SAN QUIRICO - TUSCANY

SAN QUIRICO 16/5 - 22/5

We arrived in San Quirico mid afternoon to a warm welcome from Baz (Darren's high school Italian teacher and now great mate). He cooked us up a 3 course storm...... consisting of local peccorino cheese, prosciutto, salami, bread, wine.... followed by pasta..... and then our main meal... lucky you aren't here T!

San Quirico is a small tuscan village built within the town walls and has one main street which was once the main road to Rome. Baz is the king of this small town. It took us an hour to walk 50 metres, as all the locals would stop him for a chat and boy does he like a chat!

The countryside around the village has amazing views of rolling green hills, olive groves, pencil pines... all very tuscan and all postcard perfect. Baz was a wonderful tour guide showing us all the highlights and teaching us all the history of the region..... finally some culture, not just all food and wine! We hit a local vineyard named Sante Maria and met the winemaker Alfreddo - who is a smiley old guy with a hildebrandish tan and crooked eyes. One of the nicest people we have ever met!

We met heaps of locals inlcuding, Paulo who is one of Baz's best Italian mates. This guy lent us his car, provided us internet service and gave us great deals on his postcards..... Italian hospitality at its best!

MOMENT OF THE WEEK -
Eating at the Costellos street dinner where they set up tables in the piazza and showcase their traditional meals for everyone in the town. We ate like kings and filled up on brushcetta, penne almatriciana, grilled pork, donuts...... and of course Alfreddo's house red! TC also hit the dance floor with an 85y.o old Italian - Eugenio - who would have won dancing with the Stars any day of the week! He was a dance machine!

MOMENTS -

• Sante Marie winery
• Being served free prosecco - a special Italian champagne - and nibbles from Marco at the 5 star resort Baz teaches at
• Eating a lunch feast in the towns picturesque gardens
• Swimming in the natural thermal springs (38 degrees) in Bagno Vignoni
• Visiting the other small towns around the region
• The super-friendly locals who welcomed us with open arms and little English - Paulo, Trickey, Alfreddo, Eugenio, Roma and co.
• Hearing 12 big ones in the piazza on our last night
• Gelato, gelato, gelato
• Peccorino, peccorino, peccorino
• The food and wine
• And most importantly the company!

TOOL OF THE WEEK - After a serious night of drinking in the piazza we ventured home around 1am to call it a night. Around 4am when we all agreed to finally go to bed, Baz turns around and says 'Hey mate.... should we open just 1 more bottle of red?'

And people think we are the bad influence........ BAZ YOU HAVE FINALLY MADE IT!

ALGHERO 10/5 - 14/5 / PISA

ALGHERO - 10/5 - 14/5 PISA 15/5

After a shocking day waiting around for buses and trains hung over like dogs we ended up in our apartment at 10:30pm ready for bed. From there onwards Alghero became like a loved relation. It is a beautiful old town built like so many others behind a great wall. There is a distinct Spanish influence in the town that gives it a flair of its own. Finally having a kitchen to cook in was wonderful and we spent no time at all in cooking up a few home grown meals.

During the day we headed to the soft sandy beach that reminded us very much of Queensland water combined with a Victorian coastline. There was a pine forest backing onto the sand dunes where we took great delight in taking our salad rolls down to the beach and sunbaking for 5-6 hours a day. The weather was from 23 - 29 degrees and just perfect. Needless to say our young Cassidy turned a dark shade of brown and even Moontan here started to look a bit like a buffed Hildo!!!! Shut up Crackers!!! The days were spent lounging around the beach and snorkelling through the beautiful Mediterranean with crystal clear water and an abundance of fish to see. TC even managed to get her toes wet and take her first plunge into the Med..... after a bit of coaxing and a lot of whining on my behalf!

While here we also watched the mighty Liverpool win an astonishing FA Cup after being down all game. A Stevie Gerrard thunderbolt got us to penalties where we did what we had to do! Go the mighty Pool!!!!!

We also took the chance to go out in style one night courtesy of a Joe & Val birthday present to TC. A night of fantastic foods such as pizza, mussels, squid, coffee (for 2!), special desserts and plenty of wine made for a great night out and one that we really appreciated....Thanks J&V!

PISA - A cheap Ryan-air flight took us to Pisa for 1 night so we could view the Leaning Tower which was unreal and also stay at a caravan park where we met some great people from Ivanhoe!, Japan, Germany and Canada. A big night of drinking beers, a few reds and just talking to all hours with our first English speaking friends in quite a while. Next morning.........berocca please Trace!

MOMENT OF THE WEEK - Sitting outside the town wall on a rocky outcrop with pizzas and a bottle of red watching the sun go down.....................no need to say more.

MOMENTS -

• Liverpool winning the Cup
• Eating gelato every day and sometimes twice a day!
• Swimming in crystal clear waters
• Listening to the honeymooners next door...... very Paris like TBone!!!!
• Walking through this gorgeous town
• Special belated birthday dinner
• Taking photos of the famous tower which was above our expectations
• Meeting some great people from all corners of the planet
• Meeting someone from Hurstbridge and Ivanhoe....... really freaky!

TOOL OF THE WEEK - After our massive night in Pisa, our hero of the story TC whilst on the train to Tuscany turns a shade of green and heads for the door. She looks up and sees a traditional Catholic nun looking in her direction.............. Then............ Ohhhh I can't write it as i might go to hell. Thank goodness for QANTAS sealable bags!!!

TOSSA de MAR

TOSSA DE MAR - 5/5 - 9/5

We headed up North from lively Barcelona to picturesque Tossa de Mar on the Costa Brava. This small seaside resort town is full of characters and cheap eats. The whole town closes down over the winter and re-opens in May. There we managed to get a super deal on the net at 42 Euro a night for a room in a 4 star resort with full buffet breaky! This is backpacking at its best (or the new term Troy loves 'flashpacking'!). We were 2 minutes walk to the beautiful grainy beach, on one side there is a rugged coastline and on the other an ancient castle overlooking the town.

The next 5 days were spent sunbaking, having a boccadillo & beer for lunch, a siesta in the arvo and then tapas crawls in the evening. Ahhhh the tough life!

MOMENT OF THE WEEK - Sitting in a bar with 5 local Spaniards (Luis & Manuel were our favs) on our last night and drinking local beers & 'Firewater' - a local grappa like drink thats around 65%!!! Add to this some flamenco dancing instructions from Manuel and a great night was had.
MOMENTS -

• Eating the best tapas so far in a tiny little bar - meatballs, olives and of course....patatas bravas!
• Topless sunbaking with everyone from 18 - 80 year olds
• Listening to "I'd like to have a beer with Duncan" and other Auzzie songs on the beach and making TC cry when thinking of fam back home
• The views from the castle overlooking a rugged/beautiful coastline
• The weather!!!!! 23 - 24 every day and sunny
• Living it up in good accomodation.... just for something different!
• Wearing a headband!
  

TOOL OF THE WEEK - Well a close call that couldn't be split this week so it's a tie TC first and then the both of us for number 2!

1.) Getting dressed up and having an equisite 3 course dinner at Tossa's best restaurant overlooking the water only to have our lovely TC manage to spray all the sauce in her mussell bowl over the front window..........needless to say it was back to the tapas bar the next night for tea!

2) Making the mistake of trying to out drink the locals with their famous firewater beverage and then having to travel by air to Algherro the next day. Getting 4km home to the hotel is a total mystery to both of us and as for the flight...............ahhhhhh - don't show pa that one Val!!!!!

WEEK 5 - BARCELONA

BARCELONA - 30/4 - 5/5

Well we flew into Barca and was greeted by a sunny day and a taxi guy who couldn´t speak any English. Ron & Sue (Trace´s parents) shared an apartment with us right on the harbour in La Barconelleta. The apartment was awesome and we managed to score the ´good´bedroom which had an amazing view of the whole town. We didn´t waste much time getting stuck back into the tapas with patatas bravas our regular favourite. We checked out all the sites such as La Sagrada Familia, La Ramblas, Parc Guell, Montserat and almost every small tapas bar in town. They are all well worth seeing and provided sopme sensational views, especially the cable car ride up 1200 feet to Montserat..... good work by Ronnie who is scared of heights but did the trip never the less!!

We ate like kings and drank like gods in Barca. From aged Jamon, meatballs, olives, fresh breads and the world famous seafood paella (which Trace endulged in 4 times!) to 2.50 euro 6-packs of beer and 3 euro bottles of wine............Barca is one special place!!!!

We also happened to witness Barca winning their Premiership in a tiny old pub filled with old local blokes who gave us daggers when we first entered but we finally won over with the help of a bloke called Ronaldiniho and a few cervezas! There was partying in the streets as horns tooted, drunken groups sang and cigars were had by all who followed the famous barca team. Trace and I and a cloud of smoke watched it all unfold.......ahhhh Barca it knows how to have a good time!

MOMENT OF THE WEEK - Finding a small local only bar in the back streets where we ate Melon and Jamon, Patatas Bravas, Bread and a carafe of wine for 10 euro.

MOMENTS -

• Having a beer in a little local Spanish bar while watching Barca win their second championish in a row - all the old Spanish men weren´t sure what was going on having Trace, the only girl ever ( i reckon) to enter their bar!
• Travelling up to Monestir de Montservat in the steepest cable car I´ve ever seen.
• Eating seafood paella with Ron & Sue in the restaurant below our apartment
• Cooking up a storm and eating it overlooking the lights of the town on our balcony
• Patatas Bravas!
• The view from the apartment

TOOL OF THE WEEK - Once again Ron & Trace for mis-reading the sign to Park Guell and sending us on a wild goose chase. We must have walked 20km all up hill the wrong way! Thanks guys!

WEEK - 4 LONDON & SEVILLE

LONDON 21/4 - 26/4

Back to London for another week of fun and frivolity (use a dictionary Crackers and Waz!). And what a week it has been. We Megabused it back to London just in time for 2 massive games. We went to the Highbury pub in Arsenal to watch the london derby between Arsenal and Tottenham - they both hate each other with a passion as testament to the hundreds of coppers outside the ground as well as having to barrack for Arsenal just to get in the pub.....thanks Auzzie accent! This was a great way to warm up for the Big One...... the massive FA Cup semi final between giants Liverpool and the hated Chelsea - who buy premierships and are being arrogant about it. We set off with Troy, Jean, Paul, Thommo, Erica and Ron & Sue who had made the journey over from Oz for the big game. 2 for 1 pints at Elbow Room confirmed our venue of choice and a good day drinking, eating and being merry turned into an AWESOME day when the mighty pool got up 2-1. Luis Garcia was sung about for the rest of the night to Jeans dismay as the little spaniard won the game with a cracker of a goal! (Luis Garcia .. he drinks Sangria...) Massive night.........massive hangover!!

From Troys house in Angel which was home for the past 2 weeks we headed off to the other side of London to stay at Trace´s cousins in Ealing. A BBQ the first day for Stephens birthday got us settled..... as did Jodi´s world famous indigenous sausages and a few cans of amber gold. The next few days involved internet searching and visiting a few of the other museums in London (which are all free......and yes we are tight a$$es!). Another highlight of the week was going to the Slug & Lettuce to watch the big blockbuster Collingwood v Essendon for ANZAC Day..... one of the greatest days of the year. Guiness was the drink of choice this great night and provided relief for a dry throat after screaming the Pies to a 3 goal win. Dale Thomas for Brownlow and the Rock has to be the greatest centre half-forward of the modern age!Add to that a Liverpool win the same night and gee life was good!!!! After a kebab on the way home we had our last night in London before getting up at 3am to catch our flight to Seville in the south of Spain.

SEVILLE 27/4 - 29/4

Seville had their Feria de Aprile Seville (festival of Seville) on at the time which was a 6 day extravaganza of drinking, dancing and getting dressed up in traditional costumes. It was breathtaking to see hundreds of thousands of local all in flamenco dresses and done up the 9´s dancing around 24 hours a day for 6 nights! I think we were the only tourists to visit the party, but we managed to gain access to a tent and have some 1 euro beers!!!! It is an great city to visit with not many tourists, cheap food and beer and fantastic weather (about 23 - 30 in April!). We saw flamenco dancing at a local pub one night which is just so passionate and fiery! But the best thing about Spain has to be the seiesta! From 2- 5 everyone shuts their shops, has a big lunch with some vino and goes to sleep...........perfect!!!!!! I wish every country had the siesta and i hope one day the land of Oz will adopt it! Anyway next destination Barcelona...or Barthalona for those in the know (wink wink)

MOMENT OF THE WEEK -
Watching thousands of glamorous girls and guys dancing around in traditional dress at the Feria de Aprile. Highlight plus!!!! (see photos)

MOMENTS -

• FA cup semi final win by Liverpool overcoming great odds to smash a hated opposition.
• Sitting in a pub 50m away from Highbury and watching the Gunners play with hundreds of mad Arsenal fans.
• Ryanair´s cheap flights to Pisa (70 Auzzie $ for 2 of us)
• Cruising around London with Rach
• Visiting Troy´s office in London.......complete with us being the only people in thongs and no ties!
• COOOOLLLLLLIIINNNGGGWWWOOOOOOODDDDDDDDDD!
• Ordering tapas for the first time and getting it soooo wrong......oops!
• Siestas!!!!!
• Trace talking me into going on the ferris wheel and getting put into the same cage as 2 of the hottest girls ever and then taking a ´tourist´photo just to prove it was real!Thanks TC!
• Flamenco dancing at midnight in a local Seville bar

TOOL OF THE WEEK-

Ronny studying the map for hours, assuring us he knew where to go.......then getting totally lost!

Due to technical diffulcities photos will be posted next week i hope!!!!!!!