Apr 18th- 20th Leaving Andorra behind, we had a 5 hour journey in front of us to Bordeaux. It actually didn't seem such a long journey though, maybe cause we knew it was the penultimate drive. We had booked to stay at F1 hotel, it wasn't great, £20 it was cheap but it looked ideal for truck drivers, the bedsheets had a thick cover which I imagined hadn't been washed. We got up and out as quickly as possible, not showering in the communal showers. We embarked on our last long
Hello Andorra, my 50th country! We would be making our way back to our end point of St Malo, there were a few routes we could take, one being straight through Andorra, so we leapt at the chance to visit. Andorra is a tiny, minicountry wedged between France and Spain in the Pyrenees mountains. It’s known for its ski resorts and a tax-haven status that encourages duty-free shopping. We were going to be doing neither (even though one is Shan's favourite hobby and the other mine)
April 17th and 18th Up early and out of Valencia for our shortest drive of the trip to Barcelona at 353 km (3 and half hours). We had planned on going to Saragoza which would have been an extra 2 hours and as stunning as it looked on google images we were starting to wane and a shorter day sounded very appealing. We did get stuck in some traffic for an hour but with the windows open and the sun pouring in it wasn't too bad. Arriving in the Catalunya (Catalonia) region we quic
It was Easter Sunday, we had exchanged our cards and gifts yesterday and in the morning it was time to wave my family off to the airport, we then made our way to Granada through the stunning scenery of the Seirra Nevada. We were under pressure as it was a long day of driving but we couldn't help absorbing the beautiful landscape. It was just over an hour and half to Granada from the Costa Del Sol, upon arriving we drove through the busy streets before finding secure parking w
During this whole Brexit saga, we decided to visit Gibraltar, which although geographically borders Spain, is in fact a British Overseas Territory. The sovereignty of Gibraltar is a major point of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations as Spain asserts a claim to the territory. Gibraltarians overwhelmingly rejected proposals for Spanish sovereignty in two referendums. Gibraltar governs its own affairs, though some powers, such as defence and foreign relations, remain the respo
April 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th The time had finally came, we were making progress down to the Costa Del Sol, we just had to find our Airbnb first, but the address was hard to find, we ended up asking some locals for help, who then even called the owner to help us. Once inside the apartment we were so chuffed, it was absolutely massive, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, laundry room, balcony which stretched the length of the apartment, with mountain views and a pool. We quickly hot foote
With no time scheduled in on our Spanish road trip to visit Seville we almost never went, but how could we miss it out? We weren't there for long at all, however we are so glad we made the diversion to get a quick glimpse and taste of this vibrant, lovely city with its mix of Moorish, Gothic, and Hispanic buildings which had such character. Cameras used: Canon G7X, Lumix G7 14mm-42mm lens #spain #photodiary #europe #europe2017
April 12th and 13th. Leaving Bilbao we headed to Segovia, which was a small detour on our way to Madrid, the drive to Segovia was over 3 and half hours. We had read there was a Roman Aqueduct there, but didn't know much else, but when we arrived we were enchanted by its beauty. In 1985 the old city of Segovia and its Aqueduct were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The old city contains a multitude of historic buildings both civil and religious, including a large number
April 11th and 12th. A quick pit stop to the supermarche to pick up some jambon and stacks of water for the trip. This was to be the first of many long drives, leaving St Malo and driving to San Sebastián in Spain, with a detour to Plya Sur Mer near Bordeaux where we went to see the famous sand dunes which we weren't too over awed about though, happy we went, but wouldn't recommend the detour. hen we continued our 860km drive. Already experiencing our first issue with the Min
My amazing Gran- the one who looked after me before and after nursery for years then whose house I went to after school every day, whilst my mum and dad worked full time jobs so they could spoil me on scores of holidays and adventures. The one who who was always there for me throughout my life, was turning the grand age of 80. My family were all booked to go to Costa Del Sol, Spain for a weeks holiday to celebrate this momentous occasion, that's when I had a thought that I co