Monday 30 th April 2018. Day 26!!

This morning we decided to have breakfast at the restaurant around the corner and it was really good and gave us energy for another walking and riding day....

We walked down to the river again and boarded the hop on hop off bus, we are getting our money’s worth..this time we got off on the Tirana. Section of town and wondered the streets and found this great market

We stopped here and Gracie loved selecting several different olives. ..but not me!!

We then walked around..

The colours and sizes of the veggies and fruits were amazing......

Found our way back to the bus and got off at the main Cathedral as the folks on the bus told us that between 4 & 5 pm the entrance fee is waived...when we got there we found out that was true but you had to reserve that at least two months in advance so we were unable to visit but we did get a tiny peek inside....

Before we knew it 5 pm already and we walked back to the apartment and had a snack and a rest and then walked back to the river and boarded the bus again for what they call the romantic tour....

So let me describe the romantic tour to you.......

The bus was full and we had seats upstairs on the open roof top but could not get seats together....the give you ear phones and we both had them plugged in...after a few minutes Gracie saw that two seats had become available at the front and she went and sat there I got up to join her and started to walk and was dragged back as I had forgotten to unplug my ear phones....gave the passengers quite a chuckle😀

The weather looked iffy as we were going along and then it started to pour really hard..we managed to get downstairs but s5anding room only and very crowded and then at one of the steps two men one getting off and one getting on started to have a first fight......needless to say it was very memorable!!!

The rain had stopped and we were lucky as we walked back to the apartment seeing this lovely sight along the way...

The famous bull ring..

As you can see the sun came back out..

Tomorrow we leave this lovely city and have a bus ride into the mountains and stay in Arcos de la Frontera tomorrow for one night!!

Yashi Kochi!!

Sunday 29th April 2018...Day 24!!!!

The apartment is really lovely and quiet and early this morning I walked around the corner to a small store and was in time to get the fresh bread coming out of the oven.....

The day was sunny but a tad windy and we were all packed up and ready to explore the historical section of town.....

The small streets are for perfect for getting lost and we did but along the way saw some amazing buildings...

Then Cathedral is stunning..

The crowds were huge to get into some of the buildings so we did not try...

We spent a while here at the Plaza de Espana and the colours the tiles the construction takes your breath away...

I climbed one of the towers for this shot..

This lady was so graceful....

We then decided the green hop on hop off was a good bargain for 18 💶 as it was good for 48 hours and it also included two walking tours and a romantic tour and also a glass of wine.....

At first it was too cold to sit up top but then the sun came out and we did....

The bull ring..

The time went by quickly and then we went on the 4 pm walking tour through the Jewish centre..the guide was very informative and we both enjoyed that tour.

We came back to the apartment 

tired and had a rest and then went out to a small tapas bar and restaurant close to us and had a nice dinner....

Another great day....

Yashi Kochi!!!

Saturday 28 th April 2018.....Day 24!!!

It was an early morning start and thank goodness we were so close to the train 🚊 station.....

Boarded the train at 7.45am 

and had to change trains at the first stop....this next train was really comfortable and the three hour ride to Faro went by quickly partly due to the fact I was sleeping.....

We arrived in Faro on time at 11.30 am and had to wait till our bus to Sevilla which was due to leave at 1.30 pm

I was feeling pretty proud of myself having made all the reservations and bookings and all going smoothly throughout Portugal I went to check on the status of the bus and of course I was sent crashing back to earth.... I had made a huge error in my planning the bus did actually leave at 1.30..but that was am not pm....so the bus I had booked had gone hours ago!!!

There was no choice but to book a later bus leaving at  3.30 pm......

I made my humble apologies to Gracie who was absolutely fine and across the street I left our two cases in a luggage locker and we walked around the simple but clean town centre.....

It was sunny and windy but we enjoyed the exercise....

These stalk nests are everywhere..

We came back to the bus station and our bus

Left on time...

 and arrived in Sevilla around  8.30 pm  there is a time change of one hour from Portugal and took a bus to the air bnb where we are staying for three nights!!!

The apartment is gorgeous and very comfortable and in a good area to explore tomorrow.

The plan was that I would do all of the planning for Portugal and Gracie would do the same for Spain....so I can relax a little of course I know where we are going and some of the things she has planned.....

Portugal was a special country extremely clean and modern we saw no apparent poverty.....much graffiti and some of the people not too friendly...the road system very good and the food not so....of course we only saw a small part of the country and liked all that we saw.

So now Spain awaits....

Yashi Kochi!!!