Fab Feb - Another Spanish Adventure....!

Thursday -

Last month, to celebrate Sarah's momentous milestone birthday, we travelled to deepest Spain by train.  We left Salisbury at 4.15am on the Thursday (me, very tired and grumpy), up to St Pancras, on to Eurostar, Paris, Austerlitz, and finally to Toulouse 15 hours later!  The train was so long that it took the buffet trolley 4 hours to get to us!  

Friday -

The next day we caught the 8.15am train to Narbonne then on to Madrid where we were handed earphones for the French film with Spanish subtitles.  We were on the train so long that the film went round three times and I got the gist of what was happening without having to listen to it! We watched the landscape change from the flat and green of France to the dry, dusty and desert like vistas of Spain as we hurtled across the country at over 200 miles an hour.....  

Madrid railway station was massive, with 'departures' and 'arrivals', more like an airport, and hundreds of people to get their luggage through the scanners - hectic!

12 hours after leaving Toulouse, we arrived in Seville.  At this point I feel grimy and can't wait to shower and change clothes.

SEVILLE

Seville Cathedral - The Giralda bell tower

Seville is gorgeous - grand, long wide streets and beautiful architecture.  Ate tapas and had a huge beer at 'La Moderna at nearly midnight.  

'La Moderna' - https://www.tripadvisor.es

Saturday - 

Brought all the wrong clothes, sunny but freezing!  Decided to get in early to see the Cathedral and climb the tower.  It was very like Salisbury Cathedral inside but massive!  It is the biggest Gothic cathedral in the world.

The view from the top

In the afternoon we visited the Alcazar.  A M A Z I N G!  I loved the Moorish architecture, the palm trees, the green parakeets, the fountains....  We didn't get to see all of it, it was so huge.

Inside the Alcazar

The gardens

I was so exhausted when we got back to the hotel that I just sat on the bed and ate an enormous bag of crisps and a chocolate bar and promptly fell asleep.  

Sunday - Warming up now - 18 degrees.  Wandered to the Plaza de Espana - the most amazing place. Almost like a film set.

Plaza de Espana

Monday - 

Had a guided tour of the Bullring.  Very interesting.  The building is privately owned and 300 years old.  It holds 13,000 people and a season ticket can range from €450 to thousands!  It even has a hospital on site for any injuries!  One spectator after suffering a heart attack was given a heart bypass at the bullring.  Boys can be bull fighters from the age of 16 and they attend a special college.  

Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza Bullring

Headed back along the river to have a cold lemonade and churros before getting back on the train again to Cordoba. (Cardys off now).

Churros - mmmmm....

CORDOBA

Our hotel was an old convent and our room had a gigantic 700 year old door with massive key!  I felt like Alice in Wonderland.  Cordoba is much, much smaller than Seville.  I liked the narrow streets - so tiny you can touch the walls either side.  Very Moroccan in style.

Mezquita

Tuesday -

The Mezquita was very dark and cold inside and very unusual having the Christian Cathedral in the middle and the mosque either side.  I loved the arches, the lamps and the incense which added to the atmosphere.

Inside the Mezquita

View from the bell tower on to the lovely courtyard with orange trees

We then visited the Alcazar - lovely formal gardens, palm trees, shaped orange trees, lemon trees, topiary, fountains, flower beds - gorgeous.  Feel tired from so much walking!

Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos

View of the roman bridge

In the gardens of the Alcazar

Love the way they prune the orange trees

Flopped outside a restaurant (up a tiny side street) and saw an English couple that we had met at the bullring in Seville!  After lunch we wandered around seeing various churches (sit down, ah....), the massive Plaza de La Corredera, Plaza St Nicolas church, San Miguel's church and the roman temple.

Roman temple

Later had tea, cake and lemonade at Viana's Palace where there are lots of courtyards.

One of the many courtyards

Wednesday - 

Quick whizz up the Minaret to see the views and then a horse and trap ride for Sarah's birthday!  The chap who took us was really funny, he would stop every now and again and tell us what we were looking at in Spanish so we just kept saying 'Oh, OK!'.  Then we had to stop so his mate could hop off and get his fags!  He smoked the whole way around and reminded me of a Spanish Oliver Reed.

The horse is called Pinto.

Back on the train to Granada!  Unfortunately, we only got half an hour on the train before having to change to a coach because of engineering works.

Waiting for the coach whilst enjoying views of the mountains

GRANADA

Granada is very big like Seville but noisier as Seville dosn't have the traffic. Found a lovely little bar/cafe called 'La Fontana' and had more tapas and sangria.  Really cold as we were very close to the mountains.

'La Fontana' - www.tripadvisor.com.pe

On the way home we stumbled on a fab, tiny bar called 'Taberna Casa Enrique' established in 1870, where we enjoyed a couple of sherries.  

'Taberna Casa Enrique' - http://www.guiatapear.com/

Thursday - Another sunny day?  Yes!

Granada Cathedral - freezing cold and ditched the audio guide, can't get on with them.

Had a wander around Granada before getting the bus to the Alhambra.

Chillis

The smell of all the dried spices and herbs was delicious

Alhambra Palace - OMG - it's massive!

Legs are killing me now....

I loved the gardens and getting out of the city.  Lots of pretty bedding plants, irises, daffodils, palm trees, blue sky and snow capped mountains....

Palm tree with snow capped mountain in the distance - bliss

Ended our holiday with a lovely meal and sangria at La Riffena - a little place with outside heaters down a back street.  It didn't look much but it was delicious and the Spanish girl and Cuban girl who served us were lovely.  A great evening to end a fabulous Spanish adventure.

'La Riffena' - www.tripadvisor.es

Auld Reekie

Birthday weekend in Edinburgh.  

We hopped on the train with just a holdall each.  Mine was a lot heavier as usual and I nearly took several people out on the London underground with it.  

Wonderful views all the way - Durham Cathedral, Newcastle, Berwick upon Tweed.  We saw the Angel of the North, wind farms, windmills, cliffs, coast, ruins, lighthouses, yellow gorse.  Then further north, blue tinged fir trees, the odd Scottish manse, and the red brick being replaced by dark, stone buildings.  I can't believe I spent 7 hours on a train and didn't even open my book!

Towers, turrets and the one o'clock gun at the castle

Thursday -

We emerged up out of the railway station straight in to the hustle and bustle of Princes Street.  Our hotel was just across the road.

The Old Waverley Hotel

Sir Walter Scott's monument is the largest memorial in the world, dedicated to a writer.

The Scott monument

We found our favourite pub on the first night, just around the corner.  It had a beautiful ornate plaster ceiling, a square, dark, polished bar and large round lamps hanging from the ceiling.  We ate haggis, neeps and tatties, delicious washed down with some Scottish real ale.   We met a Glaswegian man called George who worked for the BBC, laying cables for outside broadcasts.

The Abbotsford - www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

Friday -

Opposite our hotel - Jenners department store, opened in 1838.  

Jenners department store

We explored Princes Street gardens on the way to the castle.  The gardens were formed in the hollow of a drained loch.

Princes Street gardens

Edinburgh castle is built on a 340 million year old volcano

Edinburgh Castle

This tiny little chapel in the castle is the oldest building in the city, built 1090.

St Margaret's Chapel

The castle origins date back to 900BC.  In 1566 Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI here.  I imagined her walking through the panelled rooms, her skirts swishing.  

Mary Queen of Scots

The Great Hall, opened 1511 with hammerbeam roof

We shuffled along with all the other tourists to see the Scottish crown jewels which are the oldest surviving regalia in Christendom and had a nose around the freezing cold dungeons.

Statue of Earl Haig

Up some steep steps (so many steps in Edinburgh!) from the Grassmarket is the Royal Mile.

Opposite this piper was what looked like a church but on closer inspection it turned out to be the home of the Edinburgh International Festival and a cafe called 'The Hub'.  The building was originally opened in 1845 and called Highland Tolbooth St John's Church but was never consecrated.

Great photo exhibition inside 

I forced Sarah to have lunch in the cafe even though she had had a cooked breakfast (every morning I might add) but I was starving and it looked right up my street.  Had delicious chickpea and sweet potato soup whilst listening to jazz.  Nice....

Cafe Hub - www.tripadvisor.co.uk

Further down the Royal Mile we had a look around St Giles Cathedral whilst listening to the the organ.  We chatted to two lovely ladies in the shop, shook our heads and tutted about the awful floods down south.

St Giles Cathedral

The Royal Mile

After a trip to the huge (and free) Museum of Edinburgh we were absolutely pooped.  

Useless fact - Edinburgh is the only city to have a dog on the list of citizens given the freedom of the city - Greyfriar's Bobby.  We saw his collar and bowl in the museum.  

We visited The Guildford Arms that evening, stunning inside and obviously very popular.

The Guildford Arms - www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

Saturday - birthday.

Another cold, crisp, sunny day. Had porridge for breakfast, Sarah had haggis with her cooked breakfast - ugh, too early.  Had a lovely stroll up George Street with it's fantastic views towards the sea and all the inviting shops.  The Georgian buildings reminded me of Bath.

I am drawn to Cathedrals, I always have to have a look inside.  

St Mary's Cathedral - This cathedral is gothic in style but actually not that old.

It has a Father Willis organ, as does Salisbury Cathedral.

I

The very prestigious financial district of the new town.

Unfortunately, this park was not open to the public but I could admire the crocuses through the railings.

We had a desperately needed hot chocolate in a tiny cafe, down some steps below street level - great for people watching.

Wellington Coffee - www.tripadvisor.co.uk

41 foot tall Melville monument - St Andrew Square

We stumbled across this light installation in St Andrew Square.  Little balls on long sticks that light up and change colour by using miles of glowing optic fibre.  We went back at night to see if it glowed.  It did.  I found out that the artist, Bruce Monro lives in Wiltshire and once had an installation in Salisbury Cathedral. Small world.

'Field of lights' by Bruce Munro

On to the Palace of Holyroodhouse (the Queen's Scottish residence) past this very strange building.

The Scottish Parliament building designed by a Catalan architect

The Palace of Holyroodhouse

The palace was not what I expected.  It was so cosy and lived in.  There were old lamps, tapestries, tiny doorways leading to narrow winding staircases - the highlight of the whole weekend.  And to see Mary, Queen of Scots chamber - well!  We saw the Queen's dining table and where she sits - no cat paw prints, piles of unopened post and over ripe bananas on her table.

The ruins of Holyrood Abbey

The gardens

Salisbury Crags from the gardens

Hard to believe you are still in the city

I thought afternoon tea in the hotel would be nice on my birthday, whilst looking down at Princes Street.  At least it was the only disappointing thing all weekend.  Doorstep sarnies, heavy scones and we had to put our own teabag in a pot of hot water!  Shocking.

Jam in packets and crusts on the sandwiches?  Oh dear.

Still, we made up for it in the evening by visiting Deacon Brodie's.  Again, it was heaving but being a bit of a ninja, I quickly leapt for a table as soon as someone's bum started lifting off the seat.  So much beer though, so little time.  We tried 13 different real ales over the whole weekend, I hasten to add.  Unfortunately, I can't remember which one I liked best, they've all blurred in to one! 

I love some of the names of the beers -

Wild Cat

Happy Chappy

Highland Island Hopping

Bitter and Twisted



Deacon Brodies - www.tripadvisor.co.uk



Sunday - Sarah's birthday

We took the train back a different way this time - along the western side of the country.  The Trans-Pennine Express gave even greater views.  The Pentland hills, Tinto hills, Lowther hills, Forest of Ae, Eskdalemuir Forest, Lockerbie and then Carlisle.  We saw brown/purple hills, snow on top of the mountains, fir trees, marshes, bogs, rushing rivers....  To have the Cumbrian mountains one side and The Pennines the other was a feast for my little eyeballs.

Two days was not nearly enough time in Edinburgh.  The people were so friendly and there is still so much we did not see, so I will definitely return.  Anyway, we haven't tried all the beers yet........