Seville Spain to Bari Italy 21st September 2007

We booked onto an open top bus tour of Seville and spent several hours touring this beautiful leafy and green city. An interesting visit is to Plaza de Torros (bull ring). The city of Cordoba has a large mosque and an old Jewish area. Some cities and towns have eliminated baggage lockers due to terrorism concerns and Cordoba was one of these places - this meant that we had to haul our backpacks all around with us as we weaved in and out of the narrow cobbled streets.

From Algecerius we took a bus to La Linea and walked over to Gibraltar. It is impossible to miss the great and imposing Rock of Gibraltar which dominates the entrance to the Mediterranean.

We travelled over and across the Sierra Nevada ranges. It is amazing to see the vast and dry countryside of Spain latticed in green with olive tree plantations which seem to go on forever. In the evening we sat outside in a large square which was fully taken up with outdoor restaurants and had a wonderful dinner. We were surrounded by fountains which were all lit up and looked great. A magnificent place to visit at Granada is Alhambra.

To catch up on some time we took an overnight train and travelled on from Madrid to Barcelona. Barcelona is probably my favourite city in Spain it just seems to have a great atmosphere. Something I have noticed in Spain is the way older women dress - they dress so beautifully and seem to take time with their grooming. In Barcelona we also did the open top bus tour - a perfect way to sit in the sun and see the sights of a beautiful city.

Architecture by Gaudi is well worth seeing in Barcelona. I guess he appears to border on the eccentric but it becomes very easy to pick out his very distinctive work. He designed the church called the Temple de la Sagrada Familia which is just amazing to see. This building was commenced in 1882 and he worked on this project for over 40 years until his death in 1926. At the time of his death the building was only partially built but construction is ongoing to this day following his plans - all money for this project comes from private donations, financing and alms - it is expected to be completed in 2020.

We crossed the Spanish border into France and took the famous yellow train on the legendary rail line in the mountains to Latour de Carol. We met an Argentinian, Gustov on the French border at Portbou who told us about this train trip - we spent the next couple of days travelling together. From here we travelled onto the beautiful little country of Andorra up in the Pyrenees Mountains. This little country is sandwiched in between the mountains of Spain and France. The capital, Andorra La Vella is a shopper's paradise and an early smugglers' hideaway. The buildings of Andorra are very distinctively built of grey stone and trimmed with timber - they look great. The city is built at the bottom of the valley so any excursion means an uphill walk.

We travelled on to Pas de la Casa and Toulouse in France and then down to the French Riviera at San Raphael. The French Riviera is really a millionaires' paradise and quite a sight to see, not forgetting a visit to Cannes and Nice. The cars and boats in this area are something else. A special little principality is Monaco - beautiful gardens and the views across the bays are just great. The Grimaldi family has ruled over Monaco since the 1200's - Prince Albert is the current ruler following the death of his father, Prince Rainier.

The leaning Tower of Pisa is a sight to behold - it looks as though it would tip but work has been done recently to secure the building so hopefully it will be there for some time to come.

Rome is truly a wonderful city to visit. We visited St Peter's Basilica and attended Mass on the Sunday which was a special experience. On our tour we also visited the vaults where the previous Popes are buried and went to the grave of the last Pope, John Paul II. Other great places to visit in Rome are the Trevi Fountain, Coliseum, Roman Forum and the Catacombs. Rome is one big tourist attraction but fortunately most areas are easily accessible on foot and by subway. We were targeted once again by pickpockets - however we were fine - just need to be very aware.

We travelled on through Naples and Pompeii to Sorrento. We met up with Amanda from Proserpine (small world) so we decided to take the bus down the Amalfi Coast. This 50 klm stretch of coastline is absolutely breathtaking (as was the driving by the Italian bus driver). Further south in Italy we visited Paolo and crossed over to Messina by ferry and down to Milazzo on the island of Sicily.

The next few days were spent cruising around the beautiful volcano formed Aeolian Islands. We have very special family friends who come from these islands so it was a special treat to be able to visit their homeland - their daughter Margherite and I went to school together. Mr Paino comes from Stromboli and Mrs Paino comes from Filicudi. Stromboli is an amazing island and the volcano is alive and smoking! We stayed at Villa la Rosa on Filicudi, which is owned by relatives of Mrs Painos. To reach Villa la Rosa we had to climb half way up the mountain but when we reached the top the views across the sea were well worth the effort. A very special place and a great visit with Stefano and Daniella Rando at Villa la Rosa.

We have travelled up the east coast of Italy and are currently at Bari where we are waiting to leave by ship tonight for Patras, Greece.