Last day in Spain: Barcelona

Before we knew it, it was the last day of our holiday. Being back in Barcelona, we were keen to see the attractions we were too rushed to stop at right at the start of the trip. Rather than driving around and trying to navigate through busy Barcelona, we decided to get back onto the Barcelona City Tour bus which would take us exactly where we wanted to go. 

This time we sat on the other side of the bus and got much better shots of the Barcelona Olympic Stadium used for the 1992 games.

We stopped at the Catalonian National Art Museum, particularly to see the waterfall fountains out the front. 

Wandering around the museum grounds, there was a large get-together of locals, some of whom where dancing the traditional catalonian dance, and others waiting for a lunch of the biggest paella ever being prepared! On the other side of the museum was a busker playing beautiful spanish guitar. It was the makings of a relaxing and really enjoyable last day. 

After spending a bit of time around the museum, we walked towards the next bus stop. After a stop at Barcelona Football Club to get some souvenirs, we headed back towards our starting point taking in some final glimpses of Barcelona. The bus dropped us off a bit further up the beach from the hotel, so we leisurely walked back stopping for a last drink in Barcelona and a few final photos.

The time had come to drive back to the airport, return the car and bring our holiday to a close. We only spent 8 nights/9 days in Spain but we managed to see a lot. A massive thanks to my amazing partner Al who successfully and safely drove us almost 2,000 kms around the north-east quarter of the country. 

Our trip to 2016 road trip around Spain!
(Blue dots: where we stayed overnight; smaller white dots: where we stopped along the way)

We had such a great time and created so many wonderful memories. We have a list of places in Spain we'd love to visit again one day and spend more time exploring but our quick trip was such a great taster and we can't believe how much we actually got to experience.

Al and Simo (who is still completing the Camino de Santiago) have been in regular contact since we left Spain. As at today 14 May he is in a place called Sarria, about 115kms from the end point of the walk. We believe he has been doing quite well with very few issues, just founding some days more challenging than others. What an incredible thing he has already achieved and we wish him all the best in finishing the full 800kms soon!

Until next time x

Spain Day 8: Valencia and back to Barcelona

On our morning in Valencia we made sure we got up early to head to the central markets. We had heard they were a "must do" in Valencia, and given our apartment was walking distance away we figured it would be a perfect place to find some breakfast.

We quickly saw why the markets were a must do. With so much variety and the vibrancy of colour in all the produce, it was a fabulous place to spend our morning. Merchants were happy to discuss with us their products (how jamon is prepared; where different olives come from, etc), so it was a great learning experience also. Not only did we have breakfast but we also stocked up to have lunch on the road.

Another "must do" in Valencia according to the interwebs was to check out the City of Arts and Sciences. Located slightly out of the way from where we were staying, we grabbed the car and decided to stop and have a look on our way out of town. 

The modern designs of the City of Arts and Sciences was such a contrast to the ancient architecture we had been seeing throughout our trip to Spain. The complex consists of various buildings including an IMAX cinema, an interactive science museum, and an opera theatre to name a few. The buildings with their sweeping lines and curves were so different from the intricate detail of the gothic designs we had seen in the old cathedrals. But they were intriguing in their own way... although some we simply found to be a bit odd and couldn't help but have a giggle.

 

Finally it was time to do our final leg of our Spanish road trip and head back to Barcelona where we would spend the night and one last day. The drive weaved from the mediterranean coastline and into the hills, then back to the coastline.

In no time at all we met our old friends the toll booths—we couldn't believe how many tolls we had come across while in Spain and how expensive they were, particularly in Catalona. Finally though, we passed through our last lot of tolls for our trip.

For our final night in Spain we had booked a bit of a special treat for our accommodation... W Barcelona, right out on a spit on the Barcelona coastline and overlooking the beach.

Admittedly we would have loved to have been in a room higher in the hotel for an even better view as ours was slightly hindered by another part of the building, but it was still magical—particularly once the sun went down and the night lights shined into the water.

We got dressed up for a special final night in Spain... unfortunately the restaurant we chose was a let-down but after wandering along the beach and finding a great spot for a Friday night cocktail, the evening was still classified a success!

Day 9, our last day, next time x

Spain Day 7: Aranjuez to Valencia

Our excellent accommodation in Aranjuez (NH Collection - great value, great location, great service! We would definitely recommend it) was conveniently located across the road from the attraction that had brought us to the town: the Palacio Real de Aranjuez.

Our accommodation for our night in Aranjuez... NH Collection. 

Palacio Real de Aranjuez

My mum used to love listening to the acoustic guitar version of Concierto de Aranjuez. So when I discovered this beautiful piece of music I grew up hearing was inspired by the gardens around the Palacio Real de Aranjuez, I was keen to see it in person. This palace was commissioned by Felipe II in the 16th century, but finished in the 18th century by Ferdinand VI.

The interior of the palace was incredibly detailed and wonderfully maintained as a museum. Unfortunately we were unable to take photos inside so had to content ourselves with purchasing a post-card as a momento.

The dining room of Palacio de Aranjuez

We spent awhile wandering the gardens immediately around the palace and walking through the 'Jardin de la Isla'.

We would have loved to have loved to have gone to the 'Jardin del Principe' which by all accounts is exquisite, but when we finally figured out where to find it, it was a bit out of the way and we needed to make tracks for Valencia. We stocked up with fresh supplies for sandwhiches for a lunch on the go and hit the road.

Huge wind-mills were a regular sight from the car across Spain,
and the stretch from Aranjuez/Madrid to Valencia was no exception.

We got into Valencia late afternoon but it took awhile to find somewhere to park and then find the apartment we had booked. While it probably would have been easier if we had just booked into a hotel, the private apartment we had found on booking.com ended up being really well equipped and very comfortable. We loved how it had been decorated and could have easily have spent longer there.

The gentlemen who met us to let us into the apartment suggested we headed up to the cathedral to have a look before it got dark, and also recommended where to grab a bite to eat. The cathedral was another beautiful display of gothic architecture, and it was also great to see the central plaza.

Al in the Plaza de la Virgen

After a delicious dinner of Paella Valenciana we made our way to a flamenco show. I had researched it before we had left Australia, and thank goodness I did as I'm not sure we would have just happened upon the place! And the show was well worth it... spectacular to see and absolutely enthralling someone like me who loves dance!!

Towards the end of the show, one of the guitar players treated us to a spanish guitar solo... a beautiful rendition of Concierto de Aranjuez. What a perfect way to tie together a great day :)

Day 8 next time x

Spain Day 6: Burgos Cathedral, Madrid and Toledo

After staying in Burgos overnight, we got ourselves organised early to give us enough time to get to the cathedral before starting our driving for the day. So glad we made the time to go back and have a look... inside the cathedral there were so many sub-sections and rooms, each with it's own elaborative theme and incredibly detailed. Thankfully we got to the ticket box just as they were opening which meant we avoided queues and were able to maximise our time in this glorious place.

 

Unfortunately we had to get back to the car before our meter ran out, plus we were also conscious of how much travel we had ahead of us for that day. Otherwise we could have spent hours taking in the detail of the cathedral.

From Burgos we headed towards Madrid. The original plan had been to try and by-pass Spain's capital but as I re-examined the map, the detour option would add quite a bit of time... so we decided to go into the centre and have a bit of an explore. While waiting (and waiting!) for what ended up being a rather disappointing lunch we realised we weren't far from a tourist bus stop similar to what we had been on in Barcelona. We figured it would be a quick way to see Madrid, and while we were there we might as well see what we could. The highlight however was when we got off the bus, at the same spot we had hopped on, and wandered through Madrid's central park located adjacent to the bus stop. If we had only known!

After walking through the park we headed back to the car and continued on to Toledo—only a half hour drive from Madrid. The view of this old city, perched perfectly on a hill, was spectacular. Unfortunately we couldn't find anywhere to stop and get a picture. Before we knew it we were in the middle of Toledo. Literally in the middle... and rather unsure how to get out of the very narrow streets! And to our horror, the streets just kept getting narrower... and narrower. Concern about getting the car stuck between two buildings soon turned into hysterics as we rounded corner after corner and found ourselves on even narrower streets!!

We finally navigated out of narrow streets and found a parking spot. We then walked back up to the highest point of the town to check out the Alcazar of Toledo, the view and then find a spot for dinner.

As we had accommodation for the night booked in Aranjuez, a 40 minute drive from Toledo, after dinner we made tracks. Returning to Toledo one day is now on the bucket list...

Day 7 next time x