2017 Europe & Asia Adventure

septembre - novembre 2017

Une aventure de 62 jours par Courtney En savoir plus

63empreintes
5pays
62jours
340photos
0vidéos
21,2kmiles
17,7kmiles

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Voyageur 2017 Europe & Asia Adventure
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- 9 sept. 2017 à 21:27
- 🌙 15 °C
- Altitude: 26 p
- États Unis New York Nassau County Meadowmere Park John F. Kennedy International Airport 40.646187, -73.77526140°38’46” N 73°46’31” W
Day 0 - Almost out of the US!
9 septembre 2017, États Unis ⋅ 🌙 15 °C
Greyhound from RVA to NY was delayed two hours but still made it with plenty of time to spare! Grabbed a couple of NY slices, now sipping a cocktail and eating a salad before the overnight flight to Lisbon!En savoir plus
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Voyageur Great pictures; you guys look SO happy starting your adventure! ENJOY
09/09/2017Répondre
7 j’aime
Voyageur 2017 Europe & Asia Adventure
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- 10 sept. 2017 à 23:46
- ☁️ 19 °C
- Altitude: 2 205 p
- Espagne Madrid City Center Plaza del Carmen 40.419445, -3.70380140°25’10” N 3°42’14” W
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Jour 1
Day 1 - Madrid Arrival!
10 septembre 2017, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Long, mostly sleepless night/morning flight from JFK to Lisbon. Long line to get through customs. Long 4 hour layover in Lisbon. Long, confusing, Spanish-practicing cab ride, while attempting to dodge a crowd-filled national cycling race through the city of Madrid, to get to our Airbnb. Finally made it to our cute studio apartment in the middle of everything by early evening. We were ready to go right to sleep but decided to push through and enjoy our first night! Dinner of pork loin, ham and peppers tapas, goat cheese, onion and blueberry tapas, and seafood marinara paella. Followed by people watching with wine and cafe outside on the streets of Sol. Very long but very awesome first day in Europe! Now hopefully 12+ hours of sleep!!! Buenos noches!!En savoir plus
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Voyageur You look happy!
10/09/2017Répondre
Voyageur What a cute couple!❤️
10/09/2017Répondre
Voyageur Yay!! So happy you guys made it there! You guys both look so happy. Buenos suerte y feliz viaje
10/09/2017Répondre
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Voyageur 2017 Europe & Asia Adventure
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- 11 sept. 2017
- ☀️ 23 °C
- Altitude: 2 218 p
- Espagne Madrid City Center Plaza del Carmen 40.419567, -3.70374940°25’10” N 3°42’13” W
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Jour 2
Day 2 - Exploring Madrid
11 septembre 2017, Espagne ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
First full day in Madrid! We got a much needed 11 hours of sleep then ventured out for a long day. Started with pastries at the famous La Mallorquina where I had the best croissant of my life! Next, we walked for miles, hitting some of the top tourist attractions of the capital - Museo Del Prado, the Royal Palace of Madrid, and the Plaza Mayor for lunch. Early evening siesta and then tapas and vino!En savoir plus
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Voyageur I remember Plaza Mayor! Looks fabulous! Glad you're having fun.
11/09/2017Répondre
Voyageur Is Timmy getting enough to eat?
11/09/2017Répondre
Voyageur Lovely.
11/09/2017Répondre
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Voyageur 2017 Europe & Asia Adventure
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- 12 sept. 2017 à 17:51
- ☀️ 29 °C
- Altitude: 1 549 p
- Espagne Castilla-La Mancha Toledo Toledo Railway Station 39.861843, -4.01168339°51’43” N 4°0’42” W
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Jour 3
Day 3 - Day Trip to Toledo
12 septembre 2017, Espagne ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
!Oy vey! Caminamos 15 km en el ciudad de Toledo! Muy bonita y fascinante! Fuemos al Catedral de Toledo....es muy grande!! Mi Espanol es muy mal.....consegue que consegue. !Adios! - Timateo

Awesome day! Learned how to successfully navigate the public transportation system, had an amazing time in Toledo, and had another delicious dinner to finish off our time in Madrid.

Some thoughts on Madrid/Spain so far - they eat A LOT of meat (pork) and cheese. And pastries. And bread, rice, carbs in general. Salads are not a thing. But somehow no one is fat. The people are generally super nice and helpful. No matter how small the street/alley, cars, and even buses, will squeeze through. The cops carry large assault rifles and shotguns and it's a bit intimidating. Madrid is similar to many large US cities. We enjoyed it and it was a nice start to the trip, but three nights was enough and we are ready to move on. Toledo is stunning and exactly what I thought of when I pictured "Old Europe". Having an amazing time so far!

Tomorrow: Cadiz!!!En savoir plus
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Voyageur Wow!!
12/09/2017Répondre
Voyageur Wow!! Muy bien.
12/09/2017Répondre
Voyageur Crooked sunglasses😎🤣
12/09/2017Répondre
Voyageur You're gonna be really glad you wrote this. Otherwise you'd never remember everything.
13/09/2017Répondre
9 j’aime
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- 13 sept. 2017 à 23:57
- 🌙 23 °C
- Altitude: 69 p
- Espagne Andalucía Cadiz La Caleta 36.53244, -6.3021236°31’57” N 6°18’8” W
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Jour 4
Day 4 - Cadiz Arrival!
13 septembre 2017, Espagne ⋅ 🌙 23 °C
Today might have been the best one yet, despite being a travel day. Checked out of our Madrid Airbnb, had one last pastry from our favorite breakfast spot, and ventured to the train station. Had a lovely train ride south, even catching a great view of the Mezquita in Córdoba.

Cadiz was one of the cities on this trip that I was most excited about, as I discovered it through my own research without any recommendations from friends and family and was anxious to see what it was all about! So far, it did not disappoint! Cadiz is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe. There are fortresses, stone walls, and several beaches lining the coast. We sipped cervezas while watching the sunset over a fortress from the 16th century (2,500+ years after the city was discovered by the Phoenicians) on the water. The old fishermen's city is also known for its seafood, and that's all we've eaten since our arrival - mussels (unexpectedly cold, but fresh), garlic shrimp, and fresh grilled snapper. Now it's time to enjoy the bottle of red wine left by our Airbnb host on the rooftop of this wonderful apartment! Buenos noches!

Beach tomorrow!!En savoir plus
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Voyageur Lovely. You guys are cute!!
13/09/2017Répondre
Voyageur Oh, Timmy!!
13/09/2017Répondre
Voyageur Enough food??
13/09/2017Répondre
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- 14 sept. 2017 à 18:14
- ☀️ 24 °C
- Altitude: 69 p
- Espagne Andalucía Cadiz La Caleta 36.532467, -6.30214636°31’57” N 6°18’8” W
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Jour 5
Day 5 - Cadiz
14 septembre 2017, Espagne ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Wow! So far, every day has been better than the last. Cadiz is absolutely amazing.

Today started off great. Tim squeezed us some fresh orange juice to drink after our morning workout. Then we hung our laundry to dry on the rooftop clotheslines and took the bus across town to "New Cadiz", where the beautiful Playa Victoria spans miles down the coast. It is one of the most beautiful beaches either of us have ever seen - a wide beach with soft sand and clear, warm, calm water. There is a stunning backdrop of "Old Cadiz" - stone walls and fortresses lining the coast. We relaxed and read on the beach for hours before grabbing lunch at a seaside cafe (seafood paella with green sauce). We then walked the mile or so back to our Airbnb for a late afternoon siesta.

After the siesta we finished our bottle of wine, danced a little, and read our books on the rooftop. Then we walked through the streets until we found a nice outdoor restaurant for dinner - delicious tapas of sausage and grilled clams followed cuttlefish...we ordered this knowing it was local to the city but thinking it was a fish and having no idea it was really a giant, purple, grilled squid. It was actually pretty good, but I don't think we'll order it again! Then we wandered several more windy alleys before a couple of beers on a beachside bar to finish the night.

We love Cadiz!!!En savoir plus
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Voyageur Wow!!
14/09/2017Répondre
Voyageur Beautiful
15/09/2017Répondre
Voyageur Love the smiles!! 😁
15/09/2017Répondre
Voyageur Sounds magical!
17/09/2017Répondre
9 j’aime
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- 15 sept. 2017
- ☀️ 23 °C
- Altitude: 52 p
- Espagne Andalucía Seville Triana Alameda de Hercules 37.397453, -5.99618637°23’51” N 5°59’46” W
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Jour 6
Day 6 - Sevilla Arrival
15 septembre 2017, Espagne ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Well...we have said it 5 days in a row and meant it every time. But, once again, every day has been better than the last. We LOVE Sevilla.

Cadiz had originally been planned as a day trip from Sevilla but we decided to change it to a 2 night stay. After just a few hours in Cadiz, we thought about bagging Sevilla completely and staying a week in Cadiz. We are so happy we didn't do that. Sevilla has all of the charm and beauty of an old Spanish town like Cadiz and Toledo with all of the attractions and kind people of a city like Madrid. It may not have a beach, but it has a beautiful canal surrounding the city, as well as cathedrals, museums, monuments, AND Plaza de Espana, where the pod race scene from Star Wars Episode One was filmed. And we managed to see all of this today. But, the stand out of the day so far has been the food.

After our tapas-filled lunch, Tim and I agreed it had been our best meal yet. But even that couldn't top our tapas-filled dinner at a Michelin star "bar", Eslava. I want to write all of these tapas down so we don't forget.

Lunch - swordfish over orange wine sauce, "Padron" peppers, dates wrapped in bacon, hearts of palm over vegetable gazpacho, eggplant topped with goat cheese and drizzled in honey

Dinner - roasted mackerel with tomato onion pepper salad, roasted pork rib with rosemary honey glaze, artichokes with fried garlic and shavings of cod, grilled razor clams with lemon, slow cooked egg over boletas cake with caramelized wine reduction, and brick pastry stuffed with cuttlefish (we did it again!) and algae served with yogurt.

(Each of these tapas are about 2 Euros a piece...amazing)

...not to mention where we are staying. We have a room in a 19th century Andalusian house that is absolutely beautiful. Our friendly hosts are the ones who recommended both of these amazing meals.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!En savoir plus
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Voyageur Wow. Magnificent!
15/09/2017Répondre
Voyageur Cool!
15/09/2017Répondre
Voyageur What an amazing trip you are having!
15/09/2017Répondre
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Voyageur 2017 Europe & Asia Adventure
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- 16 sept. 2017 à 23:34
- 🌙 18 °C
- Altitude: 52 p
- Espagne Andalucía Seville Triana Alameda de Hercules 37.397495, -5.99622437°23’51” N 5°59’46” W
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Jour 7
Day 7 - Sevilla!
16 septembre 2017, Espagne ⋅ 🌙 18 °C
Today was pretty much the first day we had to just relax and take it slow. And we needed it! We woke up late and found an awesome park on the water to workout. Then we had breakfast (and lunch!) while wandering the streets and alleys before returning for an early siesta at the beautiful Airbnb. We met our first American friend, Graham, from New Orleans, who is renting the other room in the house, as we sipped a glass of wine on the terrace. Then we wandered the streets some more, had a couple of cervezas at a local bodega, and had a nice dinner while people watching near the city center. Last, but absolutely not least, I finally got my churros con chocolate that we missed out on in Madrid!!!! Now time for an early night (and our books)!!!

Not many pictures (and they're all of me because Tim had the phone) and a fairly uneventful day, but just as wonderful as the last. Sevilla is absolutely beautiful and the people are by far the nicest we have met so far.En savoir plus
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Voyageur Mmmmmmmmm
17/09/2017Répondre
Voyageur What books are you reading?
17/09/2017Répondre
Voyageur I finished Everything You Want Me To Be by Mindy Mejia and just started He's Gone by Deb Caletti. Tim is reading The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Tests by Tom Wolfe.
17/09/2017Répondre
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- 17 sept. 2017 à 23:15
- ⛅ 20 °C
- Altitude: 52 p
- Espagne Andalucía Seville Triana Alameda de Hercules 37.397579, -5.99610437°23’51” N 5°59’46” W
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Jour 8
Day 8 - Last Day/Night in Sevilla
17 septembre 2017, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Sevilla has been absolutely amazing! It reminds me of a Spanish Richmond. It has all of the feels of a small city, yet it's large enough to have a little of everything. There are restaurants, bars, and cafes on every street. There is a ton of culture and history everywhere you look. The people are so charming and friendly. It's cheap! There's a waterfront full of architecture, parks, water sports, art walks, and even a foodie event that we stumbled upon today (similar to "Broad Appetite" of Richmond). While we could happily stay here forever, we did these 3 days right and are happy to see what's in store for us next. We stayed in a beautiful Andalusian home with the nicest hosts imaginable. We ate some of the best food we have ever had (and checked off 7 of the 15 or so restaurants off of our hosts' recommendation list), we wandered about 10 miles a day through streets and alleyways, we explored the beautiful architecture on both sides of the canal, we saw the Cathedral, the Real Alcazar, the Plaza de Espana, and so much more.

Today was a great finale. Another workout on the water. Crepes for breakfast. Hours of alley wandering and site-seeing. Siesta. Wine on the rooftop. More walking. Another tapas-filled dinner and people watching on a busy terrace. Now some rest and relaxation before we head off to Granada in the morning.En savoir plus
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Voyageur You don't look like you're gaining weight. All that fabulous food!!
17/09/2017Répondre
Voyageur Sounds lovely. Meanwhile I'm being tortured (as always) by the Redskins😘😘.
17/09/2017Répondre
Voyageur Very cool.
17/09/2017Répondre
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8 j’aime
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- 18 sept. 2017
- ☀️ 20 °C
- Altitude: 2 303 p
- Espagne Andalucía Granada Plaza del Triunfo 37.182632, -3.59897437°10’57” N 3°35’56” W
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Jour 9
Day 9 - Granada Arrival!
18 septembre 2017, Espagne ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
Spain's public transportation system is amazing. There have been zero issues so far. I thought we might have had our first today. We got on our train from Sevilla to Granada this morning and it immediately broke down. We were forced to get off the train and were told to wait for another train. I thought for sure it would take hours (or days, based on what I've seen in the US). Within 10 minutes, a new train arrived, we re-boarded, and maybe lost 30 minutes total.

We arrived in Granada early afternoon. We got a quick lunch at a vegan tapas restaurant in the university area of the town and checked into our Airbnb for a much needed siesta. Then we headed off to the gypsy caves of Sacromonte for dinner and a flamenco show, which was really cool! On the walk back, we got a couple of beers on a cool terrace and now we are ready for bed!!! Excited for our next two days in this beautiful town - at first glance, I think we are going to love Granada!En savoir plus
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Voyageur Very cool.
18/09/2017Répondre
Voyageur The Lion King!!
18/09/2017Répondre
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