Armed with tips from Rita on one of her favourite cities in Spain, I arrived in Sevilla in the morning, after a very early bus ride from Olvera. I had booked a room at an airbnb recommended by Rita, just…
Olvera sin automobile, and Cadiz
Olvera Without a car, my options were more limited. But then again, so was my stress! Luckily, Rita had plenty of suggestions of things to do without a car. One night Rita and I had been walking on part of…
All Over Olvera
Olvera, one of the pueblas blancas in Andalucia, Spain I arrived in Olvera at the top of the hill, where I found Rita reserving a parking spot for me, one that didn’t require navigating the narrow streets of the town,…
En Route to Olvera- Hiking the Caminito del Rey
After Granada, I had one night booked in Malaga to get a rental car for a week to explore the Andalucia Pueblas Blanca’s region from my friend Rita’s place in Olvera. It was also a good opportunity to make sure…
Bed Bugs Amidst the Grandeur of Granada
After the night bus adventures from Lisbon, I was surprisingly a bit sleepy when I got to Granada. I wandered around the city until I could check into my hostel, which was right in the middle of the Alacazin, the…
Night Bus Adventures- Peniche to Granada
After Peniche, I grabbed a bus to Lisbon, where I had an overnight bus booked to Granada, Spain, leaving at 10:15pm. I know, I know. Night buses are always bad ideas. But it was an 11 hour trip and it…
A Perfect Place in Peniche, Portugal
After walking through city after city, I was ready for some beach time. I had booked 4 nights in the surf town of Peniche, about an hour north of Lisbon, but looking at the weather forecast I debated changing it.…
Hostel Life- When you’re not 22
8:00pm- The woman with the fur coat is also harbouring a cold (surmised based on her constant throat clearing, not the fact that she’s wearing a fur coat), and chatting incessantly in Portugese to someone on the phone, which she…
Camino Culture: Pontevedra and Santiago de Compostela
Heading north from Portugal, I stopped for a couple of nights in Pontevedra, Spain. I was there to experience the urbanism from a city that has won multiple awards for its measures of restricting cars from the city centre, being…
Amarante: A Sleepy Portugese Village with a Love of Noise
After the unexpectedly boisterous streets of Lisbon during Ramadan, I was looking forward to a couple of quiet nights in Amarante, a “sleepy village” according to Lonely Planet, about an hour east of Porto. It’s also known as the village…