Preparation

Frustrated by the fact that my trip to Spain is a whole 7 weeks away yet I bought the Rough Guide to Spain yesterday to start reading about more about the country.

I've been to Spain once, a few years ago. My ex and I stayed with some friends in an apartment in Torrevieja just outside Alicante. We hired a car and managed to do some exploring around the South-east coast, but I was pretty unimpressed and wanted to leave after a few days there. Maybe we missed the good spots, but it just seems that this part of Spain is crawling with British & Irish tourists and, what was probably once a beautiful coastline, is destroyed by high-rise developments stretching as far as the eye can see.

This time, I'm doing it Myyyy Waaaayyyyy. Spain is somewhere I've wanted to explore for a long time, and even though I only have 10 days this time around, I'm hoping to see quite a lot.

Hiring a car seems like a good option. Splitting the cost between two of us, it works out about the same as train-fares, and this way we can cover more ground.

Our flight is landing in Girona early in the day, so we're thinking of picking up the car, putting the boot down, and driving straight through to Madrid. I'm looking fwd to experiencing this city a lot. Spanish ppl I've met in college and worked with over the past few years seem to agree that, while Barcelona is decidely hip and cool, Madrid is less assuming and the ppl are warmer (and no, it's not because they are more inland. LOL). I'm looking fwd to making up my own mind.

I'd like to spend a couple of days in Madrid, there seems to be lots to see there. Two days isnt nearly enough time, but I think you can cover a good bit during this time. Although, I have been warned that you can wake up in Madrid, having lost 2 days of your life and not remember a thing! LOL!!

After Madrid, it's on to Cordoba and then Seville, maybe 2 days in Seville also. Andalucia sounds like an amazing part of the country. I cant wait to see it.

We're hoping to spend a night in Ronda. My brother didnt get to see it when he was last in Spain, and I've got lots of recommendations from ppl on this site to visit it, so we can't miss it!

Then, on to Granada for a night. Looking forward to seeing the Alhambra a lot. One night should be enough here.

The drive to back to Barcelona from Granada is going to be a bit of a beeetch, so I think it might be worth stopping off in Valencia for a night on the way back. We might check out Tarragona, if we dont stay in Valancia. This leaves us with two nights in Barcelona before we head home.

We might be taking on a lot for a 10 day trip, but neither of us mind driving very much. I dont want to spend all my time sitting in a car trying to squeeze in everything, but I think it's pretty doable.

If anyone's got any recommedations of places to go, things to do along this route, I'd love to hear them!

In the meantime, it's back to boring old work....

I'm seriously considering doing my trip in reverse. The more I think about it, the more comfortable I am with the idea.

Checked out some flights today. Found a great deal from Shannon to NYK for €118. Then NYK to Lima is working out at about €360. Santiago to Auckland is an eye-watering €1200, didnt check flights to Oz...but then Melbourne to KL was about €400.

After that, the bulk of the fligths would be out of the way, apart from a my flight home at the end of the trip. Working in NZ for the year would also allow me to gather some more funds for the SE Asia leg.

Honestly, I'm very daunted at the prospect of India as the first stop on the trip. I think leaving this until the end is wiser for a few reasons. Firstly, I will be a savvy traveller by the time I get there and it will probably not seem daunting at all. Secondly, what a great place to end a RTW trip Thirdly, I'll be getting the more expensive half of the trip out of the way first, and wont need as much money for the second half.

I'll probably have changed my mind again by this time next week. Lol!

Summer has finally arrived to Ireland today! The sun is beating down from a cloudless sky and "Penny Lane" is going around and around in my head. It's hard to be in bad form about anything on a day like today!

I'm in a great mood anyway because my brother has decided he's coming to Spain with me in September. We're gonna hire a car and drive from the north to the south of the country. I was pretty happy going alone and just doing my thing, but it should be a great laugh now.

Plus, it seems like the planets are coming into alignment re my RTW trip. Everything should be good to go by January! I'm getting lots of good tips from Anne about some of the countries in SE Asia, and I'm starting to compile a little book of addresses and things not to miss, etc. I've also been doing this on India for quite a while as well. Just reading them is enough to keep the flame burning for the next few months.

Also, there are plenty of people to meet along the way. Will definitely be hooking up with Dave in Vietnam and Hien in KL for a while. If Rich is still tormenting the Chinese when I get there, I'll hopefully catch up with him for a bit too. Once I get to Oz there are a few friends down there, and I will drag James and Peter out for a few beers if possible. Myself and Anne are either gonna meet in Peru or Fort Lauderdale, AND IF I EVER REACH CANADA Tway is gonna be stuck with me for a while. Lol!! cos let's face it, we agree on everything from washing powder to strategies for world domination. I'm so excited just thinking about it, and it's not as far away as it all seems at all.

What is it about when the sun comes out! The world seems full of possibilities again.

Okay, so he's an arrogant show-boat who wears multi-coloured stripey shirts, but I love him all the same. Thanks to Ryanair, we in Ireland can fly to Europe now for less than it costs to take the train to Dublin!!

I've just booked my flights to Barcelona for 10 days in September! Woo-hoo! It's one of the best feelings when you book a holiday!

Now, the next 3 months in this cesspit of an office don't seem so long

Next comes the fun part. Trying to do it all for less than €500.

Roll on September......