The last time I prepared a post for the blog was from Granada in Andalucia, Southern Spain on the 4 October. Ten days ago. You didn't see that post because the Internet swallowed it - so I spat the dummy and have done nothing since.
But it is raining in Barcelona and we are in a damp and dismal apartment, all packed to come home but with a quick side-trip to Morocco leaving tomorrow, so I thought I would try again.
From Granada we drove north to Madrid to see the Prado, then a little further north to lovely old Segovia to see the fairytale castle and the Roman aqueduct. From Segovia we headed east to the old town of Siguenza to see the crypt of the young nobleman and to stay a night in the Parador. And then the final leg, east to Barcelona.
In total we have driven 3,500 km in Spain and Portugal on this trip and about 5,000 km in France. Nothing like Aussie distances and much less than our travels in previous years.
So here is a quick summary of our final weeks in Spain. We'll start back in Granada.
We stayed in one of the old, hilly suburbs of Granada with very narrow streets.
Plenty of room for a car in our particular street.
But a bit tighter for the little red bus.
And on the bus, best not to put your fingers out the window.
At the end of our street we joined the crowds in the church square to gaze at the Alhambra.
So close you could almost touch it.
But alas we hadn't booked tickets in advance and were only able to walk around the public areas.
Tickets are required for the palaces, defensive areas and gardens. Luckily, this was our second visit and while we were disappointed, we spent several enjoyable hours reacquainting ourselves with the overall beauty of the place.
Here are the links to my blogs from A Proper Busride 2011. There are five sequential posts.
Granada - the Alhambra & the Generalife
It is 500 km from Granada north to Madrid and the southern section of the central tablelands is at an altitude of over 1,000 metres. These olive trees continued for a very long way.
We went to Madrid to visit the Prado and its paintings. We had always avoided Madrid because it was said to be impossibly hot and crowded. But in the second month of Autumn it proved to be manageable - mild and busy.
And here is the Prado. Rather underwhelming but very traditional in its architecture.
And on a very human scale when compared to the Louvre, which can be quite daunting, especially at first. The paintings were glorious, but of course, no photographs.
The next stop was the UNESCO World Heritage city of Segovia, with it's fairytale castle.
We must have taken a hundred photos from various angles - it is just so 'photogenic'.
Segovia also has a massive, and somewhat overwhelming, cathedral.
As well as lots of old towers and other churches.
Historic ramparts and walls.
And a wonderfully restored 'Royal Mint'.
Unfortunately not open the day we were there, but the waterwheels outside were fascinating.
Amazing.
We could even see it from the roof of our apartment.
Here is a link to my detailed posts on Segovia from A Proper Busride in 2011. There are five sequential posts.
Segovia
And our final stop before the big city of Barcelona was Siguenza - an old, old town with an old, old castle. You can just see it on the hill, centre left.
But the real reason we came was to see the historic square.
And the cathedral which houses the tomb of the young nobleman.
I was both disappointed and angry that this was the best view I had through locked gates.
This is a catholic church with many crypts, one in particular contains a most beautiful tomb of a young nobleman, a scholar, depicted reclining with a book. It also contains an Al Greco and an exquisite marble altarpiece. All behind locked gates.
The reason I (and many others) couldn't see any of these things was because we refused to pay 5 euros per person to a "guide" who would unlock the gates and who could only speak Spanish. In my view the church and its contents are public, and I am willing to pay for a guide, in my language to help me understand what I am looking at, but not for access itself. So cross!
But the Parador was lovely and we met two very interesting couples from Menton, France. Sharon is an Aussie with family in Sydney and visits often.
And so, on to Barcelona. Past olives and beautiful wind turbines.
Past hundreds of turbines and not much else.
Past the ubiquitous bull of Spain. An evocative symbol for the whole country.
Underneath zero degrees latitude - the meridian Greenwich Mean Time.
And finally, in to Barcelona.
And a catch up on progress - Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, just up the road from our apartment.
So there you have it.
Our first and last-ever selfies.
I don't know whether I will be able to make my last two planned posts. The next is a look at the Paradors we visited in Spain. The final post should come from Morocco. But who knows. Just this piecemeal effort has taken me three and a half hours and I don't know that Paul will sit still long enough for me to do more. Or what the Internet in Morocco is like.
If not, thanks for your support and encouragement along this 2015 road. It is so good to have an audience to share this with. Thanks to all of you who have sent little messages along the way - you know who you are - appreciated and not forgotten.
This little blog has had more than 4,500 hits to date. We have had readers from the United States, Canada, Alaska, Romania, Russia, Germany, France, UK, Portugal, Spain, Thailand and Japan. As well as Australia of course.
Seven months away from home is a long time and I am tired. I'm longing to have my own bed in my own house with my own garden; to see my two grand-lads, hear their stories, measure how much they've grown, see their new house and go to judo and hockey with them; to get back to Jamie's Ministry of Food and to Tate Street PS library, to marvel at how Geelong Sustainability has managed without me (LOL), and not least, to see my little family again. I know Paul feels the same - he misses his family too, and his friends at the pool and his own car.
We are so very lucky to be able to travel but going home is almost the best bit.
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