Ten Years Later

Ten years later, I'm reading what I wrote at the moment on Facebook and the pictures I posted, plus the blog posts here. For the fifth anniversary of the trip in 2016, I wrote up a weekly list of highlights and lessons, and figured I should post them here for anyone who wants to read them (and for me to find later).

 

25 Post-trip travel tips

A friend sent me this list of someone's 55 top travel tips. My travel tips and lessons learned, mostly from this trip, in the order that I wrote them down:

By the numbers

I like to keep track of things, like how many of something: new countries, passport stamps, train segments, new airports, places I slept, beers I drank, gelato I ate, jaywalking tickets, etc. Here are some stats:

Oh yeah, I'm home

I got home in more or less one piece, on Thanksgiving Day (Nov 24) as planned. Despite a few minor setbacks, itinerary replans, missed trains, rail strikes, and an overly-ambitious schedule, I've got to say, that it all worked out pretty well.

Day 69: flying home (Nov 24)

Blog post coming soon! Highlights: early flight from Madrid to Frankfurt, change planes for the flight back home to Houston in time for Thanksgiving dinner. In the meantime, here are today's pictures.

Day 68: Madrid (Nov 23)

Blog post coming soon! Highlights: Royal Palace and the Egyptian Temple of Debod. In the meantime, here are today's pictures.

Day 67: Tangier, Gibraltar (Nov 22)

Blog post coming soon! Highlights: ferry to Tangier and city tour, then bus ride from Tarifa to Gibraltar again. In the meantime, here are today's pictures.

Day 66: Gibraltar (Nov 21)

Blog post coming soon! Highlights: train ride to Algeciras and bus ride to Gibraltar, caves and monkeys tour, British pub. In the meantime, here are today's pictures.

Day 65: Madrid (Nov 20)

Blog post coming soon! Highlights: the Reina Sofia and Thyssen Museums, Plaza Mayor, Mercado de San Miguel, the royal church, and downtown at night. In the meantime, here are today's pictures.

Day 64: Madrid (Nov 19)

Blog post coming soon! Highlights: the Prado Museum and Puerto del Sol at night. In the meantime, here are today's pictures.

Day 63: Madrid (Nov 18)

Blog post coming soon! Highlights: a bus tour of Madrid and a walk from Puerto del Sol to the Royal Palace. In the meantime, here are today's pictures.

Day 62: Barcelona (Nov 17)

Blog post coming soon! Highlights: an all-Gaudi day featuring Casa Batllo and La Sagrada Familia, plus Montjuic. In the meantime, here are today's pictures.

Madrid, Gibraltar, & Tangier details

Here's the plan for my last week in Europe: three days in Madrid (one of which might be a side trip to Toledo), then 2 nights and 2-1/2 days at the tip of Spain (Gibraltar, Tarifa, Algeciras) and into Morocco, then back to Madrid for one final night before heading to the airport. Then home!

Day 61: Barcelona (Nov 16)

Blog post coming soon! Highlights: La Boqueria again, the Old Town, Picasso Museum, the Block of Discord and Casa Batllo, and paella for dinner. In the meantime, here are today's pictures.

Day 60: Barcelona (Nov 15)

Blog post coming soon! Highlights: a walk down La Rambla, La Boqueria, and tapas for dinner. In the meantime, here are today's pictures.

Day 59: Provence, Arles, Aix (Nov 14)

Blog post coming soon! Highlights: Arles, Aix-en-Provence, Chateauneuf du Pape, and Oppede le Vieux. In the meantime, here are today's pictures.

Barcelona details

I'm stuck on the train for 8 hours, from around 7am til 3pm, but unfortunately it's not the same train, I have three connections to make so I can't even sleep for very long. There seems to be enough to do that I can do and see most of what I want in the 2-1/2 days I have in Barcelona, assuming I don't stay out too late or sleep too late. Then I leave for Madrid on Friday.

Day 58: Provence, Avignon (Nov 13)

Blog post coming soon! Highlights: Avignon and the Pont du Gard. In the meantime, here are today's pictures.

Day 57: Nice, Monte Carlo (Nov 12)

Blog post coming soon! Highlights: the Chagall Museum, walking along the beach, the farmer's market in Nice, the bus ride along the coast to Monte Carlo, the walk around the bay, and the Casino. In the meantime, here are today's pictures.

Day 56: Pisa, Genoa (Nov 11)

Pisa is 1:15 from Florence, train station to train station. If you have bags, check them at the Pisa train station, look for “deposito bagagli” — as you get off the train, it’s to the right at the far end of platform 1, past the police office.