Rome, Italy to Florence, Italy

We got up this morning and packed up our tent to begin our journey to Florence. For the last time we caught the 337 and 36 to the station, where tickets to Florence cost us AU$26 each, and a train was due to depart in 20 minutes. We got our seats and went and bought some McDonald’s for brunch. The train was half an hour late departing but this gave is a bit of extra time for diary writing and reading.

The trip took us three hours and we arrived in Florence SMN at four pm and we went straight to the tourist information to find out our best option for accommodation.

We decide to camp again as hostel/hotels are really expensive here. We caught the bus number 13 from the station and half hour later we arrived at Campeggio Michelangelo, next to the Piazza of the same name. We’re on a hill south of the city with a great view over Florence.

We put the Taj up and got straight into a pasta with 4 cheeses on the gas cooker. By the time we’d cleaned up it was dark so we opted for an early night, so as to get started early on Florence tomorrow as we will only have two or three days here and, hopefully, we’ll do a day trip to Pisa as well.

Rome, Italy

The Vatican Museums are free on the last Sunday of every month (and the only Sunday of each month to be open). We got up at six am to guarantee we’d spend as much time as possible there. We were fortunate that our two buses and train connected and we were within 15 meters of the front of the queue at 7.20 am. This is our first serious line up. We had to wait an hour and a half before the doors opened, but at least we weren’t behind the five buses that arrived just after us, or around the corner (where Nelly & Luke were – who arrived half an hour after us), or back to St Peter’s Square (800 meters) where the queue was when the doors opened.

When we got in, we went straight to the Sistine Chapel before going back through the Museums. There were only 15 other people in the Chapel when we arrived, which was a blessing considering the crowd later on. This chapel was built in 1473 for the use of the Popes for private prayer. It was here where Michelangelo’s famous ceiling painting “Creation” was done. His four-year work covers nine scenes in line with the creation of man, including the famous painting where he and Adam are reaching out to each other. Three of the surrounding walls show 14 other Biblical scenes as painted by the likes of Botticelli (amongst others). The wall above the alter is covered by Michelangelo’s “Last Judgement” which he did 24 years after the frescos of the ceiling.

After about half an hour in here we went back to the entrance and paid 6000 lire for an audio tour of the museums. This was well worth it, as we walked through so many rooms of art collected by Popes over the years. Four of the most important being the Raphael Rooms. All paintings in these rooms were either painted, drawn or overseen by Raphael. There were also countless statues, Egyptian relics, maps of Italy’s regions, and religious artworks which would have been left unexplained had we not had the audio guide.

The tour ended in the Sistine Chapel, which, by 12 pm, had become packed. We were here for another half an hour listening to the explanations behind the Chapel, its art and the restoration done to it.

When we eventually got out, we went to a restaurant, Garden Lino, for lunch.

We went back to Ottaviano Station and caught to train to San Giovanni to go and see Basilica di St Croce in Gerusalemme, which is said to house the nails that were used in the crucifixion of Christ. Unfortunately, this scaffolded building was closed.

Down the road, however, was the open Basilica di St. Giovanni in Laterano. This is the church of Rome, originally built in the fourth century, but destroyed over time, before being rebuilt in the 17th century. This was a beautiful church inside with large statues to be found of the 12 apostles. Outside was, once again, under restoration, and none of the front could be seen.

By catching the train back to Colesseo we completed the trifecta of “under restoration” churches by going to San Pietro in Vincoli, which was open for our visit today. Its two famous artifacts are Michelangelo’s statue of Moses and the chains used to hold St. Peter before his crucifixion. Besides that, the church was non-descript.

This bought an end to five solid days of Roman history and culture as we headed back to the campsite for our last Roman cook tent supper. Rome has been amazing for its sights, how cheap it has been for us (thank God for the Taj Mahal), not to mention the fun / unease of watching Roman drivers. I don’t know how they survive.

Rome, Italy

Today we tried to go to the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, but we arrived only half an hour before closing time so decided to try again tomorrow.

What we did instead was catch a train to Piramide to go and have a look at Piramide of Caio Cestio. This small pyramid was a dud. I don’t know what, or who, it was for as there are no descriptions or entrances to have a look in. (I’ll have to look it up in my Rome book).

Piramide of Caio Cestio, Rome, Italy

Me, St. Peter's Dome, Rome, Italy

We caught the train back to Colesseo to go to Chiesa di San Pietro in Vincoli, but it was closed such has been our luck for the day.

We decided to go home and do the laundry and have an easy afternoon. We cooked pasta carbonara at the tent and spent most of the night hanging with our tent neighbors, Nelly & Luke from Spain via Britain. They gave us some tips for tomorrow and for Florence when we go on Monday. We went to bed at around 11 pm to help with our early start tomorrow.

Rome, Italy

Once again, we caught our two buses into the train station and then caught the Metro to Colesseo to go and see, as you could guess, the Colosseum. What I did not expect was to see it as I stepped out of the station right in front of us. Our first viewing though was of scaffolding and once again my heart sunk. Fortunately, it only covered a small section outside. Phew! We did a lap around the outside as the queue to get in was the longest we’d seen anywhere. By the time we got back around it had started to rain and the queue had disappeared and we walked straight in. The rain continued as we walked around the ground level of this 2000-year-old stadium, which had also been used as both a fortress and a quarry. We climbed the steep stairs to get to the next level and while doing so it started to pour. A thunderstorm had come over Rome and you could barely see across the street. We stayed in the refuge of the stairwell for 20 minutes until the rain stopped. The view over the Colosseum from the next level gave it a better perspective. It was possible to fit 80,000 people in this building, and with the original floor gone, you could see into the maze of animal cages and storage rooms below. I’d love to be able to picture / see it in its original condition. 

Me, Colosseum, Rome, Italy

Colosseum, Rome, Italy

Me, Colosseum, Rome, Italy

Across the road from the Colosseum is the Arch of Constantine, built in 312 AD, to commemorate Constantine’s victory over his rival, Maxentius.

Arch of Constantine, Rome, Italy

Across from this is the 26 square kilometer area of the Roman Ruins. This is an area of Rome dating back 2100 years which has been continually excavated since the 1800’s. After the Roman Empire’s importance declined in the 4th century, this area of temples, buildings, and monuments fell into ruin and until excavations began, was used as pasture land. Some of the more significant monuments here include Tempio di Antonio & Faustina – an eighth century church (still in good condition) built as a senate building 1000 years previous. Tempio di Saturno – of which eight granite columns remain of this most important temple. Also here is the Temple of the God Julius, which was built by Augustus in memory to Julius Caesar. Even today the shrine is covered in flowers and messages for the once great ruler of Rome. There are so many other monuments here that it would take a month of Sundays to record them all. Roberta and I took the easy way, she bought a book about the Forum, while I purchased one on Rome.

Temple of Antonius & Faustina, Roman Forum, Rome, Italy

Roman Forum, Rome, Italy

Basilica of Maxentius, Roman Forum, Rome, Italy

Me, Roman Forum, Rome, Italy

After spending a few hours here (and nearly two rolls of film) we walked up the hill to Piazza del Campidoglio, where currently the local government has its offices. It is flanked by Musei Capitolini, which houses many Roman artworks and sculptures including the remains of the statue of Constantine, once a huge statue which had been excavated in the Roman Ruins area. The museum also has a statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius – of which a replica sits in the middle of the plaza. This bought an end to our huge day of sightseeing.

Me & Marforio, Palazzo dei Conservatori, Rome, Italy

Palazzo Centorio, & Marcus Aurelius, Rome, Italy

On the way home we stopped at a trattoria for our splurgy Italian dinner (prosciutto, spaghetti, veal and gelati). We got home around 10.30pm and crashed for the night.

Rome, Italy

We left for our day out at around ten this morning. We caught our usual 337 to Siemprione and then we caught bus 60 to Barberini, where we caught the Metro to Ottoviano.

After a lazy McDonalds lunch, we made the short walk to the Vatican City. This I knew would be a momentous occasion. We walked through the outer columns of St. Peter’s Square to see the Basilica when, just my luck, the entire Basilica was covered in scaffolding for restoration work. I couldn’t believe it! It was heart wrenching. Here was the most significant building I’d seen to date, hidden by a mountain of metal and mesh. Devastated! However, I went on (I don’t know how). We had been warned that the queues here would be extremely long, but like Notre Dame and London Tower / Crown Jewels, we walked straight in. Instantly you are in awe of this beautiful church. Immediately to your right, as you walk in, is a statue of Madonna and Christ (Pieta) done by Michelangelo at the age of 25, my current age. This artwork, protected by bullet-proof glass, is Michelangelo’s only work to carry his signature. The paintings and mosaics here are fabulous, as are the statue-lined tombs of previous Popes. The centerpiece is a canopy sculpted by Bernini, called Balacchino. Underneath it is believed to be the remains of St Peter – the first Pope. The church’s artefacts also extend to a cellar area.

Me, Vatican, Italy

St. Peter's Square, Vatican, Italy

Michelangelo's Pieta, St. Peter's Basilica, Me, Vatican, Italy

St. Peter's Basilica, Me, Vatican, Italy

When you exit here it brings you to the ticket office of the dome of St Peters. We paid our 6000 lira and caught the elevator half way up and then climbed to 373 steps. Along the way we stopped inside the church to look down on the main altar. Once again, my fear of heights came flooding back to me, but I wasn’t going to come this far and not look out the top. The outside of the dome is up high and although the view over Rome is amazing, I hated being near the open railing. We were outside for about 15 minutes before making the long haul down, with a stop at the souvenir shop on the way. The lift down bought us back into the Basilica, where we did another lap to take in all in. We then sat on the steps and wrote some postcards to be sent from the Vatican post office. As we walked out of St. Peters Square, I turned around once more in the vain hope that all the construction works had been magically pulled down, but to no avail.

St. Peter's Square, Vatican, and Rome, Italy

From here we walked to Castel St. Angelo – we didn’t go in as it was soon to close – but around it was like a temporary market where we stopped for a gelati.

We started our trek home by walking to Lepanto station, catching the train to Termini and then the two buses. In between buses we looked for restaurant, couldn’t find one, so settled for a cook tent meal instead. We’ll dine out tomorrow.

Rome, Italy

We arrived at Rome’s terminal on time (at 6.15am) after some sketchy periods of sleep. While we were reading about accommodation on the platform, we were given information about a camps site, where it would cost 23,800 lire per night. We decided we needed a cheap place, and for AU$24 a night for the two of us, we couldn’t go wrong.

We caught two buses (the 36 and 337) and an hour later we arrived at our small camp site not far from the north-east part of Rome’s ring road. We put up the tent and opted for a quick snooze before tackling Rome.

We went back into town at about noon and decided to orientate ourselves with Lonely Planet’s suggested walking tour, like we did in Madrid. We started at the train station and walked to Piazza del Quirinale. Along the way we went past the Palace, now used as the Italian president’s residence. In the Piazza, I got my first look at St. Peters in the Vatican, but only the dome.

We walked back along this street to Via delle Quattro Fontane, through Piazza Baberini and on to the Spanish Steps. These steps were built in 1725 by the French but were named because they lead up to a Spanish church – Trinitia del Monti.

Roberta, Spanish Steps, Rome, Italy

At the bottom of the steps is Barcaccia – a famous boat-shaped fountain.

To get to our next stop we had to walk down Via Condotti, which is a famous Italian shopping street, with shops such as Gucci, Swatch and Versace lining the road.

Our next monument was the Trevi Fountain. This 1732 fountain is the work of Nicola Salvi and has its water supplied by one of Rome’s first aqueducts. Both of us threw a coin in over our shoulder which, as legend has it, ensures your return to Rome at a later date.

Me, Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy

After walking through a couple of more piazzas we made our way to the Pantheon. The original temple was built in 27AD, but rebuilt in 120AD. Its main attraction today is the tomb of the Italian artist, Raphael.

Pantheon, Rome, Italy

Pantheon, Rome, Italy

This was the last of the monuments on this tour. Though we did go through a couple more piazzas (Navona, Campo de Fiori, and Farnese) before ending up at the Tiber River. From here we caught the bus back to Barberini, where we caught the train to the terminus and then our two buses back to the camp site. We had a cook tent meal of spaghetti pomodoro and ended up in bed at around nine pm.

It had been a big day!

Nice, France to Rome, Italy

We had enough time to have a shower and pack before we checked out of the hostel at ten am. We left our bags there, to pick up later on this evening, when we get on the train.

While Troy and Beck went to the beach, Roberta went in search of a hairdresser and I spent some time emailing in a café five blocks from the hostel. Roberta came back with her new short hairstyle and we went down to the beach to meet the others.

Nice’s beaches are covered in well rounded stones and are really painful for the unaccustomed to walk on. The water, however, was beautiful, clean and clear. We stayed at the beach for a few hours before having a late lunch, due to the fact that Troy and Back had bought two lilos and we were having so much fun being the tourists that we used to hassle as kids.

Roberta & I, Nice, France

We had lunch at a place in town. Roberta and I shared a huge pizza, which was delicious. We all then headed to a park to sit in the shade and just hang out. The others left at five pm as they are trying to get to Paris by the morning. Roberta and I stayed in the park for a while longer before going back to the hostel to get our bags and have a shower before the train trip.

We bought some take away Chinese to eat at the station while waiting for our train, when we ran into ran into Jeremy and Fiona who, from what we can gather, have been a couple of days behind us at each stop. They have been in Nice for a couple of nights but where now going to join the central circuit of Eurobus.

Our train left at 8.35 pm and we were in a compartment with four other girls. They were part of a dancing troupe from Napoli, who had been performing in Cannes. They were a bit apprehensive at first, but when we said we were Australian, the cabin filled with more girls wanting to know everything about us. Communication was hard as, obviously, our French and Italian is non-existent, and their English is a ton better, but still limited. Still, we managed to get everything across. They were definitely excited when Roberta pulled out the gift koalas for them.

Lights went out at 12.30 am and everyone tried their best to get some sleep. Some were luckier than others.

Nice, France

We got up early this morning and spent the best part of an hour at the train station trying to buy a ticket to Rome. When we found out that we wouldn’t be able to join the next leg of the Eurobus to Avignon until 14 days from now, we decided we’d try somewhere else. Italy it is. For F$246/AU$82 we successfully booked a seat on tomorrow night’s train leaving at 8.35 pm. That will get us into Rome at 6.45 am Wednesday morning. Transportation and accommodation covered in one ticket.

After making the booking, we bought a ticket to spend the day in Monaco. With trains running every 20 minutes, and the trip only taking half an hour, we were there before we knew it. We did a quick walk-through Monte Carlo, past the harbor, and through the tunnel I’d seen from the Formula One Grand Prix, to the beach. We spent the best part of three hours lying on the pebbled beach and swimming in the water.

Afterwards we walked back to the harbor, after a quick photo stop outside the Monte Carlo Casino, and had lunch at a cafe, seated outside of course.

Monte Carlo Casino, Monaco

We then went to the station and caught the train back to the Nice.

Back at the hostel, we changed and grabbed some food and drinks and the four of us headed to Cannes. Cannes is half an hour in the opposite direction to Monaco, and then only a short walk to the beach. We went there because the tourist office had told us of a fireworks competition. We arrived at nine pm and picked our spot on the beach for the festivities to start at ten pm. The competition was over, but this was the closing ceremony, and the display was put on by the city of Cannes. The 45-minute spectacular was set to music. From “Rock Around The Clock” to “In The Mood” to “Saturday Night Fever” to “Isn’t She Lovely”, and many more.

Troy, Beck, Me & Roberta, Cannes, France

We finished off our drinks and nibblies before heading back to the station to catch the last train back to Nice.

We arrived back to an empty room at two am and crashed. It has been a big day mixing it with the rich and famous, but we handled it like we deserved to be there.

Barcelona, Spain to Nice, France

Up at six am for the preparation of our trip to Nice. We made it to the pick up point half an hour early, only to find the bus running two hours late.

Yet another relatively uneventful trip, although we saw Luvo, Jo from Albufeira and Andrea from Sudoeste. We made stops along the way, including at the Spain-France border.

We arrived in Nice at seven pm and saw Johnny, Jen and Karla getting on the bus. They referred us to a hostel around the corner from the drop off point, which was cheap and where Kern and Beck were staying. When we turned up the owner said that Troy and Beck had actually checked out that morning. We were in a room with Andrea and Matty from New Zealand, and they went to a Chinese restaurant that they’d been to previously, so we went along with them for a feed.

Afterwards, we walked down to the beach and sat and watched the water. It’s a tough life! After a hot day on the bus, sitting on the beach’s promenade with a slight breeze was a blessing. Matty knew of a place that sold cheap beers, so off we went for a couple of drinks. This place had an internet café, which turned into a nightclub, but we left when happy hour was over.

We walked back to the hostel via McDonalds, to try a new desert discovery, as made by Andrea – the McFlurry. A whipped sundae, blended with peanut M&Ms. A definite winner. While standing out the front of McDonalds we ran into Julian from our Contiki trip. He has completed the northern and central circuits of Eurobus and was about to join the southern route, so we spent the best part of an hour giving him tips from what we’ve done.

We finally got back to the hostel at two am and who should be asleep in our room – Troy and Beck. So, obviously, we woke them up to surprise them. It will be good to spend the next couple of days with them.

Barcelona, Spain

Our last full day in Spain is spent in the seaside town of Sitges.

We left the hostel at ten am and caught the train from Barcelona Sants to what we thought was Sitges, but ended up on the wrong line and got off at St. Vincence. Fortunately, a train back to Sitges was only five minuets away, and only a 20-minute trip. So, our 40-kilometer trip ended up taking two hours.

When we arrived, we walked through the town to find a place to eat. We ended up at a chicken shop, where we ate inside.

Afterwards it was straight to the beach. Even though Sitges is a very touristy town, the beach is beautiful, and relatively uncrowded. We spent three hours lazing around and swimming in the Mediterranean, until 3.30 pm when we started our journey back to Barcelona.

Me, Sitges, Spain

The trip home only took us half an hour, as the train followed the coastline.

After showering and changing, we went out again. We ate dinner at a pizza place on La Rambla.

After dinner we walked along the street as they had some markets set up. We walked back over to one of the outdoor areas and had a couple of beers, once again watching all types wandering by. We were back at the hostel at one am to struggle for some sleep in our hot room.

Barcelona, Spain

We covered plenty of ground today, in a short period of time.

We started the day off walking to Barcelona’s Arc di Triompf. I have no idea what triumph it is for, but it is another monument visited to add to the collection.

Me, Arc de Triompf, Barcelona, Spain

From here we walked to Passage de Gracia to see two more Gaudi buildings, Casa Batllo and Casa Mia - Le Pedrera.

 Casa Batllo, Barcelona, Spain

 Casa Mia - La Pedrera, Barcelona, Spain

From here we walked west along Arango, stopping at a café along the way for lunch, until we got to Parc Joan Miro. This barren park is named after its designer, who also made the mosaic/giraffe-looking statue. It will be easier to explain when you see a picture.

 Dona i Ocell, Parc de Joan Miro, Barcelona, Spain

It is only a short walk to Placa Espanya. From here, where you have a great view of Palau Nacional.

Unfortunately, I started to feel a migraine coming on so we caught the Metro home instead of going to have a look. Back at the hostel we both had a siesta, even though we had only been out for four hours. I woke up feeling worse, so Roberta went to the pharmacy and bought me some Fiorinal for the migraine. She also bought back some KFC for dinner. The magic of greasy food. With that we stayed in for the night.

Barcelona, Spain

Happy anniversary to us. It was four years ago today that Roberta and I first met at the Baxter Ball at the Coogee Bay Hotel. And here we are, celebrating in Barcelona. Who’d of thought!

Our day started off at the market on La Rambla. Here we bought some fruit, cheese and a baguette for a picnic.

We caught the Metro up to Valicarca and went to Park Guell. The park overlooking the city was Gaudi’s attempt to landscape gardening. The garden is filled with monuments that are distinctly his style and in the middle of the park is a museum that was once Gaudi’s home. We found a park bench on the small amount of grass in the park that was not being used, and had our picnic.

Me, Park Guell, Barcelona, Spain

Roberta, Park Guell, Barcelona, Spain

We got a couple of photos of us and the scenery before catching the train back into town. We got off at Catalunya, where Roberta went into El Corte Ingleses to do some shopping, while I waited in the park across the road, where I wrote in my diary and people watched.

When she had finished, we went to the Picasso Museum. This museum houses over 3000 pieces of Picasso’s work, from the time he was 13 until his death, in 1973, at age 92. Before he was 25, he was an outstanding painter and drawer, especially with portraits. When he reached 35 was when he started painting his cubism and abstract work, which, to me, got a bit samey after a while, and not something I am really into. The exception is his series of interpretations of Velazquez’s La Meninas, which we had seen just a couple of days ago at the Prado in Madrid. Although he flogged it to death this was the highlight of the museum.

By this stage, 6.30 pm, we went back to the hostel to get ready to go out for dinner.

We went to an Italian restaurant, La Perla, where Roberta had been on a previous trip in 1996. The meal was absolutely delicious, and worth every peseta.

After dinner we walked up to La Rambla and sat at one of the terrace tables to finish the night off with a drink and enjoying all the people to watch.

Barcelona, Spain

I woke up on the bus at 7.45 am to arrive in Barcelona. Thankfully the sleeping tablets worked and I slept most of the night.

As we got off, we ran into Troy, Beck, Karla and Jenny, as well as Simon and Kirsty, who were all getting on the bus to Nice. We stopped and chatted to them.

Because we’d heard the drop off hostel wasn’t very nice, we tried a couple of other hostels, but these were full. Most of the places listed in the Lonely Planet were also taken, and those that weren’t had significantly raised their prices since being in the guide book. We ended up at Hostel Palermo, pretty much in the center of town. It’s more expensive and not as nice as we would like, but it will do for the next four nights.

We went and had lunch before we were able to get into our room. And once in a sleeping tablet hangover let us have an afternoon nap.

We woke up at 3 pm and went to Sagrada Familia. Construction on this church began in 1882 and is said to be only half complete, but the façade is magnificent. At one end the façade is covered in scenes depicting the birth of Christ, while the entrance end, the more recently built, and modernly designed façade depicts many scenes surrounding Christ’s death. The cathedral was designed by Gaudi, and his old workshop is now a museum within the church, displaying many designs of his models and photos for the grand church. It is hard to view the building all at once, and it is not until you see a view from far away that you realize how huge this cathedral is.

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

We caught the Metro back to Catalunya and found a restaurant to have a cheap dinner at.

We then walked down La Rambla, which is the main road, that contains a wide walkway down the middle. The walkway is filled with buskers, henna tattooists, artists and eateries, and is a very lively place. We followed this all the way to the end, where the harbor is, and the most prominent feature is a statue of Christopher Columbus.

On the harbor, at a place called Port Vella, is where we went next. It was a Darling Harbour-esque complex with cinemas, shops, an aquarium, etc. We walked around for a while and had an ice cream to eat. This place was very popular with all types of people, i.e., families, tourists, young nightclubbers, etc., as it seemed to be getting busier as we headed for home.

Madrid, Spain to Barcelona, Spain

We had another fairly late start today, and checked out at eleven am. Fortunately, we can leave our backpacks stored at the hostel, so we can spend the day wandering around before the bus picks us up at 11.30 pm.

A ham and cheese roll for breakfast, before walking one and a half kilometers to Museo del Prado. This museum is full of art from 15th – 19th centuries, created by mainly Spanish and Italian artists. The half hour queue to get in was well worth the wait. The three floors of mainly religious art were both spectacular and fascinating. It was also great to compare each artists’ view on the history of Christ from birth to resurrection. Amongst those artists were the Spanish El Greco and Goya, whose works we’d also seen in Toledo, and the Italian Raphael. In all it took us four hours to go through the entire exhibition. It would have been longer had one floor not been closed for renovations.

We walked back into the center of Madrid, having a 4pm lunch on the way. We wanted to see a movie to kill time, but the next session is not until 7.25 pm, so we keep walking to Plaza de Espana to find a shady spot and have an outdoor rest.

Armageddon was the movie we saw, with Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck. It was a good movie, full of action and plenty of “America saves the world” cliches to laugh at.

When the movie was over, we picked up our bags from Josephina’s and waited downstairs for an hour until the Eurobus arrived. It was funny to see the looks from the locals we got, while waiting in the street. Considering how many homeless people there are in Madrid, you’d think we were a gang adding to the problem. You’d think they’d be used to the odd Aussie traveler.

After our first service stop, I took a sleeping tablet to get me through the long night’s drive.

Madrid, Spain

We had a sleep in this morning, before heading off around town at midday.

After brunch at Dunkin Donuts, we caught the Metro out to Retiro, where Roberta went to see a doctor for a general check-up. All good.

Across from the train station is Parque del Buen Retiro. This park is a magnificently serene garden, which leaves behind the noise of the city. There are numerous statues and fountains in the park, but most significant, and controversial, is El Angel Caido (The Fallen Angel). This 1878 statue is said to be the first ever statue depicting the devil.

El Angel Caido, Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid, Spain

After a couple of hours strolling through the garden and making the most of the huge amounts of shade, we opted to head back to the center of Madrid. On the way back to the hostel we stopped for a late lunch, eating kebabs and salad. We also stopped and looked at a shop or two before getting back into the hostel at 6.30 pm.

We had an early evening siesta and left again at 9.45 pm in search of dinner.

We ended up finding a restaurant just south of Puerta de Sol, which had a cheap three-course meal (975 pesetas) and an outdoor eating area.

After our vegetable soup, veal and ice cream, we walked to La Alhambra bar, where we had been before, and had a few drinks before returning home at midnight.

Salamanca, Spain to Madrid, Spain

We left our luxurious hostel at eleven am and headed to a café for breakfast.

After this we did the second walking tour of the town, from the tourist map. Our first stop was Casa de las Conchas, a 15th century mansion, with its inner staircase and patio being the highlights, with a blend of Moorish, Gothic and Italian design. Most of the other sights were closed, but we walked south to the Rio Torres, which is crossed by Puente Romano, a bridge well over 500 years old. Also, down by the river, was a local market, which we took our time strolling through.

We walked back up into town and had lunch at a café near Salamanca University.

After lunch we, we walked out to Campo de San Francisco, a park, where we read and wrote in diaries to kill time.

We walked back to Plaza Mayor to go to the internet café to email for a quick half hour.

We then returned to the hostel, picked up our backpacks, and walked over to the Eurobus pick up, where we had to wait an hour before the bus arrived. We departed Salamanca at eight pm and stopped only once in our three-hour drive to Madrid. We went straight up to Hotel Josephina again, to find Roberta’s Spanish had worked and we have a room for the next two nights. Before going to bed we ducked downstairs to Burger King for a quick bite as a late dinner.

Salamanca, Spain

Our room today is heaven, and a sleep in cannot be helped.

Our self-guided tour through Salamanca started at the town’s churches, near the hostel. The “new” cathedral is 260 years old and is grand in the same style as the cathedrals of Toledo and Seville. This gothic sandstone building took 220 years to build.

Nueva Cathedral, Salamanca, Spain

Salamanca, Spain

Adjacent is the 800-year-old Old Cathedral, whose age is showing, with deteriorated paintings and sculptures. It is, none the less, still a fantastic building.

Around the corner is the university, which has a decorative, sculptured entrance. One of the skulls on the portal façade has a frog on its head. It is said that if you can pick out the frog without being helped, then you will be married within in a year. Roberta found it, while I just looked where everyone else was pointing. (I hope she sends me an invite).

University, Salamanca, Spain

We then went into the tourist office and picked up a map of the city, which had two walking tours on them. We followed the one that started at Plaza Mayor and went north. Plaza Mayor is the 18th century town square, which houses numerous outdoor eateries, and the town hall.

Plaza Mayor, Salamanca, Spain

The walk then took us past many of Salamanca’s historic buildings (all built with sandstone). From the 15th and 16th century convents De las Ursulas and De las Augustinas, to the Palacio de Monterrey, built in 1539, to the 12th century circular Romanic church – San Marcos. The walk took us an hour in total.

We had a lazy lunch at Burger King before booking accommodation for tomorrow and Monday in Madrid. We went back to the room to continue our Spanish tradition of the siesta.

We were woken late in the afternoon by a hail storm. This is the first sign of rain we have had since we were in Trafalgar Square seven weeks ago.

We went to Plaza Mayor for a drink and to meet Johnny Joiner for dinner. We ended up at a Tex-Mex restaurant on Rue Mayor, not far from where we are staying.

Afterwards, we went to a bar that Johnny had been shown, that served liter beers for 350 pesetas. We stayed here until 2.30 am, before stumbling back home.

Porto, Portugal to Salamanca, Spain

After checking in for the next two nights, we went out for dinner. Literally around the corner from the Pension were dozens of outdoor dining areas. We found one and had us a good, cheap meal. We finished there at 11.30 pm and came back to our room, after a quick walk around the block.his morning, except get a quick breakfast, before catching the bus back out to the youth hostel where Eurobus will make their pick up to Salamanca. I wish we were staying here for another couple of days, as two was definitely not enough.

The bus departed at 12.30 pm, with our guide being M. Tatum, a guy a couple years younger than us at The Entrance High. Johnny also got on the bus, as the last standby. We also caught up with Rohan, who is making the Lisbon to Barcelona trip starting today (24 hours on the bus).

The bus made one last stop at a roadside servo in Portugal before we arrived in Salamanca at seven pm. The drop off point was a bit expensive, so we headed to a cheap place that was suggested in the Lonely Planet – Pension Estefania.

After checking in for the next two nights, we went out for dinner. Literally around the corner from the Pension were dozens of outdoor dining areas. We found one and had us a good, cheap meal. We finished there at 11.30 pm and came back to our room, after a quick walk around the block.

Porto, Portugal

We slept in a bit this morning, and still haven’t had a decent shower, as the hostel has water pressure not much better than dribble.

We started the morning at an internet café around the corner, where we spent some time sending messages home.

We had lunch at the same place as yesterday, before walking down to the river to do a tour of one of the many port producers in the area. Sandeman’s is a London company started in 1790, and based in Porto since 1811. The store has a small museum with a history of the company, which we walked through, while waiting for our tour to start. The tour goes through Sandeman’s cellars, and talks about the company and its processes for making port. At the end we had a taste test of two types of port, the white port and the tawny port. I didn’t go much on them, but Roberta bought a bottle for her parents.

Train Station, Porto, Portugal

Rio Douro, Porto, Portugal

After the tour we went back to the room to freshen up before dinner. Johnny and Luvo met us at our place, and we walked down to the same restaurant as last night.

When we finished there, we went further along the river to some outdoor cafes, where we had drinks until two am. We caught a cab, a Mercedes no less, back to the hostel.

Lisbon, Portugal to Porto, Portugal

We were up early again this morning, as Eurobus leaves at 7am. A minor dispute with the rep, who wouldn’t let us have breakfast because we had not checked in at a regular Eurobus time. Eventually this was solved, but left a black mark on Eurobus’ reputation.

The trip to Porto took five and half hours, with one stop being made in Fatima. It is said that on 13 July 1918 a vision of Mary appeared here in front of three local children. Mary told them to be there on the 13th for the next tree months, where she would give them instructions. One of those instructions was to have a chapel built on the site in her honor, which is the magnificent building that stands in the square today. There is also a path that runs the length of the square, which Catholics crawl along, on their knees, to show their dedication to the belief. With tomorrow being the 13th, many believers are camped in the area, hoping for the return of the vision of Mary.

Basilica of Fatima, Portugal

We arrived in Porto at 12.30 pm and met up with Kern, Beck, Luvo, Karla, Jennie & Johnny, who gave us a map and referred us to Hostel Europa, in town. It was a small room, but for P$2500 a night it was impossible to knock it back.

We went in search of a laundry after lunch, as we had a ton of clothes to be cleaned. While waiting for the laundry, we killed two hours walking around town.

We met up with Johnny and Luvo for dinner down near the river at seven pm, and afterwards headed to an Irish bar nearby, where we stayed until one am.

Lisbon, Portugal

It was 5.30 am when the rooster started making noise this morning. Much to the delight of nobody! I was still feeling ill today, but I wanted to make the most of our only day in Lisbon.

We caught the bus to Montijo and just missed a ferry into Lisbon. It was 90 minutes until the next one, so we found a palm tree to lie under in the vein hope of recovering from whatever it is I’ve got. The eventual ferry ride was relaxing. Nice and warm, and I felt better with the wind blowing in my face.

When we got off in Lisbon, I started to feel even worse than yesterday. I needed an easy day. We caught the train to the Botanic Gardens. Roberta bought herself some lunch and while I spent the afternoon covered in shade, Roberta had a short look around town.

At 5.30 pm I was well enough to walk to the city center, where we had a look around at some of the old buildings. At this point my fever had subsided and I even attempted some dinner at one of the many restaurants along one of the city’s malls. I didn’t eat too much, but at least I was feeling better.

We caught the 8.30 pm ferry back to Montijo and was back home by 9.30 pm to see everyone from the festival, including Pedro, who had decided to hang with us while we were all in Lisbon. I wish we were staying for another two days now. We all went for a drink at the bar before pulling up stumps at midnight, when temporary goodbyes were said, as I’m sure we’ll keep bumping into each other for the next few Eurobus stops.

Zambujeira do Mar, Portugal to Lisbon, Portugal

We got up nice and early this morning to guarantee we get back into Zambujeira in time for our four pm bus to Lisbon.

After a freezing cold shower, we packed up the tent, said goodbye to everyone and headed over to the buses with Julian. Once again it was a scrum to get on the bus with everyone else, this time with everyone carrying backpacks and tents, but we managed to get on the second bus.

When we arrived in Zambujeira we got some breakfast from the supermarket and ate it in the shade across from the tourist information office. Julian left us a midday to catch his bus to Lagos and we remained in the park, chasing the shade, for lunch and a couple more hours before we headed over to the station to catch our bus to Lisbon.

The trip took three hours, and was non-eventful.

Getting from the bus station to the campsite was another story. An adventure in itself. We had to find a Metro station and catch two trains before the 500-meter walk to the ferry. The ferry took half an hour to Montijo. Then, we got on another bus that took us to the campsite. All in all, it was almost as long from Lisbon to the campsite as it was Zambujeira to Lisbon.

Anyway, we set up the tent at 9.45 pm, in the dark, and by this stage I was not feeling the greatest, as I seemed to have picked up another bug, or maybe food poisoning, probably at the festival. A few dashed to the restrooms were followed by a horrific night’s sleep in the world’s dodgiest and overpriced campground. The site is an old orchard, and it had been half cleared by the owners who have used it as a campsite since the recent World Expo.

Festival Sudoeste, Zambujeira do Mar, Portugal

The last day was spent lazing under our makeshift tarp that the group put up between four tents to keep us shaded and cooler. Very little was done today because of the heat. The showers stopped working for three hours, so there was no relief even there.

Camping, Festival Sudoeste, Zabujeira do Mar, Portugal

Simon, Kirsty, Roberta, Andrea, Me, Katrina, Jeff & Rohan, 

Festival Sudoeste, Zabujeira do Mar, Portugal

At eight pm we went back into the arena for the final surge of music.

First up tonight was Placebo, an English guitar band. The rest of our gang new this band, but I’d never heard of them. But they were great. Sound was good and I really enjoyed their songs. I hope they come to Australia. I’d see them again. Their lead singer has a unique voice, which compliments the good music. A good find!

PJ Harvey was next. This is another excellent set. Harvey has such a strong voice and a huge stage presence, making her a popular choice for this festival crowd. Another person whose music I need to look more into (I only know her from her Henry Lee duet with Nick Cave.)

The last band of the festival was Portishead. There trip-hop style is not something I’d normally listen too, but this was a fantastic show. I knew a couple of songs and am now swayed to look for some of their albums. Portishead left the stage to thunderous applause and seemed genuinely humbled by the whole experience.

While there was still another band to come on at 1.30 am Portuguese Silence 4, we decided to go out on the high and call it quits, heading back to the tent.

The Crap Facts

This is my 151st concert.

This is my 3rd concert at Herdade de Casa Branca.

This is my 3rd concert in Zambujeira do Mar.

This is my 3rd concert in Alentejo.

This is my 3rd concert in Portugal.

Placebo are the 199th band I've seen.

PJ Harvey is the 200th band I've seen.

Portishead are the 201st band I've seen.