• Stacey Robinson
Jun – Nov 2017

2017 Travel Adventures

A 144-day adventure by Stacey Read more
  • Port tasting
    3D street art of the giant bunnyCamino signs in PortoThe big Francesinha sandwhichPort tastingPort tasting at Offley

    Port tasting in Porto

    August 7, 2017 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    After breakfast we walked to our new hotel in Porto. We had coffee and a Nata (Portuguese Tart) before checking out the massive lines for the tower and bookshop. We ate lunch in a laneway before heading across the river to the Port caves. We sampled some Rose Port before doing a tour and tasting at Offley Port. After we walked back along the river and saw the dancers to 'Shape of You' again. Back at the hotel we assembled our bikes before heading out for dinner and eating a Francesinha sandwich which looked just like it tasted, meaty and cheesy!Read more

  • Starting the Camino in Porto
    Start of the ride on the foreshoreOld look out point along the wayIcecreamDinner with fish in a Portugese tileOutside the Casino

    Camino bike ride - Day 1 Povoa De Varzim

    August 8, 2017 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Our breakfast of Prosecco and freshly made omelettes was a perfect way to start the Camino bike ride. The total ride is 240km, a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostelo. We headed to the main Cathedral in Porto for our first stamp, then we enjoyed coffee and a Nata.
    We caught the train out to Matosinhos to avoid the traffic and commenced our ride. The wind was very strong 35-40km/h, which made it quite challenging combined with my bad head cold. We ate lunch at a cafe with big glass panels on the beach. We continued riding along the foreshore and found a beach that was quite sheltered. The water was icy cold so Dane had a swim before we continued on. We stopped for a drink to have a break from the wind before arriving at Povoa de Varzim. Today's ride was about 28km. It felt tough with the wind and my head cold. For dinner we had vegetable soup and I had a Portuguese tile with fish. Very delicious!!
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  • Way marker along the route
    Lunch in EsposendeThe rocky track to go upBeers and a swim after a long dayHouses along the wayStopping along the way

    Camino bike ride - Day 2

    August 9, 2017 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We ate breakfast before heading out to battle the wind again. We stopped for espresso at a sheltered cafe on the beach. We rode along boardwalks, cobblestones and foreshore promenades before stopping for lunch at a beach bar at Esposende. The wind blowing over the sand was so strong it hurt. My bike chain came off going over some steep rocks but we somehow managed to get it back on. We continued on through little towns, up steep hills and all the way to Viana do Castelo. We had beer and a swim at the pool to cool down, well earned after riding about 45km. We had dinner at a restaurant in town, shellfish soup and salmon with cabbage. There was a market so we got fruit liquor in a chocolate cup on our way home!Read more

  • O Arrabal
    Burgers for lunchRidingSwimming stopOn the ferry to SpainUp a very rocky mountain path

    Camino bike ride - Day 3 - the tough day

    August 10, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We had a beautiful view over the river at breakfast. The day started off with no wind so it felt promising. They had been upgrading the promenade and it looked like they were spending big dollars. We stopped at a beach cafe for espresso before the route headed inland. It was very bumpy, gravel and cobbles. The signage wasn't great so we go a bit lost and ended up riding on the beach where a boardwalk section was broken. We stopped for lunch in Caminha, delicious swordfish burgers. We then caught the ferry across to Spain and rode along to a sheltered beach. We were excited to jump in till we discovered the water was freezing cold. Dane swam but I only managed it to my waist. Back on the bikes we traveled along boardwalks, more cobblestones, through towns, along gravel, grass stretches, road bike paths and up mountainsides with rocks that certainly weren't built for bikes. It felt never ending and very tough. Chocolate helped me get through! At some points it was so steep that we were battling to pass a walker who was almost beating us. We arrived in Baiona at 8:30pm and could barely walk up the stairs. We enjoyed beers and went out for Paella for dinner. The town was bustling with tapas bars but we were too tired to battle the crowds. We had ice cream and headed to bed very weary!Read more

  • Lunch stop in Redondela
    Sunrise in BaionaSalmon salad with goats cheeseWalking around the castle in BaionaSwimming stopCoffee stop

    Camino bike ride - Day 4

    August 11, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We were up early enough to see a stunning sunrise in Baiona. We walked around the castle walls which had incredible scenery. Breakfast was at a cafe with freshly squeezed orange juice. We cycled around the bay stopping for coffee. We then rode mainly on roads up through Vigo, a big city with hills. We stopped in Redondela for lunch. We rode a little further before stopping for beers and a swim in a river. The water was warmer and there was lots of families spending the afternoon at the beach. We cycled up more hills and made our way to Pontevedre. Today was an easier ride of about 53km. We checked in, had some beers in the hotel and walked into the old town. Dinner was salmon and goats cheese salad with seafood paella.Read more

  • Celebrating with Cava
    Riding through the vineyardsCamino signsRiding alongLast beer stop before SantiagoThe cathedral in Santiago

    Camino bike ride - Day 5

    August 12, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Final day of the ride with 64km to go to Santiago de Compostela. We had breakfast before heading off. We cycled through the old town, along gravel paths, up hills and asphalt sections. There were more pilgrims out walking than other days. We cycled through vineyards and found a modern coffee stop along the path. We continued riding to Padron for lunch in a park. The afternoon was more hills, winding through little towns, woodland sections and asphalt smooth roads. We stopped for a beer 4km from town. We cycled the final uphill section into Santiago and found our way to the Cathedral. We made it!! There were many other pilgrims arriving, looking tired but very satisfied. The lines were too long to make it into the church so we checked into our hotel. We watched an orchestra playing and found a restaurant for dinner with octopus and squid. Very yummy Galician style food!Read more

  • Dane and I with our certificates
    My name is in LatinChecking our the gardensTapas in SantiagoGalician octopusIvy in Santiago de Compostela

    Santiago de Compostela

    August 13, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We had a sleep in this morning and woke up with sore muscles. After breakfast and a skype with Mum and Dad we walked into town and saw the massive queues for the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral. We queued at the pilgrim office for over 2 hours to get our certificate. We then returned to the cathedral where there was now much shorter queues, we gave the statue a hug and saw the location of the supposed remains of St James. We stopped for tapas and a wine to celebrate. We went out to a few more pixtos bars, had Galician octopus for dinner and more drinks at a bar watching Real Madrid versus FC Barcelona. It was quite an exciting match and people were racing in from the street to see what all the excitement was about!Read more

  • Shopping at the first ever Zara store
    Along the foreshoreDane and I ready for the fireworksBeach timeTower of HerculesSculpture along the foreshore

    A Coruna and Zara

    August 14, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We had breakfast, checked out and headed to the train station to go to A Coruna. After a short train trip we arrived, checked into our hostel, ate tapas and enjoyed a lazy time on the beach. I even went swimming as the water wasn't too cold. We went shopping at the first ever Zara store and I brought a cute black dress. We then walked around the foreshore and saw the Tower of Hercules and many sculptures including a mini Stonehenge and some interesting seats integrated with the landscape. We walked to the famous tapas street and found a beer place. We tried their pigs ear with strawberry hoisin and mashed potato which was quite nice. We then had Galician style octopus and more tapas before heading to the beach to watch the big fireworks display to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption, alongside 10,000 other people. There were fireworks which shot into the water then exploded again, which looked fabulous but, probably not great for the fishes!Read more

  • Band at the spanish street festivalLights at the festival

    A Coruna and Madrid

    August 15, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Dane went for a run and I walked around to the Tower of Hercules. We had breakfast while there was misty rain. As it was a public holiday nearly everything was shut. We checked out, had coffee and walked around the foreshore to the famous mosaic octopus. It was quite impressive the way it wrapped around the balustrade. We walked back into town for more Galician octopus tapas which tasted good. It's boiled octopus with olive oil, salt and paprika. We also had pork cheek, a mini hamburger and guacamole. We caught a cab to the airport to fly to Madrid. Once landed we caught a train to our hostel. We drank beer on the roof top and really felt the 35 degree temperature! We found a Mexican place for dinner and then ventured to find the street party where there was local bands playing in a square. We danced under the lights to a very popular band before checking out the food delicacies and tasting some chocolate churros.Read more

  • Green wall
    Close up of the green wallBoats in the Jardines del Buen RetiroGardens in the train stationCristol PalaceOur delicious lunch

    Madrid - Day 2

    August 16, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We had breakfast at the hostel and joined the walking tour to look around the city. We ate a delicious meal deal lunch with sangria before heading to the Prado Museum. Dane was quite excited to see paintings by Dutch Artists that he had studied.
    We then walked to see the green wall by Partrick Blanc at Caixa Forum. I'd learnt about it at uni and thought it was stunning. There was water dripping down its sides cooling the space. It was a hot 34 degrees day so it was nice to have some shade. The colours and mix of planting and different textures was very pleasing to the eye. We headed over to the train station which had been remodeled and has a beautiful indoor garden. We enjoyed a drink then walked over to the big Jardines del Buen Retiro park. There were lots of people exercising, rollerblading, rowing in boats and having picnics. It was picture perfect and the temperature was warm, what you'd want for a European summer. We had dinner at a popular tapas restaurant, eating tempura salmon with melted cheese. We met up with Dane's friend from Cambridge and had drinks outside.
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  • Cooling our feet
    Drinks outside the marketSunset spotMorning coffeeFinal dinnerTemple at the sunset spot

    Madrid - Day 3

    August 17, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We had an easy morning whilst Dane did his washing. We had coffee and did a little shopping. We headed to Reina Sofia Museum where there was a Pablo Picasso exhibition to mark the 80 year reunion of the Gurneica painting. The exhibition showed drawings and his workings of this painting at the time and also for the Three Dancers and the Weeping Woman paintings. We had a look at some of the rest of the museum but there was so much to see! After we walked to the Mercado de San Miguel for some lunch. There were little tapas you could buy and we sat opposite drinking Aperol Spritz. We headed to the Royal Palace of Madrid where it was free entry for EU citizens after 6pm, so I got to use my British passport! The line was epic but we made it in and looked at the many chandeliers, luxurious furniture and room after room of,over the stop statues! Whilst we were in there we heard about the terrorist attacks on Las Ramblas Barcelona. It was quite a chilling feeling as we had been there just over two weeks ago. We sat cooling our feet in a big pond at Jardines de Sabatini. We brought some beer and chips and walked up to Parque de la Montana for the sunset. People were singing, there was a fire twirler and the weather was perfect, no breeze and warm. We then walked and found an outdoors tapas place for our last dinner together. We ate delicious food, the highlight being confit duck tacos.Read more

  • Veggies in the botanical gardens
    Final lunchDrinks at the airportThe botanical gardensView from the plane

    Final day in Madrid and London

    August 18, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We had breakfast, checked out of our hostel, had coffee and croissants and talked to mum and dad before walking to the botanical gardens. There was an impressive vegetable garden and bonsai display. We had a menu lunch which was quite heavy, before quickly doing some shopping. We picked up our bags from the hostel, caught the train to the airport and had one last drink together. It was time to say goodbye after our few weeks traveling together. It went really well and I'll miss Dane! I then boarded my plane to London for a week staying with Jake. There was delicious roast pork for dinner when I arrived at Ali and Jake's!Read more

  • Delicious food at Broadway Market
    G&T with JuliaPicnic at London FieldsOystersThe biggest kebab ever!!Tower Bridge with Julia

    Broadway Market

    August 19, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    I met Julia at Broadway Market for some delicious food and wanderings. We had freshly shucked oysters, chorizo scotch egg, wasabi tuna wrap, lobster brioche and truffle mushroom risotto...yum!! After a G&T at a pub we joined Jake and Ali and sat in London Fields enjoying more drinks. After a delicious fried chicken burger we headed into the Sky Garden, which we couldn't get up, so instead we had a pie tasting with matching beers. After a quick photo outside Tower Bridge, I got the bus to meet Jake for a comedy show in Stoke Newington and then onto Shoreditch for a bit of pub action. On our way home we ate the biggest kebab ever!!Read more

  • Harry Potter!!
    Got my ticketsThe Palace TheatreThe stageIsabel for drinksThe cursed child

    Harry Potter!!!

    August 20, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    After a cruisy morning I headed to the Palace Theater to collect my Harry Potter tickets!! So incredibly exciting after only buying them the day before. It was for the eighth story, The Cursed Child, the story of adult Harry and his son Albus, is the main character. There was a 1pm matinee and 6:30pm show for part 2. The scene changes, spells and acting was fabulous. The story line was mostly okay, some bits were not great, but the character Scorpious Malfoy was hilarious! During the break I met up with Isabel from my Leeds Uni for drinks and a delicious dinner at Flesh and Buns. Overall I loved seeing Harry Potter and felt super lucky that i'd managed to get tickets!Read more

  • Gordon's wine bar
    Sculpture at Trafalgar SquareStatue from Easter IslandPark where I ate lunchConvent Gardens

    Steak and wine bars!

    August 21, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    As it was raining I enjoyed a cruisey morning and then made my way to the British Museum to see the mummies and statues from the Parthenon and Easter Island. I wandered along to Trafalgar Square, then on to Convent Gardens to meet Julia and Jake for a French pastry. We headed to Gordon's wine bar for drinks and had dinner at Flat Iron. It is a delicious steak place where you get a salted caramel ice cream at the end, delicious! London food has certainly been delicious!!Read more

  • Julia and I at Kew Gardens
    The Hive sculpturePretty flowersMonkey Puzzle treeDetails on the leavesCactus gardens

    Kew Gardens

    August 22, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Today I headed to Kew Gardens with Julia and her family. They are incredible, best botanical gardens I've ever been too. The flower displays we so perfect it almost didn't look real. The greenhouses were spectacular, cactus, rock gardens, vegetable gardens, flower beds, tree canopy walk, Japanese garden and arboretum were all so good. We had a delicious fish pie lunch and we spent many hours soaking up the floral displays. After we met Jake and more of Julia's family for curry in Shoreditch, then headed to Blues Kitchen to listen to some Jazz!Read more

  • View from Parliment House
    Hamsted HeathMeeting up with JaneHamsted HeathLunch with JakeKenwood House

    Hamsted Heath and meeting Jane

    August 23, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Jake and I wandered up through Broadway Market and London Fields whilst enjoying a coffee, then caught the tube to Hamstead Heath. We looked at the views from Parliment Hill over the city and walked to Kenwood House. This is where some of Notting Hill was filmed. The gardens were quite natural with woody areas and rolling fields. We had delicious confit duck and a burger at the pub nearby. We went to Camden markets for a wonder and a drink. We met up with Jane Kitson for drinks and ate a Japanese dinner in Bethnal Green, which was delicious, even though it made my stomach hurt for most of the night!Read more

  • Sky Garden
    Coffee up in the Sky GardenStunning up hereThe lineMeeting up with JaneView from the Observatory

    Sky Garden and Greenwich

    August 24, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Jake and I rode to Sky Gardens for our reservation. The views over London were superb and we had yummy coffee. The plants were all growing really well and there were speakers playing animal sounds. I would highly recommend for people to come here. We then rode along the Thames to Greenwich. We got burritos at the Greenwich market before walking up to the Observatory on the hill. My picture was taken at the line and we headed to the pub drank a nice Aussie Little Yerring Chardonnay. We rode to another pub on the Thames for a drink then home along side the canals. Jake cooked a delicious salmon stir fry with lots of vegies for dinner which was very tasty.Read more

  • Us with our Duck and Waffle
    Cocktails with a viewWalking along the canalRooftop drinksOxtail donutCoffee shop along the canal

    Last day in London with a Duck feast

    August 25, 2017 in England ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We had an admin morning before heading to the Duck and Waffle for lunch. It was on the 40th floor and had spectacular views of London. The cocktails and entrees were amazing!! Ox tail doughnut with a marmalade sauce, caesar broccolini with hazelnut and egg, foie gras creme brûlée with pork crackling and marmalade brioche. Yum!! The main dish confit duck on a waffle with fried duck egg and mustard maple syrup was tasty but I've eaten better duck. After I went home and packed before we headed for a drink at a pub on Broadway Market, then a G&T at the Negril rooftop bar. It was then time to leave and get the tube to Heathrow where i boarded an Avianca airlines flight to Bogata, Columbia.Read more

  • Equator monument
    The signAnother signView from the rooftop at the hostelLooking out to QuitoMonument landscaping

    Arriving in Ecuador and the Equator

    August 26, 2017 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    It was an early 2am arrival in Bogata with a 5-6hour wait to go on to Quito, Ecuador. I arrived in Quito and took a transfer to a hostel called the Secret Garden. There was a roof top area with stunning views! I met a Kiwi family who were heading to the Equator so I joined them in their taxi. I went to the Equator museum and saw tiny heads, traditional houses and experiments to do with the Equator and the magnetic fields. It was very cool to see the impact of the water changing direction in the different hemispheres, as well as the forces on your balance and strength. I checked out the monument and brought some yummy Ecuador chocolate. Back to the hostel where I had drinks on the roof top for happy hour and a burger. I met a others also heading to the Galápagos and everyone was very excited! I went to bed early due to the jet lag with a six hour time difference from London.Read more

  • Views over Quito
    Food up on the mountainTop of the mountainChurch viewsRoof top bar viewsThe front of the Golden Church

    Quito exploring

    August 27, 2017 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    I woke a few times during the night due to the time difference. I ate a delicious breakfast on the roof top of the hostel before heading out with Warren, an Aussie and a French girl Stephanie. We headed to the cable car and caught it to the top of the mountain. The views were stunning! We did a little hike up the the mountain before having some delicious chicken that had been cooked over coals. We then went to the market and had delicious roast pork with salad for lunch followed by coffee in the main square, watching all the people walking past. We visited the Gold church which was decorated in 23 carrot gold leaf, which looked quite stunning. We walked to the Gothic Church and climbed the towers for views over the city. The climb was quite steep with ladders for some of it. Back at the hostel I had more happy hour drinks and the chicken pesto pasta for dinner. Early to bed again to get up for the Galápagos!!Read more

  • Business class seats!
    On the dinghyAll the tropical fishJellyfish alertFirst marine iguanaSunset from the boat

    Galapagos Islands!!

    August 28, 2017 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    I was awake very early as i was worried I'd miss my alarm, but got up about 3:40pm to head to the airport. Luckily I'd been upgraded to business class seats! We landed on Balta island, got on a boat and went to Las Bachas Beach for my first snorkel. I swam without a wetsuit but it was cold. I saw a seasnake, jelly fish and a Galápagos baby shark. Then we went on a walk and saw a Flamingo, Marine Iguana, Pelicans and Herron.
    There was a welcome cocktail that night and I went to bed early after the early morning. The passengers were all young backpackers and keen travelers.
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  • Watching the sunset with the locals
    Beach viewsMarine IguanasA playful sea lionManta raysOn the boat in the sun

    Galapagos Day 2

    August 29, 2017 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Over night we sailed to Isabella Island and the first stop was Cabo Marshal.
    I did two dives at 6am and 9am. I saw manta rays on the first dive but the visibility was poor.
    The boat then traveled to Punta Albermarlie. We all went snorkeling for a long time and saw a crazy amount of turtles, it was quite amazing!!
    The next activity was walking on the beach where I saw an amazing sunset whilst looking at lots of marine iguanas and a sea lion playing in the water. There were canyons of lava flows through the landscape and a US army base. The boat ride was really bumpy during the night.
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  • The Orca!!
    Cute baby sea lionAll the iguanas!Mola Mola!The boatHanging on the boat

    Mola Mola and the Orca!!

    August 30, 2017 in Ecuador ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Ferdandina Island
    We all were up early for a 6am breakfast then onto land at Espinosa Point. There were marine iguanas stacked on top of each other, flightless cormorants basking in the sun, penguins swimming, sea lions resting and big whale bones on the sand, I pretended to be an iguana laying in the sun.
    Then we all went snorkeling in very cold water. We saw penguins before getting in, flightless cormorants swimming and lots of turtles.
    We then traveled to Punta Vincente Roca on Isabella Island. I did a wall dive which had spectacular visibility, I saw a Mola Mola, a sea lion playing with the bubbles of our tanks and beautiful tropical fish. It was very cold, 14 degrees and my deepest dive ever of 35metres. It was one of my favourite dives although I had lots of buoyancy trouble.
    After I joined the others for a bit of snorkeling where I saw turtles and searched for a marine iguanas under water, but they were all in the sun on the rocks.
    We went for a dinghy excursion to search for the Mola Mola. Whilst looking I spotted what I thought was one but instead it was an orca!! We sped over and saw it chasing a turtle with a sea lion following it. The orca spun right near our boat and surfaced. We could clearly see the turtle swimming away in front of it from our dinghy. It was truly an incredible sight!!
    After we found some Mola Mola who seemed to circle us in the boat. I took some great underwater shots of it swimming around. We had celebration drinks that night as we crossed the Equator.
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  • Swimming with the sea lions
    Birds flying along with the boatRabida islandSea lionsRabida IslandA seahorse!

    Galapagos Day 4

    August 31, 2017 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    After another bumpy night ride, we woke up at Santiago Island. I did a 6am dive at Albany Rock. It was very cold, the visibility was not great, but we saw a 3-4metre Galápagos shark in the distance and a school of Golden Rays swam above us which was quite incredible.
    After we went snorkeling where I had great fun playing with some sea lions and filming the white tip sharks. We swam into a cave and saw lobsters. It was cold but I had so much fun!
    The boat then traveled to Rabida Island where the colour of the rocks and sand was a deep red, which contrasted fabulously. We went on a short walk to a coastal lagoon and up the cliffs where we saw birds, marine iguanas and sea lions.
    We then went for a snorkel where I saw an octopus, seahorse, sea lions, sting ray, white tipped shark, marine iguanas eating under water and lots of tropical fish. The water was clear and was so beautiful. We had farewell drinks on the boat. I then had lots of issues with being told I had to change boats, won't go into it. Not fun times!
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