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Big Five Oh Trip
  • Tasha Goddard
  • Tasha Goddard

Big Five Oh Trip

5 weeks interrailing round Europe as my big treat to myself for the year I turn 50. And hopefully as a taster for many adventures to come. Read more
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  • Tasha GoddardBig Five Oh TripTraveler

    3000 steps in Nice

    March 12, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Took a break from work to have a little wander.

    There's about to be a cycle race up near the front, so there were barriers up, but could get through then.

    Sat down in a beautiful park. And actually sketched. Live. Which I haven't felt inspired to do for the whole trip so far. I think it's slowing the pace. So going to see if I can work out what places to drop and where to have extended time. Actually not masses of time left that is schedulable, but I'm thinking go to only one city in Portugal, rather than three. But which? Really want to see Lisbon, Faro and Porto. And little places in between. Obviously Portugal needs to be a come back at a later date and spend a chunk of time there country!

    Anyway, pleasant break. Having a bite if lunch then back to work. Actually, I think I prefer trips when I have SOME work to do, as it breaks it up and gives more balance and my brain likes a mix of things. Trick is to get the right amount of work, so you can do maybe 3-4 hours a day, split between wanderings. (This is kind of a note to self for the future.)    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardBig Five Oh TripTraveler

    Midday wander in Nice

    March 13, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Found my little narrow streets. Very pleasant wander. Walked through another park, or maybe it's actually the same one, just further along.

    Bought a French book I had wanted to pick up while here (Le Bal des Folles par Victoria Mas – I read the English without realising it was a translation, well, it occurred to me about halfway through and I looked it up. I don't like to read French books translated, but I finished it anyway, but am excited to read it in the original and see how it feels in comparison). Will wait until I've finished the current one though. And I need to decide where to leave the books I've finished. Want to make sure it's somewhere someone will actually read them and not just chuck then out.

    And I also picked up some more vegetables so I can make some more home-cooked food before I descend back into hotels tomorrow. Hopefully I can wangle at least one more place where I can cook and do washing in a machine, but not for the next week at, as that's almost completely booked.

    So now I am going to cook and this will be my lunch dinner and possibly breakfast if I don't finish it tonight.    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardBig Five Oh TripTraveler

    Early evening promenade in Nice

    March 13, 2023 in France

    Had a delicious lunch, and looking forward to eating more of it in a bit for my dinner. I really liked the balance today of about three hours work in the morning, then some wandering and cooking and reading and more wandering.

    I have really fallen for Nice. And I know I keep saying everywhere is somewhere to come back to, but Nice has gone right to the top of the list. It just has a feel to it that I love. A busy city, but kind of feels calmly busy (I appreciate that can also very much be the luck of where you end up staying, and there are probably not so nice parts of Nice like there are not so nice parts of Oxford and Edinburgh and Bristol (some of my favourite UK cities). And it has the sea. And I can speak the language. And some narrow streets. And beautiful tall old apartment buildings. And a lovely really long park. And trams (I didn't go on any, though).

    So, I will be sad to leave Nice tomorrow morning, but I need to get moving again.    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardBig Five Oh TripTraveler

    Nice to Nîmes

    March 14, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    Three trains. All regional no reservation or extra fees on top of the pass. Nice views. I kept dozing off though. Trains seem to make me want to sleep, so maybe I should consider a sleeper some time!

  • Tasha GoddardBig Five Oh TripTraveler

    Nîmes

    March 14, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    Bit of a wander round Nîmes today. Seems nice. I had a beer at a café and a chocolate crêpe from a stall. Grabbed some bread and cheese and tomato and came back to the hotel for a hotel picnic and early night. Have a 6.05 train to get. Or a midday one.

    Get up really early and get to Barcelona around lunchtime or get a decent amount of sleep but don't arrive until after 6pm. That is my dilemma (due to train strikes).    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardBig Five Oh TripTraveler

    Narbonne the unexpected stop

    March 15, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    So, the train only went as far as Narbonne. So I ended up in Narbonne at 8am. Spent more time investigating what trains or replacement buses were running and if any of them would get me closer to Spain. Also looked at Blabacar (which seems to be actual ride sharing like Uber etc were supposed to be), but all the lifts would involve me getting about 2 miles out of town. So I found a quite cheap AirBnB who looked like they hadn't had people staying yesterday and asked very nicely if I could check in early and they were fine with that. Phew!

    So I am exploring Narbonne today instead of being in my way to Barcelona. All part of the interrailing adventure. At 5pm I will check the train plans (and read them better this time). I am hoping that they will be alternating and there will be a train to Portbou early, as there was yesterday. If not, I will immediately book a seat on a Flixbus and get me over the border that way.

    Narbonne is pretty. With a canal. And my favourite – winding streets. I may grab some lunch and then head back to the Airbnb for a nap.    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardBig Five Oh TripTraveler

    Bus from Perpignan to Cerbère

    March 16, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    Then a walk to the station, through a tunnel and up a lot of steps. We (I made friends with a Dutch couple who had been trying to get to Spain for three days) were a bit concerned that we wouldn't get out after all and might have to rely on a taxi to Portbou. But thankfully along came a Spanish train to take us on the four-minute journey to Portbou. And then a regional train to Barcelona. I don't think I managed to take pictures on that final train.Read more

  • Tasha GoddardBig Five Oh TripTraveler

    Barcelona!!!

    March 16, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Made it! And... Collapse. I had to go for a wander as couldn't check in until 3. So had a beer and a tortilla (not a bocadillo de tortilla sadly, but still a tortilla). I had a good wander around the neighbourhood and it felt good.

    Anyway, falling asleep so there may be a siesta in my future.    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardBig Five Oh TripTraveler

    Hasta luego Barcelona

    March 17, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Very sad I missed out on two days, and probably three would have been better here. Would definitely like to come back for a longer stay.

    Now for a 5.5-hour train journey to Valencia. And the train is currently very busy.Read more

  • Tasha GoddardBig Five Oh TripTraveler

    Barcelona to Valencia

    March 17, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    6-hour journey to Valencia. Train was very busy, so was on an aisle seat on the right for over half the journey, but then managed to switch to the left for the remainder. It was a nice journey.

    I actually really like long train journeys, as long as I have a good book, charged headphones with some good music and some podcasts downloaded and enough snacks and drinks (or a buffet car!).

    Arrived into Valencia station with lots of crowd-guiding barriers up and we were rushed out. I assume that's because it's going to get super busy for final Fallas weekend.    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardBig Five Oh TripTraveler

    First glimpse of Valencia in decades

    March 17, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    I had been undecided whether to walk or get public transport to my hotel. Google Maps said it was just over an hour's walk, which is a decent trek. But I'd been sitting for six hours. The fact that I walked out into pretty crowded streets and couldn't see places to buy tickets, I plumped for the walking.

    And so glad I did. Though my shoulders might disagree, as they were carrying the backpack. Firstly because, while I'm not looking at individual places or anything and thinking 'I remember that' my senses were very much taking a journey back four decades. The smells of the little fireworks kids get to throw at the grown really pulled me back. The smell of people smoking (seems to still be plenty of that!) and drinking beers at the many bars and cafés along the streets. Even the Valencia flags strung up like bunting along many of the streets.

    A couple of these photos show me crossing the river. Except it's not a river. It wasn't when I lived here. Now it's an amazingly lush park with lots of things in that I am totally going to go walk on while I'm here. When we lived here, it was a dusty empty river bed, with a tiny stream of seage running right down the centre! Thankfully didn't have an olfactory memory there!

    I'm putting the Fallas related pics in a different footprint.

    I am really happy to be here (and my hotel's not bad, and right by the sea* - though no sea view) and looking forward to spending the next two days soaking up Fallas and also taking some little trips down memory lane. I remembered the name of the street where we lived, so will head down there. Can't remember where my school was, but I also think I remember someone telling me it was knocked down and now something else, so that's OK. Mostly I think it will be visiting the old street and just soaking up the atmosphere and getting a feel for what Valencia is today.

    * I don't remember thinking of us as living near the sea when we were here. I remember some friends taking us to dinner one night at a pizzeria near the beach (and I got an ice cream served inside a scooped-out orange). And I remember us going camping by the beach at Easter (but I'm sure that wouldn't have been somewhere that close) and me and my dad getting severely sunburnt. Although, actually maybe that happened on a day trip to the beach and the Easter trip was separate.    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardBig Five Oh TripTraveler

    Fallas 1

    March 17, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    And here are some of the Fallas and falleros and falleras I came across. Seeing the parade of the falleros and falleras took me back soooooo much. Like tears so much.

    I think I will stick with grabbing some food and a beer in one of the beach-front places and getting some sleep. And then really pound the streets tomorrow.Read more

  • Tasha GoddardBig Five Oh TripTraveler

    Buenas noches Valencia

    March 17, 2023 in Spain

    Very nice vegetable paella for dinner with a pint of cold beer that really hit the spot. Desert and a glass of Cava. And a nice wander along the front. (In case you're wondering, the VERY fancy hotel in the pictures is NOT mine. Just checked and that costs about twice as much on normal dates as mine when super expensive for Fallas!

    Again... Pleased to be here. My shoulder is REALLY sore. It was a bit sore last night, which I think is down to sitting in a weird contorted position when I joined the nice Dutch couple on the train from Portbou to Barcelona. And then added to by carrying a backpack for around 5km. Hopefully having a 3-night stay will mean it's all good by the time I next have to carry the rucksack. Don't want to have to buy a little wheelie suitcase. Really really. Not for the money but for the fact that backpacks are so much more practical than (NOISY) wheelie cases.

    Looking forward to a weekend of lots of steps, some churros, a bunch of photos, some nostalgia, and probably a beer or two.    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardBig Five Oh TripTraveler

    Fallas 3

    March 18, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Some more Fallas from today (including the one from the street where I used to live - which I will also share in a footprint about that) which, in some magical coincidence won the top first prize. Which meant it was super crowded with people looking to see it and get pictures. Anyway, how cool is that?!Read more

  • Tasha GoddardBig Five Oh TripTraveler
    2

    Where I used to live – 40 years ago

    March 18, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Calle Naturalists Arevalo Baca, 13, puerta 8

    Did not manage to get a pic of our windows (too floor) due to the crowds. The door is a LOT more modern than it was. But the building is still there. The street looks quite a bit different. Definitely some buildings have been knocked down and modern ones built in their place. There is an open area opposite, where there is even some play equipment. That definitely wasn't there. Just the walls to the tobacco factory. Unsurprisingly, the shops around were not all the same, though there was still a café/bar on the corner (doing a roaring trade today!). There used to be a photocopy shop downstairs next door. I used it to make some of my first books. Little Limerick books, with illustrations that I photocopied (1 peseta per sheet - soooo cheap!), folded into a book and sold for, I think, 10 pesetas! Pretty sure only Mama and Papa bought them though and I probably made more than two.

    Anyway, yes. Found it. Sparked some memories. And also didn't because the street was so crowded and because it has changed a huge amount.    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardBig Five Oh TripTraveler

    Fallas 4

    March 18, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    And a final few from the day. The one with all the fabric swatches and colourful hair is all about mental health and invisible illness. I haven't managed to work out the messages for most of them, but sometimes, something would hit, like that one. (Especially because most of the explanatory text is in Valenciano and not Spanish. I can actually understand a surprising amount of the Valenciano, which is nice. Don't know if that's from exposure as a child, or because of knowing quite a few European languages now. But it's nice, anyway.)Read more

  • Tasha GoddardBig Five Oh TripTraveler

    Fallas 5 (etc)

    March 19, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Some random pictures from today, including some Fallas. But not much. Made prodigious use of metro and trams today. Went out to the station to reserve my ticket for tomorrow. Couldn't, because all the trains are fully booked (apart from a very early one, which I couldn't face). So got one for Tuesday and have extended my stay (at non-Falla price thankfully). Did some wandering, including some random jumping off at any old stop.

    Tomorrow, I have some work to do. And then I will see about what to go see. Plus need to pick up some toiletries, as a couple of things have run out. And hoping my shoulder is feeling a lot better (been sore since Barcelona), otherwise I might have to do a luggage rethink.    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardBig Five Oh TripTraveler

    La Falla de Expocisión

    March 19, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    I had a siesta so I could venture out to see at least one Crema (burning of the Fallas). And I decided to make it the one by where I used to live. Usually the main Fallas are burnt at 10pm (the kids' Fallas are burnt at 8) and the one on the main square at 11pm. So I got there in plenty of time. It turns out the Falla de Expocision, which was what my old street's one was, gets burnt at 10.30. So, not only did I get there way too early for 10, I had another half an hour to wait. But I'm glad I did. It was a magical experience.

    I was also pleased to see some (visual - had plenty of exposure to mascaletas now) fireworks as it made me feel less silly about being far too tired to go see some last night (they're on at 1 am!)

    As I recall, we watched from our balcony last time (4 decades ago!). But then I also feel sure we were at the main square for the final one. Maybe I'm remembering postcards of it.

    Made prodigious use of the metro and trams today. And very glad that they run 24 hours during Fallas.    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardBig Five Oh TripTraveler

    Final (probably) wander round Valencia

    March 20, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    I was going to go to the Museu de Bellas Artes, but it's closed today. And it would (I think!) have been free too. I walked in the lovely park on the riverbed, wandered round the little streets in the centre again, marvelling at how little evidence was left of the Fallas. Chances upon the Plaza dela Virgen, which meant I could see the flowers, which was nice. Also wandered through the big market. And I popped into El Corte Ingles to see if I get a book to read (very small selection of English-language books, but picked up a Berh O'Leary which I imagine will be a nice fun light read. And then I went in a supermarket (that had two levels and special escalators for shopping trolleys, and picked up some bits for a hotel picnic.Read more

  • Tasha GoddardBig Five Oh TripTraveler

    Madrid

    March 21, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    (Am posting these footprints the next morning as I fell asleep before getting to them last night. I do find I get very tired on this trip!)

    One-night stop in Madrid. Lovely area with loads of arty stuff on walls or decorative features on buildings and still lots of older buildings. Very vibrant and feels young (in a good way). Sorted some little work things and sponsorship payment for Eleanor's readathon.

    I had a beer (and plate of olives) and then had dinner at a vegan restaurant. The dinner was nice, but quite on the heavy side and I've been doing so many days where I eat only small snacks through the day that I couldn't come close to finishing it. They served a piece of bread topped with salted pickled ribbons of cucumber (so good - I could have eaten a whole plate of that cucumber) to start and then I had croquettas and I think they had a mushroomy breast filling with a vegan mayonnaise to dip in. And then I had (can't remember what it was called) a bocadillo with seitan and roast pepper with fried potato wedges and a vegan sour cream and onion dip. I think I need to be defaulting to salads or plates of roasted vegetables an not lots and lots of bread and potatoes!

    Then wandered back to the hotel room. I love walking through vibrant cities like this in the evening. Had been struggling to find somewhere to stay in Lisbon in my budget for the length of time I wanted, so needed to look at other options. I have a reservation to Badajoz, so Chris suggested looking there and saw that it looks quite nice and full of historic architecture. So I looked a bit more and saw it has a museum of contemporary art that is free entry and I found a nice looking Airbnb in my budget so booked that for a few days.

    And then pretty much went straight to sleep!    Read more

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