Western Europe : 30 August - 1 October 1999

This page describes a trip by Paul Kilfoil (accompanied by Gail Hanson) to Italy, France, Monaco, Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Gibralter. Check out my travelogues page for details of other trips I've done.

If you enjoyed reading this, please send me an email. All correspondence is appreciated!

[Monday 30 August 1999 : Cape Town, South Africa] Flew from Cape Town to Zurich via Johannesburg (a tedious 2 hour layover) on SwissAir.

The Iberian Peninsula (Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Gibralter)

[Tuesday 31 August : Madrid, Spain] Landed in Zurich, walked around briefly then caught our connecting SwissAir flight to Madrid. At Madrid airport we took the new Metro line from the airport to the city. The Madrid Metro system is a delight - clean, efficient and reliable. Checked into Hostal Paz, a pension near Puerto del Sol (the geographical centre of both Spain and Madrid), and had supper that night at a pavement cafe on Plaza Mayor - paella, of course.

[Wednesday 1 September : Madrid, Spain] Explored Madrid, seeing (inter alia) the Palacio de Villa Hermosa, Palazio St Cruz, Palacio Real (Royal Palace), Parque Retiro and the Jardines de Sabatini (Romantic Gardens). On Plaza de la Independencia there is a monument that is still riddled with bullet holes from the Spanish Civil War.

[Thursday 2 September : Madrid, Spain] Visited the Archeological Museum (with inscriptions only in Spanish) followed by the Naval Museum, then the Temple de Bod (an Egyptian building donated to the Spanish people) and the Rose Garden (le Rosaleda) containing hundreds of different types of roses. In the afternoon we took the teleferico (cable car) down into Casa de Campo, a 10-minute airborne ride in a small car that can only fit six people. Casa de Campo is a HUGE park, and to get there the cable car travels above a river, railway tracks, freeways and apartment blocks. It is weird sitting up in the sky and looking down into apartment windows just below you!

[Friday 3 September : Pamplona, Spain] Took the Metro from Puerto del Sol to Chamartin station and from there we caught an early train to Pamplona via Zaragoza. Fairly boring countryside - flat and uninteresting. Pamplona's train station is quite far from town, so we had to take a bus from the station. We found a really nice pension a block away from the main square, Plaza Castillo.

The annual festival of San Fermines in Pamplona, which includes the maniacal Encierro (running of the bulls), was made famous by Ernest Hemingway in his first novel The Sun Also Rises ; we found references to Hemingway everywhere we went. The festival is held in July each year so it wasn't on when we were there. We spent the day exploring this charming town, and saw the fortress, the famous bullring (where there is a statue of Ernest Hemingway), the route used during the running of the bulls during the encierro and Ernest Hemingway's favourite bar, Cafe-Bar Iruna. Seems that Hemingway had many "favourite bars" in a great number of cities all over the world - another of Hemingway's famous watering holes, Sloppy Joe's Bar, can be found in Key West in Florida, USA ; we'd both visited it in 1995.

Plaza Castillo in Pamplona, Spain

[Saturday 4 September : Barcelona, Spain] We tried every bus company in Pamplona (and there are many of them) but not one seemed to have a service from Pamplona to Andorra. We eventually gave up on the idea of getting to Andorra from here and caught a bus south to Barcelona instead, a pleasant 3-hour trip. Barcelona has to be the "party" capital of Europe - the city pulses with life throughout the night, only getting quiet at about 8 AM! The main drag in the city is a pedestrian street called Las Ramblas which seems to be filled with throngs of people 24 hours a day. We strolled down from Plaza Catalunya to the waterfront and literally went in a circle whilst getting lost in the old town (Barri Gottic).

La Rambla, Barcelona, Spain

[Sunday 5 September : Barcelona, Spain] Walked up to the 1992 Olympic Stadium on Montjuic, then took the underground funicular back down into the city. Walked past the Erotic Museum (!) and saw the Olympic village near the beach ; it's now a series of upmarket apartment blocks. The beach itself is quite cruddy. That evening we sat at a pavement cafe on Las Ramblas and drank coffee whilst watching the people go by.

[Monday 6 September : Andorra la Vella, Andorra] Took a bus to Andorra, and arrived in Andorra La Vella to see completely congested streets and insane traffic. It's amazing that such a tiny place is so overrun with cars. It's really difficult crossing the street here! After settling in at Pension La Rosa we took a bus up the mountain to a tiny village called La Massana, an exquisite little place in beautiful countryside. After exploring for a while we headed back down to Andorra la Vella and explored what little there is to see there. Andorra is a tax haven, with cheap watches, cameras and jewellery everywhere. I bought an incredible Seiko watch for about a THIRD of what it would cost in South Africa.

[Tuesday 7 September : Toulouse, France] Took a bus north out of Andorra la Vella through to France, via a narrow, twisting mountain pass through a number of small villages. As we went higher it became very cold and shrouded with fog. Crossed into France at Pas de le Casa, continued on for a while then got off the bus at the tiny French village of L'Hospitalet, the terminus of the French rail system (SNCF) in south-western France. This was a mistake because the next train from L'Hospitalet was hours away. Luckily a French bus happened along, so we caught the bus instead to Ax le Thermes (another tiny village) and then another bus to Foix, a rather bigger town. From Foix we managed to get a local train to Toulouse from where we took an overnight train east to Nice.

[Wednesday 8 September : Nice, France] Arrived in Nice knackered after spending the night on the train. Walked down to Pension Les Mouettes, two blocks from the beach (which I had booked by phone from Toulouse). Settled in and explored the beachfront in the blazing Cote d'Azur heat. The beaches around Nice are all stony, but the water is clear and warm and the weather is consistently fantastic.

[Thursday 9 September : Nice, France] Took a train east to Monte Carlo, a short ride along the coast. Explored Monaco, seeing (inter alia) the changing of the guard at the Prince's Palace, the Loews tunnel used in the annual Formula 1 Grand Prix and the Casino (where we lost 40 Francs). Gazed awestruck at the floating gin-palaces masquerading as yachts in the marina. From Monte Carlo we caught a train east through France into Italy, getting off just over the border at Ventimiglia. It's an Italian seaside town, but very tacky compared with the French towns on the Riviera. I had some Italian currency (Lire) left over from when I was last in Italy (in 1987) and we used it at a local supermarket.

From Ventimiglia we went by train back into France, getting off at Menton, where we had a long walk along the beach and a swim (memories of 1987, when I'd stayed in Menton for 5 days). We crossed three countries in half an hour today (France, Monaco, Italy).

Nice, France

Cannes, France

[Friday 10 September : Nice, France] Took a train west to Cannes and shopped, explored and swam on the sandy (not stony!) public beach. Had pizza for lunch at a pavement cafe. On the way back to Nice we got off the train at Antibes and had a swim there ; the rather crummy beach at Antibes is behind old battlement walls, adjoining the cathedral and Picasso's museum. We had supper at one of the many restaurants in the charming old town (Vieux Nice), a maze of cobble-stoned streets and alleys.

[Saturday 11 September : Nice, France] Explored Nice on our last day there, lazed on the beach, swam and ate baguettes for supper. I went for a long walk down the promenade that fronts the beach (called Promenade des Anglais), then climbed the steep hill to Colline du Chateau, the ruined castle on the hill dominating the east side of the city. The views from there are awesome.

[Sunday 12 September : St Raphael, France] Checked out of our pension and caught the train west to St Raphael, a very pleasant ride along the Cote d'Azur ; the railway tracks are right next to the sea most of the way. We managed to get the very last room in a small hotel near the beach, train station and St Raphael town. Thereafter we swam, strolled along the beachfront and had spaghetti for supper at a pavement cafe.

[Tuesday 14 September : St Tropez, France] Stored our luggage at the hotel then took a bus to St Tropez, a two hour trip past some great scenery (there is no railway line to St Tropez - you can either get there from St Raphael by road or by sea). In St Tropez we browsed around the old port, ogling at the multi-million dollar yachts and the mega-rich tourists sipping cocktails in the cafes. St Tropez is a maze of little alleys. Amazingly we found a free (!) public beach, Plage de la Bouillabaisse, a few minutes walk from town. It was a fabulous spot, with clean white sand, crystal-clear warm water and shady places to sit. Late in the afternoon we caught the twice-daily boat across the bay back to St Raphael, had a quick pizza for supper, grabbed our luggage from the hotel then caught the overnight train west and south via Marseilles to Spain.

[Tuesday 14 September : Alicante, Spain] In the middle of the night Gail discovered that somebody had been tampering with her backpack while she was sleeping and had stolen travellers' cheques worth several hundred US dollars. Luckily the train stopped in the very early hours of the morning at a rail junction called Port Bou (very near the Spain-France border), where we had change from the French (SNCF) train we were on to a Spanish (RENFE) train. While waiting on the station we phoned American Express and reported the loss of the cheques ; Gail had all the serial numbers and they promised her she would get a full refund at any American Express office. They also said that because we had reported the theft so quickly and it was so early in the morning, the thief could not possibly have cashed the cheques yet, and thus he would almost certainly be caught when he did try to cash them. That was nice to know, although it didn't help us much ... We were heading to Alicante so we decided to get the replacement travellers' cheques there.

Shortly thereafter we boarded the Spanish train for the rest of our journey south-west to Barcelona, but this trip was short because in the middle of nowhere the train packed up with a series of loud bangs from the locomotive. We had to get off and wait in the rain for the next train, which was full, so we had to stand soaking wet all the way to Barcelona. Because of the delay we were just in time catch our connecting train south to Alicante ; this was thankfully a plush, very comfortable express. Arrived in Alicante in mid-afternoon knackered and without the energy necessary to look for a decent place to stay, with the result that we spent the night in a real dive.

[Wednesday 15 September : Alicante, Spain] Moved out of the flea-pit of our first night in Alicante and checked into the very nice Hotel Rialto. I walked up the steep path behind town, via the Santa Cruz Hermitage and the old city walls, to the crumbling Castillo de Santa Barbara perched on the hill above town. Although the castle is ruined and isn't very interesting, there are magnificent views of Alicante and the Mediterranean Sea from the top of the hill. Gail lay on the beach and visited the local American Express agents who started the process to replace her stolen travellers' cheques ; they said she would have to come back the next day to fetch them.

Barbary Macaque in Gibralter

[Thursday 16 September : Garrucha, Spain] Gail went to the American Express agents early in the morning and collected her replacement travellers' cheques. We then checked out of our hotel, picked up a tiny rental car (a red Ford "Ka") on a 7-day unlimited mileage deal and drove south out of Alicante. Tried to stay next to the coast but had to go inland on a terrible road through barren, semi-desert country. Found a great hotel for the night in a little village called Garrucha, and had a fabulous (and incredibly cheap) Chinese meal for supper.

[Friday 17 September : Granada, Spain] Drove west along the gaunt, windswept coast to Salobrena Beach - miles of sand, pounded by wind and waves. I really wanted to visit the Alhambra (in the city of Granada), so we left the coast behind, turned inland and drove north through the Sierra Nevada pass. Granada is a city of narrow, twisting, cobbled streets and hectic traffic, with busloads of tourists everywhere. We found a pension for the night in the centre of town opposite the main square ; it was a rather dodgy place, with a toilet that had to be flushed by emptying a bucket of water into it.

[Saturday 18 September : Torre del Mar, Spain] We packed all our gear into our tiny car, checked out of our pension then walked up the steep hill to the Alhambra complex. It's an impressive place, a relic of the time when much of southern Spain was occupied by the Moors, Islamic invaders from north Africa. Drove south out of Granada down to the coast (back the way we'd come the previous day) and headed west from Salobrena Beach. At Torre del Mar we found a self-catering apartment for the night in a high-rise block. Although we were only one block from the beach, it wasn't a very savoury place. The good weather we'd enjoyed up to now came to an end - by late afternoon the sky was dark grey with storm clouds and the wind had come up.

[Sunday 19 September : Fuengirola, Spain] We woke up to wind and torrential rain, and drove west through a wall of water to Malaga (largest town on the Costa del Sol) and Torremolinos, where we had lunch at a waterfront cafe - hamburger, eggs, bacon, chips, baked beans and tomato. The towns along the Costa del Sol coastline are extremely British, with English restaurants, waitresses, menus, food, newspapers and radio stations. The only thing Spanish is the currency. The rain had stopped by the time we reached Fuengirola, where we checked into the Hotel Salben for two nights.

[Monday 20 September : Fuengirola, Spain] Explored Fuengirola, then drove west to Marbella in the afternoon. Marbella was disappointing, with icy water and a rather dismal public beach. Had soup, roast turkey and apple crumble for supper at one of the many British restaurants in Fuengirola.

Old town hall, Cadiz, Spain

City square, Seville, Spain

[Tuesday 21 September : Tarifa, Spain] We discovered a flea-market in Fuengirola a block away from our hotel, so we explored that in the morning before leaving. I could not resist buying a knock-off (illegal copy) Rolex watch for about R90 ; knock-off or not, the watch was still keeping perfect time 10 years later. We then checked out of our Fuengirola hotel and headed west along the coast to Gibralter.

We soon found out why Gibralter is known as "The Rock" - it is visible from miles away, a massive outcrop in the flat Spanish landscape. Traffic inside Gibralter was chaotic (and on the right, not the left even though it's British) as we drove to Europa Point, through the tunnel that goes under the massif (very wet) and to the cable-car station. Took the cable-car to the top where we marvelled at the view across the straits to North Africa and explored the many caves, tunnels and look-out posts. We saw quite a few of the tail-less Barbary apes that inhabit the massif. Left Gibralter and found a hotel for the night in the shabby, windswept Spanish town of Tarifa.

Lagos, Portugal

[Wednesday 22 September : Cadiz, Spain] Tarifa is the windiest spot in Europe, and thus a mecca for boardsailors. Both the beach and the town were dismal and bleak, so we left early and drove on to Cadiz. Cadiz is a fascinating and extremely attractive city on a narrow peninsula surrounded by pristine beaches. We explored it thoroughly that night by following the tourist route painted in red on the sidewalk.

[Thursday 23 September : Seville, Spain] We had to return the rental car in Seville before 1 PM, so we headed north out of Cadiz early. When we got to Seville we first found a pension in which to stay for two nights, dumped our gear in the room then drove to the rental agency. The agency proved infuriatingly difficult to find, and when we eventually located it after a great number of wrong turns it was shut until 2 PM. So we drove out to the airport and handed the car back there, but by this time it was more than an hour late ; we were extremely lucky to escape without incurring a penalty. It was a long wait for the next bus back into town so we shared a cab with three other backpackers.

[Friday 24 September : Seville, Spain] Explored Seville. The old town is an unbelievably confusing labyrinth of twisting alleys and streets ... it's impossible NOT to get lost in it. We planned to leave Seville the next morning on a bus direct to Lagos in Portugal, so we converted all our remaining Spanish Pesetas into Portuguese Escudoes (the Euro had not been introduced yet) - it was surprizingly difficult finding a bank that would do this, considering the fact that Portugal and Spain are neighbours.

Lisbon, Portugal

Commerce Square (Praca do Commercio)

Jeronimos Monastery

Belem Tower

[Saturday 25 September : Lagos, Portugal] Caught an extremely early bus from Seville west via Faro to Lagos in Portugal (on the Algarve coast). At the Lagos bus station we were met by a woman with a private apartment to rent nearby ; we followed her, had a look at the place and took it for one night. It was a bit small and poky, but it had a full kitchen. That afternoon we walked into Lagos and discovered that the apartment was a long way from town and any beach ; we found a much nicer place a short walk from Pinhao Beach on the west side of town and booked it for the following two nights.

[Sunday 26 September : Lagos, Portugal] Transferred our gear from the poky apartment to the more spacious place we'd booked, then explored Lagos. It's a charming town, with an attractive cobbled square and fabulous beaches. Had sardines and potatoes for supper (the national dish of Portugal) at a restaurant on the town square. Of all the seaside towns we'd seen in France, Spain and Portugal, there's no doubt that Lagos was the nicest and for that reason it makes it onto my best places in the world list.

[Monday 27 September : Lagos, Portugal] Walked along the cliff path westwards until it became unpleasantly hot. Spent the rest of the day swimming, exploring the sandstone cliffs (typical of the Algarve coast) and relaxing on various beaches.

[Tuesday 28 September : Lisbon, Portugal] We caught the early train from Lagos east along the coast to Faro, the largest town on the Portuguese Algarve coast. We didn't go as far as Faro but got off at Tunes, a major rail junction, where we changed trains and caught the northbound train to Lisbon. This was a very pleasant, relaxing trip. Trains to Lisbon from the south actually arrive at Barreiro, across the (very wide) Tagus River from Lisbon itself. At Barreiro we had to take a ferry across the river to Praca Commercio (where there is a massive statue of Dom Jaoa I on horseback in front of an impressive arch into the city itself). It took a bit of effort, but we eventually found a decent pension for the next few nights near Praca Dom Pedro IV, and had pizza for supper. The traffic in Lisbon is mind-boggling.

The train from Lagos to Tunes, Portugal

[Wednesday 29 September : Lisbon, Portugal] Lisbon is in a valley between two steep hills and is divided into 3 areas - the Alfama (medieval district) on one hill, Bairro Alto on the other hill and Baixa (the city) nestled between the two. I spent the morning exploring the confusing labyrinth of streets in the Alfama, the afternoon in the Bairro Alto and in the evening I walked up to the top of Avenida da Liberdade where there is an amazing view of the whole of Lisbon.

[Thursday 30 September : Lisbon, Portugal] Explored Lisbon, then boarded our TAP (Air Portugal) flight to Johannesburg. I was incensed, because we were forced to sit in the "smoking" section for the whole 12-hour trip because of the terminally stupid seating arrangements of this utterly shoddy airline. I shall never fly TAP again unless I absolutely have no choice ; they are beyond doubt the WORST airline I've ever had the misfortune to fly on.

[Friday 1 October 1999 : Cape Town, South Africa] Arrived in Johannesburg to find we'd missed our connecting flight to Cape Town. So we went on standby for the next flight, and were lucky enough to get on it without waiting long. And that was the end of Europe 1999 ... next stop Australia and Malaysia in 2001.