It's time to come home.

They say the only two certainties in life are death and taxes. While the former is certainly true, we all know that, for the wealthy, the paying of taxes is by no means a certainty. Nevertheless, from the moment we stepped on the plane in Melbourne it was certain that our trip would one day come to an end; today is that day. I think I can say for both of us that we have loved every minute of every hour of every day. Sometimes it seems like we’ve been gone six months, sometimes only a few days. Including Barcelona last year, we’ve now covered two-thirds of Spain, and we feel as if we can say we have an appreciation of what makes the Spanish the people they are. This is a lovely country and we have no regrets about returning. With retirement not far away, I’m sure there’ll be another adventure awaiting us in the near future. As for this blog, well it has done its job and so now is the time to close, until next time, of course.

Finally thank you Alison for sharing this. I couldn't have done it without you and I wouldn't have wanted to anyway.

Farewell to Sevilla

It’s Monday morning, which means a quick breakfast and onto the public buses to take us to the train station to board the high-speed train to Madrid. We will stay in Madrid tonight and then it’s off to the airport tomorrow for our flight home. Like all of the cities we’ve visited in Spain, and we’ve now ticked off every major one, we’ve really loved Seville. It has been very busy, quite hot and the public transport is anything but efficient, but it is a lovely place to visit. Our bus trips have covered more of the city than most tourists would ever dream of seeing, but we really like seeing beyond just the shops, bars and restaurants.

Part of Sevilla Cathedral. The lines to get in stretched for hundreds of metres (we decided not to join it).

A private courtyard, or patio, garden - well, not that private.

Andalusia is famous for its mosaics, and they are beautiful.

We can’t help noticing that the age of travelers seems to be increasing every year. I’m sure that thirty years ago most of the buses and attractions would have been filled with young people back packing their way around. Now, the buses, hotels and restaurants are full of retirees, people our own age, with their dorky shorts, white socks and New Balance walking shoes. The bars are different; they are still the exclusive domain of the young. This is not so much a complaint as an observation, after all, we also fit this demographic perfectly (sans the dorky shorts and walking shoes, of course).

This is the famous Triana bridge, and we managed to capture this wedding procession on it. There are hundreds of horse-drawn carriages in Seville catering for tourists.

Seville really comes alive at night.

We were intending to take a cruise along the river last night, but when we arrived there was not boat to be seen. Either we’d read the sign incorrectly, or the operator decided he no longer wanted to be in the tourist business and decided to shut up shop. Instead, we had a meal and then decided just to sit by the river with all its lights and contemplate our last hours in this city, indeed, our last hours in this country.

I will leave you with a few last photos of Seville, in the hope that you can share with us some of the charm of this beautiful city. My next blog entry will be, sadly, our last.

We found this very old wall, with an equally old entry, on one of our bus trips.

Seville at last, now all I need is a barber.

We made it to Seville and have enjoyed the past two days walking the streets and rubber-necking, along with about forty million other tourists. The streets in all of the Spanish cities we've been to are always totally full, no matter what time of the day or night. Perhaps they have a housing availability crisis like we do back home, so people have decided it's cheaper to just live on the streets and eat at restaurants for every meal. I don't know what it is, but even at 11.00 pm at night, the streets are packed. 

 The Plaza de España is a plaza in the Parque de María Luisa, in Seville, Spain, built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929

Spain loves its fountains - they are everywhere.

Seville is a city of around 700,000 people, but I'm pretty sure there are another 300,000 at any time made up of tourists. There is lots to see, but much of it is quite similar to other cities in Spain we've visited. I think it is a bit of a pity for Seville but, almost inevitably, the last city in one's travels tends to not receive the same attention as the first, if only because there is an element of 'been there, done that' involved. 

Spain also loves its avenue of trees. By the way, Spain has thousands of Australian native trees in its cities, so it's easy to feel a bit of a link to home.

One of the hundreds of little plazas to be found in every Spanish city.

Seville is a very old city, and last night we enjoyed tapas in a restaurant, Las Escobas, which we later found out is the oldest establishment in Spain, dating back to 1386, when it was a broom-making business. Fortunately, the food seemed pretty fresh and delicious.

Like both Madrid and Malaga, Seville has an active bull-fighting culture and it is possible to see bull-fighting throughout much of the year. As keen as we were to see a bull-fight, as this is still very much part of the Spanish way of life, we could not bring ourselves to witness this practice, as it almost always results in the cruel death of the bull. It's a reminder that all cultures have their unacceptable practices, by our standards at least. Indeed, there is no such things as cultural absolutism; all practices are necessarily seen through the prism of what we have come to accept as 'normal'.

Seville's bull-fighting ring. Madrid's is even more grand than this one.

These little private gardens are everywhere - they are so beautiful. 

Today we are going to use some public transport to see some of the city beyond the old city. Seville doesn't really have a metro, at least not an extensive one, so we are going to have to rely upon the bus network, which is pretty efficient. I'm pretty sure lots of tourists never venture beyond the old cities, which contain most of the main attractions, but we always like to explore a little further out, where the 'average' residents live. You wouldn't just explore Circular Quay or Lygon Street and claim to have experienced the real Sydney or Melbourne, and it's much the same here. 

We have also enjoyed our accommodation here, which is the most resort-like we've had over here. There is a large pool, gardens for lounging, and a very extensive breakfast each morning. Our practice has become one of exploring until mid-afternoon, then returning for a swim and a relax, then going out again around 7.00 pm until we return around 11.00 pm. This seems to work well for us as it is so hot over here, hitting mid-30s each day. We're down to our last two days here, which means our thoughts are inevitably turning to life post-Spain. I'm not sure we're comfortable with this yet, but it is a bit like death and taxes; it is going to happen.

Gotta love Malaga.

Today is our last full day in Malaga, before we leave tomorrow for Seville. We have had a wonderful time in this city, spending most of our days on the beach and walking through the crowded streets of the old city, just like something out of those holiday promotion shows you see on TV. In addition to the beach, we've also managed to fill up on some of the cakes and pastries on offer here. Next to France, I think they make the best pastries we've eaten.

It has been great not having to see everything, as we tended to do in all of our previous places, instead just idling away the time doing whatever we pleased. I'm sure this won't last long, as it's off to Seville for five days tomorrow and, no doubt, more of the tourist treadmill. Still, that's what we're here for.

Last night we took a sunset cruise aboard a catamaran (not under sail) and it was great. The sunsets are spectacular, and being out on the water made it all the more memorable. They even threw in a complimentary glass of sparkling wine, although there is a chance someone confused it with the battery acid, because they tend to have a similar taste.

The sunset over Malaga

One of the lovely squares filled with people eating. This was way past 10 pm.

My next blog entry will be from our last destination, Seville, before we spend our final night in Madrid before our flight home. There's still lots left to see and do, but we are starting to sense it coming to and end. As Winston Churchill once said, 'this is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end, but it may well be the end of the beginning'. Probably not strictly appropriate, but I sound so learned.

Edwin and Alison rock the Alcazaba.

Two posts in one day, unheard of I know. But we spent the morning at the Alcazaba de Malaga, an 11th century Muslim fortress in the middle of the old part of Malaga, and I thought you might like to see some photos of both the fortress and the incredible views from the top of it. Enjoy.

The Teatro Romano (Roman theatre)

These walls were over 1000 years old.

The beautiful Alcazaba de Malaga

Water features and lovely contained gardens were very big with the Moors. In fact, they were avid watchers of both BHG and the Block.

View from the Alcazaba across the port. Could we possibly be dead and gone to heaven?

Malaga - notice the North African influence in the buildings.

I wonder what the poor people are up to?

After over two weeks on the go, spending every day and night soaking up the sights, it was great arriving at Malaga two days ago, knowing that we had five days to just relax on the beach and enjoy a less hectic pace. Malaga is a classy resort city on Spain’s Costa del Sol, which is frequented by lots of wealthy tourists, mainly from Britain and other European countries. Its beaches are numerous and they fill up quickly each day with sun-seeking tourists. Not quite as iconic as Bondi, but not far behind. Yesterday, we joined them for a swim in the warm waters of the Mediterranean, and it was most relaxing.

OMG, Alison is such an attention seeker. We came across a group performing a flamenco on the street and before I could do anything to stop her, Alison had started to stomp her feet and clap in a rhythmic trance. To make matters worse, the crowd kept applauding and urging her on. Note to self; pick your travel companions wisely.

Like most of the cities over here, there is an old city, where buildings can date back centuries, and a more contemporary part. Where we are staying is a two minute walk from the port, but also very close to the old town so our location is close to perfect. The port is home to many luxury cruisers and yachts, and there is clearly no lack of wealthy tourists to the area. We are intending to take a sunset cruise on a catamaran tomorrow, which should be memorable. The weather here is around 27 degrees every day with no clouds and no wind – pretty close to perfect.

Malaga's port area is very modern, and a bit of a tourist mecca.

The private yacht/cruiser/air-craft carrier you can see moored on the right came with its own helicopter, speed boat and yacht that would rival anything in the America's Cup. There must be some serious money in drugs.

Sitting on the beach, it was remarkable that there would not have been more than a handful of people who were wearing hats. In a climate very similar to ours, we simply cannot understand the lack of caution over skin cancer, but then again, the risk of lung cancer also doesn’t appear to be a major concern.

The beaches are very clean and full of sun lovers. They are also full of North Africans trying to sell you all manner of useless stuff. One guy asked me to make an offer on his wife. Obviously, i declined (she was far too old).

A couple of very sexy locals we found on the beach who didn't mind us taking their photo. That's the way it is here.

We are debating whether to take a day-trip to the southern-most tip of Europe, Gibraltar. It is a three-hour bus trip both ways and would be great to see, but do we really need the extra travel when those beaches are so damn relaxing? Rhetorical, of course; you don’t need to post your replies.

I don't actually know what this is, but it shows the mixing of the very old with the ultra modern.

I’m not sure whether I’ve mentioned this in the past, but the Spanish have a total love affair with eating out. I doubt whether they even own a fry pan or saucepan at home. In the cities we’ve visited, the restaurants cover block after block; it would be no exaggeration that even a city of 200,000 people might contain several hundred outdoor restaurants. Melbournians are proud of Lygon Street, which might contain perhaps fifty to one hundred eating places. In Spain, there would be one Lygon Street next to another, next to another, and another…..

We are now half way through our Malaga stay, which means only Seville to go. We went to the local hospital when we first arrived to have my persistent cough looked at and it is on the improve, but certainly not gone. I have no idea what it is, but the Europeans sure do know how to make a super bug. I guess it is starting to dawn on us now that this adventure will be coming to an end soon, although there are still lots more things to see and do, and we intend to make the most of each and every one of them. Now, has anyone seen my Glen 20 bug killer?  

Granada, city of the Alhambra

Yesterday was our second day in Granada, also part of Andalusia, and whatever bug I’ve picked up is taking its toll on me. I seem to lack any energy, so spending hours walking the streets is becoming really difficult. Combined with the inflamed throat and the exhausting cough, I’m feeling a little bit home sick at the moment. It’s funny, but your thoughts always seem to turn to home when you’re feeling fragile or vulnerable. Alison and I have agreed that should things not have improved by today, it will be time to seek out a doctor.

Spain is the world's largest producer of olives and Andalusia is where most of Spain's olives are grown. It is hard to convey the scale of production here, but imagine driving from Melbourne to Holbrook and seeing nothing but olive trees in every direction as far as the eye can see. There appears to be absolutely nothing else grown. 

Granada is another amazing place, set beneath the Sierra Mountains, so high they are snow-capped during the winter months. At the moment, however, it’s in the low to mid-thirties each day, without a cloud in sight. The city itself goes back centuries, to when it was once one of the most important cities in the Muslim world. The Moors came across in the 7^th century from North Africa before moving throughout the Iberian Peninsular and conquering most of present-day Spain. They maintained control for almost 700 years, until they were eventually overcome by Christians moving south. Even today, Granada has a strong Muslim representation, around ten per cent of the population, and a vibrant culture. Some parts of the city are very Spanish, but there are many areas in which you could easily imagine yourself in Morocco.

Without doubt, the crowning glory of Granada is the Alhambra, a palace and fortress complex built originally by the Moors in the 9^th century, but it became what it is today in the 13^th century. Being set atop a hill, I can’t really find the words to describe it (yes, I know I said this also about the Mezquita, but that’s what it’s like over here, every amazing  sight is soon overshadowed by the next). Although we spent more than an hour looking around the site, and fighting off the hordes of tourists who show little interest in the history but much more in capturing the best selfie, we were not able to venture inside the main palace. It seems they limit ticket sales to 6,500 each day, and pre-sales are booked out for a month in advance. Nevertheless, we were able to cover a substantial amount of the grounds, including the beautiful gardens, and many of the buildings without the need for a ticket.

The Alhambra is really a place, rather than a single building. It covers hundreds of acres, much of which is beautiful parkland.

I couldn't find out much about these canons, but no doubt they are real and would have been used by the Christians to defend the palace from the Moors.

One of the views from the Alhambra

Alhambra Palace Carlos 5th

Just about everyone knows I love a good water feature, and so do the Spanish, both Muslim and Christian. I'm already making plans for one like this at home.

One of the grand entrances to the Alhambra.

Alison found out about a hop-on hop-off little train which snakes its way in and out of the narrowest streets, and it has taken us to places our weary feet would have declined the offer. We did two complete circuits this afternoon, and we are going to take the night version this evening for some spectacular views of this incredible place.

Although it was getting dark, the streets were full of people when we came across this lovely fountain while waiting for our train.

Plazas are everywhere, and every plaza is home to a least half a dozen restaurants.

This place really comes alive in the evening. It can be 10.30 pm, but the streets resemble Bourke Street at noon. There are literally people everywhere, many of them visiting one of the thousands of restaurants which adorn every street and plaza. The Spanish adore their food, and you can just about sit down for a meal of whatever you can imagine. About the only thing I haven’t seen here is a pie and sauce, probably not a bad thing.

Today is our last full day in Granada and then it’s off to the Costa del Sol (Malaga) for four days sitting on the beach doing nothing – well, that’s the theory anyway. After that, it’s Seville and then back home. We are loving it, but also very tired. The bug, for want of a better word, has been an unwelcome distraction, but it is also apparent to me that weeks of overseas travel is very demanding when you're well, let alone when you’re not.