SPAIN! Barcelona, Valencia, Tarragona, Altea, Cartagena, Alicante ... and Murcia with mates at their Villa. It doesn't get much better!
Updated: 1 day ago
We LOVE SPAIN!
🇪🇸 💃
And I hope you travel there too if you haven't already,
and maybe get to see some of the beautiful towns we visited, and more!
We have only just scratched the surface.
And for once, to arrive somewhere affordable for food and drinks, was a breath of fresh air. Our Aussie dollar doesn't stretch very far these days, sadly.
Arriving off a cruise ship into Barcelona,
after 39 amazing days sailing from South America to Spain,
we were super excited to see our English friends, Pete and Shaz,
at their holiday villa in Murcia.
Just over an hour's flight south from Barcelona,
saw us arrive in the very agricultural belt of Murcia.
So much green space, with fields of veggies, hoardes of greenhouses and orange groves
lining the highway on the way back from the airport to Pete and Shaz's place.
We first met this fabulous couple on a cruise from New Zealand to Australia in 2017,
and have seen them a few times since then in England,
as well as a fun sojourn with them in Paris back in 2019. They are firmly planted in our 'Travel Family Tree' and we just love them to pieces.
And hoorah to visit them in Spain, and at Easter of all times.
I say that, as Easter is utterly massive here, with Spain being predominantly Catholic,
we got to see even more 'Processions' after the ones we saw recently in Malaga
on Palm Sunday, before our ship arrived in Barcelona.
First outing for the four of us was to Cartegena, where the 'piece de resistance' is the enormous ancient Roman Theatre set into the hill, which - can you believe,
was only discovered in 1988? Yes. 1988! How that remained hidden right in town, for over two millinea is an utter mystery!
I'll get back to this in a minute...
But first, a walk through the 'old town' was a treat in itself -
-then down to the modern waterfront where there is a complete full sized replica of
Christopher Columbus's 1492 flag ship, the Santa Maria,
docked and available for walk-on's.
Wow.
It was surprisingly small, and its astonishing to think how far it travelled back in those days. What an explorer!
The lads.
🤼♂️
I have so many photos like this of these two 'kids' and you'd think they called each other from their bedrooms to ask what they were each wearing.
Too cute.
Now, where was I?
Yep, a little caffeine fix by the waterfront before heading off to be dazzled by the
Roman Ruins...
Oh yes, that ancient Roman Theatre they had only recently unearthed.
I'm still gobsmacked that it lay under a hill, basically right on the side of this city.
Super cheap to enter, (only a few Euros) and we were soon wandering through a museum with loads of relics and sculptures, but it was all leading towards the finalé,
where we had to walk through this stunning original tunnel to get to.
Shaz and I had walked ahead of the boys, who, surprise-surprise, were always lagging back, chattering their little heads off. And they say women talk a lot!
Anyway, as we were waiting with some other folks to enter into the Theatre, all I heard from behind us as the boys entered the tunnel, was dear Pete,
exclaiming rather loudly I might add :
"I'm Spartacus!"
To which I replied back just as loudly: "No, I'm Spartacus!"
All of this echoing off these stone walls...
By this time we were being shooshed and scolded by other museum lovers,
but we were in stitches.
Just check out the photo I created of Pete to honour this moment...
I asked Pete to look like he was holding a sword, as I had the complete picture in mind...
Before:
...And after!
And, ta-darr!
So funny!
The man, the myth, the warrior!
This made for a wonderful 'thank you for having us gift' after we arrived home.
🫶
Ok, where was I?
I seem to say that a lot these days...😉
Like I said, how did THIS stay hidden?
Must be about time for lunch, but as it was Good Friday, this was proving quite the challenge for us, however eventually we found a delightful place that had a spare table, opposite a tiny church which was charming.
Here we got to enjoy some delicious Spanish tapas and sample some local vino.
Perfecto!
What's not to love about a Mediterranean lunch in an old town? 😋
Following lunch, we had a little head poke into a church to see them prepping the massive floats for this weekend's special Easter Procession, and as per usual,
our boys were just being 'boys'.
Butter wouldn't melt...
They definitely looked like they were up to something...
I'd usually say 'Bless 'em', but considering where we were,
that might be asking a tad too much. 😇
What a great first day sightseeing with our mates.
Cartegena - ☑️
Back home to the villa for more food -
this time a beautiful charcuterie board around the pool.
Yum, thanks, Shaz.
Heaven right there.
---
Another stunning seaside town to visit along this Easterly coast of Spain
is the popular town of Alicante.
Known for its vibrant nightlife, historic castles and sweeping views of the Mediterranean with over 300 days of sunshine per year, its no wonder its a popular spot to visit.
We had previously decided to book a hotel for the night here, as Pete and Shaz had made special plans to celebrate my upcoming birthday by treating us to a
Flamenco Dinner Dance Show,
and we wanted to make a special night of it,
and not have to bother driving an hour or so home late at night.
We arrived early to find our hotel and a carpark, as being Easter Saturday, we knew the crowds would be pouring in later for the Procession and the celebrations that go with that.
With that all in mind, we headed straight for the 9th century fortress, Santa Barbara Castle -perched high on the hill, with the most commanding of views, as you'd imagine. There is a convenient lift to take you to the top, thankfully!
Everywhere your eyes took you, was another fabulous photo opportunity. I was in my element!
I think when we stood by these little outposts,
we didn't realise what little there seemed to be holding them up - 😱
And for all those husbands out there, who'd somehow like to get this 'shot'...I was all in!
It was a wonderful escape from the world below for an hour or so.
But when we heard the drums beating and the sound of trumpets,
we knew it was time to head down the ramparts - on foot this time, rather than the lift.
A lot more authentic way to reach the bottom, and the sounds of the parade
put a skip in our step as well.
Once back into the old town, we landed straight in the middle of the Procession.
It was awesome!
Turn your sound on!
Alicante is also known for its pretty, wavy tiled promenade, with a myriad of enticing eateries lining the foreshore, luring you in.
We scored a terrific seat, considering how very busy it was here this time of day,
and we ended up having a very memorable lunch.
No wonder I used this image as my opening photo of this blog!
Following our long lunch, it was definitely siesta time, after all - we're in Spain, right?
Time to rest up for our fun night ahead.
🥱💤
---
Back down to the marina district for our night out, and what a fabulous place this was!
Plenty of bars and restaurants, and even a music concert was on as well,
which made for plenty of people and an electric vibe!
Tucked away in there was a cosy little venue, known for their traditional
Flamenco dance nights, and we were in for a treat.
With front row seats, tapas and wine that kept coming, we really enjoyed the spectacle and passion of these talented and spirited dancers.
A wonderfully unique and much appreciated birthday gift, thanks guys.
👏🏼
---
The following morning we hit Alicante's famous Mercado (market),
to buy some deliciously fresh goodies for our BBQ this afternoon.
I've never seen so many varieties of shrimp in my life, but 'pickle me grandmother'...
look at the prices!
Sheesh, needless to say we are eating steak tonight!
See what I mean about cheap drinks though? Even a lovely Rosé is only €2.90 a bottle!
Barbie time and more laughter with these two.
See what I mean about the boys twinning with their clothing, again?!
---
The following day saw us get to know the town of Murcia a little more,
and even the golf community in which our friends' villa was located.
A morning 'caffe con leche' by the water was the first order of the day.
That's the limit of my Spanish I'm afraid,
is to order two white coffees please...extra hot, thank you.
Dos café con leche por favor, muchos calliente, gracias.
So much fun saying it, 😁, I felt like a local.
Idiot, I know. 🤣
They literally have everything here on their doorstop,
including a fabulous town square with shops, bars and restaurants,
a beautiful Country Club
and of course an 18 hole golf course for Pete!
No wonder Brits flock here.
Such a short flight for them, amazing weather and as I've mentioned, so affordable,
especially with the British Pound!
---
Birthday time! 🎉
Yippee, aren't I just the luckiest girl around, to not only be spending my birthday in Spain, but with super friends we hardly ever get to see?!
Today we drove along the gorgeous narrow strip of land to our lunch stop at Cabo De Palos.
Wow, what a place!
And a new lighthouse for my ever growing collection!
Shaz had lunch booked at this particular restaurant that specialised in salt baked bream, which is something I had only ever seen on TV cooking shows!
I think by memory we all ordered the same dish!
When it came out they cracked it open in front of us, as well as boned it too.
Quite the experience.
🐠
A wonderful last day with our beautiful friends. We've had so much fun!
Great food, endless chatter and countless laughs.
I'll see you daily on Wordle now, Shaz, and hope to see you guys maybe next year!
---
Time to grab our rental car that we'll have now as we make our way back up the coast towards Barcelona, where we'll be flying home from in a week's time.
I had plotted out an easy route, where we weren't spending a whole day on the road
just to arrive somewhere late.
We wanted to get somewhere by lunchtime, so we could explore a town by day,
and enjoy an evening as well.
I nailed the itinerary, you'll see!
Murcia - Altea - Valencia - Tarragona - Barcelona.
Only 7 hours in total, how lovely to take our time as there are some really special
places to enjoy.
You can see on this map too, Alicante and Cartagena, which we had visited in the past week.
First stop: The sweet seaside town of Altea.
Really has a special place in our hearts now, we simply loved it.
Driving along the highways was a piece of cake.
Driving into town was more of a battle.
Sat nav was fantastic, and is my favourite tool in the world when travelling,
however when we arrived into this cobblestoned town,
the roadworks just near where we needed to go was a right royal pain in the as*!
We then drove all over town trying to find our hotel,
and when we finally managed to pull over somewhere obscure, just to get our bearings,
a local lady appeared in front of our car, just putting trash out said,
"Mr and Mrs Watson?"
OMG, we were there!
So funny!
So whilst I checked ourselves in, that lovely lady (who turned out to be the manager)
helped Trev navigate the car into the tiny private garage.
By the time Trev found me, I had been well taken care of,
and was relaxing in the wee courtyard
with complimentary champagne and crisps.
LOVE SPAIN!
And check out our little room. So adorable.
We even had a cute balcony overlooking the courtyard. ❤️
Hotel Abaco Altea, was perfectly located.
An easy 10 minute walk downhill and you are on the waterfront,
where modern and local restaurants await your custom,
alongside souvenir stores, gelato bars, and everything else you require.
I actually bought a new pink hat, bag and sunglasses right here,
so you'll probably see those in pics from now on!
😉😎
Walk 15 minutes the other way, and you head up the cobblestoned lanes and stairs,
to the old town, and their gorgeous blue domed church on the hill.
We spent most of our free time up there, enjoying lunch and
browsing some very unique stores,
before deciding to go back up there for the evening as well.
It was up there I found my new favourite jacket - a denim one with handmade designs on it, featuring Freddy Mercury in what looks like a tapestry on the entire back.
Every jacket in the store was a one-off.
Rock on. 🤟🏾
New jacket, bag, hat and sunnies. Who's a lucky girl??
Pretty decent effort for someone who rarely buys anything overseas these days! 🤣
A fabulous courtyard in front of the church was the perfect place
for some tapas and a bevy or two,
and Trev finally found his new favourite apple cider with strawberry and lime!
He was sold. 😋
Staying there whilst the lights came on, then the sky turning black,
was an afternoon, and evening, very well spent.
Sad to leave tomorrow, but we're on a roll!
We certainly recommend this place highly if you want a quaint stop along this
section of coastline.
A quick goodbye with the sweetest staff member ever.
She adored the little clip on koala I gave her.
😘🐨😍
---
A cruisey drive from Altea is the very well known city of Valencia.
Hells Bells, we have arrived in a metropolis!!!
At first we missed the quaint seaside towns - this place is ENORMOUS!!!
We had booked a hotel somewhere near the old town,
but sat nav was giving us a bum steer trying to find it.
At one stage it said to drive on the footpath!
Haha - LOVE SPAIN.
Alas, we refrained, and instead finally found an underground parking station to house our little car for the night, and we just took an overnight bag with us to find our hotel.
Once that was sorted, it was time to explore and to get some lunch!
We found the Mercado, and wow, this one was on steroids.
Amazing.
Florence may be home for Steak Florentine, Naples for Margherita Pizza,
so Valencia is the home of Paella, so check out the video...
Did someone say paella, olives and baklava, and most importantly - gelato?
All over it!!!
It really is a foodie town.
Next to the amazing gelataria, was Valencia's renowned Cathedral, home of The Holy Grail...
Yes, The Holy Grail.
First we knew of it, we thought Indiana Jones had lost it, or Dan Drown says its a female.
😉
Anyhoo, apparently it has been 'approved' by Popes as legit.
Looked pretty nice to us, and it has its own chapel, complete with its own stained glass,
so they certainly revere it as 'the one'
See for yourself:
Funny story when we came home, I said to one of our sons,
"So, we found the Holy Grail...", to which he simply replied: "That was easy."
😂
Whilst the Cathedral itself is extraordinary,
it's certainly worth your time for everything else it has to offer.
(To be honest, we only found out about the grail once we were there.)
It is also a museum of other incredible treasures, relics, sculptures and artwork.
The photo opportunities are endless.
Don't judge a book by it's cover, as the outside certainly doesn't have the grandeur of other Cathedrals...
but oh, inside...😱
Not kidding, right?
So awesome. And we're not religious!
Our last bit of sightseeing came in the evening, as we were looking for somewhere different to eat, and we ended up wandering over to the 'new' part of town,
with the government buildings and fountains etc. We always find ourselves gravitating towards and enjoying old gothic parts of town,
so this was a very pleasant surprise.
The 'Placa de l'Ajuntament was a very beautiful square to admire and photograph, particularly in the blue light of twilight.
But we did end up going back to the old town anyway, (of course we did) for our last dinner.
Not hungry, but the fried cheese and ham balls get us every time!
Adios Valencia, we really enjoyed you, how ever brief it was!
---
Last town for us before finally arriving in Barcelona,
is the seaside and ancient town of Tarragona.
We hit the jackpot with this bad boy, with our hotel not only looking out over
the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean,
but it also was overlooking the number one ruin in town,
and that is the Roman Amphitheatre.
With a roof top pool to laze around - if only we had the time!
What a view to the walled Old Town. That was more luring to us, than a pool...
Before we could say Alexander the Great,
we headed off to the Old Town. We'll save our gladiator experience till tomorrow.
You'll see...
The walled Old Town completely blew us away.
We had no idea what we were in for!
I sometimes like getting excited about seeing a place that I know about,
then other times the unknowing that unfolds before your eyes is absolutely wonderful.
Today is that day.
I think it cost us just a few Euros to enter this ancient area, and I'm talking 200BC,
to see the defensive walls of this place.
From there it was inside to the utterly magnificent Cathedral.
But first a wander, pretty much by ourselves, with the odd cat for company...
Then we went inside the walls... 🫶
(Of course, wandering through the Old Town is free, it was just the ancient areas that required a small fee.)
The Cathedral was calling us in!
What a beauty!
Sited on an original Roman Temple, this current building first began its construction
back in 1171.
😱
Check out the sheer size of these doors! See the tracks they have to glide on?
There was soooo much to feast your eyes on in here.
Even the giant organ had magnificent paintings on both sides of it's shutters.
Into the ancient tapestries room -
And we couldn't resisit quoting a few lines from Indiana Jones...
Trev always the instigator of course...😂😉
The stroll through the rear exited us to the amazing courtyard corridors.
Happy little photographer here!
REALLY, an incredible Cathedral - right up there with the best!
Walking back through the Old Town towards the main square,
I just happened to look down a laneway,
and was delighted to see this gorgeous painted building,
which is actually quite famous for the town.
(I bet Instagrammers know all about it.)
I meant to look for it, but I forgot.
I guess it found me instead.
I love moments like these.
And right next to this, was a barber shop,
and guess who desperately needed a haircut after six weeks of travelling?
It was only 10€! Cost $40 back home.
Deal!
Much better, Poss!
---
And now, the Roman Amphitheatre.
We thought we'd crack on early in the morning, before any crowds.
It truly has in incredible history.
First a Roman Amphitheatre, for gladiators and animals etc...then a church was built in the middle, then it became a prison.
Now a Unesco site, thankfully, and they have done their best to retain what they can.
What a gorgeous location for it too.
Man, if the walls could talk.
How it began and evolved:
And this is what you've been waiting to see.
Trev in all his Gladiatoral glory!
(Sound on.)
Are you not entertained?!
Final stop:
Barcelona!
Seeing that we spent only one day here off ship just a week ago, I had booked two further nights here for us to enjoy this utterly FAB-U-LOUS city, before we finally fly home.
We LOVE this place.
We first visited here back in 2019, spur of the moment actually as we trained in from Paris, and we both fell in love with all it had to offer.
The Gothic Quarter, The famous food markets - 'La Boqueria', the whimsical Gaudi buildings, and the grand daddy of the all;
"La Sagrada Familia":
The Cathedral.
What to see first is the big question!
We have ditched the hire car now, preferring to get around the huge and very busy city either by cab or On/Off bus, or better still - by foot.
Our hotel was located right in the heart of the Gothic Quarter, so what better place to start, than 'La Rambla'.
This is the name of the famous street that runs from the waterfront,
all the way down to main square.
It is always crowded with tourists, so its one of those 'watch your bags' place.
I had done a bit of research at home prior to leaving, to make sure we were located really well.
And that means, not only in the Gothic Quarter, but right nearby the wonderful Placa (Plaza) that took us days to find last trip.
Not today Baby - we're onto it!
Now, just to find a place that sells cider.
Poor Trev - trying to find his beverage of choice seems to be getting harder and harder these days, with plenty of countries around the world not even knowing what it is.
Fortunately for us, after about 5 inquiries, we found a cool restaurant, with fun staff,
that not only served it in giant glasses, they also knew how to pour a decent wine too.
Somewhere we could park our butts and happily people watch as we relaxed and nibbled on delicious tapas as well.
Off to explore after we had topped up the bellies, and we wandered towards the sounds of church bells. Quite a common occurrance around here.
And what a delight to find yet another treasure, as not only a very historical Basilica,
but it was having a concert in there later in the evening.
The Four Seasons!
Some of my favourite pieces of music plus my favourite ever aria,
we, actually...probably just me....was soooo excited.
Time for a quick coffee before the doors opened to sell the tickets.
We ordered just some caramelised nuts, but check out the cake display!
Oh. My. Word.
😱
We bought tickets right near the front, and now knew what we were doing for the evening!
So random.
Love moments like these.
We enjoyed a lovely look inside before they set up for the concert.
A very special Basilica for many people in the world.
And now, for the evening's performance. Please turn your sound up and enjoy classical music in the most gorgeous of locations.
We were so privileged.
I'll do you a favour...if you're impatient like me with videos...skip to the 2 minute mark at the very least, to enjoy the soprano...you may very well stay for the rest after that.
It's just so beautiful.
Three years ago we managed to score seats inside the choir section of the famous
York Minster, to witness 'Evensong' ,
and we never forgot such an incredible experience.
Sadly, no cameras were allowed that night.
This was right up there with that.
These musicians were as good as it gets, with no conductor in sight.
And my, that incredible soprano - the joy of listening her sing Ava Maria had my eyes well up the moment she started, and by the end I had tears streaming down my face.
I can tell you I rarely cry, but this - it spoke deep into my soul. 😇
She looked straight at me when she was singing,
I was filming and crying, so I just put my hand on my heart.
She got it.
Thanks Trev, for embracing this with me.
Walking back to our hotel, Trev spotted a place where we had the most amazing meal last time we were in Barcelona, years ago!
Wow, we couldn't believe our luck.
We never for the life of us remembered it's name, or even where it was,
as the Gothic Quarter is a labyrinth of lanes and cosy alleyways...
But there it was, literally just 5 minutes walk from our hotel.
So we booked a table for tomorrow night -
being the last one of this whole 'nearly eight week' holiday.
How fab!
I don't believe in coincidences.
This was meant to be.
---
A new day
A final day
An on/off bus day!
We often jump on one of these when we travel.
It honestly is THE best way to get around a see a new (or revisited) city.
Barcelona is HUGE, with many various areas - La Rambla, Gothic Quarter, Marina, Business, Gaudi, Olympic sites, and of course, La Sagrada Familia - The Barcelona Cathedral.
The centrepiece of this amazing city.
It probably takes up to two hours to do the loop on the bus, without even getting off.
When it's crowded, you really have to pace yourself, and choose your stops wisely.
Getting off at a popular spot may be easy, but the line up to get back on may be ridiculous.
You have to have a plan, be flexible too, and most of all, be patient and ENJOY!
But first, breakfast on the go, back at the best possible place La Boqueria:
And we just ordered coffee and a croissant.
☕️🥐
Now, where's that bus?
Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!
There's a view and a half.
We didn't have a chance to get inside the Cathedral this time,
as stoopid me forgot to book the tickets earlier, didn't I?
Never mind, we have been in there before, and not a lot has changed on the inside,
its more like the outside that has really grown in the past seven years.
Don't get me wrong, this inside is extraordinary.
Pics here from years ago:
I bet this is a view most people don't photograph! We just ducked in there to use the loo.
This appealed to my sense of humour:
Check out this extraordinary chocolate creation of the Cathedral!
They have really cracked on with the construction, and even the top star had only recently crowned the very top of the steeple, after over 100 years of construction!
The Pope himself was due to visit here shortly, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the untimely death of its designer, the great Antoni Gaudi.
We would definitely love to come back, when it is eventually fully completed.
There was no way we could get a seat on the bus now, at this busy stop,
so we strolled up a promenade to try to find another stop.
Bingo.
Right at this gorgeous building.
This is Hospital de Sant Paul.
Another outrageously beautiful building.
We have surely become so boring these days - I'm a huge fan of this era.
Some other memorable sights along the bus route, is the glorious 'Palau Nacional' - home to the National Art Museum of Catalonia.
Whilst we really only had time to enjoy the fabulous architecture of this domed masterpiece, its fountains, and spectacular views of the city.
Little did I know how far the fountains extended! I had to grab this one from the net.
I wish now, that I had taken my time, and made the effort with all those stairs to get this shot!
Next shot is the famous 'Arc de Triomf', yes, the spelling is correct. ☑️
This was the entrance into the 1888 Barcelona World Fair.
Isn't it glorious?
Finally back down the marina area, we left the bus and found our feet instead,
and led us straight to a same little cafe we visited just a week ago,
and yes, its because it had cider!
Here we thoroughly enjoy a charcutertie board and wine as we took in the last of the sights in this amazing city.
Dinner is booked late (as always around here), and we'll be back to an old favourite;
Last time we came here, they had the most wonderful guitar player/ singer,
entertaining us all, and we loved it so much.
I was secretly hoping this may happen again, but alas, it wasn't looking good...
That is until these two fellas turned up to completely make our day!
Could've worn some nicer duds, but they were authentic street performers, and it made for a fun end of evening, and end of trip.
And that, my amigos, draws to the end of another holiday.
Another grand adventure where new friends were made and old friends revisited.
And that's how our trips are becoming more and more like.
More about the people we meet, and friends we gather.
Time for one last gelato, and this time I'M getting one!
I'll call it a day, as we are packing now for our next little trip - Bali!
Actually, I lie. I haven't packed a thing. All I've done is bought the airfares, my cousin, who is joining us, has booked the villa, and that's about it, and we leave in 5 days... I know Katut is picking us up at the airport...the rest will unfold.
Easy peasy. Famous last words?
We'll soon find out. 😂
Then a huge one starting in Africa in just 4 weeks.
Keep an eye out for my next 2 blogs:
Turkey and The Five Stans. The Silk Road.
They'll be really beautiful.
Busy busy busy.
Just how we like it.
Until then,
ADIOS!
M x
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