Wanderlust

Only a week and a bit left to go until I can say "Adios!" to this office for two weeks!!

Just booked a car for Spain. Got a 5-door A/C Renault Clio for €189.99 for 10days. Not bad!

I have to do this trip on the CHEEEEEEAP! Absolutely no luxuries..
But we're gonna bring all our camping gear and pitch a tent when we can to save some €€€€€

Can't wait! I'm so looking forward to going back to Spain and just chilling out for a week or so. I really need it at the mo!

Yipeeee!

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....

It's been raining here in the South-west of Ireland for days now. It's overcast and humid and very oppressive. There is NO WAY I can wait until next January for a holiday. So, I've decided to take a week to 10 days in Spain in September.

THanks to Ryanair, I have sourced some very cheap flights from Shannon! In total, with taxes, etc. a return flight will cost me €88. I live not too far from the airport which is great! No long-term parking, I can just get my brother to drop me off. PLus, the great thing about Shannon is that its relatively effortless to go through. No long waits or prolonged security checks.

So, this morning I e-mailed my boss to ask for the days I need off. His typical response was "I'll have to get back to you" Hmph! Bosses! *roll-eyes*. Why do they always act like they're doing you a favour by agreeing to give you your days off. He better hurry up. Grrr...If I lose my cheap flights......

The flights I'm thinking of booking are from Shannon to Barcelona (Girona). I would really like to see the south of Spain but flights to Seville or Malaga are quite significantly more expensive (and would mean flying from Dublin with Aer Lingus) so this time, for convenience sake, I think I will stick to the north of the country.

I'm getting excited already planning how I will spend my time there. If anyone who's reading this has any suggestions on where to stay/what to do, I'd love to hear them!! September is my favourite time of year to travel in Europe, and it's usually still quite hot.

I know I should be keeping the money for the Big Trip, but I NEED A BREAK!

When I was on holidays in Alicante a couple of years ago my friends and I met an old hippie. We were just sitting outside a bar having a few beers in the sun and he came up and sat near us with his little dog, Mica. He was a complete stoner and it appeared that he spent most, if not all, of every day completely wasted. We bought him a beer and he sat and chatted with us for a few hours. As the afternoon went lazily by, he sat there skinning up joints one after another.

Every now and then, he'd take a big drag on his spliff, take little Mica on his lap and blow a stream of smoke into the dog's mouth. Mica didnt seem to have much of a problem with this, other than walking around banging into tables and walls. Lol! Then he'd launch into a 20 minute rant about something or other (he was actually pretty interesting to listen to) and direct the odd question at Mica who'd gaze up at him adoringly.

Debiliating drug habit aside, he seemed like a very content individual who was seeing the world with his little dog. He seemed to have little or no possessions and not a lot of money, but I found myself feeling pretty happy just spending a few hours chatting to him.