Adventure Time

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Adventure Time NZtoWherever
Freezing in Firenze
November 13, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 6 °C
Checked out of our Spello accommodation (sad face). Stopped at a cute little cafe for a coffee and a croissant (breakfast). One had a delicious custard inside. So good.

Then wandered through the town towards station as it began to rain. We were planning on trying out the last of our hosts recommendations but it didn't open in time so had to go elsewhere. Problematic as by this point was raining steadily and we'd gone past all the open places. Eventually found a cafe without electricity so had some drab plain rosemary pizza. Luckily we'd also stopped earlier at a bakery for a weird sweet fennel hard donut (it was OK - didn't really know what we were ordering) and plain onion pizza (delicious). So we staved off hunger and waited for train.

Journey was uneventful - drab weather so scenery was nice but avoided photos as wouldn't have looked great. Saw some hillside towns and went past a lake at one point. Beautifully set against the backdrop of some snow covered mountains.

Arrived in Firenze (Florence) and decided it should be named Freeze-enze. Or something. Basically it was cold. Was a 20min or so walk to our place - glad to arrive.

Apartment is nice so will get settled in. Indian for dinner which was good and cheap and delivered (odd way of packaging it up). Will take it easy tomorrow and aim to get out and about on Wednesday.Read more
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Wednesday Wanderings
November 15, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C
Saw the Ponte Vecchio bridge with its jewellery stores and the secret Vasari corridor. Wandered through the streets and Radi bought a cute jumper from Promod (a nice affordable french designer store).

Bit cold so we got hot chocolates from the Lindt store. Radi's milk one was basically flowing chocolate (strangely slightly dark) and Wade's white one was like custard with some milk Choc - was nice. Found a board game store and had a quick look. They had the game we want but only in Italian unfortunately. We saw the Duomo - pretty impressive looking.

Also saw some cool massive statues under an awning structure. Someone was busking nearby playing some great numbers. Made for a great impression.

Stopped at Trattoria Boboli for dinner - pasta and wine and mushroom steak with beans as a side. Steak very good - nicely medium rare. Yum and quite reasonable.Read more
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The Uffizi
November 16, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
Decided to get into the tourist mode and check out the main sights in Florence.

Number one - to the Uffizi! Waited in a very small (but unmoving) line with an electric sign saying it would be a 60/90min wait. Pondered spending the extra euro to go straight in, but once they actually let people in it was quick (had heard horror stories of the lines) - only ended up waiting 10/15ish minutes in total. Phwef.

Wandered through at a medium pace and took 2 hours or so. Was happy without a tour or audio guide as we're hardly huge art buffs (plus the plaques accompanying each piece explained it in enough detail). Was nice to see paintings and sculptures and talk about the ones that stood out. Overall was pretty cool, we did slightly prefer the Louvre though (but that's just our opinion). Stopped half way through at the museum cafe for a coffee and mini tarts (expensive but good).

Got a Christmas ornament in the gift shop and also saw temporary exhibitions on Leonardo's adoration of the magi and some Japanese screen art.

Then went to Trattoria Mario (thanks for the recommendation Em and TK), to try some traditional Florentino steak - a big T bone cooked rare. Was nice but not the best we've had - the bits that were "overdone" (ie medium rare) were really good though. Bread and pasta (tomato rigatoni and polenta lasagne) were yum - also good that they gave us half portions so we could try both. And very reasonably priced! Enjoyed it.

Then found a cute Christmas shop and picked up two more ornaments just because. Followed by gelato - we followed some internet tips for "artisan" gelato and were not disappointed (look for gelato that doesn't stack high and that is in covered steel containers to keep it cool). Was really good - best gelato we've had yet! Very creamy.

Then on to the Duomo!Read more
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The Duomo
November 16, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 10 °C
Number two - the Duomo (cathedral and it's famous dome). Won't bore you with details but the story behind it is pretty interesting. They started the cathedral without knowing how to actually build the dome. The wool merchants' guild held a competition to find someone to figure out how to build the structure by posing the problem of making an egg stand upright on marble. The winner was Bruneschelli (who was actually a goldsmith, not an architect). He kept it secret so no one else knew how he was building the dome. Also there wouldn't have been enough wood in all of Tuscany for the scaffolding so he came up with newer, better styles of scaffolding. Clever guy!

Got our tickets and got in line - again wasn't really long because our tickets were for the 4pm slot so was fine. Inside was nice in the brief glimpses we got. Then it was up a fair few narrow stairs to come out inside the dome and see the impressive frescoes and stained glass windows. Followed by more stairs (very narrow and required Wade to stoop in parts - Radi had no problems) and finally we made it out to the top of the dome.

Amazing. The views over Florence were stunning. Sunny day (was warmer than it has been) and just great views from being up so high, made the experience awesome.

Also visited the Baptistry - a smaller eight sided dome like church behind the main cathedral. Also very impressive looking up at the painted frescoes. Some of the images were a tad terrifying (eg. the devil with a half-eaten man sticking out its mouth). The rest was beautiful though - especially the depictions of the angels.

Home time and got some average takeaway pizza. And some nice dessert from a bakery.Read more
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The Boboli & Bardini Gardens
November 17, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 10 °C
Had thought to do a day trip to Siena but woke up feeling off so decided against it. Hopefully we didn't miss too much (or we'll just have to come back and go another time 😁).

Instead made it out for a late lunch of souvlaki - nice if a little salty. Then to Boboli and Bardini gardens (a few streets apart and one ticket will get you into both). Not super impressive as gardens go but was still nice just walking around in the sun (much warmer today - at times was tshirt weather). Great views from the top out over Florence. Cool statues but then we're not experts. Fort Belvedere was closed but would've been nice to see.

Skipped the porcelain museum but did see the Buonalenti grotto - pretty cool if quite random with all the effort put in to make it look like a real cave.

Got a Thai massage which we both needed and then grabbed some fresh bread and biscotti for tomorrow's breakfast and dinner for tonight (pasta, meatballs and eggplant - yum). Home to rest for our last full day in Florence.

Italy is playing Argentina (rugby) at the stadium here tomorrow but think we'll give it a miss - a shame the ABs don't happen to be playing here. Will see how we go!Read more
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Farewell Florence!
November 18, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
Made it out by noon and browsed some shops. Had coffee and a custard croissant (cheap and good). Browsed some more. Saw the main cathedral interior and the underneath crypts (really just a small exhibit showing some of the foundations).

Cathedral was impressively big - very high ceilings inside and the frescoes on ceiling and stained glass windows were beautiful. The crypts were a little underwhelming - not much to them and did learn much. But was included with our 48 hour duomo ticket so all good. Skipped the bell tower as the line was pretty big, and you can't book a time like you can with the dome (the bell tower is at the other end of the cathedral and slightly shorter but you can go up and get a good view of the city that includes the dome itself).

Visited the board game shop again but didn't buy anything. Walked back home for a quick rest then more wandering (mostly through the Oltr'arno area on the other side of the river). Looked at some jewellery on Ponte Vecchio but was out of our price range sadly. Had gelato. Was yum and cheap. Pizza slices for lunch. Had some birthday cupcakes too.

Home again for a bit and then dinner at Pint of View. A craft beer place with burgers and Korean food. Had a rye IPA beer and Gin and Tonic with a burger and Korean fried chicken. Was quite good - burger would have done well in Wellington on a Plate.

Home to pack and it's off to Venice tomorrow by train. Not the most exciting birthday but good fun. Have decided to delay celebrations to a more Wade-friendly location anyway! ☺Read more
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Vista of Venice
November 19, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 5 °C
Checked out and got a 2 hour train to Venice (train was with Italo - nicest ride we've had in terms of comfort, although scenery was average).

Hotel for this part as we only have one full day here, and then it's a super early flight on Tuesday. Checked in to the hotel, receptionist was lovely. Somehow managed to get a free upgrade to a nice room with a canopy bed.

Rested and did some planning and then got bus tickets for Tuesday. Then it was off to find some dinner as the light faded. Walked to a pasta place that was cheap and OK (mushroom tagliatelle good, tricolor amitriciana OK). Followed by a cup of gelato from Grom. Was good.

Browsed some shops on way there and back. Also stopped for more pasta as wasn't quite full. This one was cuttlefish in black venetian sauce. An inky black sauce and really nice fish (could've been like reconstructed fish but tasted nice and vaguely squid-ey). Surprisingly good.

Overall liking Venice so far - haven't seen much but canals and streets are cute. Bit of a smell occasionally though, and not looking forward to the heaps of tourists and high prices we'll no doubt find tomorrow... but should be fun!Read more
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Vení, Vidi, Vici... Venezia
November 20, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 5 °C
Title translation: I came, I saw, I conquered... Venice. Jokes! We obviously didn't conquer it... we only had one day and Rome wasn't built in a day. Wait. We're mixing metaphors here, let's just get to the usual stuff.

Got up at 7 am - very impressive for us. Breakfast at the hotel buffet (they had a large range of sweet pastries... odd but delicious). Then wandered through the streets of Venice.

Made our way to Saint Marks Plaza - a lot of people but not too crazy and definitely better than the hordes we'd heard of. Small line for the free St Marks Basilica - moved through quickly and was interesting to see from the inside (very glamorous frescoes).

Then over to the Doge's Palace - bit pricey at NZD $35 each but worth it.

The Doge was the Duke of Venice and ruled over the city with various councils of noblemen etc. Very important guy, especially with Venice being such a rich and powerful city (they had impressive ship prowess which allowed them to be great traders and merchants). His palace was the seat of governmental power (basically the Beehive of Venice... except way wayyyyy fancier than the Beehive). The Doge couldn't leave the palace without certain rituals and arrangements.

The rooms flowed logically for touring and there were information panels (and we got an audioguide).

Some regal looking rooms with old paintings and gold decoration adorning the walls. Various council rooms - some with secret entrances. There were also lion's head wall slots where people would post anonymous declarations to inform on each other. Part of the council was a kind of secret police/autocratic type council - so there was a lot of public fear of prosecution. Interesting.

The armoury in particular was awesome - heaps of old but well preserved weapons. A bunch of swords all with different hilts - from simple s-shaped hilts to giant fancy ones, along with armour, crossbows and pikes.

There were some prisons too - much more extensive than they first appear. Some very small doors which would not have been fun to be thrown through.

The main attraction was the grand hall - very cool. A giant room absolutely covered with paintings on walls and ceilings - including the portraits of past Doges (apart from one guy who just has a black curtain painted for his portrait because of the whole he-committed-treason-and-was-beheaded thing). Really impressive room.

Next room was the treasure room, with a special temporary exhibition hosting the Al-thani collection of Indian (and Indian inspired) jewels. It was seriously impressive. Some massive diamonds, and non-faceted (e.g. lumpy) emeralds, and sapphires - a crazy amount of wealth to have in one room. Also explained a bit about different aspects (like how India has a long tradition of having jewels and gold to show power and status, and used mostly larger uncut gems, before later adopting the Western style of having faceted but smaller gems).

Also had swords and daggers and other random items made out of (white?!) jade and other materials. One cloth type thing that looked woven except actually it was made up of small diamonds and pearls and stuff. Crazy. Oh and a jade, emerald and ruby egg cup (for when you want a fancy breakfast but only have eggs).

No photos allowed in the exhibit but was impressive.

To top off the stellar time so far, we next saw some weird modern art thing about the port at Venice. Odd, confusing and basically 10 minutes of our life we'll never get back. But we did try to understand it - we're clearly just not smart enough to appreciate it. Oh well.

Also briefly checked out some rooms with parts of the facades, which randomly also had an espresso machine exhibited in a glass case with absolutely no explanation. Still unsure why it was there...

A great visit to the palace and would definitely recommend it.

Wandered some more, tried on clothes and had a nice tomato and seafood pasta from Dal Moro. Then back to San Marco to go up the Bell Tower (elevator this time, no stairs) for great views. <Insert joke about Wade being the hunchback of Notre Dame/Venice here>

Back down and more wandering. Considered getting a gondola, but was incredibly pricey - especially for a ride along randomly smelly canals. Instead wandered around and stopped for a coffee. Spotted the leaning tower of Venice. Then browsed some jewellery and stopped for more pasta - again the black ink and cuttlefish one and a delicious eggplant, tomato and ricotta one (Alla Norma). Can't remember the name of the place but it's on Calle Casera - was definitely the best (and cheapest) pasta we had in Venice.

Got more cake on way back (pistachio cake... yum!) then packed and got an early ish night. Very early start tomorrow!Read more
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Lounging Around in Brussels
November 21, 2017 in Belgium ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C
Super early start today - wake up call for 3.50am. Checked out by 4.15am and on the bus at 4.35am (had 15min waiting in cold as there are both shuttles and buses going to the airport, and we had the ticket for the slightly later bus).

Hotel gave us a packed breakfast, which was... edible. Understandably, no lounge open at Venice airport as it was too early. Got on our plane for a 2 hour flight to Brussels, with 4-5 hours to kill before connection to Barcelona.

Got to Brussels airport and hurrah for a good lounge with no time limit. Spent almost four hours here, just relaxing and eating and using wifi. Nice bread, nice beer and really nice snacks.

Seriously loving having our Diners Club cards - would highly recommend for anyone going to more than 2 international airports in 6 months.

Then a quick flight to Barcelona (see next post).Read more
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Bienvenido to Barcelona!
November 21, 2017 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 12 °C
Landed in Barcelona (3 countries in a day)! Bus to centre was cheap and easy and quick. Then decided to forgo the metro and just walk to our accomodation. May have underestimated the distance (considering we were carrying our packs). So got a bit hot but was nice views of some of the Gaudi buildings. Nice wide streets - quite different so far from Italy.

Got settled in and then wandered through the neighbourhood to get groceries. Got nice bread, blue cheese, non disgusting cheese (Wade's not a blue cheese fan), pate, wine and then some takeaway pasta and filled mushrooms and eggplant. Dinner was really good - might end up there again later!Read more
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Super Fun Sagrada Familia
November 23, 2017 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 13 °C
Woke up a little late so scrapped our day trip plans and instead went for a visit to the Sagrada Familia cathedral. And very glad we did - was awesome. In short, it was stunning - definitely something you can't miss in Barcelona and just a wonder to behold. Very inspiring vision! Best cathedral we've seen (and we've seen a fair few at this point).

Work started on the cathedral in 1882 and a year later, the 29 year old Antoni Gaudi took over and redesigned all the plans (he switched from the previous architect's run of the mill neo-Gothic plan to his original design). It's still under construction but expected to be finished in 2026, the centenary of Gaudi's death by tram. Really impressive that they're able to continue his work - especially considering how some of his plaster models and drafts got destroyed by bombing during the civil war.

We went up the Nativity tower which was really nice, and got the audioguide which we'd also recommend - it explained a lot of the symbolism (every feature was both functional and symbolic) and we didn't feel the need for a guide.

The two complete facades (Passion and Nativity) were impressive in the detail and number of sculptures. Inside was a breathtaking space filled with light and colour and air (inspired by forests). Gaudi was inspired by nature and used some revolutionary concepts and features in the building.

Wade also bought a cool Sagrada Familia coin from the museum (he's been wanting a cool coin for a while now).

Beautiful inside and out - was amazing. Afterwards we ate some empanadas and ramen (different places) and Wade got a haircut.Read more
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Montserrat Monastery
November 24, 2017 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 14 °C
Day trip to Montserrat Monastery today. An hour and a half each way, plus 25min ish for the cable car up the mountain. Cable car was cool and only slightly terrifying.

The abbey and Basilica are set amongst the rocks of the Monserrat mountains. The monastery began in the 10th century, and still functions as a monastery today (there are roughly 80 monks in residence). It celebrated 1000 years of existence in 1880. Interesting history - it was burned down and sacked by Napoleon's troops twice, and violently suppressed during the Spanish Civil War. It became a safe haven for scholars, students, artists and politicians during Franco's reign - and as a result became a symbol for Catalan nationalism.

The Basilica is impressive and gilt and golden and ornate - but really seems like missing the point when you have such natural beauty around. Lot of tourists even in the off season. Not a tourist trap or terrible experience by any means but still felt a bit disingenuous. Heard the boys choir sing in the church - which was nice enough.

Nature and surrounds were beautiful. There were several hiking paths. We did one walk (Santa Cova) which was pretty cool - the cliff face had religious art, the other side beautiful natural views. The church of Santa Cova at the end was definitely lovely, small and built into the rock face. Very peaceful.

Then came home (had to stand for the one hour train back) and had takeaway pasta (from the same place yet again). Overall a good enough, if somewhat underwhelming day.Read more
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Parc Guell
November 25, 2017 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 13 °C
Late start and went to Parc Guell (an aristocratic park designed by Antoni Gaudi).

Was OK (we were a bit tired so may not have fully appreciated it's splendor). The park surrounding the monumental area was nice, the monumental area (which requires booking and payment to get in) itself was smaller. Looked nice and the number of columns on one part was impressive, as was the portico. Overall though felt a bit over hyped and was way too many people there (especially for low season).

Walked around and explored a bit more of Barcelona after. Did some window shopping. Ate various things, nothing too exciting. Saw some graffiti that was highly complementary to tourists (#sarcasm).

Went home and packed.Read more
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Aground in Granada
November 26, 2017 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 12 °C
Woke up at 5 am and made it to airport. Lounge was great - lots of food and drink. Flew to Palma de Mallorca for an hour and then next flight to Granada. Granada airport reminded us a lot of Dunedin airport randomly - similar size and layout, rural setting and we even walked across the tarmac to the terminal in the same orientation. Took the bus to town (there's one bus that leaves after each flight - that's how quiet it is comparatively).

Arrived and walked uphill through some cute little narrow lanes to our accomodation in Albaicin. House was still being cleaned so we chatted with our very friendly hosts and went for lunch in a nearby plaza. Had a beer and tinto de verano (like sangria - delicious), so got a free tapa of Russian salad (potato salad). Had deep fried anchovies (good but not as good as in Italy) and a paella (OK).

Back to our accomodation to relax and plan out our stay. Then popped out into the winding maze of streets to grab kebabs and baklava. Checked out Calle Alcaiceria on the way - it's all that is left of what once was the Alcaiceria (the great bazaar markets of Granada). A fire destroyed the original bazaar (which had over 200 shops) in the 19th century. Definitely had the Arabic market place atmosphere to it.

Really liking Granada so far (and definitely enjoying our rooftop terrace with views of Alhambra and the city).Read more
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Paragliding Over Mountains
November 27, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C
Went tandem paragliding with the awesome Gran Altura guys today (only day during our stay we had good enough weather for it too). Got picked up and taken to the Sierra Nevada mountains near Cenes de la Vega. Drove past a quarry along a rickety road and ended up with great views. Went for a little walk while we waited for some other paragliders from Belgium to take off (patience while waiting for the right conditions is apparently a key skill for pilots).

Then got strapped into harness and it was off with a running start over a terrifyingly high cliff edge.... and into the air! Floated over the Sierra Nevada mountains and valleys. Radi's trip was longer - she got thermals and got higher and was able to steer and did some midair acrobatics (a bit nausea-inducing but awesome). Wade had a shorter trip as he's "fat" and more importantly missed out on the thermals, but still thoroughly enjoyed it. Amazing and so much fun! A truly surreal experience.Read more
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Paragliding Over Mountains II
November 27, 2017 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 9 °C
After our little flying adventure, we caught the bus back into town. Got some nice bread from a little bakery and stopped by a supermarket. Wandered around the new town a bit more. Home for some relaxing (and to clean dog poo off shoe - the stereotype about Spaniards being relaxed about whether to scoop poop or not is sadly true, so it's eyes to the ground at all times).

Then went back out to pick up Alhambra tickets to make tomorrow easier. Stopped in for a drink (beer and tinto verano) and plate of fried, battered seafood. As it's a tapas place we also got a free small plate of battered whole prawns - quite nice. And the seafood plate (anchovies, fish fillet chunks, squid and shelled prawns) was really good.

More evening wandering (town coming much more alive and many more shops open than there were at 3-4pm). Had a Spanish tortilla - kind of like a quiche of potato and eggs but different. Really yum and super cheap. Did some window shopping, and stopped by a boardgame shop (Wade may have a problem). Then past the giant Christmas tree made of lights on the way back home.Read more
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The Alhambra - Nasrid Palaces
November 28, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C
Visited Alhambra today - photos and text to follow in three parts.

Part One: Palacios Nazares

After a medium walk uphill to the Alhambra complex, we picked up audioguides and lined up for our 11.30 time slot to see the Palaces. Lots of people inside (there's a limit per half hour), so there it was a bit crowded but not too bad.

Inside the palaces were quite nice - a lot of very fine and detailed decoration on the walls. Audioguide was moderately interesting for providing some more context. Quite a few walls had mosaics and often arabic inscriptions - the audioguide read some of these out which were pretty odd taken out of context.

Some interesting arches and ceilings, some quite ornate with domes and odd but pretty shapes. Overall quite enjoyable.Read more
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The Alhambra - Alcazaba
November 28, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
Part Two: The Alcazaba

The Alcazaba was the war fortress part of the complex, although not sure how much war it saw. The “reconquest” of Spain in 1492 by the “Catholic Monarchs” (Ferdinand and Isabella) ended more or less with the fall of Granada when the Catholic forces were peacefully let in to the Alhambra. Then they went about kicking out the Jews and Muslims from Spain and demolished parts of the Alhambra (amongst many other things).

Anyway the Alcazaba part was cool – a few different towers with great views. Three walls in a terrace formation (the roads between the walls were for different purposes). The highest tower the watchtower had a bell on it for telling people when to water their gardens and for ringing in case of attack. There were also the knee-high (presumably partly reconstructed) remains of the military quarters – very tiny rooms!

One highlight was at the southern end – the rampart gardens. The ramparts were originally for, you know, artillery and stuff, but then they weren't fighting more wars so they just put some gardens on there. Quite nice and peaceful and odd to see on top of a castle wall!Read more
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The Alhambra - Generalife Palace Gardens
November 28, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Part Three: Generalife Palace & Gardens

Our visit concluded after a short walk up to the Generalife Gardens. A lot of this area showed the different styles and forces that were in power. For example, one part was actually only created in the early nineteenth century, while others were claimed to be from the Muslim era (but were actually much more recent). Passed an example house on the way and we were struck by how similar it was in layout to the ruins of Greek and Roman houses we had seen in Italy (with the small rooms clustering around a central pool etc.). Also passed the old Islamic baths, which were interesting (and again similar to, or inspired by, Roman baths).

The gardens themselves were quite nice – pretty. The audioguide was valuable in this part as it explained a lot more and told little stories, like about how the royals used to ride over to the gardens and then dismount in the “Courtyard of Dismounting” (although they used a steeper path than we did, which now doesn't exist). There was also a lawsuit that ran for 100 years, to do with who owned the gardens or nobles' rights or something.

Then there were some inside rooms and another cool courtyard or two, similar in style to the Nasarid Palaces. We finished up with a nice walk down past some oleander plants (native to Granada and previously close to extinction until efforts were made to restore them) and through an avenue of cypress trees, with the autumn leaves falling around us. Lovely.

But we were hungry, so grabbed emapanadas, a panini (in this case, more like a pizza sub), sweet treats (including the milhoja, similar to a custard square) and some tinto de verano in a 1.5L bottle. Relaxed at home to get up to date on the blog and do some reading (a book from the house we're in – Ghosts of Spain by Giles Tremlett – an interesting book looking at certain topical issues of Spain from the perspective of a British journalist who has settled in Madrid). Then a cheap kebab for dinner.Read more
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Cordially Córdoba
December 1, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C
Granada train station under renovation so we took a bus (hour or so) to Antequera Santa Anna - a train station on the way to Cordoba, which is presumably a sort of junction. Had coffee and donut and ate our sandwiches in the one hour wait. Then a 40 minute train (the high speed AVE one). A twenty minute walk and we arrived at our place.

Then headed out for a wander through the surrounding Jewish quarter and historic area. Saw one of only 3 remaining synagogues in Spain. In it's long history, it went from being a synagogue (possibly built for the private use of a wealthy man), to being a hospital for rabies victims when the Jewish people were expelled from the kingdom. From hospital to a community centre and chapel under the ownership of the Shoemakers Guild. In 1885 it became a national monument. It was beautiful.

Saw an Inquisition and Torture museum, which was quite disturbing. Basically just torture devices and their descriptions - a bit nauseating but worthwhile to see for hammering home the harsh realities of the Inquisition.

Looked through some shops and stuff and saw some Christmas markets including some cool kids rides. Stopped for some/too many drinks and tapas. Tried vermouth - was OK. Tinto de verano still excellent.

Stopped by supermarket just before closing and for Ferrero Rocher waffle and Kinder Bueno crepe from the Christmas market. Then home to bed!Read more
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Mezquita and Music
December 2, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C
Late start, feeling under the weather. Went to lunch - fried eggplant (like hot Kumara chips), mushrooms with garlic (meh) and fried anchovies (yum, best in Spain so far). Then visited the Mezquita, a mosque cathedral.

This was originally a church, and then a mosque, and then a bigger mosque, and then finally a cathedral (the tower of which was essentially built in the middle of everything else). An interesting example of different cultures melding - although this may or may not be as true as has been suggested (certainly there were a lot of years full of religious persecution so who knows). And the Catholic Church has banned Muslims from holding services in the mosque cathedral to this day - so maybe not quite a multi religious paradise.

But politics aside, it was a nice building. Lots of red and white arches and then the very elaborate Christian trappings inside. Unusual and worth a visit (didn't go up the tower due to sore knees).

After that, a walk across the Roman bridge towards the Calahorra tower. But it wasn't particularly exciting so we turned back early. And glad we did as we stumbled across two young women playing Coldplay on violin and cello to a backing speaker underneath a ancient triumphal arch. They were amazing and proceeded to reel off a number of popular songs as played on their instruments (Hallelujah, Pirates of Carribean, Despacito and even Mamma Mia). Stayed there for about 30 minutes with a small crowd as was quite nice just standing in the sun listening to great music. Even bought their CD!

Then on to some more wandering, checked out the Street of the Flowers - a popular Instagram spot apparently. It was pretty cute with the whitewashed buildings and many flower pots. Then onward back home to rest up and turkish for dinner. Internet a bit slow so watched a web series (vlog format) on YouTube based on a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice - surprisingly good.Read more
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Mezquita and Music II
December 2, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C
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The Hunchback of Madrid
December 6, 2017 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 3 °C
So arrived in Madrid a couple of days ago - train ride here was comfortable. New place has low ceilings in parts, so Wade is being a hunchback and has already hit his head on the roof about 10 times. We're right in the centre next to Plaza Mayor, which currently has a Christmas market. Also most of the streets have cool Christmas lights up which look nice at night. Lots of people around as two holidays fall during the week we're here.

Went for an evening walk and crowds were huge - so much for shoulder season, looks like we've been travelling so long that we've ventured into peak season (but the colder version). Went to a giant supermarket under a mall (and by giant we mean slightly smaller than most medium supermarkets back home, but after a month of normal Spain and Italy and tiny shops...) which was cool. Tried some turrón (local sweet treat) - delicious. Enjoying the Christmas atmosphere!Read more
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They say "go via Segovia"
December 7, 2017 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 6 °C
Day trip to Segovia - a UNESCO world heritage town. Got to the metro, bought a card and tickets to get to the other main train station, Chamartin. Then realised we actually wanted to take the suburban railway not the metro (as it takes longer). So bought suburban tickets and made it to the station about 2 minutes before the 10.15 train - without tickets and in any case the train was totally full. Bit of a fail. Ended up getting the 11.48 train (bit more expensive) but worth it to get out there.

Wandered around the area a little - thought about going bowling to kill some time but the place hadn't opened yet. Back to the mall-like station - Wade was excited to try a vanilla milkshake from a vending machine but when it came out hot he realised it was a vanilla latte. Lol. Train was quick - 27 minutes.

Then took bus to town (although sharing a cab with two randoms would have been the same price and much quicker). Bus waited for 20 minutes for the next train and packed people on like sardines!

Arrived in town and saw the amazing Roman aqueduct. Built many years ago without mortar or cement and still standing (was in use until 1900s and goes underground through the town). Very impressive.

Walked through a weekly market and got a Christmas ornament. Lots of people around in Segovia. Then found a random little place for lunch which was surprisingly good (after some initial confusion over the menu given our limited Spanish). Russian salad and castellana soup for starters which were very good. Soup was kind of like tom yum and bread was really nice. Then battered calamari and pork with chips for second course. Good but too greasy, salty and too much for us to finish. Did save room for dessert though - apple custard tart and flan (delicious!).

Walked up to the castle and joined the short line for tickets and audioguide. Wade's audioguide went funny halfway through and switched back to Spanish - of which he understood 80% or so (yay). Eventually got it sorted for English to make life easier though.

Castle/Alcazar was interesting. Mostly rebuilt in 19th century after a fire. Thanks to a lot of detailed descriptions and artwork of the castle, it was able to be accurately rebuilt. Looks like it's right out of a fairytale (may have inspired the Disney Castle). Nice views over the river and surrounding landscape.

Some rooms were quite nice - cool ceilings. One roof that was destroyed was replaced by an identical roof off another room which happened to have the exact same roof! Apparently Spanish carpenters tended to make several copies of the same work (instead of unique one-offs) so identical roofs are actually a common occurrence from that time. One roof was filled with wooden pine cone decorations - each of them a unique design.

The stained glass windows were cool, and the audioguide did a good job of explaining each one. The throne room was very impressive. It contained little statues of all the monarchs just below the ceiling, each statue was stylised to represent something unique about the monarch. There were also plaques under each figure with a brief description of the monarch's life.

Also made sure to go up the tower for some nice views over Segovia. Overall enjoyed the tour.

Walked back through town - spotted the cathedral and found a cool shop. Also dropped a magnet and broke it so now we have two Segovia magnets (one which needs glue). Oops. Also visited a sword shop - some very cool swords and daggers were tempting, but ultimately no use for them so sadly abstained. Got bus back to station and then train.

Went to a taco place for dinner. Managed to get there ten minutes before opening and a big line continued behind us - a good sign. The tacos were almost authentic Mexican which was pretty good (and the michelada beer cocktail was good too). Then churros for dessert. Was a good day!Read more
LetsExploreLittleKiwisLoved it there.....so jealous
12/12/17Reply
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Buenos Dias Buenos Aires
December 14, 2017 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
Arrived in Argentina. Flight here was long and turbulent which wasn't fun. Snow in Frankfurt so was a scramble to get there from Madrid (lots of cancellations), but we made it thankfully. Lounge in Madrid was nice, lounge in Frankfurt was before security and we didn't have time.

Hot here but not too hot. Have mostly stayed in and gone into relaxing holiday mode. We're on the 15th floor and have some great views. Yet to try out the pool and sauna but will get round to it.

Money is a bit different here compared to the ease of Europe - NZD$17 in fees to withdraw NZD $250 or so (although we maybe could have got cash out at a supermarket for free?). Also they generally check your ID when paying by credit card.

Eaten quite a few Empanadas. Had a nice meal at a South East Asian fusion type place which was good food but small meals and a loud restaurant.Read more
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