16,000 steps and nearly as many photos of orchids later…

We’re now inspired to develop an orchid garden at home. Of course.

Meanwhile Scott was pleased to discover he is now officially a “senior” (in Singapore anyway) and was eligible for a huge discount on his entry to the orchid gardens ha ha! \240

Scott didn’t love the 22m high skywalk but did it anyway, with hands firmly clenched to the handrails…

We finished off a very hot afternoon with sore feet and a cold beer at Marina Bay.

Then in the afternoon a visit to the famous Raffles Hotel. At $1200 a night for a room we made do with a wander around!

And of course we had to visit the Long Bar where the original Singapore Sling cocktail was created 110 years ago - apparently designed to look like a socially acceptable “ladies’ cocktail” at a time when it wasn’t considered proper for women to drink alcohol in public.

And they still throw peanut shells on the floor!

Snout in a Singapore Sling (after 20,000 steps I deserved it!)

Yes that really is the name of a supermarket!

Ready to go!

The Merlion. Singa means lion and pura means city in Malay. The fishtail is because the island was originally a fishing village

Chinatown

Gorgeous buildings everywhere in Chinatown

Lunch stop - Michelin star hawker food!

Little India

Kampong Glam Malaysian district

A couple of interesting facts:

To buy a new car here there is an additional $100,000 in tax which only covers you for 10 years. Then you have to pay the tax again. Understandably not many people own cars and that is the government’s point. The tax is invested into public transport and people are encouraged to use that. Consequently the public transport here is incredibly good and very cheap.

There are hefty fines for lots of things, including vaping which is banned. You can be fined $2000 if you are caught vaping. The penalty for theft is three years in prison. The tough laws mean that it is a safe city to live and visit.

Sultan’s Mosque

Contrasting architecture

The best coffee!

And we got a history lesson at the National Museum in the afternoon. \240Useless piece of information: Singapore was granted independence from Malaysia the year Scott was born.

Next update will be from Spain!

Didn’t take long to get my snout into a sangria. You will be pleased to see we are embracing the Mediterranean diet!

This one’s for you Trav! Cured ham legs at €250+ each.

Off to bed early tonight…

The brown parts are still to be built

The morning sun creates the first colours of the rainbow and the afernoon sun completes the job on the other side of the basilica

The “trees” that hold the building up from the inside.

.

Everything is inspired by nature

Pintxos for lunch!

But first, a post breakfast snack on the way. We found a gluten free cafe and couldn’t resist the apple crumble!

Casa Vicens - completed in 1885

Scott reckons he needs to work on a more fancy signature!

These cast iron fan palm gates are on the original plan above (We like!)

The smoking room - for men only back in the good old days!

Every room has a different colour scheme and motifs - mainly plants and flowers.

A bit obsessed with the light fittings!

In the afternoon we went to Casa Amatller - major renovations were done in 1898 by a wealthy dude who owned a chocolate factory.

Casa Amatller

No expense spared on the light fittings

More funky light fittings!

Jet lag and a head cold caught up with me in the afternoon 😢.

Spent the rest of the day here:

First stop, the famous El Rastro Sunday flea market. Hundreds of stalls - needless to say it was hard walking past all the vintage and antique stalls!

And the antique shops!

After the markets, lunch at Mercado de San Miguel. \240So much amazing food to choose from and wall to wall people. A bit overwhelming!

And a city wander in the afternoon

Plaza Mayor

Almudena (Santa Maria) Cathedral

The Royal Palace of Madrid

Then in the evening we went to a flamenco show which was fabulous!

That’s our cooking teacher, Eduardo

Then Eduardo showed us how to make sangria, gazpacho and paella - accompanied by a large glass of sangria!

Blending the gazpacho

Demonstrating how to slice the calamari

Nearly ready to add the paprika, rice and stock

Happy after several sangrias!

We learned a lot about Spanish cooking, met some interesting people (there were 12 in the class) and had a delicious lunch. \240Such fun!

We went for an afternoon stroll to the botanic gardens (to walk off all the food we had eaten!) and discovered Madrid has the best collection of bonsais in Spain.

On the way to Segovia - after crossing an 1800m mountain range

The GPS isn’t always foolproof. We’ve had some interesting times going around in circles in all the one way streets in Segovia - some of them so narrow it’s hair-raising!

But we managed to find our accommodation, visit the Alcazar and park our car for the night (assisted by a friendly parking warden) so a pretty good effort for our first day driving. I did reach for the door handle instead of the gear stick a couple of times …

One of the best preserved Roman aqueducts in the world

We had lunch at a quaint old restaurant right by the aqueduct - the restaurant opened in 1775.

Snout in a beer with 2000 year old aqueduct out the window

Eggplant roasted with honey and ham

The local specialty - roast pig with fried potatoes (aka chips). You can guess who was happy!

We went on a tour of the Alcazar in the afternoon…

The Alcazar of Segovia was originally built as a fortress around 1120.

Check out those shoes!

Some creepy armour

Queen Isabel was made queen here in 1474

We drove to Soria via back country roads. \240Lots of fields and not many cars, thankfully, as many of the roads didn’t have much room for passing.

We swapped roles today - Scott drove for the first time and I navigated. We’re still talking to each other! 😂

Monster stacks of hay bales - you have to wonder how they got them that high?

We stopped off in Atienza for lunch - this is the area where the story of Don Quixote was set (La Mancha).

More narrow, windy streets

Lots of meat and potatoes (Indy you would be happy here!)

Each quarter of the square cloister has different arches and carvings

Inside the monastery

We went for a long walk along side the Douro river, which flows down through Portugal and out to the Atlantic Ocean at Porto.

And visited the Ermita (Hermitage) de San Saturio which was built into the cliffs by the river in 1694. The original Hermit (Senor Saturio) lived in a cave here 1600 years ago!

The frescoed chapel inside was unexpected and beautiful!

Late lunch (Spanish style) was a Menu del Dia (menu of the day) which was great food and value - 3 courses, with a big list of choices, bread and 2 glasses of wine for 25 euros each. We always try the local specialty.

Entrees - mushroom gratin and chickpea, mushroom and prawn stew.

No dinner needed tonight!

This guy was painstaking chipping old paint off these ancient wooden statues

We arrived at our hotel in Loarre mid afternoon - it is a very quaint, quiet little town with not much going on!

The town square with our hotel on the right

View from our hotel window

Good road trip day. Started at Soria, coffee in Tarazona, then off to Loarre (too small to be on this map) at the foot of the Pyrenees. The flaw in our plan was nothing was open when we arrived - not even our Hotel 😳 so we consoled ourselves with a beer for lunch in the town centre \240as a local pub was open. Euro3.20 for 2 draft beers! 😅 (by Scott)

Castle Loarre - built in 1020 to protect the noble man’s land from bandits

Almond tree groves surround the castle. The view is impressive.

The walls are 1.5m thick!

Alabaster windows were commonly used in churches as gives a cool light effect and at the time was cheaper than glass.

After the long walk back down the hill we drove to nearby Bolea for lunch.

Menu del Dia at Casa Rufino - bread with pate, 3 courses and coffee for 20 Euros and the servings were huge!

Chickpeas with lobster as starter - a local specialty

Then some hearty Aragonese mains

Then some cheesecake and Spanish Flan for dessert - of course all washed down with some local wine and it’s only 3.30pm.

We could hardly waddle up the hill after lunch to look out over the town!

Panorama view

Last view from our Loarre hotel room

Arriving in Alquezar - wow! 😮

View from our hotel room in Alquezar

Salud! 🍻

And a couple of cool doors I couldn’t resist taking a photo of…

Starting out

Very well designed steps

We didn’t come across many people but one American hiker offered to take our photo

Holding on tightly

It’s a long way down…

We came across some ancient olive trees. This one is estimated to be around 1000 years old.

After a fortifying coffee we headed for the hills to see some ancient cave paintings. \240Unfortunately the map was misleading and after 2.5 km of steep uphill on a rocky path we didn’t make it to the caves. We got as far as the Balsas de Basacol which are ancient water reservoirs that used to supply Alquezar.

And the view was spectacular!

Later in the day we summoned up the energy to visit the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria la Mayor on top of a cliff above Alquezar (more stone steps! 😟). Far left in the photo above.

It was originally built in the 9th century as a combined castle/church to defend the town.

The painting above is an altar piece from 1470 telling the story of Saint Quiteria. Sounds like she was a courageous young \240woman - Google her if you’re interested!

Fortunately we got back to our hotel from wandering around the town just before a huge thunderstorm arrived.

A couple more old doors…

View from our apartment

The Ara river runs through Broto

A local

Impressive horns and really stinky

More locals

There are quite a lot of derelict houses in the small towns - probably would cost €1 (Trav)

Starting out - a brisk 6 degrees

Getting near the top, the cows in the Summer pastures with bells around their necks ringing

Above the tree line now

We made it to the top!

He doesn’t look impressed 😂

Bonsai olive trees - inspiration!

Room with a view

King Ferdinand’s story - only read if interested! \240He:

- Married Isabella of Castile which united the 2 big regions Aragon and Castile and founded modern Spain

- Forced the Moors (Muslims) out of Spain who had ruled it for 800 years (The Reconquista)

- Funded Chistopher Columbus on his voyages to discover the Americas

- His daughter, Catherine of Aragon, \240married Henry VIII. Henry then wanted to divorce her because she didn’t give him a male heir, the Pope said no, so Henry created the Protestant Church of England, got rid of the Catholic Church and annulled the marriage!

- Then Henry VIII and the rest of his offspring died and Catherine’s and Henry’s daughter became (Bloody) Queen Mary I of England.

- \240The Bloody Mary cocktail was invented in 1920 by a French barman and was named after Queen Mary I.

There endeth the history lesson!

Flower day…

That’s a lot of hay!

A slightly derelict monastery

Picnic time

We came across this fabulous old cafe and had to stop for coffee.

Cafe Iruna is one of the oldest cafes in Pamplona (built in 1888) and apparently Ernest Hemingway was a regular here.

Only foodie shops and cafes are open on Sunday

This shop only stocked local goods - of course we had to buy something…

A regional specialty, this liqueur is made from sloe berries steeped in aniseed flavoured alcohol 🍷

Pamplona City Hall - built in 1423 - supposedly one of the most photographed buildings in Europe

We walked the Running of the Bulls route

The Running of the Bulls bronze monument

And then went back to Cafe Iruna for lunch

Cute doggo!

We’re staying in a small town called Labastida in the heart of La Rioja region.

Our accommodation is an old palazio which the owner has done an amazing job of restoring.

That’s our place on the left - ground and first floors.

The original, restored front door.

Labastida, that’s our place just through the gate.

Today’s outing was to nearby Haro for a wine tasting at a family owned group of vineyards called CVNE (founded in 1879!). \240We were lucky to have the undivided attention of the sommelier for several hours and he spoke perfect English having spent time in the UK and Scotland.

Happy chappies

Late afternoon we visited Marquis de Riscal vineyard just to see the fancy hotel, which was designed by the same architect who designed the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao. \240We were too late to do a tour and they don’t let the riff-raff wander around so we couldn’t get a decent photo. Screenshot below gives you an idea though:

At a mere $1000 per night for the cheapest room it’s not quite within our budget!

The tour started under ground so you could see all the work they’ve done to stabilise the foundations

Then we were taken up to the *Triforium (Scott loving the heights)

We climbed a steep, stone spiral staircase up to the bell tower- great views and very windy!

* A Triforium is a narrow passageway that runs above and the length of the nave (the main arches inside the building).

Digging the grape skins out of the big fermentation tanks - all the tanks are oak (no stainless steel in sight!)

Hydraulic pressing of the grape skins

The five tanks that the winemaker uses to blend different varieties and vintages for bottling

Part of the underground cellar - all their wine is aged in barrels for at least 5 years

The walls and ceilings in the cellar are thick with penicillin mould which they encourage

Yes, those are mouldy wine bottles from the 1960’s - the family’s secret stash - they are still good to drink!

The workshop where they make their own wine barrels

The entry to the wine cellar, carved into the rock

The fancy tasting room. Complimentary tastings of the Gran Reserva wines. Hit the jackpot there!

A “booth” that was built in 1910 for a wine expo in Brussels and has now been restored

Our guide, Elena, was so interesting and passionate about the history of the family and the vineyard - she really made the tour.

The wine shop to house the booth was designed by architect Zaha Hadid (she’s worth reading about too) and is inspired by a wine carafe.

We’ve all made it to San Sebastián!

Happy birthday again! \240(This cake is called a skyscraper and he did share 😊)

Sand artists - incredible,

Every bar has their own version of pintxos

The carnivores in the crew requested a steak dinner on our last night all together before Paige and Callum flew back to London

The last time we saw Ted was in NZ ten years ago

On our last night in San Sebastián Ruby, Ryan and Elin made us excellent pintxos in our apartment

On Monday Ruby and Ryan drove with us to Bilbao (my new favourite Spanish city!).

We visited the Guggenheim Museum - it turns out the outside of the building is more interesting than the modern “art” inside the museum…

This art installation is called “Puppy”

We all liked this guy in the Pop Art section

And this giant pot plant was pretty amazing

Then we caught the funicular up the hill for some spectacular views

The Lego shop was amazing - this was a whole wall covered in flowers

And too quickly we had to drop Ryan and Ruby off at the airport and leave Bilbao…

Gaudi designed all the furniture and yes, we were allowed to sit on it! (Probably imitations).

We also visited the Sobrellano Palace, up the hill from El Capricho, built in the 1880’s by the Marquis of Comillas. \240Clearly the guy had some cash!

The palace was built facing the sea (north) so it got no sun

So many chandeliers!

View to the church next door from inside the house. The church was built at the same time as the Palace by the same guy, as his own private church.

This is how they pour the local cider here, to aerate it

Sardines

Monkfish - very fresh with lots of salt and garlic

The beautiful fishing port of Luarca

So many derelict houses in every town!

We’ve swapped narrow, windy, city streets for floofy cattle on the country roads!

Lighthouse marking the port into Ribadeo

On the way up to Cape Ortegal - looking like a wind-blown tumble-weed.

Cute little village church in San Andres de Teixido

The roof spikes are to ward off evil spirits (apparently). There’s still quite a lot of Gaelic influence here, so the locals are having a bet both ways with the old (pagan) Gods and the new.

Cape Ortegal, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Cantabrian Sea (Bay of Biscay) Its wild! The scale is hard to imagine from the photo but the cliffs in the distance are some of the highest on the European mainland and are a sheer drop of 620m. For comparison the cliffs of Mohar in Ireland are a mere 200m! 😳

The rows of windmills were generating some power today!

A cosy lunch after being nearly blown away at the cape!

The many coloured houses of Galicia

Our hotel in Cedeira has a gorgeous pool but it’s 🥶

Of course we always have to go down to the harbour to look at boats…

Managed a selfie - the cathedral looks like it’s on a lean 🤭

Everything here is super-sized - even the tomatoes!

Two mini Tarta de Santiago (traditional Galician almond cakes) for dessert 😋

We spent our last day in Spain wandering around the beautiful little seaside town of Cambados which is famous for Albariño wine and seafood.

Local clams for lunch

In the traditional fishing village part of town some of the houses are clad in scallop shells

When the tide goes out people collect shellfish here - the ruins of an old tower are on the right

Off to Portugal tomorrow! 🚙

This church is just up the road from our apartment - very loud bells!

The town square

We had to check out the port and the boats of course!

A local specialty for lunch - Portuguese stew with lots of different types of meat and sausages with veges

It looks like a toy!

Halfway up the 659 steps and I’ve been told I have to keep going 😂

It was worth the steep climb! Santa Luzia basilica on a hill overlooking the town is just stunning…

Going down was much more fun. That’s the funicular tracks beside the steps. We did wonder why we walked up! 🤔

The local beer is rather good 😋

As was this mango cheesecake at our local bar

…and have a delicious lunch…

The Portuguese version of paella - even better I think

Cod fritters with rice and beans - also a traditional Portuguese dish

We’re already noticing that food and drinks are quite a lot cheaper in Portugal than in Spain - and the servings are generous!

We no longer see huge haunches of pork (jamon) in every supermarket - now we see huge slabs of salted cod!

We’re staying near Lindoso, in the National Park, in a restored stone cottage surrounded by old granaries (used for storing grain in the 1700’s and 1800’s - up on stilts to keep rats out).

Our cottage

Some locals

Stone granaries

Today we went on a short hike over the hills to the next village to see a castle. \240We got a bit lost, ended up walking a lot further than we needed to, had to take our shoes and socks off to wade through a flooded path (the water was icy 🥶) and then got there just after the castle had closed for the midday break! 🤣

The walk was beautiful though!

Grapevines everywhere. Most families have their own grapevines and make their own “house” wine. Here they call it Vinho Verde, meaning “green” (as in young) wine - they make it and drink it straight away! \240We can see a few vines going in on the Kahn and Hollenstein estates…😜 😂

Granaries everywhere

And cats everywhere ❤️

Our drinking water supply - fresh from the mountain

Then…

And now… apparently the “recipe” has changed and it’s now sweet and bubbly 😝

We discovered that driving to our little cottage in the Douro valley was not for the faint-hearted… a steep single lane road with very few passing areas, and a vertical drop with no barrier on one side. \240Scott had white knuckles the whole way there (perhaps because I was driving? 🫣)

But what a view when we got here!

He needed a whiskey after the drive

There are lots of cruise boats on the \240river

We watched this boat pass through the lock - apparently the highest lock in Europe at 35m height difference. It was scary to watch as it only just fitted!

Lunch in Peso da Regua today was wild boar stew with carrot purée 😋

Followed by a vineyard tour and wine/port tasting at Quinta da Pacheca (a family owned vineyard since 1783!)

Huge barrels for aging port

The 30 year old Tawny or the Vintage Ruby. Looking like a man who is making the toughest decision of his day… 🤔

Fields of gold…

Their logo “The Don” has the Spanish hat for sherry and the Portuguese cape for port.

View up the river to Pinhao

Grapevines everywhere - the Douro Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the oldest wine region in the world

All grapes in the valley have to be harvested by hand because of the steep terrain

A couple of cocktails to finish the tour - white port, tonic and lemon

Steep drop from the road down to the river

No passing here - someone has to back up until you find a small passing bay. Note the lack of barriers. 😳Passing campervans this morning was interesting. 🤨

Down by the river - the little cottage we’re staying in in the centre.

The Dom Luis bridge connects Porto city with the port wine cellars in the Gaia district over the river. \240The bridge was designed by a student of Gustave Eiffel (of Eiffel Tower fame).

Some cool street art

Lots of stairs to get down to the river

When in Porto, one must eat sardines. The “Time Out” market has excellent food.

Waiting in a queue outside a famous bookstore that apparently was part of J K Rowling’s inspiration for Harry Potter (or not, depending what your source of information is!)

A very cool bookstore if you don’t mind crowds of people 😏

250 year old Santa Catarina chapel, clad in blue and white tiles

Another huge under cover food market with everything from fresh produce to tapas and beverages

Checking out how they string up the chillies to dry 🌶️

This young man offered to make me his version of a Portuguese rosé sangria - how could I refuse!

Very goooood….

Even the train station has beautiful tile walls

The first haircut he’s paid for since 2020… 😂

If you’re interested in a few facts on port wine read on… (which we only just learned)…

* Fortified wine can only be called port if the grapes come from the Douro valley.

* Port is made using exactly the same grapes and initial process the vineyard uses to make wine, but half way through the process alcohol is added to stop the fermentation. This means port is sweeter than wine as the sugars aren’t fully fermented.

* Port originally came about because wine exported to England in barrels was fermenting and going bad on the ships on the way so they added alcohol to prevent fermentation. \240The English took a liking to it and port became a big thing.

* A vineyard’s port can only be labelled as vintage if a blind tasting by a panel of elderly buffoons says it can.

* Ruby port should be drunk straight away once the bottle has been opened and definitely within a few days otherwise it will oxidise and be yucky. \240Tawny port has been aged in barrels for a long time so keeps much better and a bottle can be opened and kept in the fridge for up to 12 months.

* Ruby port improves in the unopened bottle, like wine.

* They recommend drinking port chilled.

* White and rosé port is just becoming popular, mainly as an ingredient in cocktails, to appeal to younger consumers. Be very afraid - we have a few recipes!

* All grapes in the Douro valley are harvested by hand because of the steepness of the hills. \240This is causing challenges finding labourers at harvest time who are willing to do the work.

* We enjoyed a Kopke Port today which is the oldest Port brand \240- founded nearly 400 years ago in 1638!

I loved this painting in the Nacional Soares dos Reis museum - painted by Portuguese artist Henrique Pousão in 1880 (he died of tuberculosis at 25).

Portuguese specialty “arroz de marisco” - like a soupy seafood risotto. So good!

Just looks like an old chapel on the outside

Inside - a very cute wine bar

On the way to our next overnight stop we detoured to the seaside town of Aveiro, built on lagoons and nicknamed the “Venice of Portugal” because of the canals and moliceiro boats (like gondolas).

Happiness - the best lunch I’ve had while we’ve been away. Slices of pork in a delicious sauce with lots of veges and truffle flavoured potato purée 😋

We couldn’t resist dessert and it was amazing! \240Sadly I had to share.

Next stop, the town of Coimbra and the sun finally came out today 🌞.

We visited the University of Coimbra - founded in 1290 in Lisbon then moved to Coimbra in 1537 - it’s one of the oldest universities in the world and a World Heritage site.

It’s a very hilly town - LOTS of steps to get to the University

The Joanina Library is a highlight but sadly we weren’t allowed to take photos. I’ve found a few on-line which show how amazing it is.

Look at that date!

The library is famous for its baroque architecture, ancient book collection and a bat colony that lives inside (yes you read that right). The bat colony is allowed to stay for pest control reasons (eating the bugs that eat books) and the staff cover everything at night to stop it getting covered in bat poo.

The law students were out in force selling postcards to raise funds for their graduation celebration. As far as we could tell they need money to fund lots of beer drinking! Of course to us that sounded like a noble cause… Their traditional outfit with black cape was inspiration for the Harry Potter capes (apparently that’s true!)

University Botanic gardens

A piece of surviving Roman aqueduct

Afternoon beer stop by the cathedral

It’s a gorgeous town with lots of beautiful old buildings (photo bombard following):

Picnic lunch on the beach with clear blue skies was lovely 🌞

Today we visited Pena Palace in Sintra, along with about a million other people - didn’t anyone tell them it’s low season?!

Note some guy abseiling down the tower to put up Christmas decorations!

The Palace was originally a 16th century monastery but after it was left in ruins from an earthquake in 1755 it was transformed into a palace by King Ferdinand II. \240No idea what happened to the monks 🤷‍♀️

The palace is full of outrageously ornate furniture, chandeliers and ceilings

Of course I want this chandelier!

The walk down to the town was challenging for the knees but stunning!

I spotted some tiny shrooms growing out of a mossy tree trunk - cute!

In the afternoon we visited the Palace of Monserrate. \240In 1860 this stunning property was transformed from a ruin by a wealthy Englishman, Francis Cook.

As is often the case, his successors ran out of money to maintain the place so all the furniture, light fittings and anything not nailed down were auctioned to pay the bills. \240It’s now virtually bare inside. \240The Portuguese Government bought the property in 1949 and have been bringing it back to life. \240Quite a mission by the look of the before and after photos.

This fountain is inside the entrance hall

Lots of Moorish arches

The music room

That’s the dome inside the music room!

The 50 hectare property includes a huge and diverse botanical garden

The whole floor of this room was decorated in tiny mosaic tiles

Check out the carved wooden ceiling!

All the mosaic work is done with different coloured pebbles

Scott loved going down this well (not!) \240At the bottom is a link to a network of cave passages that take you into lower parts of the garden.

In the afternoon we drove to Lisbon for our last stop on the big tour and this morning we met up with Julia, John and the rest of the crew after they left their cruise.

Back to clear blue skies!

Rayne thought it would be a good idea to hire a couple of tuk tuks to do a city tour, which was great fun!

The crew in front of a bridge which is the same design as San Francisco’s Bay Bridge.

Our cheery tuk tuk driver

The friendliest bartender we’ve come across, recommending her favourite Portuguese brandy.