And now the end is near.

So we have come to the end of the European leg of our holiday. We were pretty fatigued by the time we arrived in Florence, fortunately we rented an apartment on the quiet side of the city. Also we have a lovely friend here, Francesca, who was able to take us to some interesting places and we didn't have to think too much. 

Ponti Vechio

Best thing about Italy - the food!!!!!!! Can't rave about the food enough. I thought the food in Spain was good - but my oh my, Italy takes it to a whole new level. The main thing is the quality of the food - it's quite simple but absolutely the best.  I have eaten pasta so good it makes you want to weep!

Panna cotta in Lucca.

We spent a few days wandering around central Florence - sooo many tourists - but Florence is fairly large (unlike Prague which is tourist hell) so you can easily duck down a street, that is lovely and peaceful, until you can face the throng again. It is a beautiful city - hence all the tourists and the river is lovely, although pretty dirty if you look too closely. 

We bought ourselves an Italian coffee pot - I had researched it on the web and knew I wanted a Bialetti so we popped into a shop and this lovely old….. and I mean old, lady served us. She didn't speak any English and we don't speak Italian…… anyway she hobbled off to get the pot we requested - climbed up about 100 steps and came back with about 5 different pots - well we had to buy the bloody thing after that didn't we? It was probably one of our most fun purchases - the old Nonna went into great detail about how to look after the pot - only words I understood were bastante and bruta - both of which I am familiar with (thanks Maria)!

Food glorious food, chocolate souffle Florence.

We caught the train to see our friend in Pistoia - a town about 40 minutes from Florence. Her parents live in a beautiful Tuscan farm house complete with grape vines, olives trees, tomato plants, pumpkins, pears etc oh and don't forget the pigs and chickens. 

Richard checking the home made wine.

What a bunch of hams!

Her Mom and Dad - very old school - made us a really lovely lunch - homemade ravioli, steak, salad and summer tiramisu  and home made wine - was like a scene from a novel or a movie! Mind you the old Dad was, we think, a bit mad. I'm quite glad we couldn't understand him as I have a feeling we might have been insulted :-) but it's all good in Italian after several litres of home made wine!

We spent another day in Lucca- about 1 1/2 hours on the train from Florence. It was a lovely train ride - watching the Tuscan country side slide by. Lucca - lovely little town surrounded by an old Roman wall. Not too many tourists (by Florence standards anyway) we dilly lagged around and then had a fabulous fabulous lunch! Richard had the best ravioli I have ever tasted - to die for! 

Lovely Lucca

Spent another day in Siena, another nice town, great fan shaped public centre - another great lunch - we really were tired when we went to Siena so couldn't summon up as much enthusiasm as the place deserved.

Spent yet another day at Pisa - was quite impressed -  tower and surrounding buildings are very clean and bright, nice lawn area to relax and appreciate the view. The main view consists of people contorting themselves into ridiculous positions to look like they are holding up the tower in their holiday snaps. Whatever lights your fire….

Pisa - duh!

Our last two days were spent in Milan which was a pleasant surprise as a few of our friends had advised that Milan wasn't up too much. I guess enjoyment always has to do with expectation levels (in which case the Brits should enjoy life more than anyone but thats another argument!). Anyway it was only one week after Milan Fashion Week and the city was full of long, lean, lovely things with legs up to their armpits. People were very well dressed, very stylish - even more so than Paris. 

With Mickie and Kristen, Cathedral Milano.

The central cathedral is stunning - it was cleaned some time in the last few years and looks gorgeous. We met up with a couple of very sweet, old friends Micky and Kristen and enjoyed a couple of pleasant evenings drinking and watching the world go by.  We spent a day at the San Siro, the home stadium of AC Milan and Inter Milan, didn't see any famous footballers sadly. I enjoyed my last few chocolate croissants and we flew back home. 

Stylish Milano

We stopped off in Dubai for some last minute shopping and more food. Stuffed ourselves stupid on Indian food and I bought some Indian cooking pans from a shop I had researched on the web. Very satisfying to find the shop and the exact pans I wanted and a great purchase to finish the holiday with. We had an unexceptional flight home - very painless, very quickly through the airport and finally home. It's so nice to be home - our beautiful wonderful king size bed, our beautiful wonderful king size television and our beautiful wonderful king size cat! Oh my god, Yodi has turned into a super fatty - she now weighs one stone!!!! Anyway she is happy to be home and has forgiven us for leaving her for 6 months. So now all three Ajayi's are on a diet and I am looking forward to being a domestic goddess - just need to get over the jet lag……..and of course we might go to Bali for Christmas…………………………………….

Where the hell have you been?

Adios Spain and buon giorno Italia

We only spent one night in Bilbao - mainly to see the Guggenheim Museum. It was a very short but successful visit. We caught the bus from San Sebastian (about 1 hour and 20 mins) oh and let me say again how much I love bus travel! (I really am turning into my dear departed Dad - I can feel a camper van holiday coming on as I write!).

Still lovers in love after all these months - at the Guggenheim

Spent a very enjoyable day at the museum - really is a fantastic building - very visitor friendly; fantastic modern art exhibits and beautiful setting by the river. We walked to and from our hotel to the museum - we struggled a bit on the way back - partly because it was raining and partly because we are both feeling quite tired. We stopped off at a shopping centre to escape the rain and not even a big shoe sale could get me motivated!

So we finally bid farewell to Spain - we spent our last night in Spain watching Spanish cartoons and eating chocolate biscuits because we were too tired (or lazy depending on how you look at it). LOVED, loved, loved Spain. 

Great food, lovely friendly people (apart from the slightly over boiled old ladies who promenade in San Sebastian), easy to move around. It was great to experience the differences between the regions - its a bit like travelling between different countries - people are very patriotic about their own region, language food and culture.

Floral dog - outside Guggenheim

Spider sculpture - river side of Guggenheim

We have now arrived in Florence - and we are having difficulty not speaking our few words of Spanish to the Italians - oh very confusing. Cafe con latte not cafe con leche; due bierre not dos cerveza; gracia not gracias or grassy arse as we say it! The journey from Bilbao to Italy went very well - up to a point. We caught the bus to the airport - no problems; checked in and had breakfast; flight left on time and was a pleasant flight. We arrived in Milan on time; caught the train to the central train station - even realised we had to validate our train ticket (strict 40 euro fine if you don't  - sowe found out later); arrived in central station and purchased our ticket for Florence - had time for lunch and caught the train on time. Lovely Jubbly - train from Milan to Florence was  just under 2 hours. About 200 metres from Florence SMN station our train broke down. We proceeded to sit on the tracks with no air-conditioning for an hour and a half until they pulled us into the station - 200 metres!!!!!!!  anyway arrived safely so all's wells that ends well……

The never ending train journey!

Barcelona and San Sebastian - friends old and new.

Well we are finally nearing the end of our fabulous holiday and slowly my thoughts are turning towards home. It has been marvellous six months (well five as I write this).

At the seaside Barcelona - still having fun!

Not only have we visited some fantastic places and enjoyed some memorable experiences but we have met great new friends and spent precious time with old friends. We have also spent 24/7 (minus two evenings) together and we are still enjoying each others company - not too bad after 300 years of marriage!

From Valencia we took a six hour train journey to Barcelona and a friend (we met through Couch Surfing) met us at the train station and took us to Sabadell - his home village about 40 minutes from Barcelona. 

They (Olly and Maria Jose  were the best hosts - we had a very enjoyable time eating and drinking and meeting their lovely parents who are only a few years older than us!

Calafel Beach with Olly, Maria Jose and her Mum and Dad.

They took us on some great days out including a visit to Sitges - a very well know gay resort area and worthwhile to see the budgie smuggling posing on the beach alone! 

We also visited their family holiday apartment in Calafel- very sweet and nice just to see the Spanish on hols minus all the tourists (except for us of course).

Sagrada Familia Barcelona

After five days in Sabadell we moved on to Barcelona to a  large apartment centrally located in Urgell. 

We spent a lot of time in Barcelona just relaxing, going for walks down the beach, enjoying lots of "Menu de Dia's", catching up with friends (including our adopted French daughter who came down from France to visit us) and we even hosted a dinner party but mostly we just lolly gaged about. Oh Richard did go to the Neu Camp to watch Barca play Napoli - apparently it was fantastic!

Gracia street festival, Barcelona, with our naughty French daughter, Maelle.

Dinner party, Barcelona, Oriel, Metrixela, Richie, Maria Jose and Olly.

From Barca we caught the train north to San Sebastian, in the Basque area of Spain. San Sebastian is a very, very lovely city (feels more like a big town)- has a beautiful rugged beach, surrounded by lovely green mountains, has beautiful old buildings - like George Castanza says - it's got it all!!!

San Sebastian beach front

We are staying in a very sweet warehouse conversion on the outskirts of the town (still only about 20 minutes by bicycle). The owner, Itziar, is a very friendly lady who we went out with for two evenings - once to experience the famous Basque pinches and also to a Sideria (cider house). This rental has really been the best of Airbnb - great accommodation at a great price and a new friend - what could be better!

Sideria, San Sebastian with Itziar

We have been walking and riding bicycles and generally taking it very easy again. Oh and doing a bit of cooking. Must try the pinchos again - although Im not converted - its fun with friends but not the most relaxing way to eat!

Eating pinchos - John, Sorkunde, Itziar and Richie

Next monday we will catch a bus to Bilboa for the night to visit the Guggenheim museum and then fly to Florence. I am looking forward to eating some great food in Italy - the guide book advises to eat very cheaply or very expensive but not in-between…. hmmmm

View from our warehouse apartment, San Sebastian

Living la vida loco…or in our case…….. living la vida lentamente

City of Arts and Science

A whole month in Spain - what bliss! I think we have slowed right down - four months of travel will do that I guess  - es muy despacio. However, its a very pleasurable slowness. We sleep late, eat late and go to bed even later. 

It's a hard life......

Valencia is a very pleasant city - beautiful old buildings and castles and huge bridges with moats; a really pleasant beach (with full facilities………come on Perth); pretty parks and great restaurants. 

We rented two apartment for a week each on different sides of the city. The first apartment was very cool - newly renovated - all floorboards and wooden beams. It had a fantastic Bali type shower and was very comfortable but didn't have air-conditioning. 

The second apartment is much bigger - has 3 bedrooms - is very brightly painted (bit like our house) has a great kitchen, really good air-conditioning but no wifi. Also the lift doesn't work and its on the fourth floor (59 steps to be exact) and worst of all it has tiled floors - lovely and cool in the heat but there is a little child living upstairs - we have affectionately named him Chucky- who scampers up and down at 7am every morning - needless to say we hate Chucky!

We have discovered some great restaurants - including one in a very small square that we have frequented several times. Really innovative tapas - lots of cous cous - strangely enough!

It's a pain not having internet but we have made friends with the owner of a cafe around the corner - where we have spent several hours drinking and surfing! She is our new best friend - her English is as good as our Spanish - we have great fun saying hello - ola as we are leaving.

Off to Barcelona tomorrow - staying with friends for five days and then we have rented an apartment again for 2 weeks. We also have some other friends living in Barcelona to catch up with. It will be interesting going back to that lovely city, as it's 3 years since we were last there, and see how it's changed or if we've changed.

Viva Valencia

Leaving America - the new world for the old.

Wow that was a fast  twelve weeks - fast, furious and fabulous! Have very mixed feelings about New York. The Upper West Side was elegant, genteel (genteel not gentile -  its called the Jewish Park Avenue), you feel like you are living in the centre of the cultural universe and your IQ has increased a few points. Times Square (our second stop in NYC) on the other hand is a bit like hades on a warm, smelly public holiday. 

Then again to be fair, I guess most big cities are fairly awful at the very core.

We enjoyed a lovely picnic in Central Park whilst watching an amateur softball game followed by a very talented busking jazz trio. Went to the movies several times to escape the heat and noise. Spent a lovely day in Brooklyn - couldn't find the flea market we were looking for so we lolly gagged around and ate cake instead. Lost  whole day and part of a night drinking $5 frozen margaritas on the waterfront and spent a lot of times sweating in the sweltering metro getting from a to b.




All in all loved the US -  really friendly and helpful people; great food (contrary to my pre conceived ideas); people are not any fatter than Aussies or Poms (contrary to my pre conceived ideas); people don't actually speak louder than Aussies or Poms whilst in the US anyway (contrary to my pre conceived ideas); loved the US obsession and love for dogs - especially in NYC - it seems everyone has a toy dog and each one is cuter than the next and they take them everywhere; loved the vast differences between the attitudes and lifestyles from coast to coast and endless types of entertainment on offer. 

Even the metro is hilariously funny after 300 margaritas!

Who needs Eharmony.com ?

They love their doggies!

I guess my favourite place was Lafayette - watching the corn grow with Mary and Stu and their lovely family was such a beautiful, loving and restful experience. Next favourite was Mendocino - sort of Margaret River but a bit cuter and wilder and without the boguns (whilst we were there anyway).

Anyway moving right along - we are now in Seville. The flight from US to Seville was LONG… we were delayed two hours in NYC - but we had long breaks between connections so it wasn't a problem. Actually it was all very smooth to be honest  - but we lost one of our suitcases on arrival and after 28 hours travels that really wears you out. Its not like losing a crappy display banner- its much more personal :-)

However, the missing case was delivered the next evening so all ended well. Back to Seville - oh loving Seville so far. What a beautiful and cute city. Really splendid buildings, cute little cobbled streets. We have a lovely little apartment in Macarena (and no people are not doing stupid dances in the streets) and we can hear the cathedral bells ringing on the hour. 

Encantadora apartamento - mucho encantadora esposo!

We are doing the siesta thing as this is the hottest city in Spain - people come out about 9 or 10pm and stay out until 2 or 3am. Its great to see people with babies and little kids, teenagers, tables of respectable elderly ladies all dining and drinking on the streets at midnight. Last night we had drinks in Alameda de Hercules just up the road from our apartment and there was a big screen showing a movie to the public - typical Spanish movie - some half naked man pole dancing!!! I love Spanish films - I never have the faintest idea what the hell is going on - even when they are dubbed into English but they are always full of weird sex of some sort!

I have enrolled in one week of an intensive Spanish Language course for beginners next week. The classes run from 0915 to 1300 - will be fun to be a student in Seville!