It is the day of La Tomatina (Tomato Festival), said to be the biggest tomato fighting event in the world. Held in Bunol, a small town about 50km away from Valencia, it is the only time in the year filled with massive amount of people from all around the world.
I heard about this festival from an acquaintance about 3 months ago, and since it was happening around the time I was in Spain, I decided to plan my trip to Valencia around the event date, and get a first hand experience.
Date : 27 – 31 August 2011
Highlights :
I was surprised that there were actually not much things to be done in Valencia, considering the size of the city, and I would have left after 2 days, if it wasn’t for the La Tomatina Festival.
There were smaller sights like the Torres de Serano and a couple of cathedrals, but nothing to be wow-ed or impressed about.
I decided to make my way to El Saler, a beach recommended to visit by Wikitravel. It is located on the other side of Valencia, and was told by the locals that it is quite far to get to.
Since there wasn’t much more to see in Valencia, I followed Wikitravel’s directions and made my way towards the bus stop (near the train station) to take the bus that will bring me to the El Saler.
While walking towards the train station, I came across a local Pasar Malam! And it was huge, stretching across at least 6 different streets! I got distracted and decided to take a walk to see the vendors’ wares.
Took another quick walk around the city today, to cover some of the sights that I have yet to visit. There isn’t actually that much things to see in Valencia, but here are probably the few of the key ones.
Plaza de La Virgen
Headed to the nearby beach (Las Arenas) today, however decided to make a slight detour to visit the America’s Cup Port. Apparently this is also where the F1 circuit takes place. Looking at the map, the circuit sure looks small!
There were not that many boats at the marina, however, those that were at the marina were extremely big and luxurious!
I came across a House of America’s Cup near the marina, and since it was also free, decided to take a look inside.
After 7.5 hours on a bus (opted for the bus instead of train since it takes the same time as a train and arrives at a more decent hour. It was also much cheaper!), I finally reached Valencia at 7am in the morning.
Carlos was kind enough to pick me up at the bus station, which I later found out he actually took a 45 minutes walk from his place to the bus station (oops!)!
Headed back to his place where I continued with my sleep before waking up close to mid-day. We headed out to the beach to get some Paella (Paella originated from Valencia! Though the place we went to for Paella didn’t seem great at all. I had better in Madrid. Looks like I should go hunting for somewhere better 
) before heading downtown to see some of the sights.
Dates : 22nd – 26th August 2011
Highlights :
There are actually a few other highlights and things to see in Granada, but since I have decided to skip visits to churches and monasteries, the list have dropped significantly. The biggest highlight in Granada and of course the whole of Andalucía area is the Alhambra.
Spent the afternoon with Juan and a couple of his friends at another beach today, along with a mega picnic feast!
First we had sangria with sandwiches prepared by Juan, followed by healthy and hearty watermelon… Check out the design Juan made with the watermelon!
I gave myself a treat today by booking a session at the Hamman Baths, a traditional bath in the Arabic style, and also because my body could do with a massage!
Sessions occur on every 2 hour blocks and I booked myself in at 8pm for a bath along with 30 minutes massage (the standard massage is usually 15 minutes, but that seems very short to enjoy the massage!).
Any visit to Granada is not complete without visiting the Alhambra, and have made it the main attraction of visit when I am here. A UNESCO World Heritage Site declared in 1984, it is divided into 4 areas : Alcazaba, Generalife, Partal and Nasrid Palaces.
I have heard from some hostel mates in Malaga that the number of tickets available on sale is limited each day, and split across 2 sessions, a morning session starting from 8.30am – 2pm and an afternoon session from 2 – 8pm.
In order to get a ticket, you need to be there early, and apparently some people start queuing at 6am (sales office open at 8am)!
I managed to hitch a ride with Juan to Granada, who happened to be in Malaga for a couple of hours, and we decided to take the coastal route which was a little longer, but prettier.
Did a couple of detours along the way, one of which was a stop at the La Playa (“beach” in Spanish – I am learning! :D) to take a swim to cool down from the hot sun. My first swim in Spain!
Took a walk around the centre of Malaga earlier, and it was soooo quiet and empty! Total contrast from the last few days of activities on the streets.
Although today is supposed to be the last day of the La Feria, the streets are extremely quiet today, since yesterday was the last day of the Feria where drinking is allowed on the streets.
It is quite pleasant walking around the streets and seeing it without the crowd and without the trashy feel of bottles and rubbish everywhere. However the Feria gave a wonderful atmosphere to the city and is definitely an experience!
Malaga is the birth place of Pablo Ruiz Picasso, and his birthplace has since been converted into a Foundation that bears his name.
A four storey building (not including the ground level) built in the 1870s, and where Picasso was born on the first floor of the building. This floor has now been recreated with a 19th Century sitting room-study that gives an idea of what the living quarters were like. The upper floors were not open to public.
This is the 1st day I am doing proper sights in Malaga, and it was good to have company from some people I met at the hostel.
As we made our way towards the Alcazaba & Gibralfaro, we passed by Teatro Romano, a theatre built in the Roman style, which was located right in font of the entrance to Alcazaba.
After 3.5 hours of bus ride, I arrived in Malaga. This was not on my original travel route, but had decided to include in at a later stage as I found out that this was Picasso’s original birthplace and there is an art gallery dedicated to him here. Malaga was also termed the “city of Paradise” by a number of writers who were not born in Malaga, so we shall see!
I had some difficulties booking accommodation a few days ago, and only found out that there is a Fair (La Feria) going on.
And oh boy was it crowded!
Date : 17 – 19 August 2011
Highlights:
I guess if you have been following my blog, the above doesn’t come as a surprise.
It is Wednesday and it is free admission into Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos and everyday between the hours of 8.30 – 10am, it is also free admission into the Mezquita Catedral, both of which are the key main sites in Cordoba.
Very timely and hoorah for free admissions!
It’s good to be in a new city… Cordoba! Got 
in just before mid-day and I got a nice warm welcome by a group of people who were playing some music on their guitars and drums. Well, the parade wasn’t actually for me, it was just good timing I happen to be there when they were marching through the streets!
BUT this sign was for me! :D
As usual, I decided to take a walk to familiarise myself with the city, and made my way to the visitor information centre to get more details!
Date : 12th – 16th August 2011
After some not so pleasant experiences and a couple of weird encounters in Seville, my wrap up is definitely going to be negatively bias and short.
It is also for this reason that there was no write-up for yesterday, and that was also partially because I didn’t really visit much sights note-worthy of writing.
Highlights :
Weather was much hotter than in Madrid, and I realised that the road signs weren’t so well-placed as compared to Madrid.
Am on a train on the way to Cordoba at the moment and can’t wait to reach! So yes, my conclusion is that I will not come back to Seville again.
I woke up and I could feel my legs aching from yesterday’s long day of walking. There were still some key sights to cover though, and I realised my day out was not as eventful as yesterday, as I ended up having to take countless of breaks while visiting each sight.
Reales Alcazares
There was a long queue snaking to get into the building when I was there, and probably the best time to visit would be early in the morning or later part in the evening to avoid the crowds.
I spent about 2 hours in this building alone… A beautiful palace in Mudejar (Moorish) style built in the XIV Century. It has myriads of rooms, extravagant architecture muslim and catholic influence, lavish gardens with many courtyards, ponds and secrets to be explored.
After about 6 hours of sleep from a horrible 1st evening in Seville, I woke up, ready to explore the sights! My legs were definitely aching by the end of the day after walking for over 8 hours!
Plaza de España
I was totally unimpressed when I walked around the building (which I subsequently realised was the back of the building).
However upon walking into the building, I was “Wow-ed”! I was greeted by an amazingly huge courtyard with a large fountain in the centre as well as a semi-circle river shaping the landscape of the front of the building, covered with bridges.
I almost had to sleep on the streets on my first day of arrival in Seville!
To summarise the story, I arrived in Seville at 8pm, after a 6 hours bus ride from Madrid. I was suppose to meet my host at 10.30pm at a restaurant about 10km out of the town area, and it took me almost 2 hours just to get there, as I was not familiar with the town, and I was going around in circles just trying to find the best way to get to the restaurant.
Date : 8 – 12 August, 2011
Highlights :
I am probably not doing Madrid justice by just listing 2 main attraction as highlights. There are of course many things to see in Madrid, most of which are statues, monuments or churches which one will see as you walk along the streets of Madrid. I even discovered some of them when I took a wrong turn, which were always a pleasant surprise.
There were some other things which I had wanted to visit outside the city centre, which often would take at least an hour by train to travel to, but I was just too tired with all the walking to cover the places which I had visited over the last 4 days.
Safety
There seems to be always a police or a police car making it rounds on the street wherever I walk. I was told that there is more police than usual during the days I was in Madrid because of the upcoming visit by the pope next week.
I felt fairly safe, even at midnight when I walk back to the hostel as there are always quite a fair bit of people around, though I did find myself being more concern of safety and belongings as I walk past certain routes where there seems to be a higher number of people who appeared less sober than usual.
People
A lot of people on the streets doesn’t really speak English and so I had some difficulties asking for things, or even attempting to order food, since often the menu is in Spanish and thus ordering becomes a problem.
In comparison to the Greeks, they don’t seem as hospitable and warm, however, I had met many interesting people during my stay in Madrid, which helped in showing the local scenes and immersing me into Spain, its practices and of course food! 
Transport
Staying in the centre of Madrid has its benefits as I ended up walking to most of the attractions and sights. Throughout the whole time I was in Madrid, I think I had only taken the metro 4 times, of which once was getting from the airport to town and another from the hostel to the bus station to Seville.
Nevertheless, the metro is convenient located in many parts of the town with about 10 different train routes, intersecting each other at some places, thus providing good coverage across Madrid. Tickets are generally Euro 1.50 per trip regardless of stops within the main city area. Good for those long journeys, but not so cheap if you are travelling about 4 stops or less. You would be better off walking and seeing more things which Madrid has to offer!
The major grub I had about the metro was that there usually wasn’t much escalators and a lot of stairs, so it gets cumbersome if you are lugging a heavy luggage.
Overall
Things are more expensive in Madrid as compared to Athens. Decent lunches can be had for about Euro 10 – 15. Beers are cheap (though I don’t take them) and so are a glass of wine in most places. Other than that, other liquor items such as mojito cost a lot more. Had 1 mojito the last night before I left and that was Euro 8 (vs Euro 1 –3 for beer or wine)!
Didn’t do any night clubbing and heard the night scene in Madrid is suppose to be quite crazy but good. Nevertheless, I had an enjoyable time in Madrid and would love to come back here again at some stage. Best would be to spend at least a weekend here, since some of the sights take place only over the weekend such as the bullfights on Sundays.
Will perhaps also take the opportunity to make some day trips out of Madrid as there are suppose to be some good ones a couple of hours away by train.
Bear and Tree Statue
The Bear and Tree Statue is located in Puerta del Sol, the place where New Year’s celebrations are broadcast every year.
I have been coming through this location many times over the last few days, and I only just realised that this statue is a symbol of Madrid! This is also a really popular meeting place in Madrid as just within these 2 days alone, I have been asked to meet at this location 3 times by different people!
1st P : Plaza de Torros
Completed in 1937, this is the place with the world’s largest bullring in the world (16.5m diameter), with a seating capacity of 24,000.
Bullfights usually takes place every Sunday between the months of March and October, and as I am not in Madrid during that day, I can only content with a tour of inside Plaza de Torros.
My legs are exhausted as I spent more than 8 hours walking the streets of Madrid. I must have gotten lost countless of times as some of the streets happened to be unmarked on the map.
However it was always a pleasant experience each time it happens as there was always something interesting, which I would never have discovered if I had not gone that way. Everywhere I turned, I just see beautiful buildings, statues, monuments etc, that I can’t resist taking a picture of.
The last count was I had taken over 130 photos just in one day! Am I glad that I am not using film!
With 4 hours of sleep and last memories of Athens taking my 1st midnight swim at a beach, I had to say Adio (“Goodbye” in Greek) to Greece for now (I’ll be back!), as I made my way to the airport to catch my flight to Madrid, Spain. (Bus X96 allowed me to board at Protosi Kalamaki 
).
4 hours of flight and a couple of hours commuting from the airport, I finally got into Madrid city and was welcomed with narrow streets lined with low rise houses with beautifully architectured facade, each with a different character and style.
Perhaps it was the area where I was staying in, but there were lots of wholesalers managed by Asians lining the small streets, and I noticed many Chinese or Vietnamese working as coolies / delivery staff, pushing trolleys of goods around the streets of Madrid.
I decided that the best way to familiarise my way around, was to get lost in the numerous tiny streets that intertwine the heart of the city. I think I did pretty well though as managed to visit Plaza Mayor, Mercado de San Miguel, Plaza de La Villa, Iglesia Catedral and Real de La Almudena, in the balance few hours of the afternoon
Experienced my first Spanish “Lost in Translation” moment when I tried purchasing a local prepaid sim card, since the staff could speak only Spanish. So with a phrase book in hand and an almost non-existent Spanish language background, I tried to get myself understood, and of course to try to understand what the staff was trying to say.
The staff at the 1st store decided that it was easier to use Google translate to communicate with me (the wonders of modern technology)! No purchase was made as they had a problem activating the sim card. So I went to a different store, and after about an hour spent at the 2 different stores, I finally walked out happy with a Euro 10 credit in my new prepaid sim card.
Feeling too tired to attempt communicating in Spanish further and with a growling stomach, I headed into the 1st Asian convenient store I could find and bought a packet of instant noodles as well as 2 peaches. That was my dinner!
I just found out yesterday that “Anecdote” is originally a Greek word!
Its origins were discovered when I showed Konstantinos my blog, and he shared that in Greek there is a word called “anékdotos” which meant “unpublished”, and that there is also recently a second and more modern meaning to this word used in the Greek language to mean “a joke”
Did some googling today and apparently this word, according to Wikipedia, came from Procopius of Caesarea, the biographer of Justinian I, who produced a work entitled Ἀνέκδοτα (Anekdota, variously translated as Unpublished Memoirs or Secret History), which is primarily a collection of short incidents from the private life of the Byzantine court.
The English meaning, on the other hand, took on a slightly different meaning, even though the word origin is Greek – “A short account of an interesting or humorous incident” – befitting for the title of my blog “Anecdotes of a Globetrotter” since the blog posts were suppose to be short and (hopefully) interesting stories and incidents which I encounter each day.
Just thought that this was quite interesting and found that it is quite apt especially since my 1st stop is Greece!
Upon arriving at the port, Tuula and I split ways as she headed into town to stay at a hotel, while I made my way to the bus stop to catch bus X96 to Protosi Kalamaki. This is an express bus with final destination to the airport, and enroutes to Konstantinos’ place along the way.
I boarded the bus and made my way in to put my luggage, before requesting to buy
In 21 days, I managed to cover many islands, mainly in the North Aegean Sea :
These were islands which I would never have ventured to if I had travelled on my own as they were less common and not often mentioned.
We made our way towards Pythagorio, named after the famous Pythagoras, the father of Mathematics, who came up with the “Pythagoras Theorem” (remember how we studied this in school on finding the length of the side of a triangle? :D).
Apparently he also discovered many other things and was said to be a remarkable man in his time, with a statue dedicated
As I sit in bed typing this in Marathoukampou Bay in Samos, I can hear the winds howling loudly outside, and the wood in the boat creaking as it rocks with the waves.
The Meltemi has started, and I finally got to experience it today, as we had amazing winds hitting 32 knots at some points and top speed of 9.9 miles per hour during our sail (Beaufort scale 6).
This is the 1st time
We had an early start on our road trip to tour around the north-east part of Chios which we have yet to cover, since we had to return the car before 1pm in Chios Town, in order to catch the 1.30pm bus back to Volissos.
The drive around Chios both today and yesterday made me miss New Zealand as I felt I was in a mini New Zealand,
We were all excited as we hopped into the car and started our road trip at 8.50am, covering mostly the mid to southern part of Chios, and visiting various villages, all with very different architectures and styles.
Yay! Alberto and Rita has come back with the car for our road trip tomorrow!
We are excited because we had so much difficulty getting a car! There were only 2 car companies which had car available on the days we wanted them and none of the car companies were willing to deliver the car to us (car rental companies are mainly located in Chios town, which is 50km away).
The girls decided to take a morning stroll to Volissos, the nearest town from Limnia port which is about 2km away, to get some groceries, and most importantly bread.
It is said that there is a really good bakery at Volissos and we only knew why when we arrive!
I left Stefano's house at 7.45am to catch the 8.07am train to the airport, which later required switching to an airport shuttle from T2 ...
