August 2015. Bilbao has a decent number of attractions to hold its own with neighboring cities across northern Spain. And yet one of the great joys of a trip here is simply wandering the pretty streets. Bidebarrieta Street is typical of the Bilbao vibe: a long, narrow pedestrianized zone where buskers and street artists perform in […]
Read MoreAugust 2015. I could have done with an extra day in Bilbao. After my unexpected adventures at San Mames Stadium I was suddenly short on time with the clock ticking down on my last bus out of town. What a pity then that I didn’t manage to get into the amazing Guggenheim Museum, perched authoritatively […]
Read MoreReading from China? This travel report contains a YouTube video, which can only be viewed with a VPN! August 2015. It’s amazing to think of how I accidentally got to see the legendary Barcelona football team play live in the flesh. I’d been wandering around the Spanish city of Bilbao when, quite suddenly, a huge […]
Read MoreAugust 2015. It’s taken me over four years but I’ve finally gotten round to posting my first Sittin’ doin’ nothin’ article. In the summer of 2015 I headed to the coastal town of Castro Urdiales in northern Spain for the latest in a long line of English teaching contracts. That summer schedule was supposed to […]
Read MoreAugust 2015. Welcome to one of the most picture perfect coastal towns you could ever hope to visit. With its mediaeval church and castle, pretty beach and arcaded squares, the joy of Castro Urdiales is simply to wander about on foot marveling at its prettiness. Start here at the port with its 130 or so […]
Read MoreAugust 2015. One of the coolest things I did during my month-long stay in Castro Urdiales was the thirty-minute hike from town up into the hills to see The Virgin Mary Statue. If my boss hadn’t taken me I would never even have known about it, as it certainly wasn’t mentioned online or in any […]
Read MoreAugust 2015. The tiny coastal town of Castro Urdiales is an ideal day trip for those based in Bilbao and Pamplona. Its modest collection of sites can be tackled on foot in just a few hours, leaving plenty of time for sunbathing on Brazomar Beach and tapas down by the port. Wherever you find yourself in […]
Read MoreAugust 2015. The quaint coastal town of Castro Urdiales is a tiny place and at 400 meters long its main beach, Playa de Brazomar, serves very much as its focal point. This shot was taken from the hilltop Cotolino Park, which can be accessed at Brazomar’s western end. August 2015. As idyllic a little town […]
Read MoreSeptember 2015. It was mid-afternoon in Pamplona during siesta time as I made my way down the deserted Calle de la Curia for a truly picture perfect approach to the neoclassical façade of Pamplona Cathedral. All the shops were shuttered up, there were no people blocking my view and not so much as a pin […]
Read MoreSeptember 2015. For fans of the iconic American novelist Ernest Hemingway, there is perhaps no greater tribute to the great man than a visit to the Spanish city of Pamplona. An exceptionally well-travelled man, Hemingway fell head over heels for Pamplona and would return here again and again throughout his troubled life to watch the […]
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