Mini Euro Trip #9 - Lively Lisbon, Amusing Madrid & Boisterous Barcelona - The PRE-Blog

I want to take the time to do a pre-blog. I feel the need to do this as this trip was just so big, it needs to be broken up... into three neat chunks that just so happen to be divided by the areas we visited.


This pre-blog I suppose basically gives you a bit of a low-down on our travel route, and I also want to give some basic feelings about each leg of the journey. This way I feel that you can make the choice as to whether you want to go ahead a read the individual blogs, just skim the photos, or just ignore the blog for the next few days!

Taking some time away from work at the end of an incredibly busy month, Michael and I dashed off on a 9 day holiday to Portugal and Spain. Now Spain, particularly Barcelona, has been very high on my must do list for many years. Portugal I must admit only became an idea in the last few months as friends of ours went there and continued to comment on how much they truly loved it. We must admit we were pleased we chose to go. But the details will come in the individual blogs.

First though, I want to include some statistics:

Countries visited:	2
Cities stayed in:	3
Portuguese Custard Tarts consumed:	10
Goudi works visited:	5
Guided tours:	5
Anaphylaxis scares:	1
Times we were offered drugs in the street:	12

Now the low-down reports - my feelings about the three cities we saw.

Lively Lisbon
Lisbon, as I mentioned, was not somewhere we had ever really contemplated going. However, it didn't take long to find things to love about this old city. Lisbon itself can best be described as a mix. A mix of new, well-maintained old, and run-down derelict old! And yet, it was still beautiful. It was a clean city with plenty of history, and delicious pastries! I don't think I will ever be able to eat a Portuguese Custard Tart in Australia again! I've tasted the real thing and I can never go back!
We spent a total of 4 days in Lisbon, flying in early Saturday morning, and leaving late Tuesday evening on an overnight train. We had some unique experiences, some scary experiences and some delicious experiences. We saw both Lisbon city and some outer areas including Belem and the famous Sintra. At the end of our time in Portugal, Michael and I both agreed that it was indeed a beautiful place, and we were so pleased we listened to the reviews of our friends.

Amusing Madrid
Arriving in Madrid early Wednesday morning, and with only 48 hours to see the city, we jumped straight in, and loved every minute of our time. We managed to squeeze in 3 guided tours on our first day, then ran around like crazy on the second day, fitting in everything we had missed the first day. We enjoyed several tasty meals, including my one and only paella, and marvelled at the air conditioning system used everywhere.
Madrid was a beautifully kept city with history and culture galore. We even managed to take in a Flamenco show which absolutely amazed us - even Michael! We were almost sad to board our next train to...

Boisterous Barcelona

I said above that Barcelona had been a 'must do' for me for many many years. I have always been fascinated by the works of Goudi and his dominance of the art world in this city. So it was almost a disappointment when we arrived. The city itself was again a mix of old and new, and while it was mostly well maintained, it just had a different feel to Madrid and Portugal - possibly too commercial or touristy. However, we didn't let that feeling get to us. We went straight out on a bike tour to see all the highlights of the city that we could!
Saturday was 'Goudi' day - taking in 3 Goudi works from the inside, and another 2 from the outside. We also managed to fit in some visits to the Cathedral, the Magic Fountain and Montjuïc. And best of all... we made it home on the right day, at the right time, on the plane we had booked! No botched homecoming - our jinx is broken!


So, overall, Michael and I enjoyed 9 very fun-filled, action-packed days away. It was by far not the easiest destination for us to choose with my famous Peppers and Chilli allergy but we managed to successfully navigate all meal times and still got to enjoy some tasty Portuguese and Spanish foods!
Sadly, the one problem we did encounter/endure was a stomach bug. And where we first thought it might be food poisoning related to travel, we came to realise that it was indeed a bug that I might have contracted before even leaving Germany. Unfortunately this bug remained with me the entire trip and thus a common phrase this holiday was "I'm not hungry" which sucks when you want to enjoy your holiday from a culinary perspective! Luckily I was able to push through the pain and appetite loss for most of the trip.

I think the other thing that really surprised us both was the amount of German we heard while travelling. In all three locations we passed other travellers in the street speaking fluent German, and quite often found ourselves listening into their conversations - not out of rudeness, but because we were missing being in Germany! It also came in handy in one restaurant sitting next to a Germany couple, when they ordered a delicious looking dessert. I was able to lean over an ask in German if it was as good as it looked. Just as well I asked - It was amazing!

I will leave the pre-blog there I think. In the coming days, there will be three more individual blog posts dedicated to our three destinations with photos and detailed descriptions.