Leaving Spain after 3 weeks - courtesy the Fosters

Well this is our last post card from Spain, sorry there hasn't been too many, but one needs to remember that Av was an early attendee (foundation stone Student) at the Jill Price School of Terrorism, oops that should be Tourism, and every minute is planned and commited (couldn't say this if l was in arms reach of Jilly but the Internet is a wonderful thing)!. This week we have been in the North of Spain on the Atlantic Coast in the Basque Region, fisrtly Sans Sebastian and currently in Bilbao which is home to the Guggenheim Museum. Have to say Spain has been a great surprise packet and gastronomic delight The bread has been on a par with the French; exquisite. Food and wine have all been 1st Class and amazingly cheap, (most of the time). Have ordered Vinos Blanco or Vinos Tintos without any idea of what might come, but haven't been disappointed once! Lunch today comprised, three courses, bottled water, bread rolls, bottle of rose and coffee's for two; all for 23 Euro........amazing (not so good for the waist line) and know doubt we'll notice a big difference across the Chanel. As would be expected Fine Dinning doesn't come at quite such economical rates but day to day is very reasonable. Truth be known the Spanish Government could seriously increase taxes on wine to help balance their books, but right now happy to visit wine utopia and let them go with their austerity package as voted in their Parliment today.
Sans Sebastian; delightful smaller City, lots of blocked roads for pedestrian traffic only. Clean as a whistle, not crowed, no traffic, beautiful beach, warm enough to savour some of the local bathing beauties out for an early tan (uum!!), great Pintxos Bars (similar to Tapas) all in all not bad!
Separately, although the Spanish time spectrum took some getting into; now vote with our feet and enjoy the daily afternoon siesta, what a great invention, don't know why it's not universal, but then again we don't have an austerity package...... (yet). !!!!!!!

Guggenheim
LEFT:   Flower Puppy outside the Guggenheim. Yes these are all live flowers growing to form a Puppy who has his own Supporters Club and all. He's a big bugger too!
CENTRE: Guggenheim display, very colourful
RIGHT: A Designers nervana, a Builders nightmare! External cladding is Titanium Shingles! You can just imagine the bargain they would have got these for! But they do look different as the light changes.

Well the trip around Spain continues and we are well into it.

Now covered Madrid, Seville, Granada, Valencia and have our last day in Barcelona today, Sunday. Apart from the major cities, we've visited many other smaller towns and provincial cities and today is the first day we don't have an organised tour and could have a lazy start. Can't describe what we've seen and done suffice to say l've picked 5
noteworthy photo's taken on the iPhone to give you all a very small taste of what we've seen.

We've got an early departure (6.30) Monday morning to catch the train to San Sebastian and we end up going onto Bilbao later in the week before flying across to London next Friday, volcanic ash permiting. The weather has been perfect, generally blue skies, temps in the mid 20's no rain (or ash)

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First day in Madrid was a bit hazzy having arrived direct from Melbourne via London, but after a good nights sleep currently early afternoon Friday (day 2), just finished our morning walking tour and settled with a cold beer in the Plaza Mayor and starting to feel like we're actually on holiday.
Have walked the rest of the afternoon, surprise surprise back at our Hotel, at the roof top bar and it's drinks time again. Dinning at the Guiness Record oldest Restaraunt in the World tonight.
Well hardly left Australia and looks like the Stock Market has crashed along with the Currency, unbelievable! Seems you lot aren't safe to leave with the keys!
Temperature perfect whatever it is, but guess high teens to low 20's.

The restaurant Botín is located just off Madrid’s Plaza Mayor in calle Cuchilleros (knife makers street). Botín is written of in Hemingway’s ‘The Sun Also Rises’ and was one of his favourite restaurants, hence its popularity amongst tourists. The Guinness Book of records lists it as the oldest restaurant in the world (1725, the building dates from 1590) and it is said that the painter Goya actually worked as a dishwasher here. The restaurant is renowned for its suckling pig and roasted lamb and serves typical Castilian food. It has 4 floors and the woodfire oven is said to be the original from the 18th century.

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