Pontevedra, Spain

Speeding through the Galician countryside on various train trips we were fortunate to spot dozens of hórreos.

Ourense, Spain

Our first stop in the Autonomous Community of Galicia, Spain was Ourense, named the ‘city of bridges’.

Spain, Zamora

Zamora, Spain

With it’s blend of romanesque, modernist and art deco buildings, Zamora is an architectural gem.

Salamanca, Spain

The Golden City

In the setting sun, Salamanca’s buildings glow gold, earning her the nickname, La Dorado, the golden city.

Basel, Switzerland

On Mittwuch, (Wednesday) a 35-minute train trip found us in Basel, the 3rd largest city located in northwest Switzerland where the Swiss, French and German borders meet. Pronounced Basel in English and German and Bâle in French, we found this dynamic city easy to navigate and a joy to explore.

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Annecy, France, Voiron

Annecy and Voiron, France

Annecy and Voiron are two pretty little towns we wanted to visit so we booked train tickets and off we went exploring.

Annecy
Sometimes called “Pearl of the Alps”, Annecy (pronounced ‘an-si’), is 45 minutes by train from Grenoble, and lies in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. A beautiful lakeside village with amazing mountain and water views that made us glad when we arrived and sad when we left. This is a town we suggest you spend more than a day in.

Barcelona, Spain

Bustling Barcelona

Barcelona has been in the news recently with demonstrations for and against Catalan separation and demonstrations regarding ‘overtourism’. We have focused our explorations primarily on beautiful southern Spain but despite the tensions in Barcelona, we wanted to make a brief stop in this north eastern city.

Sevilla, Spain

Sevilla is a majestic city and we are thankful we saved it for our final destination in Andalusía. We often awoke to the soothing sounds of horses clip-clopping past on the street below.

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Jerez de la Frontera, Spain

Jerez de la Frontera

Jerez de la Frontera or Jerez is known for its flamenco, horses and sherry but this wonderful town of Spain has much more to offer. There are castles and magnificent churches and where we were introduced to the “Secret language of the Spanish fan”.

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Andalusia, Cádiz, Spain

Cádiz, Spain

We have spent 3 weeks exploring Jerez de la Frontera and felt it was time to spread our wings. The city of Cádiz, home port to the Spanish Armada (navy), beckoned and is just a short 30-minute train ride south.