When we last left of the story of Christine and Hovan traversing across Europe, they were relaxing in sunny Sagres, the tiny town at the bottom of Portugal, in the Algrave region. And so, the adventure picks up where it left off ...
We spent one final day enjoying Sagres, not wanting to leave our little town that we had come quite comfortable with. We spent our last day in the area visiting the southern tip of Portugal. This perch was of course dominated by a castle, however, this had to be the most boring castle in the history of Europe. What a waste of 3 euros. It was so bad, that perhaps the only picture Christine may have to post is of a local weird looking plant, but not much on the lame castle structure. Save your money. (Left - a plant at the castle we visited).
After sunning ourselves on the beach and contenting ourselves as a couple of lazy bums for the rest of the day, we decided to pack up and head into civilzation once more. Truth be told, we enjoy the smaller towns more, but the cities usually have some ¨must see sights¨. Having enjoyed a glorious week in Portugal, we returned to Spain, hoping to enjoy a bit more of the Iberian peninsula. Christine never gave up her siestas, so she was well positioned to return. (Right - one of the many beautiful beaches of Sangres)
And now, back to Seville. We entered the city with high hopes of a couple nights seeing the sights and relaxing. Christine navigated into the city and I drove. Now let me tell you, driving in Seville is the worst driving experience either of us had ever encoutered. Not having a street map made things infinitely worse. After looping in endless directions, we finally entered the old city, what a horrible mistake. Not only was there no space to maneuver, but the roads were a confusing mixture of weaves and bobs. The situation wasn´t helped by the thousands upon thousands of people that kept moving willy-nilly across the street. (Left - a sample of the streets we drove down in Seville).
After finding parking and getting out of the car we were treated to 42+ degree heat. As we were trying to locate a place to stay we stumbled across the huge cathedral. Quite the sight and we were finally starting to enjoy a bit of Seville when I felt a moderately heave smack to the top of my head, my left shoulder and the ground. Looking down I saw a huge pile of pigeon **** lying on the ground, with significant residue on my shoulder and head. At this point Seville was quickly going down the tubes and is definitely not going to make the highlight reel of our trip. (Right - the cathedral of Seville)
After finding a hostel with air conditioning, a shower, and a city map, we were finally ready to explore. We spent a good chunk of the afternoon and evening wandering through the quaint inner city streets, seeing the positive side to Seville. After a typically late dinner of tapas, we called it a night. The next morning we got up before it was too hot and enjoyed visiting the local cathedral (we got to see the inside for free since there was a service going on, which saved us $20). We spent a good bit o
f time exploring the local palace as well. This was a huge palace, and it is easy to appreciate that it is definitely a place of relaxation. Formerly a muslim enclave and then later built up further by the Spanish royal family it was quite pretty. The difference between this and French castles was indicative in a number of ways, not least of which is that there were a ridiculous number of open air patios all over the structure, since this region gets very little rain. We also paid to visit the royal upper chambers, which were neat, but made all the better that at one point we could look into one of the rooms currently being used by the King and Queen of Spain (though we didn´t see the royal couple themselves). Apparently the royal family still actively uses most of the upstairs of the palace. (Left - our tapa dinner. Right - Hovan in the palace gardens)
We decided to leave Seville earlier than anticipated, it being too hot, and us having a few bad experiences. Christine decided to drive after my stressful few hours of Seville, and so we set off for Gibraltar. Some of you may not know this, but Gibraltar is basically this huge rock that is only a few kilometres square at the base of Spain guarding the mouth to the Meditteranean. It is also a British colony and has been controlled by the UK for more than 300 years. They have there very own currency called the Gibraltar Pound which does not trade on par with the Euro or the British Pound and is only useful in that tiny area. (Left - Gibraltar rock)
At the very top of the rock are some amazing and unique sites, plus the price is quite reasonable at 8 Gibraltar Pound (roughly 9.5 euros). We enjoyed seeing a 100 tonne gun that was established to protect the colony, but sadly for all the training and installation it was never fired other than in practice - perhaps having a 100 tonne cannon is enough of a deterent. There is also a cave at the top of the mountain that has some spectacular stalagmites and stalactites, and the bottom of which has not yet been discovered, though they have uncovered an underground lake in it. The pictures that Christine have do not do it justice, and this would be a spelunchers dream discovery. Apparently many British officers have explored quite deep, but 2 have never returned. (Right - The stalagtites and stalagmites in the caves of Gibraltar).
There is also a spot on the top of the rock that is home to some indigenous primates that are all wild. This is apparently the only indigenous and wild group of primates in Europe. They go everywhere and crawl over everything. Christine has some fantastic photos and the babies are all wrinkly and cute. It was a pleasant experience to see some natural wildlife running around, especially since they are small primates. We also treated ourselves to a visit to some seige tunnels built by the 
British that go very deep into the rock. They were originally dug to get some cannons to the other side of the rock to attack some Spanish ships during a huge siege that lasted years. (Left - two hairy apes. Right - baby ape).
I know I have already had my rant about driving in Europe, but I will close this blog with one more thought. The Europeans are fantastic highway drivers. No one pays attention to the speed limit and everyone drives in the right lane unless passing really fast on the left. In the city though, they are absolutley nuts. They weave and pack, jam into any space available, and park anywhere that looks like only a moderate chance of blocking traffic and getting hit. Thankfully our license plate notes us as Germans, so I think they have been cutting us some slack and it is only in Germany where people might really get mad at our slow city driving.
We spent one final day enjoying Sagres, not wanting to leave our little town that we had come quite comfortable with. We spent our last day in the area visiting the southern tip of Portugal. This perch was of course dominated by a castle, however, this had to be the most boring castle in the history of Europe. What a waste of 3 euros. It was so bad, that perhaps the only picture Christine may have to post is of a local weird looking plant, but not much on the lame castle structure. Save your money. (Left - a plant at the castle we visited).We also had the foresight to visit a lighthouse with the claim to fame of being the most southwestern point of continental Europe. The lighthouse was nothing special, but the sweeping bluffs and sheer cliffs were spectacular. It was a clear look out into open sea with little but water between us and the east coast of North America. Truly a beautiful spot.
Above - Hovan looking out over the Atlantic Ocean on the tip of Portugal
After sunning ourselves on the beach and contenting ourselves as a couple of lazy bums for the rest of the day, we decided to pack up and head into civilzation once more. Truth be told, we enjoy the smaller towns more, but the cities usually have some ¨must see sights¨. Having enjoyed a glorious week in Portugal, we returned to Spain, hoping to enjoy a bit more of the Iberian peninsula. Christine never gave up her siestas, so she was well positioned to return. (Right - one of the many beautiful beaches of Sangres)Our first stop in Spain was Seville (wondering if this where the term civilians came from. Any thoughts out there?) . Now here is a good point to stop and explain how Christine and I travel, and how it may seem that we move from city to city rather quickly. One, we very flexible about our itinerary and can change it in a moment, and two, neither of us are huge museum fans. (Except the Royal BC Museum - which Christine loves to visit). We enjoy seeing some exhibits and the special museums like the Louvre, but we don´t spend much of our visit inside of museums, which really reduces the time necessary to visit a city.
And now, back to Seville. We entered the city with high hopes of a couple nights seeing the sights and relaxing. Christine navigated into the city and I drove. Now let me tell you, driving in Seville is the worst driving experience either of us had ever encoutered. Not having a street map made things infinitely worse. After looping in endless directions, we finally entered the old city, what a horrible mistake. Not only was there no space to maneuver, but the roads were a confusing mixture of weaves and bobs. The situation wasn´t helped by the thousands upon thousands of people that kept moving willy-nilly across the street. (Left - a sample of the streets we drove down in Seville).
After finding parking and getting out of the car we were treated to 42+ degree heat. As we were trying to locate a place to stay we stumbled across the huge cathedral. Quite the sight and we were finally starting to enjoy a bit of Seville when I felt a moderately heave smack to the top of my head, my left shoulder and the ground. Looking down I saw a huge pile of pigeon **** lying on the ground, with significant residue on my shoulder and head. At this point Seville was quickly going down the tubes and is definitely not going to make the highlight reel of our trip. (Right - the cathedral of Seville)
After finding a hostel with air conditioning, a shower, and a city map, we were finally ready to explore. We spent a good chunk of the afternoon and evening wandering through the quaint inner city streets, seeing the positive side to Seville. After a typically late dinner of tapas, we called it a night. The next morning we got up before it was too hot and enjoyed visiting the local cathedral (we got to see the inside for free since there was a service going on, which saved us $20). We spent a good bit o
f time exploring the local palace as well. This was a huge palace, and it is easy to appreciate that it is definitely a place of relaxation. Formerly a muslim enclave and then later built up further by the Spanish royal family it was quite pretty. The difference between this and French castles was indicative in a number of ways, not least of which is that there were a ridiculous number of open air patios all over the structure, since this region gets very little rain. We also paid to visit the royal upper chambers, which were neat, but made all the better that at one point we could look into one of the rooms currently being used by the King and Queen of Spain (though we didn´t see the royal couple themselves). Apparently the royal family still actively uses most of the upstairs of the palace. (Left - our tapa dinner. Right - Hovan in the palace gardens)
We decided to leave Seville earlier than anticipated, it being too hot, and us having a few bad experiences. Christine decided to drive after my stressful few hours of Seville, and so we set off for Gibraltar. Some of you may not know this, but Gibraltar is basically this huge rock that is only a few kilometres square at the base of Spain guarding the mouth to the Meditteranean. It is also a British colony and has been controlled by the UK for more than 300 years. They have there very own currency called the Gibraltar Pound which does not trade on par with the Euro or the British Pound and is only useful in that tiny area. (Left - Gibraltar rock)Gibraltar was quite the sight to see and a must visit for anyone in the area. One important note, is that the driving here is equally as crazy as Seville and poor Christine had her turn at some stressful conditions. The roads are windy, poorly marked, on a steep hill with everything being one way. The only thing that was a positive was the fact that there was little pedestrian traffic, otherwise, this is very dangerous place to drive.
At the very top of the rock are some amazing and unique sites, plus the price is quite reasonable at 8 Gibraltar Pound (roughly 9.5 euros). We enjoyed seeing a 100 tonne gun that was established to protect the colony, but sadly for all the training and installation it was never fired other than in practice - perhaps having a 100 tonne cannon is enough of a deterent. There is also a cave at the top of the mountain that has some spectacular stalagmites and stalactites, and the bottom of which has not yet been discovered, though they have uncovered an underground lake in it. The pictures that Christine have do not do it justice, and this would be a spelunchers dream discovery. Apparently many British officers have explored quite deep, but 2 have never returned. (Right - The stalagtites and stalagmites in the caves of Gibraltar).
There is also a spot on the top of the rock that is home to some indigenous primates that are all wild. This is apparently the only indigenous and wild group of primates in Europe. They go everywhere and crawl over everything. Christine has some fantastic photos and the babies are all wrinkly and cute. It was a pleasant experience to see some natural wildlife running around, especially since they are small primates. We also treated ourselves to a visit to some seige tunnels built by the 
British that go very deep into the rock. They were originally dug to get some cannons to the other side of the rock to attack some Spanish ships during a huge siege that lasted years. (Left - two hairy apes. Right - baby ape).On your way out or in to Gibraltar you cross a massive airstrip and traffic has to be stopped if there is a plane landing. The strip is actually also built well out into the ocean. Christine has a fabulous shot that shows the airstrip and the border. Gibraltar is definitely a strange place, but a unique one and was well worth the visit.
Above - Looking over the airstrip of Gibraltar. Anything furthur than the airstrip is Spanish territory.
Last night we spent sleeping in some small town on the way to Grenada. A dingy outdoor Hostel turned out to be a lovely indoor space to sleep. Arriving late we enjoyed a good dinner around town. We then proceeded to sneak through the neighbourhoods to try and find some open and unsuspecting wi-fi. We felt a bit like criminals driving all over town and parking here or there, but we just needed 10 minutes on the net.
We are now in Grenada enjoying the sights and tomorrow we have our tickets to see the Alhambra, a sight that was recommended to us by Christines dad as a must visit. We are going to try and find somewhere to camp in the Sierra Nevada mountains around the area and come in for the Alhambra tour before heading north.
I know I have already had my rant about driving in Europe, but I will close this blog with one more thought. The Europeans are fantastic highway drivers. No one pays attention to the speed limit and everyone drives in the right lane unless passing really fast on the left. In the city though, they are absolutley nuts. They weave and pack, jam into any space available, and park anywhere that looks like only a moderate chance of blocking traffic and getting hit. Thankfully our license plate notes us as Germans, so I think they have been cutting us some slack and it is only in Germany where people might really get mad at our slow city driving.
Stay tuned for the further adventures of: Tales of Interest (to us anyway).
Hovan & Christine
Hurray Monkeys! Deep Fried Tapas, 42+ heat, oh my...
ReplyDeleteI am so stoked you saw the Gibraltar primates.
ReplyDelete