Granada, Flamenco and the Alhambra

Trev's turn to drive from Mazarron to Granada (around 260km) with me as navigator.  Again, we were driving through pretty scrubby, desert country.  I had booked 3 nights at Hotel Navas, in the centre of Granada, we knew that there was no parking available at the hotel, and when we arrived there we discovered why....

We found our street without any trouble, thanks to our trusty GPS, who we call Kate.  However it was so narrow and had signs that looked like they said 'no entry' (they didn't) that Trev decided we couldn't get up there.  So on we continued, and that threw Kate into a bit of a hissy fit... she didn't know which way was up, and neither did we.  We drove around a very big block, which of course was mostly one-way roads, till we came back to the road we thought we should be on again.  As we drove up there, a man on a moped knocked on the window - I wound it down, and he asked where we trying to go.  I told him 'Hotel Navas' - he indicated to follow him, so off we went again around the block and he delivered us back to where we had passed our street previously.  He then knocked on the window and we handed him 5 Euro for his time (which I thought was way over the top) - but then the cheeky mongrel asked for more money!!!  'Ten Euros for my bambino', he said!  You've got to be joking - we pretended we didn't understand, offered him the 5 Euro, and he insisted 'ten euros for my bambino'.  By now we were all a little pxxxxxxed off with him so we wound up our window and started driving.  He was not a happy chappie, and neither were we.  Welcome to Granada....

Trev tried driving up this very narrow street, only to find that there really was nowhere to go - he was not happy with me! He did a 3-point turn to get back to the end of the street and waited while Bill and I got out of the car to find our hotel, check in and ask where we could park.  We were greeted by a cheerful man on the desk who told us we could park in the underground carpark just where we had left the others.  But to check in we needed our passports, which of course were back in the car.  Bill hurried out, returned with the passports and we did the paperwork.  Then we went down to help Lorraine and Trev with all our luggage.  Lugging all our suitcases back up the hill was fun, but finally we were in our rooms.  They were small but clean, overlooking one of the main restaurant streets in the centre of town.  We didn't have to go far to find food!

After sorting our rooms out we went downstairs and got some information about visiting the Alhambra and seeing a Flamenco show.  We arranged to do both over the next couple of days - see my other posts for these.

Bill keeps cool under
the fine mist

Next, the serious business of what to eat ... we wandered up and down our little street, where most of the restaurants sprayed fine mists of water over the diners to keep them cool under the hot summer sun - brilliant idea.  I can't remember what we had to eat that night, but I know it was probably accompanied by a couple of Cervesas and sangria.

We walked around the town and visited the huge Catholic Cathedral.  I was accosted, not once, but twice, by women thrusting sprigs of rosemary into my hand to bring me good luck and purity (a bit late for that!).  After saying 'no, gracias', I'm sure they said some rude Spanish words to me - the second one persisted even more, telling my fortune - strangely enough, I am going to live a long life, be lucky in love, and have a strong, pure heart!  I was so happy to hear this, then she shoved the rosemary into my hand, asked for a 'donation', I shoved it back into hers, and she also said some rude Spanish words!  And in front of the Cathedral!

Granada Cathedral
viewed from Alhambra

We paid 4 Euro to go inside the Cathedral, and it was beautiful.  And huge - we saw it from the Alhambra a couple of days later, and really appreciated how big it was.  You really can't grasp the size of it from ground level, surrounded by shops and little alleyways.  

There was a beautiful spice shop near the Cathedral - it smelled amazing, and had big containers full of colourful, finely ground spices.  

A plate of fried fishes

I've lost track of the meals we had, but one of the better ones was when Trev and I shared a plate of 'fried fishes' which consisted of whitebait, small prawns, calamari, fish pieces - very tasty.  Lorraine and Bill shared a large plate of grilled prawns and they were also very happy with that.  I know this blog seems to be a succession of food descriptions, but I think half the fun of travelling is trying different cuisines - some you like, some you don't, but you have to try!

Granada has been interesting, fun, and sometimes confronting.  Being ripped off by our 'moped guide' to start with, followed by the 'rosemary ladies' and a constant stream of people begging for money while we were eating or walking the streets was very uncomfortable.  But it's a really vibrant city with lots of good things going for it.  I loved the flamenco and the visit to Albayzin and the Alhambra, and there were lots of good restaurants, with tasty food and wine at very reasonable prices.  So overall, we've had a good time here.  Next, we're off to Manilva on the Costa del Sol to stay in a 2-bedroom apartment for 4 days.  Should be fun.

Flamenco at Sacromonte, Granada

We visited a traditional gypsy flamenco show at Los Tarantos in the caves of Sacromonte, Granada.  It was a very intense, passionate show, not a 'cabaret-style' show as in the movies.  I loved it.  Click the photo for a link to my Picasa album on Flamenco.

As part of the trip we also had a guided tour through Albaizin, the old muslim quarter of Granada - it was really interesting.  We viewed the Alhambra at night from a wall surrounding this area.

Mazorron - a stop on the way to Granada

Okay, my turn to drive from Valencia to Mazarron, around 290km, with Bill as my navigator.  Most of the trip was on highways with a speed limit of 120km (which I mostly managed to stick to), so I was quite happy.  Getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road is always interesting, and using the gearstick on the right is a big problem, especially when our car has 6 gears.  I had enough trouble just finding 4!   

Anyway, the drive was through pretty barren country, which really shouldn't be able to grow anything, but the countryside is studded with olive groves, citrus groves and the occasional vineyard on dry, dusty, rocky 'soil'.

We stopped for lunch somewhere in the middle of the mountains at a service station where they nearly always serve tapas, boccadillos (big bread rolls usually filled with thinly sliced jamon (ham) and cheese, as well as beer, wine, soft drinks, coffee.  Suitably replenished we pressed on to Mazarron, a little coastal town a bit off the beaten track.

Hotel La Cumbre was perched on top of the hill overlooking the town and beaches - it was an interesting mix of old and new furnishings, our rooms were a decent size and had a balcony with table and chairs outside.  Fantastic views, with a swimming pool and bar area below us.  After unpacking the basics we had a refreshing swim and a drink overlooking the ocean.

Later that evening we wandered down the hill to the beach for food (oh, my aching legs).  Again the beach area was filled with families having a good time, market stalls and lots of restaurants.  We finally settled on a French restaurant for a change, La Bretanita.  Trev and Lorraine had a whole fish dish each, Trev really enjoyed his, Lorraine not so much, as she ordered salmon and got another fish by mistake.  

Bill's dish - Pork in
blue cheese sauce

My dish - Duck in fig sauce

A really big Jesus

I ordered duck in fig sauce, and Bill had pork in a blue cheese sauce.  However, they put them down in front of the wrong person, because as soon as I tasted the sauce (I reeeaaaally don't like blue cheese), I realised that I had Bill's dish and vice versa.  After swapping, we both really enjoyed our meals.  We wandered back up the big hill for a nightcap, a game of cards near the bar, and bed.

Next morning we drove down to the beach and up another hill to have a look at a really big Jesus before saying goodbye to Mazorron and heading for Granada.

Valencia - no, it's not where the oranges come from....

Sculpture outside Valencia Hotel

From Barcelona we headed south to Valencia, where we had booked a hotel for 2 nights.  Trev drove, with Bill navigating.  We stopped at Tarragona for a quick lunch, having negotiated the parking meter system - very complicated, where you have to key in the rego number of your car, then enter your money to get a ticket.  That's fine, except that all the instructions are in Spanish - we were lucky enough to have a lady stop and explain (in rapid Spanish) how to do it, so we got there in the end.  Lunch was pretty basic, then we drove past the port and back onto the highway.  

We found our hotel in Valencia easily, and checked into our rooms on the 17th floor.  Nice rooms, I think recently refurbished, with great views out over the city.  We were a long way from the beach, but at least we had a small swimming pool on the roof which was very refreshing.  First order of business, unpack the basics then head to the pool for a swim and a drink.  Lorraine and I had a Caiphirinha, which was very lovely.

Enjoying a meal at the wine bar

Sausage & Beans

Dinner was at Casa Vela, an amazing winebar/tapas restaurant/delicatessen just around the corner.  There were wine bottles stacked all round the walls, literally to the ceiling (about 2 stories high) as part of the decor - the boys had a wonderful time theorising about how they get the top bottles down, whether each bottle had to be turned each day, etc etc!  Our meals were interesting - Lorraine and I both had different salads, and the boys tried a sausage and beans dish which was very tasty.  We followed it up with a lovely dessert - Trev and Bill tried a 'membrillo and soft goat cheese' dessert - the waitress tried (unsuccessfully) to explain what membrillo was, but I looked it up later and found it was quince slices!  Most unusual.

Bullfight arena in Valencia

Protesters outside the arena

Next morning we caught the metro into town.  We thought about going to a Bullfight - we walked to the Bullfighting Arena where a large group of people were protesting against the activity and handing out pamphlets about the cruelty involved in bullfighting.  We did actually enquire about the cost (about 50 euro), and I asked whether the bull was killed, as in some places they don't kill the bull in the ring, and I was told, 'Yes, the bull is killed'.  After reading the pamphlet, we decided not to attend a fight - it was pretty gruesome.

Artwork in the Railway Station

Valencia Market

We had a look at the main railway station, which was amazing and quite beautiful, then headed to the local market to stock up on supplies.  The market was a work of art, with a magnificent domed leadlight ceiling in the centre.  We didn't buy too much here, as we were staying in a hotel, not an apartment, so had nowhere to store food apart from a very small fridge.  But of course we stocked up on alcohol.

Seafood platter for 2

Sand Sculpture

Later in the afternoon we caught the metro down to the beach.  Very efficient, quick and easy to work out.  The beach area was very busy, with a big beach volleyball competition going on.  Sand artists had created some beautiful sculptures, there were buskers everywhere, market stalls, nice atmosphere.  We strolled past all the restaurants trying to decide what to eat, and settled on a beachfront bar where we ordered 2 delicious seafood platters for around 22 euro per couple (around $32) and a bottle of white.   We decided to a 'restaurant crawl' and have dessert at a different restaurant.  Yum!  

Chocolate Fondant

Pannacotta with
Berry Coulis

We hopped back on to the metro at about 11.30, then found it stopped at the terminal 1 stop down, and that was it for the evening!  Nobody actually mentioned that to us, and we didn't think to ask....   So, we found a taxi with a delightful taxi driver who wanted to practise his English, and he deposited us back to our hotel for around 12 Euro.  A good night out, with beautiful food, and a bit of entertainment.

Next morning, check out, then a drive to our next stop in Mazarron.

Busy days in Spain

We've spent a few busy days in our little apartment in Barcelona.  Lorraine and Bill have had a few problems sleeping, as the apartment is directly above a very busy, very noisy tapas bar which opens late and goes all night.  One night we decided, after a drink or two in our room at 2.00am, that if we can't beat'em we would join them, so we toddled downstairs to mingle with all the beautiful young people intent on keeping us awake.  

Well, we tried to get a drink at the bar which was manned by only two people, and after waiting around 20 minutes we gave up.   On our way out, Lorraine gave the doorman a piece of her mind (I think she may have been just a little bit inebriated), then we moved on to the nearby Irish Pub where they were very happy to serve us - we poured ourselves back into our apartment about 3.30am, a little the worse for wear.

When travelling to new places, I love to visit the local food markets to get a snapshot of the 'real' town, where people meet, eat and buy their groceries.  I find it fascinating to see 99 varieties of chillies hanging in bunches in a stall that sells only chillies, or a stall that sells 200 different versions of ham, chorizo, bacon and cheeses.  The Mercat Boqueria in Barcelona was wonderful - food was beautifully presented, if you wanted to buy a freshly squeezed fruit juice, there were so many varieties all lined up and sitting in shaved ice - lovely.  And olives - I really dislike olives, but I'm travelling with 3 people who love them - so of course we had to buy some to go with the beautiful fresh prawns and cheeses that we bought from the market to have for dinner that evening.  

After picking up our car from the railway station on Thursday we went for a drive down to Sitges, about 40mins south of Barcelona, where Trevor and I had stayed on a previous trip to Spain.  We walked around the marina and had a delicious pizza and a couple of Caipirinha cocktails and beers for lunch.  Afterwards we had a swim in the Mediterranean, where Trevor and Bill tried really hard (seriously????) not to look at topless young (and not-so-young) ladies.  The water was very refreshing in the 30 degree heat.  We then drove into the main town, had a look at the beautiful church and the interesting shops before heading back to Barcelona.  A good day out.  Next day we were leaving Barcelona and heading for Valencia for a couple of nights.

Barcelona Architecture

Here is a link to a Picasa Album on Barcelona Architecture
Barcelona Architecture

Walking, walking...

Since arriving in Barcelona on Friday I've walked around 41km, according to the walking app in my phone.... no wonder my calf muscles are aching! 

First days in Barcelona....

Next day we did some more exploration of the area while waiting for Lorraine and Bill to arrive.  We took a walk down to the marina, Port Vell, which was redeveloped as a major recreational area and marina prior to the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.  There are lots of activities, shops, restaurants to keep you occupied while viewing the 400-odd yachts and sailing craft in the harbour.  There must have been a race on while we were there, as the bridge was opened to let 20-30 yachts and crew from various countries through to the ocean - very entertaining.

Lorraine and Bill arrived around 4.00pm from Paris and joined us in our apartment.  It was good to catch up with them and hear all about their travels over the last month or so.  We had a 'set menu' dinner at a little tapas restaurant a few streets away, but it was pretty ordinary.

We decided to get a good overview of Barcelona by purchasing a 2-day pass for the 'Hop-on-hop-off' Bus tour for 35Euro.  We spent the next 2 days on the bus, and visited sites such as The Pedrera (Casa Mila), built by Antoni Gaudi, a famous and controversial Spanish architect who built many unusual buildings in Barcelona.  We also visited the Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, both built by Gaudi, as well as several churches and the beaches of Barcelona.  

The bus is a great way to get around and get a feel for the city.  I love the architecture here, the old, the new and the downright outrageous!  Most of the buildings are so elegant, with wrought-iron balconies (or balconettes), and not a lot of high-rise.

Chargrilled squid &
grilled pepper puree

Duck carpaccio with mango salsa

We've had some interesting meals here - the best one so far was Shoko, at one of the beaches - we all enjoyed our meal which was 3 courses, a drink and coffee for only 11.50 euro pp.  Really interesting food for a very reasonable price.

Tomorrow we'll probably have a swim at one of the beaches and have a serious think about where to eat next....

Starting our Spanish Sojourn

The next chapter of our travels takes place in Spain and Portugal.  We are travelling to Barcelona, where we will meet up with friends, Lorraine and Bill, before hiring a car and driving a full circuit back to Barcelona.

Our flights from Canberra were with Qantas/Emirates via Adelaide, Dubai then Barcelona. We were lucky enough to bump into Bronnie's friend, Nori, at Canberra Airport, who arranged for us to be bumped up to Business Class for the Canb-Adelaide leg - very nice, thanks Nori!

The Emirates flights were excellent - mostly on time, plenty of room, comfortable seats and well serviced.  No complaints.

We arrived in Barcelona, where we were very happy to reunite with our luggage (haven't seen it since Canberra), then caught a taxi to our home for the next week - a 2 bedroom apartment in the middle of Barrio Gotico, near La Rambla.  The location is excellent, plenty of restaurants, bars, supermarkets around, so I think we'll be OK for a while.  We did a bit of grocery shopping, and wandered the streets for a while before heading home for a rest.  Travelling is soooooo tiring!

Later in the evening we wandered out to find food - plenty available, and we stopped in a little tapas bar a couple of streets away where we had the tapas 'set menu' of three tapas, paella or fish for 11 Euro pp.  Topped off with a half litre of sangria, we are finally in Spain!

Pre-Cruise Tour - Fairbanks, Denali, Talkeetna

We spent two nights at the Wedgewood Resort which was lovely - the suite was huge, set on a large resort which also housed a Vintage Car and Vintage Clothing Museum. As part of the Royal Carribean Cruisetour we had a tour of Fairbanks Town (which we already knew quite well by now), the University of the North, the Alaska Pipeline and panning for gold at Gold Dredge No 8. Trev and I managed to find $27 worth of gold between us, and Ruhani and Gary ended up with around $36. I had the gold set into a little necklace which actually looks quite good.

Next up, all aboard the Wilderness Expess Dome Train to Denali National Park. This train journey is definitely a pleasant way to travel. Luxury leather seats, plenty of leg room, clear-domed carriages so you get a good view of the surroundings, and first-class food in the dining car below. I loved it. After several hours of travelling through mountainous, changing scenery, we arrived at Denali - we stayed in the Grand Denali Lodge, perched high on the mountain overlooking the town. The room was very good, with excellent views.

Next morning we boarded a coach to take us into Denali National Park, hopefully to spot some wildlife and enjoy the scenery. Well, we were very lucky. We saw Bald Eagles, Caribou (Reindeer), a porcupine, a couple of tiny ground squirrels, two separate sightings of grizzly bears, and finished with a sighting of mother grizzly and two cubs playing in the water. Other tours were not so lucky with their sightings.

Next morning, it was back on board the Wilderness Express to take us to Talkeetna, the town where the TV Series "Northern Exposure" was partially filmed. Talkeetna Wilderness Lodge was beautiful, with views (on a clear day) of Mt McKinley (Denali), the highest mountain in Alaska. Unfortunately, we didn't get one of those magical clear days, so we are yet to actually see Mt McKinley. But we watched the sunset, around 11.30pm from the balcony, and that was good.

Breakfast next day was at an interesting and very popular place called the Salmon Bake - not one of the walls or floors was straight, and you felt like you were drunk without having a drink! And of course, the meals were huuuuge! They don't know how to have a small meal here in Alaska. I had a breakfast burrito, and Trev had a standard breakfast and they really should have seen us through till dinner time. But, of course, they didn't. After breakfast, it was back on a coach to take us through to Anchorage.

Our Next Adventure - Canada and Alaska

We started planning this trip in March, and it's finally here.  Our friends, Ruhani and Gary, have joined us on this adventure.  After two 10-hour flights (Sydney-Seoul-Seattle) we arrived in Seattle to have one night's stay before flying on to Fairbanks, Alaska.  We had a brief look around Seattle to check out Pike's Market and the area of the Space Needle, and I have to say I'm so impressed with the Seattle transport system.  We stayed out near the airport, and used the light rail to go into the city - cost us $5 for a day ticket which covered all light rail and bus systems around the city.  Although we didn't have a lot of time there, we got an idea of what to have a look at when we return to Seattle in August for 3 days before coming home to Canberra.

The next day we caught an Alaska Airlines flight to Fairbanks - around 4 hours.  We arrived around 10.30pm and contacted Allan, our host at the Downtown Log Cabin, to pick us up and take us to our cottage for the next 2 nights.  He was a great host, and had lots of interesting stories to tell, having moved to Alaska many years ago with his wife, Verna and four kids, to work on the Alaska Pipeline.  They own a couple of properties which they rent out during the summer, and we had rented the Hall House, a two bedroom cottage.  It was very comfy and cosy, and had everything we needed - including lots of supplies to make our own breakfasts over the next two days.  We got ourselves organised, and watched the sun 'set' just after midnight, only to 'rise' about 3 hours later.  Very strange, trying to sleep in daylight - even after 24 hours of flying time. 

Trevor and Gary had booked a trip to the Arctic Circle the following day, while Ruhani and I were left to our own devices.  They were picked up around 7.00am, and Ruhani and I had a chat with Allan who suggested a walk into town along the Chena Riverbank, have a look at the Fairbanks Visitor Centre and grab some lunch, then he would drive us out to the Riverboat Discovery Tour.

The Visitor Centre was very good, with excellent displays of Alaskan Native culture, and information on the Alaska Pipeline and Mt McKinley (Denali).  We had lunch at the local 'Diner", which was not great - I ordered eggs benedict, and they came out covered in lumpy yellow sauce which was not terribly appetising and looked awful - you win some, you lose some.

We headed back to our cottage and Allan drove us out to the Riverboat Discovery Tour.  This was excellent - well done, well organised, and the young people (mostly students, and many of them Athabascan Indians) were very knowledgeable about their culture and history.  The paddle steamer took us down the Chena River past many amazing and some 'creative' homes, log cabins and mansions.  We stopped at the Dog Mushing property of Susan Butcher, four-time winner of the gruelling Iditarod Dog Sled Race.  We watched a demonstration of the dogs pulling a quad bike, and they were just amazing - they were so excited and keen to get going, they were nearly jumping out of their skins.

Next, we paddled up to where the glacial river, the Tanana, meets the non-glacial Chena River - it was quite obvious where the silt-filled glacial river met the Chena - two totally different colours and temperatures.  On the banks of the river were fish traps - large contraptions which scooped up fish and dumped them into a central bucket.   

We stopped at an Athabascan Native Village, with presentations by some of the young students about their way of life as nomadic indians who have now adapted to a more western style of life while still keeping their own identity.  The skins of wolves, wolverines, arctic and red fox, muskrat, beaver, and bears were on display, as well as salmon drying and smoking huts.  We returned to the Riverboat Discovery centre and had our photos taken in the '40 degrees below' room.  Quite chilly!

Ruhani and I finished the day by having dinner at 'Big Daddy's BBQ' then returned to our cottage to find that Trev and Gary were home after their big day out at the Arctic Circle.  So Trev has crossed that off his bucket list now.  Next morning, Allan drove Trev and Gary out to the airport to pick up a car rental.  Trev gets to drive on the wrong side of the road again!

We did a bit of shopping at Walmart, had lunch (a very good Thai meal) then headed out to Chena Hot Springs, about 60 miles away.  It was a lovely drive, and we had our first moose spotting on the way out there.  Chena Hot Springs Resort was lovely, with plenty of activities available, but unfortunately we got out there a little late to do many of them.  But we did have a dip in the very hot springs - lovely.  Headed back, moved to our new Hotel, the Wedgewood Resort, did a bit more shopping at Fred Meyer - where you can buy your guns along with groceries, then dropped the car off at the airport and returned to Wedgewood for the next part of our trip - the start of the land portion of our Royal Caribbean Cruisetour.

Canberra Balloon Festival 2013

I spent the early hours of this morning on the Lawns of Old Parliament House in Canberra, taking photos of the wonderful Canberra Balloon Festival.  What a magic morning - and some amazing balloons.  Click on the link to view.  Enjoy.
Canberra Balloon Festival

Lawn Hill Gorge - an oasis in the desert

Wow, what an amazing place!  After travelling about 300km from Mt Isa, mostly on dirt road, we arrived at this beautiful oasis.  We had booked into Lawn Hill National Park for 3 nights, with us at one end of the park and Carole and John in the 'tent' area at the other end.  Each campsite was located to give everyone a bit of privacy so we weren't all sitting on top of each other.  Near us was a boardwalk area where we could go down to the river for a swim in the crisp, cool water. 

There are several good walks in the national park, and we did most of them over the 3 days.  On our first full day there we walked to Indarri falls, which was a series of waterfalls into a lovely turquoise lagoon, surrounded  by palm trees and eucalypts.  There were plenty of fish just taunting us in the lagoon, as of course there is no fishing allowed in the national park.  We continued on for a walk up to the upper gorge, with spectacular views over the gorge, then back down through the falls and up a ''short' walk to Duwaddarri Lookout.  Well, that walk may have been short, but most of it was uphill over very slippery shale, then of course a difficult walk down the shale back to camp.  It was a good, if tiring, day with spectacular views.

Next day we walked to the cascades, which unfortunately wasn't actually cascading, then the walk up the Island Stack and 'Wild Dog Dreaming' which again was spectacular, with a variety of birdlife flying and diving into the river, and some lovely wildflowers.  We followed this with a 2-hour paddle in a 2-person canoe.  I was rapt - the bright red colours of the gorge we paddled through, brilliant blue skies, a turtle on the bank of the river (though we did miss seeing the freshwater crocodile that everyone else seemed to have seen!), the clear turquoise water, and bright sunshine - what a magic day.


We had not originally planned to go to Lawn Hill, but Carole & John told us it was worth the trip - and they were totally right.  The scenery was spectacular, the colours brilliant, the birdlife abundant, and the vegetation amazing.  All in all, it's been one of the highlights of my trip so far.  

The only problem we had with this place was the booking system:  you have to book through a central office in Brisbane (which is responsible for ALL national parks in Qld), and we were given two nights on one site, with a third on the site next to us because it was fully booked.  However, when we arrived the place was half empty  - we ended up staying all three nights on the one site, because the people who were supposed to arrive didn't, which was good for us.  But everyone we spoke to about the booking system agreed that it hadn't worked  very well for them, and some had had to stay at Adel's Grove just up the road for a night or two before coming into Lawn Hill because it was apparently full!  I think even an honour system would work a lot better than booking all national park sites through one system in Brisbane, when the people in Brisbane have no idea of what is actually happening in the parks.