Us and the wee man had a wee jaunt to Valencia last time we were in Spain (during a heat wave!) so here´s a few photos.

Just a few photos from Pisa and the surrounding countryside as us and the wee man went to see our friends Silvia and Martin get married!

Well, it was our last trip to Spain without a wee one so we thought we would have a few days to ourselves to explore some areas near Maite´s town that we hadn´t been to together . The first stop was Teruel, which is a really beautiful city with a lot of pretty muslim architecture mixed with other styles. We also visited the Mausoleo de los Amantes which describes the love story of Juan Martinez de Marcilla and Isabel de Segura.

https://amantesdeteruel.es/en/what-to-see/mausoleum-of-the-amantes/

As we were also there at Easter, we got to see some pretty serious Easter parades as well.

We also took a wee day trip to Albarracin which is a super pretty old town built into the hill which has loads of great viewpoints and definitely worth a visit.

Me and Maite were heading to stay with her family for the 3 kings day so why not spend New Year in Madrid!  We arrived quite late so headed straight away to check in to our hotel.  The next day we took a wander through Parque de El Retiro which is beautiful massive park in the middle of the city.  It’s so nice to have such a large green space in a massive city.

That night we had a wander around and admired all the amazing Christmas lights.  We then tried to get into Puerta del Sol for the rehearsal new Years evening and were in the queue all the way right to the square and then it was closed as it was full!

The next day we went on a guided walking tour.  It was quite interesting to hear why Madrid was such a new city.  Previously Madrid wasn’t a very important city but when Spain became the country it is today, the King at the time made it the capital (rather than it being an important Port city for example) and it has been growing ever since. 

At night we tried again to get into Puerto del Sol, this time for the New Years Eve celebrations but we were in a queue for 2 hours and didn’t even get close before they closed it. 

New Years day was a nice relaxing day.  We wandered back over to the Palace, and Templo de Debod.  We then walked around at night again admiring the Christmas lights in Parque de El Retiro and Puerta del Sol.

Madrid was a really nice, pretty, clean city and the Christmas lights were a great bonus.  It was a shame we couldn’t get to Puerto del sol for New Years but we had a good time exploring the city. 

So Maite had been to Rome before but we had wanted to go together for a while, so a wee November getaway it was.  We checked into our apartment for the week which was super nice and then went for a wander around the city centre.  First we got to the Spanish Steps which were pretty close to our apartment.  We then visited both Fontana di Trevi and Altare della Patria which were both breathtaking. 

The next morning we visited the Capuchin Crypt.  This is a museum in a 500-year-old monastery telling the story of the Capuchin order.  The crypt is decorated with the bones of the monks which might seem a bit eerie but was actually quite beautiful.  Unfortunately, but understandably they don’t allow any photos here.  Next we headed to the Pantheon which was beautiful and then to Piazza Navona.  After this we wandered around the centre a bit more before heading over to the Coliseum to see it from the outside at night.

The following day, we went on our standard guided walking tour which visited all the standard tourist hot spots.  For the rest of the day we visited a few bars, including a roof top one, and at night we took a wee wander over to Vatican to get a wee look at that at night.

Today we were going to meet up with Maite’s friend Silvia and her boyfriend Martin who traveled down to Rome for the day.  First we met in a very long queue for the Coliseum.  The Coliseum was awesome, it’s so incredible that so much of building that is so old is still standing.  In the afternoon we explored the Roman ruins in Foro Romano.  This was also so impressive, that there were so many old ruins preserved.  There was so much to see that we actually didn’t get around the whole place before we were kicked out. 

The next day was Vatican day.  First we visited St Peter’s Basilica which was absolutely insane.  We then climbed all 551 steps up the dome to get an amazing view of the city.  We then visited the Vatican Museums and Cappella Sistina.  The museum was crazy beautiful and had so much to see in it.  Unfortunately photos inside the chapel itself were not allowed but the painted walls and ceiling were insanely beautiful. 

On our final day in Rome we just wandered around same areas that we hadn’t been too.  First was a really nice park near to our apartment called Villa Borghese.  Next we took a wander over to Piazza del Popolo.  Finally, we took a walk over to Bocca della Verita (Mouth of Truth) where the myth is that if you put your hand in the mouth and tell a lie, your hand will be bitten off.   

We both had a great time in Rome.  It’s such a beautiful city, we had some amazing food and it was great to catch up with some friends.

It was time for the first hiking holiday in a while.  Lukasz had the idea of hiking in the Sierra Nevada in the south of Spain so off we went.  We flew into Malaga, picked up a hire car and drove to our accommodation at Cortijo La Vinuela which was located near to Portugos.  Here they had a collection of cottages to rent out.  It was really beautiful and peaceful and it was in an ideal location to base ourselves for some hiking in the Sierra Nevada.  There was also a resident dog who didn’t miss a single meal if we were eating outside!

On our first day we did a wee “warm up” (20km) hike, the Banco de Poqueira circuit.  This route started in the village of Capileira and went around lower slopes of the mountains to the north of the village.  The idea was that this would warm us up for the more challenging hikes to come and let us get a feel for hiking in this part of the world.  We stayed below the snow line today but I’m not going to lie, the snow capped mountains we would be climbing over the next few days looked pretty intimidating. 

The next day we started our hike towards Mulhacen, the highest mountain on mainland Spain at around 3482m.  Today we would be hiking to the Poqueira Refugio to break up our journey to the summit.  The weather was quite variable but when there were views they were amazing, lots of snow capped mountains all around. 

The refugio was really cool too and catered well to all the hikers.  When got there we relaxed with a few beers on the terrace with mountain views before dinner.  It was super busy and I’m pretty sure we were the only non-Spanish people there!  I was quite pleased to get by with my very basic level of Spanish speaking.

Today was the big day, when we would summit Mulhacen and we honestly couldn’t have a wished for better weather with bright blue skies and only a slight breeze at the top.  The hike up was a tough slog but it was definitely worth it with superb views in each direction.  It was also the highest either of us had hiked up too before so we were pretty chuffed with that. 

After three days of hiking we took a rest day today.  We pretty much just lounged around in the sun drinking Spanish beers but we did take one trip to Tervellez just to explore one of the other villages in the area.

On our last hiking day we tackled Veletta, the second highest peak in the Sierra Nevada at an elevation of 3394m.  We got another cracking day with clouds only coming in as we got to the summit but other than that it was pretty clear for most of the day. 

On the way back to the cottage along the twisty mountain roads, we stopped at a few of the viewpoints we didn’t have time to stop at until now.

We both had a great time hiking in the Sierra Nevada in some different terrain, getting really lucky with weather and hiking higher than we ever had before.  What’s next????

With travel restrictions pretty much gone it was time for our first non-Spanish foreign holiday since COVID and Lisbon was our place of choice. We checked into our hotel and took a walk to Praca do Comercio and then along the waterfront.  It was a beautiful evening for a walk and also having a few sangrias with a sea view.

For dinner we went to our first of many vegan restaurants.  This one was called Kong and it didn’t disappoint a couple of hungry travelers.

The next day in the morning we went for breakfast at Manjerica which was so good we went back again two days later!  We of course went on a donation-based Sandman’s walking tour of the city centre which was really interesting.  The guide was also very knowledgeable and funny!

In the evening we went up to Miradouro da Sehora do Monte for the sunset but unfortunately it was a bit cloudy but did get a nice view of the city and the castle.  After this we found a craft beer bar near our hotel called Canil which had great selection of interesting beers.

Today we took a trip to Belem to visit a few places outside the centre of Lisbon.  This included the Torre de Belem, Padrao dos Descobrimentos and Mosteiro dos Jeronimos which were all really cool.  Along here we also got some pretty good views of Ponte 25 de Abril.

After all this exploring and tourism we decided that we had earned ourselves a wee break.  We headed over to LX Factory which was a really cool collection of bohemian shops as well as bars and restaurants.  We found ourselves a nice roof top bar on top of LX Hostel and enjoyed some beers in the sun.

The next morning we had breakfast at Manjerica again which was even better than the last time.  This then gave us the fuel for walking around Alfama area which was really beautiful and we wandered from terrace to terrace again enjoying drinks in the sun. 

In the evening we went up Miradouro da Sehora do Monte again and this time got some nice sunset views! And again we followed this up with a visit to Canil for some craft beers.

And on our last day before our flight, what did we do, went for drinks on a terrace of course, this time at Praca do Comercio so of course they were pricy but it was a pretty good spot.  We both really loved Lisbon and it was great to get some winter sun.  It’s a very beautiful city and fun to explore and would definitely recommend it to anyone. 

COVID is still kicking around but for now things are as normal as they have been for a while and traveling around the UK is pretty much hassle free.  Therefore a wee trip to Chester was on the cards.  After we got checked in me and Maite went for a wander around the town and the Christmas market and had our obligatory mulled alcoholic beverage.  The towns decorations were really nice and made it feel very Christmassy!  We had dinner at a vegan restaurant called Shrub which was so good that we went back again for lunch the next day.

We were staying at the Saddle Inn which is a rock themed hotel.  Tonight in the bar they had some karaoke so we went back after our wander to get a few (a lot of) drinks and laugh at some terrible singing.  One particular singer murdered a Linkin Park song.  The next day we had a lot of wanders around the city.  We were going for a free walking tour but we either missed the start of it or it wasn’t actually on so we done our own tour.  First stop was the cathedral which was pretty impressive inside and out which also had an equally impressive Lego version of the cathedral inside it.

We then had a long walk around the City Walls (the old Roman Wall Boundary).  The City Walls walk was really good as it covered a lot of ground and had great views of picturesque streets, the canal and the river.  It then finished at the Eastgate Clock which was pretty cool.  For dinner we went to Urbano 32 and had some amazing pizza.

That night we went back to our hotel and guess what?? There only happened to be a System of Down tribute band playing at in the bar tonight.  The band called Toxicities, were really good and the atmosphere was great.  We had an awesome time singing, dancing and drinking a lot.  We definitely had a post-gig voice the next day.

The next day we met up with our friends Maria and Neil and again wandered around various parts of the town.  We visited Grosvenor Park which was really big and great to walk around on a nice day.  For brunch we went to the Flower Cup which had a decent selection of Vegan options.  It was nice to catch up with Maria and Neil again who we hadn’t seen for over a year. 

We really liked Chester; it was another nice historic English town to explore for a long weekend which also had a really good night life.  The Saddle Inn was great as well and would definitely stay there again.

Well, we were past the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK and travel options were still a bit limited but at least for now we can travel to most places in the UK.  So, Newcastle and Durham it was for a long weekend.  We got down to Newcastle on the Saturday afternoon, checked into our hotel and went for a wander down by the river.  It was a really nice walk down by the river and it was good to get a view of the iconic bridges that Newcastle is famous for. 

Afterwards we went out to enjoy a few drinks at Dat Bar and then to Fat Hippo for dinner where we got some amazing burgers.  It was pretty busy out and about the town and we seen first-hand the night life which Newcastle had a reputation for, it definitely had a party buzz.  The next day we went to Newcastle Castle which was pretty cool.  It was a bit strange with the one-way systems but good that places were open to visit again.  It was interesting to read about the unsurprisingly large number of skirmishes England had with Scotland at this castle over the centuries:P The top of the castle had some pretty nice views of the city.

After the castle we went down to the river where there is a market every other Sunday.  This was cool as it stretched a long way along the river with lots of different food options and a bunch of other stalls selling random nice things.  It was also really warm so we were happy to enjoy what would probably be one of the last shorts wearing days of the year. 

After getting some food we went to Pitcher and Piano for a drink which had nice views of the river and Gateshead Millenium Bridge.  For the rest of the day we had a nice time wandering leisurely through the town dropping into coffee shops and bars.

The next day we decided to take a day trip to Durham which we discovered was a really beautiful historic little town.  We spent the day again enjoying the sun, wandering around the town and visiting bars and restaurants.  We also visited the cathedral which was really big and impressive.  Also impressive, was the Lego model of the cathedral they had inside which was incredibly detailed. 

On our last day in Newcastle we went to Super Natural Cafe for breakfast (because breakfast at our Sleeperz Hotel was pretty terrible) and we both had amazing vegan cooked breakfasts.  The cafe itself was also really nice. 

We both had a nice time on our long weekend to Newcastle and Durham which were very different places.  Newcastle had an industrial and party vibe, whereas Durham had a much more quiet historic feel and it was nice to visit both and experience the contrast. 

So, for Maite’s Christmas I had booked a hotel in York for a weekend.  York was one of these wee historic towns we had wanted to visit for a while.  We made our way down on the train after work and checked into Elmbank Hotel which was a super nice historic 19^th century townhouse only about a 20 minute walk from the city centre.

The next day me and Maite started of our city exploration as we always do, with a walking tour.  Our guide was pretty funny and knowledgeable and took us around all the main spots in York city centre.  The main spots included the old city walls, The Shambles and of course York Minster.  It was really interesting to learn about York’s extensive history.  There were some areas around the city wall where you could see where the ground level was during different eras.

The Shambles is a really cool medieval street which is thought to be one of the inspirations for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter films.

York Minster is a really impressive cathedral dating back to the 7^th century with some serious stain glass windows (they don’t mess around).

After the tour we went for some lunch at the Cosy Club which was really good and had a decent selection of vegan options.  After this we went to the Jorvick Viking Centre which told the story of York’s Viking history although this wasn’t as interesting as we had hoped it would be through.  We then began what was a bit of boozy afternoon / evening and visited some bars with great beer selections which included Brew York Craft Brewery, Fossgate Tap and House of Trembling Madness.  In the last place we even found a craft beer from Zaragoza!  There was a surprisingly large selection of craft beer in such a small city centre.

The next day we visited inside York Minster.  It was massive inside and really beautiful, definitely worth a visit.  Also the undercroft museum under the cathedral is really interesting.  Here they have 2000 years of history.  In total we must have spent over 2 hours in here between the cathedral and the museum.

When we dragged ourselves a way, only because we were starving, we went to Hole In Wall, a really nice cosy traditional pub with your classic ales and pub grub which was a nice way to end our trip.  We had a great time in York, learning about its vast history, admiring its architecture and visiting its modern and traditional pubs.