It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that the day following Three Kings Day (the traditional day for giving gifts, 6 January), is the equivalent of the Boxing Day sales in Australia. Shopping in Spain, as a tourist, is a beautiful thing for 3 reasons: 1) At Alice’s (where you can get anything … Continue reading Day 20 – Shopping and the search for Churros
Get out of the gutter! Valencia
It's not what you might think!! I fell off my bike yesterday, not once, not even twice…..but three times, and all in the space of a few minutes. I’m physically unscathed, mainly because the car behind me stopped BEFORE running me over. But interesting fact, gutter-jumping is not in my skill set. It wasn’t even … Continue reading Get out of the gutter! Valencia
It takes big balls to divert a river – Valencia
Imagine, after the 1974 floods of Brisbane, the Council forefathers went: "Right, that's it! We're going to redirect the river around the city so that terrible flooding doesn't happen ever again". It sounds inconceivable doesn't it? But that's exactly what happened in Valencia after the floods of 1957. The floods devastated the city and 81 … Continue reading It takes big balls to divert a river – Valencia
It takes big balls to divert a river
Imagine, after the 1974 floods of Brisbane, the Council forefathers went: "Right, that's it! We're going to redirect the river so that terrible flooding doesn't happen ever again". It sounds inconceivable doesn't it? But that's exactly what happened in Valencia after the floods of 1957. The floods devastated the city and 81 people died. So … Continue reading It takes big balls to divert a river
Coastal Calamities in Albufeira
If you want a couple of hours of silence from Rosco, it's simple. Take him on a small boat in "strong" seas. In nearly three hours, he only said 12 words, and six of them were "I'm not happy about this Kari". When I say small boat, it had a rigid hull with inflatable side … Continue reading Coastal Calamities in Albufeira
Dos Gatos (Cats) of the Jetty
I'm not a fan of cats, I'm a dog person, and I always will be. Since we've been in Albufeira, we've been amazed by the enormous number of cats, just lying around in the sunshine, everywhere we go. So we go to this lookout / jetty today, and I kid you not, there must have … Continue reading Dos Gatos (Cats) of the Jetty
If Albufeira was a woman
If Albufeira was a woman, she would be a tall, elegant lady with long blond hair, the colour of golden sand. She would be about 55 years old, not in her prime, but still beautiful and able to turn heads. She has some small scars, maybe a tattoo or a piercing from her youth, although … Continue reading If Albufeira was a woman
Portugal, Escalators & Goulash
Our first day in Portugal was more like a meeting of the United Nations: Swiss, Italian, Hungarian, British and even the occasional Portuguese - we met them all (and ate most of their food), but more on that later. We travelled to Portugal by bus, mainly because we couldn't figure out any other way to … Continue reading Portugal, Escalators & Goulash
Goodbye Sevilla
Ross, riding high on his 'boyfriend of the year' success, quickly returned to normal by leaving the keys to our apartment in the door, overnight, in a city of 700,000 people! How do you think that happened? - I said (knowing full-well, but presuming innocence until proven guilty). I mean, it could have been Sally, … Continue reading Goodbye Sevilla
The stairs and scares of Sevilla
Imagine being so overwhelmed by grief and guilt, that upon your death, your will instructs the removal of your head, to be displayed within the city as a form of atonement. This is the story of Susona, the beautiful, but silent witness to the tragedy she brought upon herself. Young Susona, was the daughter of … Continue reading The stairs and scares of Sevilla
The Tepid Travellers 