
Last two nights were booked in Milano. We had a free tour organized by a guy who told us a lot about the vertical jungle, Da Vinci’s channels, connection to lake Como, Castello Sforzesco, Scala, il Duomo, Vittorio Emanuele’s galleries and Navigli. For a short moment we forgot we’re under the pandemic stress and could enjoy the bella Italia at its best…
My aunt and a friend of hers were due to come visit me and since she’s an architect (my aunt) I thought a trip to Salamanca would please her tastes. I haven’t seen the city before but knowing that it has (one of) the oldest universities in the world, I wanted to go there. So I booked accommodation, the closest possible to Plaza Mayor. Then my aunt canceled her visit but the accommodation was not refundable, I got some good advices from friends, managed to have Sara excited about the trip so Saturday morning, 7am we started our journey.
We stopped on the way for breakfast and reached the parking in Salamanca by 12. As it was too early for checking in, we started our tour of the city and what better start then Plaza Mayor. The architecture reminds me of the Plaza Mayor in Madrid: imposing, mirrored facades except the City Hall which was meant to be even more imposing. As we moved the eyes from the City Hall to the right, through a passage we could already see the market where even with masks on (thanks Covid!) we could smell the sausages… Around the corner and we started walking down the pedestrian street of San Pablo we stopped at Convento de San Esteban. Beautifully carved façade, calm courtyard and with expo of articles from South America, for a time when we really believed that we were civilizing the world. It was still too early for lunch when we got our so we continued our walking tour to the Cathedral but just as we got there we got a call back to go to the accommodation to get the keys. So we walked back up on Rua Mayor, got the keys and stopped for lunch at Lio. After lunch we went back to the Cathedral looking for the astronaut and the rabbit. Yes, right, when in 1992 the new Cathedral (built in the 16 century) got a major renovation, the astronaut was added to the decor element. I managed to find it, as well as the rabbit but learned that a dragon eating an ice-cream, a lynx, a bull, a stork and a crayfish are also to be found… Next time!
Some words about the Cathedral (s) because yes, there are two- the old one (from 12-13 century) and the new one (from the 16 century) united. One visiting can clearly see the difference between the two, with the old part being more minimalist, with a painted altar like the Orthodox ones (actually there were some notes that this is of eastern influence). If you visit the Cathedral (s) do go visit as well the towers. Apart from exercising a little one gets to see the roofs of the churches plus a really beautiful view over Salamanca.
Once the Cathedral was checked, we walked towards the Huerto de Calixto y Melibea, that is a parc dedicated to the love of Calixto and Melibea- a kind of Romeo and Juliet in the Spanish version and with a little more freedom of spirit. By this time my mobile was without battery. Great! We started walking towards the Roman bridge. On the way we saw the entrance to the history museum of automotive and thought if we get some extra points if we go in but decided we can live without the points. The Roman bridge used to be the only access way to the old city (surrounded with walls, of course). Nowadays the river can hardly be seen but the bridge is in really good shape.
Next stop was for water. And a beer. And a tinto de verano. Afterwards we went to look for the second mistery- the frog sitting on a skull on the façade of the University of Salamanca.
The legend says that when students arrive for the very first time at the renowned University of Salamanca, they are greeted with a challenge: if they can spot the tiny frog carved into the intricate stone facade of the university’s main building, they will surely have great academic success and pass their exams without a problem. Anyone interested for a tip?
Since it was almost closing time, we did not visit the university. Instead we kept walking past the Casa de las Conchas (house of the seashells) and the Universidad Pontifica, Palacio de Monterrey and stopped for some impromptu shopping of second hand books. Before dinner we stopped for a cocktail. Oh yes, this is something funny, if it crosses your mind to order a Campari orange or a Lynchburg lemonade, better come with the recipe. We had a good dinner at Cuzco after waiting for about 30 min. The place is small but very sought after so we did not mind waiting for the meal that was really good! And with the first day ended, we went to bed.
Although we still had things un-checked in Salamanca we decided to get out of the city on Sunday and with some good recommendations and checking some “saved in want-to-go” places we decided to go south. Our first stop, for breakfast and a nice walk: Candelario. With its narrow streets, bikers and batipuertas this little place charmed us!
Next stop: Mirador de la Memoria. A while ago, talking with my galician friends, I got to see a documentary about some of the victims of Franco’s dictatorship. The documentary really moved me. Like any atrocity- call it Holocaust, communism, dictatorship power was misused and we forgot being human. I was hoping we have the place just for us. We had the drive to there just for us (luckily!) through a windy and narrow road but the place was not crowded but let’s say not just for us. The four statues are impressive. Set on cliffs looking out to a valley they almost speak “where are we?” I left the place with a clear target: learn more about Franco’s time.
We then headed back north, passed by Salamanca and stopped for lunch in El Perdigón. But before explaining why we choose this place, let me ask you if you can imagine yourself having to declare that you were born/lived in El Cubo de Tierra del Vino- if I am right with my translation: the earthen bucket of wine 🤔😁. That’s not a challenge, this place really exists and one day you might come across some people living there. Back to Perdigón- at the end of an almost deserted road to nowhere lays this place famous for its underground restaurants. We did not get to eat underground- you know, thank you Covid!- but did get the chance to visit one and eat upstairs and check out the 100m male Olympic finals.
with our stomachs full we debated weather to stop in Zamora or go for Allariz. In the end we hit the road to Allariz. To the galician lands and back to the moody weather- and right now I discovered another reason why I like this land- because it’s like me!
Allariz was greyish and rainy when we arrived but we still did our small tour with a promise to come back. Beautiful small town with stone streets a newly redesigned river area. This shows money good invested!
And since we’re both pretty but not rich, we had to go back home and prepare for another Monday at work. But it was good to get back to traveling, sightseeing, exploring and wondering at the beauty around us…
in lumea mare 