Postcards

Today was the last day of my trip. Never the happiest of times, but I was determined to make the most of the day before my return flight at night.

Late morning at the Parque de El Retiro:

At the lake in the park:

An afternoon in the flea markets. They are mind-bogglingly huge and crowded. The flea market covers an entire district of Madrid. And it was packed with people:

A final few moments in Puerta del Sol - the centre of Madrid, and the centre of Spain. Not so sunny in Spain after all:

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Thus ends my holiday in Spain and Andorra. I'm back home in London, wishing I was back in the hostels, on the road and with the nice people I met on the way! This trip was as much about people as places. A big thank you to all my fellow travellers for your company!

Woke up to a nice and sunny day in Madrid. Found great company to explore the city.

This is the Templo de Debod, an Egyptian temple:

A view of Calle Preciados, one of the major shopping areas near Puerta del Sol:

It turns out that tonight was the festival called La Noche En Blanco, a big all-night street party with music, food, dance and open museums. I had met Sian, who knew Daniel who knew people from Madrid. We all got together in the evening, and roamed around Madrid until the wee hours of the morning. Was a fantastic experience, I've never seen a city so alive before. Here's the gang:

Today was a day of memories, not pictures

Adios Barcelona, adios Mambo Tango! Thank you for making my holiday special:

I'm now in Madrid.

Spent another amazing day in Barcelona. Was back at the beach in the morning, and at the Park Guell in the afternoon and evening.

Barcelona from one of the vantage points in Park Guell:

At the park, there is a small stone mound at the highest point. Here, a guy played guitar and sang - it was absolutely delightful, and funny when a few drunk guys joined in with the song and dance. In the background, on the hill, is the church at Tibidabo and the tower near it:

At night, we went to Placa Espanya - for the "magic" fountains. A friend poses at the fountains:

Finally, a proper Spanish day in Barcelona - lots of sunshine, sand, and sea. Followed that with another trip to the castle (was there at night on the first day). It is something else completely on a sunny day; the mediterranean sea was a lovely blue.

Along the sea front:

At the castle (if this is your picture, drop me a line and I'll email you a high resolution version):

Returned to Barcelona from Andorra early in the morning. But no Barcelona today, I was off into the mountains again - to Montserrat. This is about an hour and a half away from Barcelona.

A view of the main cluster of buildings in Montserrat. There is a cathedral in there somewhere I think:

Montserrat is up on a mountain, and offers stunning trekking opportunities. This is the view from Sant Jeroni, at about 1236 metres:

Somebody had a lot of fun at Montserrat:

Had the most amazing time today. Went trekking into the Andorran Pyrenees (how I've wanted to say that!).

Started off along the Prat Primer path - this is the refugio Primer (with two German friends from Frankfurt):

Continued onwards to the Prat Primer pass, which is at 2,493 metres. This pass offers astounding 360 degree views over two valleys, the one I'd just left and the one which opens out on the other side.

Mountains, clouds and... four jeeps at the top!

View of the valley on the other side of the Prat Primer pass, with the refugio Claror in the centre:

At refugio Claror, I met two hunters (this is "hunting week" in Andorra) and two wardens. We sat and chatted in broken English, Spanish, Catalan and Italian. At the end I had still not figured out what they were actually hunting. I did gather, however, that a storm was heading across the valley from the other side of the mountains, and that it was not a good idea to get caught in it! So I bid goodbye to these gentlemen, and turned back. The first few ominous clouds from the storm peek over the peaks:

Couldn't resist putting up this picture: I sit at a cairn exactly on top of the pass; far right are the signs pointing to the two valleys in the opposite directions:

I've always had this fascination for Andorra ever since I saw the Tour de France on TV going through the Andorran Pyrenees. Here I am! Arrived in the capital, Andorra la Vella after a fascinating bus journey from Barcelona through remote Spanish villages.

Some images of the capital city:

The hostel where I am staying, Alberg la Comella: it is away from the city, up in the mountains, and right next to where all the trekking paths start from. Had a brief jaunt around today, but tomorrow will be the big one!

My summer holiday is here! I'm in Spain, and I'll be going around for nine days. Exciting times!

I start off in Barcelona today. Feels scorching hot here after London. After walking around for a while along the crowded and noisy la Rambla, I decided to head for quieter parts. Went to Tibidabo.

Barcelona from the top of the cathedral at Tibidabo:

At night, I went on a walk to the castle with people from the hostel. Barcelona at night:

Three English girls reflect upon the Barcelona port at night:

Started the day with an early morning jog from Drumnadrochit to Urquhart Castle. Was a cloudy morning, which adds mystery and charm to the castle ruins. And it was early in the morning, which meant the castle was still not open to tourists:

We went for a boat ride on Loch Ness after breakfast. It is not the largest lake in Scotland by surface area, but due to its great depth, it is by far the largest in terms of volume of water. Loch Ness has more water than all fresh water sources in England and Wales combined. Loch Ness looked dark and sinister this morning:

The locks at Fort Augustus:

The Falls of Dockhart at Killin:

I'm on a quick weekend jaunt to the Scottish highlands, in part to meet a friend. The tour kicks off in Dunkeld, where some British ducks queue along the river Tay for a swim:

The stop for the night is in Drumnadrochit, and en route we take a halt along Loch Ness, where we see a pretty rainbow: