Sevilla and my last few days in Spain

Off to Sevilla, a beautiful and amazing city that made a perfect end to my Spanish travels. I wandered the streets, shopped for souvenirs, ate many tapas, sampled some cervesas, and of course enjoyed many helados... as I savoured my final few days in Spain.

Plaza Espana

The huge gothic Cathedral (one of the largest in the world) and towering Giralda dominate the centre of Sevilla. The 90m high Giralda was the minaret of the mosque that once stood on the same site as the cathedral.

I went to explore the ancient Alcazar Palace, built in the 9th century...

... and ended up getting lost in the huge hedge maze in the Alcazar gardens! (OK so I could see over the hedges so I wasn't really that lost!)

After I found my way out of the maze I went out for tapas...

... and "traditional" Spanish beer (Duff!?)

And enjoyed an authentic flamenco performance - very cool!

And so after an amazing 5 weeks wandering through Spain it was time to go home!

The southern tip of Spain

Jeff and Geri rented a car in Madrid so the next 5 days of my trip I tagged along for the ride as we headed to the southern tip of Spain. First stop was Gibraltar, actually in British territory so we had to show our passports and walk across a runway at the Gibraltar airport - very weird!

We took the gondola up to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar where there were incredible views of Spain to the north, and the Mediterranean Sea and Morocco to the south (only 14km away).

The Rock is home to a colony of Barbary Macaque monkeys and they are quite used to seeing humans... they even pose for photos!

Little Lily has a staring contest with a curious monkey.

There were little baby monkeys running all over the Rock too.

After visiting Gibraltar we headed to Tarifa and the beachside Hurricane Hotel where we would stay for the next few days.

Relaxing poolside in the sun

A little time at the beach too.

The beach at Tarifa is huge!

 

And the sunsets are spectacular.

On our last day together we walked around the old town of Tarifa...

had some lunch...

 

and then they dropped me off at the bus station and we said goodbye.

It was a great 5 days travelling with Jeff, Geri and Lily - exploring, playing, chatting, eating, drinking, laughing - it reminded me of our travels in Africa together more than 10 years ago and how much fun travelling with good friends is!

Next (and final) stop... Sevilla!

Wandering through Spain

So somewhat reluctantly I left Barcelona last week and have been wandering around Spain, following the good weather, generally heading south. First stop: Montserrat.

Montserrat is an ancient monastery perched high up in some incredible limestone mountains.

A steep train climbs high into the mountains to get you to the monastery... and continues even higher into the mountains!

I followed the path up the mountain, past some small chapels used by the monks and nuns of the area...

... to the top of the highest peak with amazing views of the area.

Next stop: Valencia - the third biggest city in Spain, situated on the Mediterranean coast a few hours south of Barcelona. The most interesting thing to see in Valencia is the Ciudad de Artes y Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences) which consisted of some huge, fascinating buildings and the largest aquarium in Europe...

... including an incredible 70 metre-long shark tunnel!

... where you can get up close and personal with the sharks!

Next stop was Granada, but on my way I noticed some very high mountains from the window of the train - the Spanish Sierra Nevadas. So after a little investigation, I discovered that the highest mountain in Spain - Mulhacen, 3479 metres/ approx 11,500 feet - was only a short bus ride outside of Granada and a relatively easy day-hike to the summit...

So I went and climbed, passing a few ibex (Spanish mountain goats) on the way...

... to the top!

Where the clouds blocked most of the views but it was still a great hike.

So then I headed back to Granada where I explored the ancient and spectacular Alhambra, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the most visited monument in all of Spain.

I entered through the Gate of Justice.

And then I climbed the towers of the incredible Alcazaba fortress which was built almost 700 years ago!

The 14th century Royal Palace is said to be the most impressive Islamic structure in all of Europe... so I took a lot of photos.

View of Granada from the towers of the Alcazaba

Sunset over the Alhambra with the city of Granada in the distance

That night I met up with Jeff, Geraldine and little Lily who had made their way to Spain from France. We had dinner and planned our next week of travels together!

Next up... Gibraltar!

Barcelona

Barcelona has easily made it onto my "Top 10 Favourite Cities in the World" list! I expected Barcelona to be an incredible city but it exceded my expectations in almost every way. Beautiful and ancient yet also cosmopolitan and festive, especially with the Feste de Merce taking place for most of my visit!

The main street in Barcelona is La Rambla, packed with people day and night.

A typical street in the Old Town of Barcelona

Pintxos - I ate many of these delicious tapas!

City streets were very busy during the Festival de Merce...

...and the Parade of the Giants.

Live music stages were set up all over the city.

Fireworks in the street

Human-castle building is a popular event at the festival.

Impressively high!

And I had a front row view.

I checked out some of Gaudi's incredible and sometimes bizzare architecture around Barcelona.

Casa Batllo

La Pedrera

And the amazing Sagrada Familia Cathedral

The Cathedral's Passion Facade

The cathedral is still under construction after 100 years!

Gaudi's intricate Nativity Facade

The view from the top of the cathedral spires was worth the $2.50 and one hour wait!

And finally off to the beach for a swim...

...and the sunset from the waterfront

I could easily stay in Barcelona for another week but there is still a lot more in Spain to see!