Things to Tarifa, Spain.

Country/Town visited: Tarifa, Spain
Date of stay: June 2012
Where you stayed:  Pension Correos
Travelled with:  As a couple
Tour or pre planned: Pre-planned

Tarifa is a great little town on the south coast of Spain that is known for its spectacular beaches and strong winds. These two conditions have made the town famous for kite surfing in recent years, and have brought in a lot more tourism to the area. There are numerous places in the town where you can take kite surfing lessons and hire gear.

The town is built around the old quarter, port and castle with newer developments appearing a bit more inland. The old town is a maze of winding passages built to protect against the strong winds. This creates a great atmosphere among the many restaurants, cafes, bars and boutique shops. There is an indoor market that is worth checking out too. The seafood is particularly good here, even compared to other places in the south of Spain, and tuna fishing is still a major industry. There is tuna tinning factory along the beach, which might not be particularly pleasant, but at least it shows how fresh the fish is! We were in Tarifa during the Euro 2012 football tournament, the town was buzzing with the locals out supporting Spain, and we cheered on all their goals with them!

One great reason to visit Tarifa is that it is the Southern-most point of Europe. From the coast you can clearly see Africa and the Atlas mountains, and on a really clear day can apparently make out individual people along the coast of Morocco. There are regular ferry trips that take you across to Tanger where you can stay for the day or start a tour of Africa. There are also a number of boat trips that can take you out for whale and dolphin watching along the Straits of Gibraltar.

Unfortunately, one of the darker sides of Tarifa is the detention facility at the end of a walkway out to sea, where illegal immigrants from Africa are detained until they are deported. The walkway, however, does make for a nice walk where there is the Mediterranean Sea to one side and the Atlantic to the other. It is quite something to see the waves washing in from two different directions at this spot.

The beaches along the coast by Tarifa have beautiful white sand, dunes and sparkling clear water. On the first day that we were there, the wind was so strong that the sand was whipping up and stung any exposed body parts. We quickly figured out why the beaches were deserted, but the following day the wind had died down and the beach in the town was great.

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Travel to San Sebastian and Pamplona, Spain.

Country/Town visited: Spain, San Sebastian (Donostia) and Pamplona
Date of stay: 3 nights, July 2011
Where you stayed: Tour Accommodation
Travelled with: Busabout
Tour or pre planned: Tour Pamplona 4 day mid-festival

Lying in the Basque Country is Pamplona, home of the San Fermin Festival where ever year thousands of adrenaline junkies and onlookers come to watch the notorious 'Running of the Bulls'. The bull run is something I have wanted to do since first arriving in London and should be on every self respecting antipodeans travel itinerary!

Busabout offers both camping and hostel accommodation options, the advantage of staying in the hostel is that we got two see two Spanish cities, Pamplona for the festival and the picturesque city of San Sebastian on the northern coast. Each morning the coach brings you to the heart of the festival in time to do the bull run and returns to San Sebastian that night. We were also provided with a history of the region and the festival.

We were given a chance to explore San Sebastian on arrival and had an opening party and purchased the traditional bull runners costume, white trouser, white shirt with red scarf. Everyone in Pamplona dresses like this during the festival so be sure to join in! After the pre-party we got a few hours sleep before heading to the bull run itself...

It's hard to put in words the scene of devastation we saw upon arrival at 5am. People in various states of drunkenness were strewn throughout the bus depot, on the streets, in the park and of course still partying in the bars! The guide took us down the route and showed us the best places to start the run.

The bull run itself - was exhilarating and scary at the same time, immediately losing the group I was with it was literally every man (and a few women) for themselves. The danger was more from the sheer mass of human panic rather than the bulls themselves, which can be avoided by keeping to the sides of the cobbled road. After an initial rush of four bulls, the race was to get into the bull ring as they close it off shortly after the bulls complete the run. By this stage you may think you have had enough action for the morning, but no – one at a time six bull calves are released to wreck havoc throughout the crowd massed in the ring. After this we caught a bull fight and partied the night away. Watch out for being sprayed with sangria as it won't come out!
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Travel to Malaga, Spain.

Country/Town visited: Malaga, SpainDate of stay: June 2012

Malaga is located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the south of Spain and is the largest city on the Costa del Sol. We spent two (2) days there in June 2012 and so wish we had planned to stay longer, the city has so much to offer and is a major tourist spot in the summer months. 

We hired a car through Hertz from the Malaga airport but while in Malaga we did not drive very often, our hotel was based in the city centre which offered free covered parking and everything we did was within easy walking distance. The city offers so much from relaxing on the beach taking in the warm summer days to wondering the old city and enjoying the Spanish cuisine.

Things to do and see:  Below we’ve listed a few of our recommendations:

Alcazaba is a castle built on the hill in the middle of the city and our hotel had great views of this. It’s free to enter on Sundays otherwise it costs roughly €2 euro, you’ll have some amazing views of the city from the castle and the gardens are well kept. There’s a Roman theatre beneath the castle that you can visit but this can also be seen from an open area (Plaza) which overlooks the theatre. You can take photos and lights light up the area at night. There’s a number restaurants around the Plaza with views of the theatre, it’s fairly easy to stumble across if you’re walking around the city towards the castle.

Malaga Cathedral is quite stunning and located in the heart of the city.

Beaches: 
Malaga has a number of beaches around and the closest to the city centre that we found was behind the castle, I think this was called La Malagueta. Nice place to relax, take a swim or wonder along the market stalls.

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Travel to Ibiza, Spain.

Country/Town visited: Ibiza, Spain
Date of stay: 3 nights, April 2011
Where you stayed: Jet Apartments (link below)
Tour or pre planned: Pre planned 

The party capital of Europe really lived up to its name. Myself and two friends travelled there in late April 2011. Despite not being 'peak season' the hustle and bustle of the Spanish Island really impressed. After being delayed in Madrid on Iberian Airlines (personally I would not fly with this crew again), we arrived in the little island in the Mediterranean Sea at 2am. We made a bee-line for our hotel - Jet Apartments in Playa d'en Bossa - the apartments are rated from 2 star to 5 star. We scored a free upgrade from 2 to 3, and stayed there for 3 nights which only cost us €35 each (between 3 lads) which included 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen, and lounge, not to mention a balcony overlooking the pool. Bliss.
As mentioned, it was not peak season, there were plenty of spaces to lie on the beach, but at the same time there was enough happening (especially on the beach) to keep your eyes busy.

Within walking distance were multiple bars, clubs, restaurants, and of course the beach with many holiday goers getting a good tan. On our first day we hired two scooters (again between 3 of us) which cost  €50 each, I’m not sure how this prices with other scooter hire places but we payed up and away we went. We went across the other side of the island to San Antonio where, once again, holiday makers were enjoying the sun in the beach front bars. We went north to a few little towns which were much the same - sun sand and great views.

Of course, being the party capital that it is, we couldn’t leave without a taste of the nightclubs. Unfortunately at the time, only one of the 'big clubs' was open - Pacha. Pacha - With the doors opening at midnight and last entry at 2.30am this club had everything from salsa to house music. On the Thursday there was a salsa demonstration, which of course bought the fairer sex out to play. This was a great night as it later turned into a big raving dance floor. Of course, boys being boys, we headed back again on the Saturday night where it was predominantly house music all night. Drinks were very expensive, waters being €8, red bull and vodkas being €25. I’d say drink a few at your hotel before heading out.

The other clubs which I understand open from late May - early June include Space, Amnesia, Privilege (as seen on the movie 'Kevin and Perry go Large'), and Cafe del Mar.

We only spent 3 nights on the island, but we definitely want to go back.

Link to our apartments: http://www.jetibiza.com/ I have nothing bad to say about this place. Great location, great staff, great views.

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Travel to Granada, Spain.

Country/Town visited: Granada, Spain
Date of stay: July 2012                                                                                                             

Granada is located in the south of Spain and my wife and I spent 4 days there in June 2012. The main purpose of our visit was to attend a good friends wedding being held at the Alhambra, which they say is one of the most visited monuments in the world. 

Before arriving we had been warned that driving in the center of Granada was a difficult task and this is very true. Streets are narrow, many are one-way and restricted to buses and taxies. Luckily we stumbled across a parking building that was no more than 5 minutes walk from our accommodation and this turned out to be the building that had been previously suggested to us the Plaza Puerta Real.

Our accommodation was located in the Vista Plaza Nueva area. The Pension Britz it was called, a perfect location to all the main attractions. Most places were within easy walking distance and there’s a taxi stand just opposite the Britz.

Things to do and see:  Below we’ve listed a few of our recommendations:

The Alhambra is part fortress, part palace and part gardens, it’s situated overlooking the whole city. We’d recommended pre booking tickets in advance as this is one of the main attractions. Visit the following website for more information http://www.alhambradegranada.org/

Cathedral of Granada is the second-largest cathedral in Spain and well worth a visit. (see photos below)

Alcaiceria is an area close to the Cathedral, it has a very Moroccan/Turkish feel and the winding alleyways are filled with markets, spice stalls and street performers. This was very close to our accommodation and we found ourselves wondering the markets on more than one occasion.

Plaza Nueva is the city’s oldest square and has many bars and restaurants to choose from. Our accommodation was right in the heart of it and our balcony overlooked the square.

Carrera del Darro is a narrow cobbled stone street that runs from the Plaza Nueva square, there are some lovely restaurants and the scenery is amazing.

It’s recommended that you purchase a Granada guide book and work out some of the things you’d like to see and do. You could easily spend over a week exploring this city.

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Travel to Barcelona, Spain.

Country/Town visited: Barcelona, Spain
Date of stay: May 2012
Tour or pre planned: Pre planned

The minute you arrive in Barcelona you feel like you are in a very modern yet culture rich vibrant city. Situated on the northern east coast of Spain, Barcelona is the second largest city after Madrid. If you are looking for history the big question is where to start. 

A great place to get a taste of this whilst also having an amazing view of the whole city is the fortress at Montjuïc. There are trams that take you up every 15 minutes or so and is well worth it, seeing the full extent of this immense city is breath taking. Of course another must see is the Sagrada Familia designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí 1852–1926 (with work starting 1882). This work of art is still being completed to this day, with many architects working on it over the centuries. This costs to go inside but is definitely worth while not to be missed! 

The Gaudi theme is continued throughout the city and none more so than Park Güell built between 1900 and 1914. This really is a master piece, built to provide the people of Barcelona a place to relax and enjoy the amazing views of the city. Park Güell offers some amazing insight into Gaudi’s work that has looks like it has almost been untouched. 

If all this culture is too much Barcelona has some very nice beaches with a very strong European feel, with the water front offering some amazing sights from millionaire boats to its beautiful beaches. When night time comes around there is always something going on in Barcelona but a great place to start is the famous Absinthe bar, walking in you think it is probably from the 30's or even older. It picks up from about 10-11pm and ensures a pretty epic night.

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Travel to St Petersburg, Russia.

Country/Town visited: St Petersburg, Russia
Date of stay: Easter, April 2010
Travelled with: Group of friends
Tour or pre planned: Pre planned

In April 2010 my partner and I with another couple did some independent travel in Russia. Russia is not the easiest country to get into and the process to obtain a visa is not the cheapest.  You’ll need to factor this into the length of time you’d like to stay. We went for four days but given the cost of the visa we probably should have gone for longer.

With regards to the visa you need an invitation. You can do this in one of 2 ways, either ask your hotel/tour company to provide this or if they can’t/won’t, you can buy one online. We did the latter through – http://destinationrussia.com/russian_visa.html. It was a fairly easy process and we received our tourist invitation via email. Click on the following link for more information regarding Russian Visas.

We then needed to submit this with our application, passport, application fee and visa fee at the Russian Embassy. The Russian Embassy in London was very specific as to when you can drop off and also when you can pick up, so make sure that you check times before making the journey.

We decided to spend two days in Moscow and then two days in St Petersburg. We choose to take an overnight train from Moscow to St Petersburg, this way we saved a night’s accommodation and arrived 8am the next morning refreshed and ready to explore St Petersburg. It’s best to book a 2 berth or 4 berth sleeper cabin, (if you book a 4 berth and there’s only 2 of you then expect 2 randoms. This can be ok sometimes but if one’s a loud snorer then you won’t get much sleep). We’d recommend you spend 1.5 days in St Petersburg to every day spent in Moscow, there’s much more to see in St Petersburg.

St Petersburg has an interesting history and for that reason we opted to take a hop on hop off bus to explore the city and hear about the various stories about it’s fascinating past. Tickets can be purchased from different stops around the city and buses run every 30 minutes.

If Churches are your thing then there are loads of really beautiful Churches and Cathedrals in St Petersburg. Of the many, we visited, Saint Isaac’s Cathedral, Church of Savior on Blood, The Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul and Kazan Cathedral.

For spectacular views over St Petersburg we’d recommend climbing Saint Isaac’s Cathedral, tickets can be purchased outside. You have two options, to go inside and climb or just to climb to the top. We’d recommend doing both, inside the Cathedral is amazing and then the 300 step climb is well worth it for the views over the city. The Cathedral is closed on Wednesdays and open Thursday – Tuesday. For more information and opening times click on the following link Saint Isaac’s Cathedral.

Mariinsky Theater – Anna Pavlova (Ballet Dancer for whom the famous Pavlova was created).

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