A Year of Living Awesomely

In which we take our last big trip. SE Asia and Europe Read more

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A Year of Living Awesomely
Road trip
September 22, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
Today we went on a road trip to St Nicolas Del Peurto. Nice river running through and a waterfall a couple of kilometres downstream from the town. A coffee at the local bar and back home. Most of the countryside is olive and cork tree plantations. The cork tree trunks are stripped of their bark and yet this does not kill them!Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
Tapas
September 23, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
We’re making sure we visit every cafe/bar in Constantina. 🙂. Coffee (with churros) during the day and beers/wine in the evenings. The coffees are good and strong, and cost about half compared to Australia. For drinks, no hard and fast rule in Andalusia , but it is customary that the bar offers a plate of Tapas as a welcome and an incentive to stay a while. The best one so far offered had cheese and crackers, salami and sliced ham. 😁. You can then order, if you wish, other Tapas plates for around 3 euro each.Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
Cerro del Hiero
September 24, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
A short drive away is Cerro del Hiero, an old iron ore mining site amongst interesting rock formations, overlooking the Sierra Norte. A UNESCO rated geological site. Mornings are getting colder now, but leaves are not turning colour as yet.PS. Interesting to see grand old gum trees throughout this region. Don’t know how they got here, but a nice reminder of home.Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
El Pedroso
September 25, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
A nice drive today to El Pedroso. A sleepy little hill town amongst the olive plantations. Wandered through the lanes to the church, which in its past, was damaged by an earthquake. PS. We looked up the translation of what El Pedroso means. It means “The Stoner”. 😬Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
Castillo de Almodóvar del Río
September 26, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
On the road to Córdoba is Castillo Almodovar. Sitting high over the valley and town, this was a Roman fort, then transformed by Arabs in 760. NB. Part of the 7th season of Game of Thrones was filmed at the castle. It depicted House Tyrell's home Highgarden. 😲.Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
Fiestas Del Robledo
September 28, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Today is the day in Spain where Mary is transported back to her local basilica to wait another year for the next celebration. Music, horses and cavalcades follow the procession for the 2km walk.
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A Year of Living Awesomely
Train to Toledo
October 1, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Today we leave Constantina with fond memories. We drop the car back in Seville, then stroll over to Seville’s main train station. The fast train to Madrid and takes about 3 hours. Short wait and another fast train for the 30 min trip to Toledo. NB. Madrid station is huge. Very much like an airport. Toledo station is not what we expected. Simply a beautiful building. Taxi up to the old town and settle in for the evening.Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
Toledo
October 2, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
Quite a city. We are staying in the old town, near which was once the Jewish Quarter. Great views over the river and suburbs. Toledo was in existence even before the Roman Empire, and every street and path reeks with history.Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
River walk
October 3, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
Went for a walk along the river today. This side of town is built on top of a rocky gorge overlooking the fast flowing Tajo river. Back up a steep road to the town, then cut across back to home. Plenty more days to explore the chequerboard of paths.Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
El Greco Museum
October 4, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
El Greco, one of the masters, lived for some time in Toledo. The El Greco museum pays homage to him and his contemporaries including Tristan. Overall, the museum buildings and gardens are quite amazing and peaceful. It was believed that El Greco had lived in this restored residence, but it turned out he hadn’t. As a painter I found his paintings quite dark, with the subjects primarily being religious, and having a slightly “out of focus” feel. As entry was free for over 65’s one cannot be overly critical. 🧐Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
Military Museum
October 5, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
A walk across town took us to the Alcázar. A very large fortress facing the hills of La Mancha. The fortress was closed for repairs. However, the Military Museum is part of the Alcázar and had free entry. 😁Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
In and around the Old Town
October 6, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
Strangely enough Sundays here are when most of the grocery shops, cafes and bars are shut during the day. Maybe not strangely, for it’s the sabbath. Even though the tourist buses keep coming they’re closed. They may open after 7pm, (and Tapas available after 8pm) but by then we are well and truly too tired and lazy to go out to find out). 🙄. PS. Maccas and the Sword shops are open. 😬Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
Westside
October 7, 2024 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 23 °C
Today we headed to the lower west side of town. Not much here but we stumbled right in the middle of a substantial marathon. Seemed like everyone and their dog were running. Back up the 6 x escalators to our apartment.Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
Toledo at night
October 9, 2024 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 22 °C
Went out for a short while to get some night shots. Doesn’t really get dark till 9pm, and nights are now colder.
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A Year of Living Awesomely
East side of Toledo
October 10, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
Continued our walk along the river which surrounds Toledo on three sides. Then back up the hill and explored the eastern side of town. At our coffee stop we saw an amazing site. At first we thought it was a hummingbird, due to the speed of the wings and thin beak. It wasn’t. There are no hummingbirds in Europe. It was Hummingbird Hawkmoth. Truly beautiful.Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
Museum of the Visigoths
October 11, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Interesting museum chronicling the history of the Visigoths. The ones who sacked Rome and ended the Roman empire. They were living as allies within the Roman Empire, however, they attacked Rome in 408 AD after the Western Roman Emperor murdered the Germanic general named Stilicho, along with his family and the families of many other Germanic people in the empire. Why? Perhaps they were becoming too powerful and ambitious. 🤔Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
Our Taberna
October 12, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
We say goodbye to Toledo tomorrow. To mark our stay here we have a few drinks at our local pub. Right next door to our apartment. 🙂. Beers and wine are 3€, so not too pricey, and the place has a nice ambiance.A small place serving all manner of drinks and simple, delicious home made meals.Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
Madrid
October 13, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
A short trip from Toledo. Arrived at our quirky hotel via the Metro. A great system. You are only waiting max. 10min for any train. Walked up the road for some beers and Tapas. Also went into town to Sol plaza. Top end shops and hotels. And the Jamon Museum!Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
Perlora
October 14, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
We leave Madrid at 4.30pm for Perlora by train. A 3 hour trip in deepening gloom past small towns and pastures 🤔. Arrived at our hotel at 10pm and that was it. Perlora is a quiet little village on the north coast of Spain on the Atlantic Ocean. Beautiful coastline with views to Candas, the nearest town. We liked the look of the “plate of the day” lunch at a nearby cafe. 12 € seemed reasonable. And what a meal! Huge bowl of stew with white beans, bacon, sausage and black pudding. Then fish and chips, then baked apple for dessert. 🍮Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
Avilés
October 16, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
This morning we take the 30min train to Avilés. A small port town with a nice town square. We find a cafe under the arches and nicely surprised to receive a complimentary ‘pintxo’ croissant. And all for 3€. 🙂.Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
Slugs
October 17, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
More wandering along the coastline. Some of the biggest slugs we have ever seen! 😳.
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A Year of Living Awesomely
Gijón
October 18, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
A short train ride takes us to Gijón, the largest town in Asturias. Known primarily for its maritime heritage, its beaches are what people come here for. Architecturally, it’s quite modern with few Roman sites, due to a fires that razed the town over several hundred years.Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
Candás
October 20, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Only 2km up the coast is the small town of Candas. It comes alive on weekends for its beaches, scenery, shopping and restaurants. It’s an easy walk from our hotel, but buses and the train make stops here.Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
Perlora to León
October 21, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
Our journey today is from the quaint hills and seaside village of Perlora, to the bustling city of León. (Lion). We have taken the slower but cheaper Regional train through the Cantabrian Mountains. A rugged mountain range that runs through to the Pyrenees. Here the Cantabrian Brown Bear has now been protected, and the population now stands at about 400. (From 60). PS. If you kill one the fine is €300k.Read more
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A Year of Living Awesomely
León
October 22, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
Our first walk through this city. And it’s a charming city situated on the Bernesga River. Over the San Marco bridge to an amazing building that was originally a convent, and later a prison during the Franco era, where prisoners were tortured and executed. Now a 5 star hotel and museum.Read more
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