Madrid, Seville, Lisbon and Porto

Having only had 3 days at home since the last trip to Andorra, we headed off early for this 2 week adventure that had been pre planned before we left Australia. Planes, trains and automobiles we had it all!!!

MADRID - first stop for 1.5 days

If you are flexible you can pick up cheap train tickets on the spanish network. We paid 10euros Barcelona-Madrid (not bad for 600kms trip that only lasts 2.5hrs).

Having done all the logistics transport and hotel planning for each destination, Andrew’s job is to prepare a ‘Google Saved list’ which effectively provides us with a list / itinerary of all the researched typical landmarks to sightsee.

Effectively the plan is follow the itinerary of sights to see (including our hotels) and intersperse with eat and drink stops along the way. We then add any of the good eateries into the google saved list aswell :-). Then we just walk till we drop.

Madrid summary: all in all, great to be somewhere different, loads of great sights to see but have to say, really cold after Barcelona!!!

SEVILLE - destination #2 for 2 days

Happy to be back on the move, we got the train the following afternoon to Seville - remarkably warmer yay!! We had booked a place in the centre, seemingly right next to Alcazar. How is our luck possible….??

As in Madrid we had our Google saved list of sights to see which we exhausted over the couple of days; the stunningly beautiful Plaza Espana, along the river, Torre del Oro, the city centre and all the back streets in between. Whilst passing the Torre del Oro we stumbled across an amazing restaurant and had the best ever ‘menu del dia’ at Casa Carmen.

Continuing the stroll on towards the city centre you cant help but come across the massive wooden structure ‘Setas de seville’ - where the ‘Aurora’ of music and lights, lights up the city in an evening. You walk up the viewing platform to experience Seville from above. Best experienced at night when the stunning wood architecture is lit up in changing colours (as in the name Aurora) with the Seville skyline as the back drop.

The next morning with time to spare until our late flight to Madeira we bought tickets to see the Alcazar, a royal palace built for King Peter of Castile and the upper floor is still used by the royal family today when they are in Seville. It has an incredible history and even in the Covid, off season seemed busy. Not normally into historic sightseeing we both thoroughly enjoyed this magical place and would highly recommend it if in Seville.

Seville summary: incredible, look forward to coming back with other friends visiting Spain at some stage

Lisbon - destination #3 for a day

Probably had our first, more ‘average’ day in Lisbon. Still followed our list of things to see but slightly less ‘inspired’..maybe a result of just having come from Seville or maybe just a week on the road.

It started with the Santa Justa lift - which was not worth the half an hour queue and 11 euros.

We then decided to walk to the far end of the Tram 23 so that we could catch the uncrowded with tourists return journey. Aiming for the food market at xxxxx, upon our arrival at 2pm it had closed and no cafe was to be found.

Having walked all day and hungry we then found the tram stop and subsequently got on the wrong tram. Only to then hop off and hop onto the correct tram which, at the farthest away point from our hotel, subsequently got stuck as a car had parked across the tracks. We all had to disembark and by then we just walked home.

Summary: We headed off early the next day for Madeira - which deserves it’s own blog :-)

Porto - final stop