And that'll be the end of that!

Ahhhh, yes, all good things must come to an end.... c'est la vie... But I must say, my vacation ended with a bang! Barcelona is a fantastic city - it is huge and full of life, culture, and stunning architecture. I don't think I've been anywhere quite like it! We left the ultra-awesome Parador Cardona early yesterday and got into Barcelona before 11am.

Parador Cardona

Our whirlwind tour began at Columbus Plaza, and during the ensuing eight hours we saw the famous, quirky La Sagrada Familia, checked out the Gothic district, wandered the crazy La Rambla, and ventured down many quaint, full-on Spanish sidestreets in between.

Christopher Columbus monument

La Sagrada Familia by Antoni Gaudi

        

 

Siesta...

Another structure by Gaudi.

La Rambla

Beverages in Barcelona!

To end the day, we circled around the marina (Port Vell) and I drooled at all the sailboats!

I think we walked about 12km around the centro de la cuidad of Barcelona.... and it wasn't anywhere near enough for me! I need to go back! Not only to Barcelona, but to Spain in general. It is such a beautiful place, and this trip just barely scratched the surface for me as to all that the country has to offer. We covered almost 4300km in a VW Polo, and I'd say at least another 100km or so on foot..... soooo fun!

Well, I'm home now.... **SIGH**.... The flights were uneventful and the weather isn't even all that bad here. I am however, in about my 22nd hour of awaked-ness, so tonight is going to be an early night. Like as in the ''I'm going to bed right now" kind of early. But I'm betting you can guess what I will be dreaming about!

Cheers!

Time warp!

Cardona - what a place! It's a tiny town, in the middle of nowhere, with a massive salt mine which puts it on the map. Oh, and there is an incredible Parador here as well!

Parador Cardona

 

View from the watch tower.

 

I'm loving the castles!

Wandering around the townsite was like taking a step back in time.... the narrow streets and old buildings are amazing, and the fact that it is all dominated by a giant castle makes it feel even more medieval!

 

Tomorrow it's on to Barcelona.... I can't wait!! Then Monday.... UGH.... it's time to go home.

Speaking of which, I am missing it just a little.... my home, my family, my friends.... and I look forward to seeing you all soon!!

Cheers!

El Toro - these giant metal bulls are EVERYWHERE!

North we go...

Teruel, Aragon - not too sure what it's all about, but that's where I am at the moment!

Bull fighting stadium in Teruel.

Yesterday evening, after the third round of golf in as many days, we said our good-byes to all the cool peeps we met while in Fuengirola. Suitcases were packed up, and bright and early this morning we hit the highway.

La Cala Golf Resort - Campo America Course

Glimpse of the snowy Sierra Nevadas.

It is now seven hours later, and we are chilling at the Parador Teruel, which in its other life was a Moorish palace. Tomorrow we are heading for Cardona, to do a bit of hiking before staying at the Parador there. Then.... Barcelona! I can hardly wait! I've heard such great things about the city and am looking forward to being there!

Cheers!

Sunshine - Twenty Days in Row!

Today will be round number six of golf this trip. Wow. I'm not sure how I feel about that, since I'm really NOT a golfer! Hee hee! However, I do get to be outside, in this most gorgeous, sunshiney place, so I shouldn't complain. My buddy on the other hand, loves the game, so this is all a double bonus for him - he's thoroughly enjoying himself AND he's provided with cheap entertainment (my lack of golf skills is a complete hoot to observe, I'm sure!). Oy.

 

El Finca

Tomorrow we are starting the drive back towards Barcelona, and we'll be making a couple of stops at Paradors along the way. Paradors are these cool old buildings of various history, which have been restored by the state and turned into hotels. If you ever travel here, I highly recommend checking some of them out! They're fun!

Alright, time to coffee-up and get ready for the day..... Hope all is well back home!

Cheers!

The fun continues....

The past couple of days have been totally fun! Well okay, not TOTALLY.... On Sunday, we golfed at what may have been the most evil course on the planet.

Looks can be deceiving! D'oh!!

 

It was greener than green, and it was in a stellar location, however it ripped me to shreds. I'm not kidding. It was the most frustrating round of golf I have ever shown up for. **SIGH** But I hung in there for the entire 18 - since I am in Spain after all - and what I got to do on Monday more than made up for the weekend's whack-f*ck debaucle. Mid-morning yesterday, after a quick coffee, we drove north of Marbella to a groovy place called Refugio Juanar, and from there we hiked up to the top of a neat little mountain called La Concha.

Gnarly terrain on the way up La Concha.

A slightly hazey view.

Approaching the summit.

View from the summit of La Concha.

Unfortunately the entire seaside valley below the ridge was hazey, so none of my pics can even begin to capture the true beauty of the vast views from the peak. And luckily we enjoyed a snack on the summit just before the afternoon clouds rolled in, which virtually whited everything out. In spite of this, the hike was fantastic, covering about 16km with 400m of elevation gain, over some incredible, varied terrain. Awesome!

Since my memory is really great but just short, I have agreed to go golfing again today. I'm in the local coffee shop at the moment, psyching myself up for it as a matter of fact! Hee hee! Oh, I'm sure it won't be all that bad... the sun is shining AGAIN (every day since I've been here!!), and I can certainly think of worse ways to spend a day.

I love all the castles! They're everywhere!

More of the neverending Mediterranean views!

Cheers!

From Europe to Africa

Two continents.... three countries.... two days!! Yeah!! Thursday, we spent an absolutely fantastic day in Gibraltar, on 'The Rock'. The views were so incredibly beautiful, and my words and photos can't even begin to do them justice!

View from the top of The Rock!

Gorgeous weather in Gibraltar, GB

The area is home to a large group of Barbary Macacques, which are the only wild primate in all of Europe. They are the neatest little creatures, and they were everywhere.

Hangin' out in the sun.

A bit of overkill I think!

On Friday, we took the ferry from Tarifa over to Tangier, where we had a most fabulous day visiting the famous Moroccan city with a private guide. We were driven around the 'new' section, then we walked throughout the old part of town, including The Kasba. We stopped for lunch at a groovy restaurant, and we even went for.... get this.... a camel ride! Hee hee! How cheesy is that - but being that we were in full-on tourist mode, there was really no way around it!!

Africa - across the Straight of Gibraltar

Cape Spartel, Morocco

Camels! Guess what comes next....

Yep - we're tourists! But hey, when in Africa....

  

Inside the Caves of Hercules

  

Funky Moroccan restaurant!

Community oven in Old Town

Both Gibraltar and Tangier are a bit of a gong show... however, if you ever get the chance, you do need to see both of them! They are two radically different cultures, less than 20km apart, but each are spectacular in their own way.

Well, today was a sleep-in day, and I may perhaps do some souvenir shopping.... any requests?! Ha ha, just kidding.... You will all get what you get, and you'll like it!!

Cheers!

PS - My new favorite sign.... cracks me up....

How bad do you need to go??