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Day 22 - Madrid

Today was the last day of our trip. We had a late breakfast and then, accompanied by our last remaining friend from the Contiki tour, we went to the Reina Sofia Museum. This is the museum that houses much of Picasso’s work, and we got to see Guernica, which was amazing. We got to see a lot of more contemporary art. For lunch we had some amazing Italian food.

We found a strange and confusing art installation; a small maze of coloured, reflective glass.

After that we got the subway to the Temple of Debod, which is an Egyptian temple.

It was closed to the public but we still enjoyed walking around it.

There was also a really good view from that location.

We went back to the city centre in order to buy a few last-minute items (including my last magnet of the trip), and then we trained back to the hotel for an early night.

Tomorrow we check out of our hotel and head to the airport to start the long series of flights home, so this will be my last post. It’s sad to be ending our trip but also exciting to be heading back home.

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Day 21 - Madrid

We had restful day today with a big sleep in. Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to some people who were leaving throughout the day, which was sad. In the early afternoon I decided to head into town, while Mia stayed back at the hotel. I first went to a park, in which I spent some time wandering.

Afterwards I came across a long street of Christmas markets, which I perused. I then met up with Mia and a friend of ours, and we had dinner together. The city centre was incredibly busy, because it was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. We did some light shopping and got some ice cream before catching the train back to the hotel. We did some more goodbyes and went to bed.

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Day 20 - Madrid

Today was our last full day of the tour and a very long driving day. We drove from Lisbon to Madrid, and when we got there it was already time for dinner. We checked into our hotel and got ready, and then we had our last dinner as a group. We had four different tapas, a main and a dessert. Afterwards Jay took us on a bar crawl around the centre of the city. When we were done we came back to the hotel and sat in the lobby, chatting. The tour includes accomodation for tonight, so we didn’t have to do too many goodbyes, as we would be seeing most people in the morning.

I didn’t have a lot of opportunity for photos today but this is the Almudena Cathedral at night, which we passed on the way to dinner.

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Day 19 - Lisbon

I thought that today was one of the best days of the entire trip. We started off by driving to Sintra, which is a little town outside of Lisbon, very green and quiet. We walked the streets for a while and came across a Christmas market in a valley. It was a lovely town to be in and explore.

Our next stop was at a beach, briefly, where we got to take some amazing photos.

Finally we drove to Cascais, a coastal town popular for holidaying.

We had peri peri chicken for lunch (which was so so good) and wandered the streets. We got some gelato and sat on the beach. The weather was so warm and beautiful that everyone was in such a good mood.

We were driven back to Lisbon and I decided to go to the city centre with some friends from the tour, while Mia went back to the hotel for some much needed rest. My fellow travellers and I went to the oldest Ginjinha brewery and I tried some, which was so tasty. We walked around the city, doing some light shopping, and then went to the Christmas markets that were set up nearby.

I got a crepe and we browsed the markets, and then decided to walk back to the hotel. It was a half hour walk but the weather was still warm and it was very enjoyable.

Mia and I elected to have an early night, ready for our final day of the tour tomorrow.

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Day 18 - Lisbon

We got on the bus this morning to head to Lisbon. On the way we stopped in Tavira, a town in Portugal. We wandered the town and explored an old castle there.

We went to a cafe for morning tea. I got something Portuguese which was similar to French toast. (It tasted much nicer than it looked.)

We got back on the bus and made it to Lisbon, and our first stop was the Belém District. There we saw the Discoveries Monument.

We bought Portuguese tarts because this is the area from which they originated, and they were amazing.

We also went to the St Jerome Monastery.

We checked into our hotel and got ready to head into the city centre. Jay took us to the Time Out Markets, which is a huge food hall filled with amazing food. We both ate francesinha for dinner, which is a cheesy meat sandwich surrounded by sauce. Afterwards we went to a bar called Park Bar, which is on the roof of a carpark. The view from there was amazing.

We stayed there for a while and then got some ridiculously cheap taxis back to the hotel.

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Day 17 - Seville

We started our day by heading into the city. We arrived at the Plaza de España and explored for a little while.

We then walked into the centre of the city, to the Cathedral de Sevilla. It is the fourth largest cathedral in the world, and it is where Christopher Columbus is entombed.

We found a beautiful confectionary shop, where a woman was making sweets in front of us.

We went into the Alcazar, which is where some of season 5 of Game of Thrones was filmed. It was used for many of the scenes set in Dorne.

We got some really good tapas for lunch and spent the rest of our day walking around the city and looking at shops. We got back on the bus to return to the hotel and have a rest, and then decided to have a night in. I just went to the supermarket to get some food.

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Day 16 - Gibraltar & Seville

Today we had breakfast in Morocco, lunch in the UK and dinner in Spain.

Firstly we got on the bus and drove to the port, and then we got on a ferry to cross over to Spain. From there we drove to the border of Gibraltar. We crossed the border on foot and we were in Britain! We had a classic fish and chips for lunch, and then we got on a bus that took us up the Rock of Gibraltar.

We stopped at a lookout from which we could see Spain and Morocco at the same time, while still standing on British land.

The Rock of Gibraltar is home to some macaques, which was incredibly exciting. We got to see them very close and they were beautiful.

While on the rock we went into the Cave of St Michael, where there is supposedly a cave running under the ocean to Morocco, which is supposedly how the macaques entered Gibraltar.

From where we were, near the top of the rock, we had an amazing view. Gibraltar has a large shipping industry and we could see all the large ships on the water.

We got back on the bus and started the drive to Seville, and when we finally arrived we had dinner at a restaurant. We headed to the hotel, checked in and went to bed.

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Day 15 - Casablanca, Rabat & Assilah

Today was yet another big day of driving. Our first trip was from Marrakech to Casablanca, where we stopped for lunch. We got Wok to Walk for lunch and ate near the beach.

We went to the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, which was huge.

We got back on the bus and drove to Rabat. We got off at the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, which used to be a mosque before the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.

It was a brief stop before we got back on the bus again. We finally arrived in Assilah and had dinner at the hotel, before going to bed.

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Day 14 - Marrakech

Firstly this morning we went to the Koutoubia mosque.

It was difficult to see because the sky was foggy, but I got a better photo later.

Secondly we went to the Bahia Palace and got to have a tour around it.

Next we went to a Berber pharmacy.

The pharmacist there described every product, and then went through them all, asking who wants to buy each one. Everyone accumulated so many products. Their most popular products were those made with pure argan oil. I bought tea, moisturiser, spices and eucalyptus crystals, and Mia bought tea and face cream.

We all left with big bags of pharmacy products and had free time in the Medina. We went to the Henna Art Cafe, where I had a vegetarian Berber burrito which was amazing.

Mia had a tajine, and then we both got henna. This is mine:

We did a little bit of shopping and then we got a taxi to the Jardins Marjorelle, or the Yves Saint Laurent gardens.

It was beautiful, and really amazing to be able to go because I’ve wanted to go there for years.

We got a horse ride back to the hotel and then got ready for dinner. We had dinner at a cafe and then met the rest of the group at a really cute bar.

From there we went to Theatro, a really highly ranked night club. It was super intense and crazy.

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Day 13 - Marrakech

Today was another long day of driving. We stopped for lunch at a service station, and found a Moroccan McDonald’s. It was a little different and quite confusing.

We arrived in Marrakech and were given the opportunity of doing a camel ride.

Mia did it but I passed.

We arrived at the hotel and Mia went for a swim in the pool while I read my book, and then we had dinner at the hotel. We were considering going to the markets afterwards but we were all tired, so we just went to bed.

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Day 12 - Fes

Today we firstly went to the the doors of the Royal Palace.

We then drove up a hill outside the city wall to look at the view.

We spent most of the rest of the day in the Medina. We firstly went to a small shop that was selling tea sets, where I bought a small teapot and Mia bought a large teapot and some teacups. Next we went to the Carpet Co-operative, where the carpets are all made by widows and authentic quality.

All the men working there were very good salesmen, but despite how badly we wanted to buy a carpet, neither of us did. Although they were beautiful they were out of our price range. Some of our friends did buy some, however. We also received mint tea and egg, potato and onion samdwiches for lunch while at the Co-op.

Next we went to a tannery.

There were three levels of products to choose from, and I eventually bought a leather bag. I got Jay to help me with the bartering and got it down to quite a good price.

Finally we went to a traditional clothing store, where Mia bought a kaftan.

We walked through the Medina and saw people selling all kinds of food.

Some of the alleyways were really thin.

There were cats everywhere, as well as donkeys with carts. We also passed a university.

By the time we got out we were exhausted, but we had the option to go to a local hammam. Mia and I, as well as about half of the group, chose to go. It was a very raw experience, but definitely a good experience and a good decision. We were exfoliated and massaged by the women who worked there, and came out feeling very fresh.

That night we all went to dinner and a show. For dinner we had vegetable soup, pastella (pastry with chicken, almond and lots of sugar) and chicken and lemon tajine, followed by fruit and mint tea for dessert.

We experienced traditional Moroccan music, a magician and a belly dancer.

At the end, Mia and two other people were selected to go out to a back room and given costumes, before coming in and being lifted up on a big platform. We think it was the recreation of a wedding, so apparently Mia is now married to a guy from Toowoomba.

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Day 11 - Fes

Today was entirely a travelling day. We had to leave early in the morning (6:45) to drive to the port, and then take the ferry across to Tangier. We exchanged money via the official bank of Morocco, which was out of the back of a white van. We were a bit shocked by this but Jay assured us it was legitimate.

This is a photo of the first mosque and minaret that we saw in Tangier. (I don’t have a lot of photos from today because we were travelling the whole time.)

We then got on the bus again and drove down to Fes, arriving at around 8pm. I slept for almost all of the driving, and Mia slept for a significant portion.

We had dinner at the hotel and then went to bed because we were exhausted.

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Day 10 - Granada

The first thing we did today was a tour of the Albaicín and the Royal Chapel, with a very knowledgeable guide. The Albaicín is the Muslim Quarter of Granada.

The Royal Chapel had some interesting patterns in the stone paving outside.

We had some time to walk around Granada and explore.

We also had time for some really good churros.

In the afternoon we did a guided tour of the Alhambra, which was amazing.

It’s the Islamic style palace in which the sultan used to live.

We went back to the hotel and we met with Jay, who is going to be our new tour guide. So far on the trip our tour group had been made up of people doing the Spanish Spree and people doing the Iberian Peninsula tours, but tomorrow we split up. The people on the Iberian Peninsula tour (including Mia, me and 11 other people) join onto a different tour group with a different guide.

After chatting to Jay for a big we had a party with the rest of our old tour group. The hotel even opened their disco next to the bar for us. It was a very good night and a lovely way to say goodbye to our new friends.

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Day 9 - Valencia & Granada

Today was a day of lots of driving.

In the morning we had some free time in Valencia. We went to Cathedral Valencia.

It’s an exciting church because it houses the holy grail (arguably).

They also have the preserved arm of a saint.

After that we perused some markets and bought some clothing. We then got onto the bus for the long drive ahead of us.

Caragh and Pedro (the bus driver) told us they had a surprise for us, but they wouldn’t tell us what it was. When we were close Caragh finally told us that we were going to visit a cave house. In Granada there are thousands of houses carved out of caves, and one family allows visits to his house.

He had extended it to be numerous levels, and the view from the top is amazing.

We finally arrived in Granada and went out to get dinner. We found a cool Moroccan restaurant and had some amazing food.

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Day 8 - Barcelona & Valencia

We started off the day with some free time in the city. We walked up La Rambla and found that unfortunately the food market was closed because it was a Sunday. So we kept walking up and found a huge Sephora store that had a slide entrance, which we went down.

We walked up a little further and found Casa Batlló.

We got some Iberian ham rolls to have later for lunch and I bought some Cacaolat. We then walked back down to the group’s meeting place and got some churros and chocolate while we were waiting for the meeting time. We then got on the bus and drove for most of the day to get to Valencia, with a pit stop in the middle.

For dinner we did a Valencian cooking class! We all helped to make gazpacho, paella, sangria and coco en llanda, which is a cake.

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Day 7 - Barcelona

Today was a very busy day. We started with a tour around the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona from Caragh. We went past the Barcelona Cathedral.

Next we did some brief shopping, and I bought an outfit to wear for the night. We got on the underground and headed out to the Sagrada Família.

The time of day was perfect because the sun was shining through the stained glass window.

After we’d finished admiring we went out to Gaudi’s Parc Güell.

We made our way back to Plaça Catalunya where the coach picked us up and took us to the hotel. There we had a couple of hours to get ready for the night. We went out to a restaurant for dinner and a Flamenco show. We were given so much food and unlimited sangria. We had tapas, including honey eggplant, chicken skewers and patatas bravas, and then we had a main meal and crema Catalana for dessert.

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Day 6 - Zaragoza & Barcelona

We left Pamplona in the morning to head towards Zaragoza. When we got there we visited the big main church.

They were setting up a nativity outside it while we were there.

We passed another nearby church.

We also found a Goya statue, because that’s where he came from.

We got lunch and hopped back on the bus. After a few hours of driving we arrived in Barcelona. Our bus driver drove us around the Plaça de les Cascades before we got to the hotel. The hotel here is really nice. We had some time to get ready before all going out to dinner in the Arenas de Barcelona. It used to be a bull ring but has been converted into shops and restaurants.

After dinner we went to a karaoke bar. Mia and I sang Come On Eileen, Pretty Fly for a White Guy and I Write Sins Not Tragedies (with help from some other people on the tour).

The people at the bar organised for us to get free entry into Opium, which is one of the most highly ranked clubs in the world.

We danced there for a while and then shared taxis back to the hotel where we promptly fell asleep.