Seville (Sevilla), Espana

On Wednesday evening, we arrived in Seville and after the usual confusion of finding the local transport, we were on the bus towards the apartment of Camille’s friend (Justin). We arrived in his neighborhood a block away from his abode but, with the help of the locals, were directed every direction besides the right one. Finally, the karate kid (a girl heading home from karate class) helped us find our way for which we were very grateful. We were greeted by a sickly Justin who apologetically explained that he wouldn’t be able to take us around but would equip us with a map and recommendations on things to do for our day in Seville. We retired for a much needed nights rest and awoke in the morning for a late breakfast and discussion on things to see.

We headed our across the river towards the historical buildings of Seville. After navigating the winding roads we found the Cathedral and entered the immense (3^rd largest in the world) church. We toured the main cathedral, the numerous chapels and the exterior grounds, all impressive architecture.

From there we made our way over to the Royal Palace next door, stopping for Tapas lunch in between. The tiled arches and vast manicured gardens, all in the Spanish Mediterranean theme made for a beautiful walk through the grounds. We took our time to admire the details of the tiles and follow the peacocks around in the gardens before continuing our tour through Seville.

We wound through the streets back towards the river and headed upstream towards the next bridge to cross over. Once back on the other side, we passed through the local areas of small streets and little shops before reunited with Justin at his apartment. Later in the evening, he joined us for another tapas dinner and some delicious ice cream before heading home to watch a movie. After the film, we chatted for a while before finally retiring to bed around 3:30am.

On Friday morning, we slept in before getting groceries to make a big brunch. We ate a plenty and soon it was time to head to the bus to the train station. We said our goodbyes and thank yous and headed to our final European destination.

Cordoba, Espana

From the Cordoba train station, we boarded the bus to our hotel in the Old Town. We found the quaint little neighborhood and after some help from a local ambulance driver, found the small street with our hotel on it. Unfortunately, in the confusion we missed the 10pm check in time and had to continue our search for a payphone to call the staff to let us in. Finally, we made contact and were let in to our pleasant hotel complete with a rooftop terrace. We had a snack and headed to bed with plans to meet up with another of Corinne’s friends (Laura) the next day.

In the morning, we toured the area viewing the famous Mosque and various shops in all of Old Town Cordoba. We found ourselves in the new town and browsed the shopping district before heading back to our hotel to meet Laura. She arrived and took us around; answering the questions we had about the history of the town and various other interests. She treated us to a late lunch in the main square before walking us back to our hostel and to the bus stop. We boarded and headed back to the train station where, after some confusion, we purchased a ticket for the next train heading West.

Madrid, Espana

We arrived in Madrid with directions Corinne’s friends’ (Alex and Sebas) apartment and easily navigated the subway to the neighborhood. Once we arrived, we stored our things before heading out to a café for local snacks and coffee. Later in the afternoon, we set out for an early dinner at El Tigre, a popular tapas bar that gives you a free full plate of food with each drink (2euro beer with lemonade) you buy. It was both delicious and incredibly affordable. From there, we walked the streets of downtown Madrid, passing statues and squares and stopping in various bars along the way. Finally after a few hours, the four of us headed home for the night.

In the morning, both Alex and Sebas left early for work so we had the day to ourselves. We returned to downtown to stroll in the park and do some shopping with plans to have lunch again at El Tigre but were surprised and confused to find it closed (still no explanation). As an alternative, we found a local grocer and instead bought supplies to cook ourselves a meal back at Alex’ apartment before we had to catch our train. We ate our fill, packed our things, and headed out to catch the next train South.

Barcelona, Espana (Spain)

Saturday evening we arrived in Barcelona and headed to our hostel on the main shopping street in town. We, as usual, arranged our things and quietly prepared for a night out (people were sleeping). At around 11pm we set out in hopes of festivities but were quickly informed that it was still dinner time and the parties don’t start until at least 1am. Hungry, we sat for a meal of Paella before finding a small pub on a side street that had cheap drinks. We had a few rounds in the casual atmosphere until it was nearing 1am. With a free pass to a club on the strip we headed that way. We finally found it with the help of the promoter and avoided some older gentlemen before ordering a round. We were shocked at the 9euro each prices but the drinks were made so we had to have them. We went from the main upstairs room down to the dance hall and out to the patio, checking out the place and people watching. After some dancing and such, we decided to call it a night and make the short walk home. On the way, Corinne found an abandoned bicycle and quickly took to riding it through the streets, happy as a clam. When we arrived back, she even brought it inside in the hopes it would be there waiting in the morning (no such luck). We settled in for bed and were soon asleep.

The next day, we had plans for a full day of shopping (our first for the trip) as Barcelona is known for its cheap finds. However, it was Sunday and as we all know, Spain is a very Catholic country and, Sunday being the Sabbath, everything was closed. Disappointed, we walked the streets window shopping and searching for someplace to dine for lunch. We chose an outdoor patio but soon regretting our decision as the combination of the pushy waiter and more sub-par food was less than desirable. We finished our meal and walked through the outdoor market before heading back towards the hostel to warm up. After some time of internetting and avoiding the resident creeper, we donned another layer of clothes and went out in search of a grocery store to buy supplies for dinner. We returned and had another run in with the resident creeper and spend the rest of the evening cooking, eating, internetting and avoiding him. Finally, we returned to our room and settled into bed with plans for another early train in the morning.

Liverpool, England

After a 6 hour bus ride, we arrived in the Liverpool bus terminal. After a little confusion as to which direction we were supposed to go, we successfully made the walk to our hostel in one of the old fashioned suburbs. We arranged our things, put a load of laundry in and headed out for another attempt at finding fish and chips. We succeeded this time, kind of, as the meal was incredibly cheap but equally sub-par. We returned home for showers and a continuation of laundry late into the night.

Saturday morning, we stored our bags and headed into town for a tour of the Beatles landmarks. We began at the Hard Days Night Hotel before passing the Cavern Club (the first performance venue for the Beatles). We browsed the shops on the main street in town on the way to the Beatles museum but unfortunately didn’t have time to do the tour. Instead we headed to a lesser known bar where John Lennon had done the murals in the basement in exchange for food which he was in art school. We arrived just at opening time and one of the knowledgeable staff members told us of their performances and John’s artwork all with entertaining tidbits of insider information.

We headed back towards the bus station passing the Cavern Club again on the way hoping it would be open. It was and we descended the winding stairs for a photo op of the now famous stage. Afterwards, we grabbed some English meat pies for lunch before grabbing our bags and heading off to the airport. Another flight awaited us.

London, England

We arrived at London Heathrow airport and took the tube into town to our hostel in the Bayswater neighborhood. Tired from the journey, we arranged our things and retired for an early bedtime. In the morning, we met the free walking tour beginning in the corner of Hyde park, descended the constitution hill towards Buckingham Palace and saw the royal carriage on the way (complete with the queen’s Bentley on its way to collect her).

From the Palace, we continued on to Price Charles’ abode and from there, passed the gentlemen’s clubs on the way to the square at the National Gallery. We passed the Prime Minister’s abode on the way towards the Cathedral and Big Ben. We ended our tour with a history story before we ventured up towards the theater district to see about ticket prices. We succeeded in getting half priced student tickets to Avenue Q for that evening and soon found ourselves with a few hours to kill.

We made the walk back to the National Gallery which boasts an excellent collection of quality works rather than a high quantity of unknowns. After a while of perusing the well known arts, we ventured around in search of internet, finding it at the local McDonalds. We stopped in a few shops on the way back towards the theatre and finally settled in for the show. It’s appropriate theme (a recent college graduate with no job or plan and a seemingly useless degree) hit home for us as we laughed along with the ridiculous puppetry and songs.

After the show, we set out on a recommendation for cheap fish and chips and, after finally finding the small tavern, decided against the 14pound price for each serving. Instead, we opted to make the long walk home and head straight to bed as it was growing late.

The following morning, after another tasty breakfast at the hostel, we set out for a full packed day walking all around London. We walked through Hyde park and over to Harrads, the huge department store, before viewing the change of the guards at Buckingham Palace. From there, we headed to Big Ben and crossed the river to the other bank. We passed the London Eye and various street vendors on our way to the Tower Bridge at the opposite end of town. Finally arriving after hours of walking, we crossed and sat overlooking the Tower of London, the former fortress which houses the Crown Jewels. After our rest, we continued on past Saint Paul’s Cathedral, stopping for a snack along the way. We visited the London Museum where we saw the Rosette Stone among other famous objects. From there, we walked towards downtown London and had a cheap but delicious dinner before doing a little browsing of the shops on our way home.

After our 9 hour excursion of consistent walking, we were pooped but this being our last night in London, we rested for only a few minutes before donning a coat and heading out to a pub for cider. Barely able to walk due to our painful feet, we hobbled our way home at closing time (11pm) and crawled into bed. We had a bus to catch in the morning, which we missed. However, we were able to book the next one at a cheap price which also granted us some free time. We took the subway up to the suburbs for a photo op at Abbey Road. After a few attempts, Camille was finally satisfied with a shot at the famous Beatles cover site.

We returned to the bus station and soon were on our way north, continuing the Beatles theme we had just begun.

Athenai (Athens), Greece

We arrived in the Athens bus station around 5am and were quickly confused as to where we needed to go from there. After some direction from the locals, we boarded a city bus into town and transferred to the subway towards our hostel. We arrived around 6:30 and knocked on the door in the hopes someone would be awake. Thankfully the staff was up and let us check in early and take a much needed nap before our day out.

We set out from the hostel after a few hour nap and stopped by the tourist information booth to get a map and some tips on things to see. We had lunch at the number one rated Slouvaki stand before making the walk towards the Acropolis.

We bought tickets (half price for students!) and began the ascent to the infamous ruins. Atop the Acropolis, we visited the Parthenon, the Temple of Athena and the ceremonial gateway. With views overlooking all of Athens, we spent some time picking out the famous buildings below. We saw the Temple of Zeus as well as the former Olympic track, home to the first modern games. Eventually, we made our way down from the Acropolis and walked the pedestrian streets over towards Zeus’ Temple and the Olympic track for a closer look. Afterwards, we headed home for a bit before dinner time.

In the evening, we took a tip from our guidebook and had dinner at a traditional yet quite modern restaurant, being greeted with shots of some traditional Greek alcohol. Afterwards, we walked up to the City Hall building to view the changing of the guards. We managed to arrive for the 8pm show and it was quite a spectacle. The dancing (high kicks, toe points, moon walks and spins) along with the pleated miniskirts (400 pleats, 1 for every year in the 400 year war) and not to mention the pompoms made for quite an exhibition. If you don’t believe us, watch this.

After that exhilarating performance, we returned for the night. In the morning, we rose for breakfast before storing our bags and heading out for another excursion in Athens. We passed by more ruins (Adrian’s Library and the First National Cemetary) before stopping by the market and having a pomegranate snack. We ended our time with an attempt to watch the guard change show again but were disappointed to find out that the dancing show we had witnessed the night before is not performed every hour. We walked back to our hostel, gathered our things, and headed to the airport via subway. This time, we had a plane to catch.