Tag Archives: heritage tourism

Camino de Santiago: Barreda to Gijon

Another week of walking has gone by, and this time the distances were much longer, and the terrain was more varied.

First stop was a stay in Barreda, and a visit to Santillana de Mar. A beautiful town that makes you feel as if you have gone back in time. The streets are cobbled and old stone is all around, they have lots of bars and restaurants, and a tourist information point. Also some museums. I visited the Torture Museum!

The museum was quite interesting but also very gruesome. It also made me wonder what sort of person would acquire a collection like this… The animal masks were particulary weird, apparently it was to silence the speech of women and other lowly folk at the time, and also a symbol of public humiliation.

2km down the road is also the world heritage site, the Caves of Altamira. The caves were discovered in the 1800s and have a collection of pretholific paintings inside, and a system of spaces for different uses. The caves were so popular to visit that they began to become damaged, and had to be closed to the public. Now, only five people per week are selected to visit the original cave. The museum has painstakingly created an exact replica for the general public though.

I visited the replica, it was still underground and very dark but certain areas of importance were highlighted. There were many paintings of animals, that were surprisingly detailed, and a pressed in hand print. This whole experience was a lot better than expected and only cost €4! I was also able to wonder down to the outside of the original caves.

Whilst walking the camino to the next stop in Comillas, the seaside views and sites of farms became very familiar, and I also went hunting for more caves!

Nearby to the path, I had seen on the map that there was a cave in a woodland that had been discovered to have ancient paintings again, and you could have this one all to yourself. La cueva de aguas was about 20-30 minutes off the track, and was very exciting!

In this small cave, deep in the woods, I had to ditch my backpack outside, and crouch to get in. It is completely pitch black, and I could hear the loud sound of water. When i finally got my torch going (I had resisted, as I was afraid of bats), I realised there was water gushing around my feet, and a waterfall running through the cave!

It was really amazing to find, and I could just make out the higher level in the cave, where the cave people would have made home. This cave was on the route of the miners, and another small cave can also be seen on the path, but is inaccessible.

After the excitement of the cave, I had fallen behind schedule, on this very long stretch. I walked as quickly as I could through more roads, woodland, and past a gorgeous beach, trying to get to town before sunset.

I spent the last few hours frantically calling pensions and hotels in town to try to find a room. I kept coming up against the same response, ‘we are closed for winter’. Forty minutes walk away, and already night time by now, I sat in a bus shelter, and seriously considered sleeping there. It looked like quite a well built shelter, but I didn’t like the idea of being 40 minutes behind on tomorrow’s walk. In a final attempt, I phoned a golf club in the town, and managed to rent a 3 bedroom apartment for one night, for 85 euros. So with no food, and sore feet, I dragged myself there and managed to get a bed for the night. Bright side – it had a washing machine!

The next day, I left late, got my stamp from the tourism office, and headed out for a shorter walk to San Vincente. The day began with a lot of rain, and going uphill. After the stressful night before, and being hammered by rain, my will power was running low. Then all of a sudden, I was at a beautiful nature reserve, the sky cleared, and a rainbow appeared, and everything was better again.

San Vincente was a big town with a beautiful old church on the hill, (that used to serve as a hospital for pilgrims), a castle, and then a pleasant restaurant and bar scene below. I met a fellow traveller over dinner, and we talked about our trips and exchanged stories. It was great to have a good conversation, it had been a few days, since I had spoken to anyone.

Next, I crossed the river into Asturias region, the third of four in the walk. I could immediately see the differences in the area from Cantabria. Many of the buildings were brightly coloured and beatifully built in the 1800s. They were built by ‘indianos’, spanish people that went to South America, made their fortune, then returned and built beautiful lavish homes for themselves.

I stayed in Llanes for the night, in the train station albergue, and the influence was clear here. It also had a gorgeous ancient quarter of the town, as well as a port once famous for whaling. There are quite a few shops here but it is on the pricey side.

Next day, was the 20 mile hike to Ribadesella. The day before I had to cut my walk short, as my foot was so sore it had started bleeding. I was worried about making the hike but feeling determined.

The walk was very varied, with the Picos de Europa mountain range on the left and beaches to the right, woodlands and farmland. It was really enjoyable and had amazing scenery. It was only in the final two of eight hours I began to be just dragging myself along to the end!

Ribadesella is another coastal town, with a harbour, and another gorgeous beach. I hiked to the viewpoint and did some sketching, and just chilled. There are some more caves near this area, but on this day I decided to keep them as a mystery. It always gives me a reason to return!

The next walk to Colunga, was still full of beautiful beaches, but also some other things that I have noticed only in Asturias. Gateways with a weird style of layered tiles that I can only assume is decorative, a unique way of pouring cider that has maximum splash impact, (it turns out Asturias is famous for its cider)… and these unstable looking sheds… called horreos or paneras.

They seem to be dotted all along the rural villages. They are all wooden huts, sitting on top of stacked stones. I would be very nervous to go inside these, as they look so wobbly. Traditionally they were used to stock dry grains away from rodents (I have seen rats climb though…) Now, people continue to use them to store firewood, hay, and I even saw some people living in them! Planning permission must be a breeze here… they are everywhere!

Gijon

After a rainy day and night in the pretty town of Villaviciosa, I finally arrived in the city of Gijon. I stayed in a hostel right on the beach.

The city has countless cider houses, and whilst I did not spot a cathedral, it has several churches and a basilica. This was my last opportunity to stock up on supplies before I arrive in Santiago de Compostela in another two weeks or so. I hit the supermarket for more plasters, high protein snacks etc. Hopefully, I will be okay!

With only a day in Gijon, I had to be picky about what to see. Gijon has a set of roman ruins that I was tempted by, but the pull to find out more about those wooden sheds I had seen, was much stronger. So, I walked to the edge of the city, to the Museum of the people of Asturias.

The museum was way better than I expected. For a start, it was free! YAY! I thought that it would be just a few boards with photos and objects, but the museum was actually mostly outside. The biggest part of the site is devoted to the actual traditional buildings of the region. These buildings such as horreos, shepherd refuges, and country houses, have all been actually dismantled from their original location and reassembled at the site. Pretty impressive. You can enter many of the buildings and see how it would have looked. For example, the peasant house has the rooms and fireplace set out as it would have looked, and there is a cider press with huge equipment and barrels in place.

The museum also had temporary exhibitions, and a bagpipes museum! Apparently bagpipes are big in Asturias tradition! As well, as some very odd looking bagpipes, there are a variety of other traditional instruments on show, and details about how they are made.

If you want to make the walk extra worthwhile, the museum is also next to another museum, the football stadium, sports centre and a lovely park.

Overall, I think whilst I am now becoming physically exhausted from all the walking, the Camino continues to prove itself as totally worth it. The walk this past week was colourful and varied, and I really liked Gijon. Time to follow those yellow arrows… see

To mark the end of the first half of the walk, I have made a little video..

Camino de Santiago: Portugalete to Santander

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In my second week of walking, I have done some of the largest distances so far and had some more rest days. The journey has had more flat terrain than the first week, and lots of walking on roads. It has been closer to the sea though, and very beautiful.

Starting in Portugalete, which is just on the outskirts of Bilbao, I walked along highways and resurfaced walkways along the coastline. There was an option to add an extra 14km to the journey by going into the mountain. I decided against that, as I was still recovering from the previous week’s mountains, and the road had great views. There was pedestrian access on the roads (lines painted on the floor) but I did have to take care, and it is not an option I would have been happy with if it had been a darker day.

Whilst walking the route, I left the Basque Country behind, and entered Cantabria. I kept looking behind me at the scenery, and thinking, I cannot believe I walked all this way so far!

On approach to Castro Urdiales, I went through an old mining area. This offered the very cool experience of being able to walk the old mining track, and go through the tunnels! This cut off loads of extra walking, that google maps would have tried to make me do, as it goes through the mountain rather than over or round. Buen Camino app is awesome!

On the other side of a five minute tunnel was Castro Urdiales. It was beautiful! Apparently, this is where the wealthy people that live in Bilbao, come at the weekends. I can see why!

Cantabria’s first official coastal town, Castro Urdiales has a gorgeous harbour area, two beaches, an impressive church, castle, many lookout points, a spectacular cemetery and a natural swimming pool! I wanted to take a dip, but I was too scared of getting in and slipping over or not being able to get out without a travel buddy. Plus it was about 11’c, and I have no swimming costume…

After leaving Castro Urdiales, I walked for about seven hours to Laredo. The walk had a lot of lovely views of the sea, but was mostly road walking. I met a lovely belgium man that was also walking along my way, so we trekked most of the way together, and split the jug of sangria at the end!

Whilst I was in Laredo, I stayed at the convent of Trinitarian nuns. Whilst it was a very cold stay with no radiators and little hot water, my room was very cute, and I had a lovely view over the town. I also had the room to myself, and was invited to join the mass. The nuns played guitar and sang beautifully during the service! The only thing that was disappointing, was that I didn’t get much one to one time with the nuns. I wanted to ask them about it all, as I have often wondered if I would like to be a nun… 🙂 perhaps I could do interpretive dancing in the band?

Laredo is another gorgeous town, and very big. It takes an hour to walk from one end of the beach, to the other! The old town where the convent is, is picturesque, and I even hiked over it to a viewpoint. (I couldn’t stop hiking!) There is also a harbour here and you can take boat excursions, and I took the water taxi across the bay to Santona to keep walking!

The next day, the walk from Laredo was pretty gruelling. After a five minute boat ride, it was 30km of hard road. There were many villages to move through, and lots of rolling hills with farms.

It was all about me and the animals that day. I saw baby donkeys, goats, horses, cows, chickens, a group of kittens, a very angry little dog, and best of all, a Spanish Imperial Eagle! It started following me for a bit. It was the second bird of prey that has circled above me on this journey. I am starting to think that I might be the prey….

In the final hour of the day, my good knee started hurting, and I had to hobble to my pension in Guemas. A very pretty but small village.

The journey has certainly been taking its toll on my joints, and I am trying to be more clever about my walks and preparation. I have problems with my right leg so have fully strapped up this week. The K tape is really helpful at keeping me balanced.

The last 16km to Santander, I got up early and benefited from some crisp morning views of the village. I then walked to the next village, with my knee still hurting from the day before. I had to make a decision, to stay on the road and shortcut through for a shorter journey, or add 4km and walk up to the cliffs and along the ocean. I was sick of the asphalt by now and everyone has said the views of the sea are great, so I went for the long path.

The path was hilly, but also muddy, which was actually a welcomed relief. I walked past farms, and saw beaches and rocky cliff sides. I also met a man who has walked all the way to Rome on pilgrimage. Very impressive! Eventually, the path led to the town and I wondered onto Somo and caught the twenty minute boat ride to Santander.

Santander

I stayed in the pilgrim hostel whilst in Santander for only 12 euros per night. My experience of the hostel is a story of its own!

I arrived at the hostel which is ran by volunteers, and no one was there. I phoned the number and spoke to a man in broken spanish about how to get in. He said no one would be there until later, but I could pick up the keys at the bar down the street. I went to the bar and explained to the bartender I was looking for keys (in spanish). She understood, (I must be improving). I then let myself in, chose my own bed and went to sleep. Later the volunteer came, checked me in, and told me two more guests should be coming that night. He was leaving though, and I was now in charge of the hostel!

He asked me (in spanish) to check them in on arrival, take their passport details and give them their keys! I couldn’t believe it! And then I was alone again. And there laid an opportunity… I finally had a washing machine and dryer all to myself. First order of business, was to check for cameras, then strip down to naked, and wash everything I have! I sat there in a blanket for two hours, and then I finally had all clean clothes for the first time in a month. Wonderful! 😍

Later, when I was dressed again, the man called and said the guests weren’t coming anymore, and I had the whole hostel of 50 bed spaces, to myself! Crazy!

Anyway… back to the actual city. Santander is the capital of Cantabria, and is a coastal city. It has a port which includes bringing visitors over on ferry from Plymouth, it also has a few beaches, a palace, and lots of hills covered in shops, plazas and restaurants.

My rest day in Santander was a rainy one so I decided to stay in the busiest part of the city, close to the hostel. I stocked up more supplies, mainly medical ones, but also some nuts and fruit from the Mercado de Esperanza (market of hope). I got quite a lot of nuts and dried fruit for two euros. I always love to visit the local markets. It seems there are a few different ones in Santander. Another is the Mercado de Este (east market), this has a tourist information point, and lots of little artisan stalls and bars.

Interestingly, below the market is probably one of the best museums that I have ever visited, the Musuem of prehistoric and archeology of Cantabria. This underground museum is reasonably small, but packed with archeological finds from the region. Including human and animal skulls, ancient tools, artwork, and pottery.

I know that can all sound a little boring on its own, but this museum absolutely brings it to life. They have structured the rooms to make you feel as if you are in a cave network, created visual, audible, and touch displays. They have lots of information in different languages, and really make you interact with the exhibits, I thought it was brilliant! And only €4! 😀

My personal favourite was the museum’s use of tech to turn actual skulls into real faces!

After this, I wondered over to the cathedral. It seemed that I had arrived, and I went through a door, but I was in a smaller church. It turned out that I had wondered into the Iglesia del Santismo Cristo. This church is actually underneath the cathedral itself. It has a warm atmosphere, beautiful arches, and two severed heads! These are relics of roman soldiers that were martyrs. Before I knew it, the door was shut behind me and I was in the mass. I just sat down and enjoyed it.

When it was over, I exited the church, climbed further up and found the official cathedral above where I had been. The cathedral interior is quite simple in comparison, and full of charming, light gothic architecture.

After all that, I returned to my lonely hostel, had a sandwich and took a nice long siesta, before heading out for dinner, and to enjoy some live music.

Overall, I think the jury is still out for me on Santander, because I wasn’t able to explore the beaches and palace, and I think the city probably has more of a rounded package in Summer. I did like the city though, and the museum really was a highlight.

I have walked a third of the Camino del Norte now, and my next and last city before Santiago de Conpostela is one week away. I hope my body can keep going! 🤞

Camino de Santiago: San Sebastion to Bilbao

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Last week I spent five days walking the Camino del Norte to Bilbao. The route is full of tough terrain, with mountains and slippery paths throughout. Like my journey… this blog is a long one. Prepare yourself.

Me taking a well earned rest after coming over Mount Avril and finally seeing Bilbao

Basque Country

The area of Spain that this walk goes through is in the Basque region. This historic area sits next to the french border, but has its own culture independent of France and Spain. The people in the basque country are very proud of their heritage. This is made clear through frequent displays of their local flag and colours, multiple museums and exhibitions about basque tradition, and many graffiti pieces asking for independence for the basque people.

The basque people have their own language, which is nothing like spanish or french, it actually predates them. It has lots of Zs, Ks, and Xs, and I can not pronounce any of it.

Many people seem to farm local produce, and animals seem to be a key part of the culture. Everywhere I went on my walk, I was never far from a donkey, goat or horse. This links quite nicely with the area’s great reputation for food.

The basque have their own style of cuisine, and especially well known are pintxos. These are small snacks (the size of canopes), available in bars most of the day. This is useful to know, as you cannot access a main meal during siesta time. The basque clearly love their food. I went to one bar and asked for a menu for some quick lunch, and they just began to bring me out huge dishes one after another… bean/sausage stew… bread… gammon and potatoes… bread…. fruity pudding… fruit. I had to look up the spanish for ‘please stop, I am full’. The chef looked disappointed in me!

The mountain trails

There are so many mountains in this area, and I was really grateful for my walking sticks to help get up them. The paths are a mix of road, track and uneven rocky slopes. The scenery is gorgeous, with lots of screensaver worthy backdrops, and pretty streams and waterfalls. Many mountains have villages (as in three houses), at the top, and small towns in the bottom of the valleys.

I think it is really important to take it slow during the ascents and descents. It is not worth rushing, and hurting yourself by losing your footing or pulling your knee. I started to get a ‘hiker’s knee’ after a few days, and strapped my leg up with K-tape. This really helped, but lots of breaks are also essential.

When heading over a mountain before Lezama I actually met a local lady, who was selling snacks to passing pilgrims from her driveway. For a euro, she gave me mandarins, and a slice of chocolate swiss roll. She also let me sit on her porch and enjoy the views whilst we chatted in Spanish. I really enjoyed this little interaction. The only negative was that she got me excited and told me my destination was only 3km away on flat terrain… it was 8km and not flat at all. I was cursing her a little on my ascent for misleading me! I am past it now though, and all is forgiven.

Mountain maths is very confusing! There were many occasions when I thought I was nearly there but I was not… For example, on one day, the map said I was 4km from my accommodation. I thought, ‘great, I can walk 5km per hour, less than an hour to go’. Nope… it was 2.5 hours walk away, but only 15 minutes by car. I was pissed… and confused. My calculations were not taking into account, the elevation, and terrain. It was 4km, but on the other side of the mountain. Cars could drive through a tunnel going though the mountain. This makes calculating the duration of your walk, really hard. I generally have added at least an hour to each estimate I make.

Forests of autumn colours

The forests I wondered through, were really beautiful because of all the colours. I much prefer the forest floor underfoot (more dry and bouncy, plus kicking big orange leaves is fun!) It was really tranquil and there was the odd shack which I imagine a few pilgrims have made camp in. I have met quite a few people who are camping even in the wet November weather. A highlight for me was seeing a group of vultures flying really close to me on the trail. They probably thought I would be easy pickings!

It hasnt all been sweetness and light…

The rain in the last few days to Bilbao was relentless. The poncho has been out but it is a pain because you need help to put it over your backpack.
The rain has made my socks wet.. equalling blisters. I was managing to avoid them until my shoes started getting too wet.
Some paths are so uneven, that they take ages to navigate carefully. They are also really slippery.
Toilets and other facilities can be very far away at times. This is a positive and a negative, because it is nice to feel in a remote location, but it does lead to wees in the woods. Tricky to do when you have a huge backpack on. Keep leaning forward ladies!

Special highlights on the walk

Seeing the flysch

When I got to Zumaia, I decided to follow a different track for a little bit. I did this so that I could see a special rock formation in the cliffs there called ‘flysch’. It is a type of erosion that creates straight lines in the rocks. Very strange, but cool!

The downside was that to rejoin my path, I had to walk up the cliffside. After lots of rain, it was basically a mudslide, and very scary. I had to be really careful, and it took ages. I would probably not recommend doing this if it has been raining a lot.

Monastery and day of the dead

On part of the trail, you pass through a beautiful monastery. Pilgrims can actually sleep here with the monks for a donation. I didn’t sleep here, but I did take the mass which was lovely and rejuvenating.

I happened to be passing on the day of the dead or all saints day. This is the day after halloween. Whilst some spaniards are starting to trick or treat and do the american halloween, it is mostly not done in Spain. They do celebrate the life of their loved ones though. Many people bring flowers and other offerings to the graves of their loved ones, and the day is a bank holiday.

This did make finding food a bit tricky, as most places were shut. I spent my day eating buttered bread from my backpack.

Guernika

Guernika is a town on the walk that is full of character and clearly proud of the basque culture. It has quite a few monuments related to well known basque figures from history, and two museums. I would have liked to spend another night here, but I had to move on to the next section of the walk. Apparently this town is a stop on many guided tours from Bilbao though, if you want the highlight reel on a quick trip.

Bilbao

Reaching Bilbao was a great milestone for me. I felt soggy and more tired than I was before the walk, but also stronger and more confident. Bilbao is a huge city, with a lot to see but I only had two nights, and the first night, I basically went into a coma.

It poured during my whole visit, but determined, I stuck some carrier bags in my shoes and went out to explore.

Guggenheim museum

The Guggenheim is a landmark attraction for Bilbao, and is what most people think of when they imagine the city. The museum is for contemporary art, and the architecture of the building itself is unique. It is located on the riverside, a little past the centre.

I am not very big on contemporary art, I prefer traditional portrait paintings, but once I reached the museum to see the outside, I was soaked. I wanted to dry off, and I was also curious, so I wondered in, squelching as I went.

The cost for the museum was €15, which I thought was pretty steep, more than I have paid for most attractions on my journey so far.

The building is spectacularly designed, and the rooms inside are huge, with thankfully lots of places to sit. I think the art was lost on me though. I had no idea what I was looking at most of the time. At one point, I saw a canvas that was almost completely black, and thought ‘this seems like easy money’. These thoughts were even more solidified when I saw a big piece of paper that I think had been folded into a paper aeroplane and unfolded again, so now just flattened creases…

I am probably not a good judge of these works to be fair, and there were plenty of people taking their time to look and discuss what they saw. There were two pieces I liked. One of what looked like a mushroom that was coming out of the canvas. That was cool.

One of the reasons that I walked up to the museum in the first place, was to see a giant puppy made of flowers. I was wondering around for 30 minutes following my google maps to try and find it. Getting more and more annoyed as it was raining, and I was confused. I finally realised that the puppy was covered in scaffolding and I had been circling it. Apparently they were swapping out the flowers, so I guess it is wrapped up often, which is a shame.

Casco Viejo (Old Town)

The old town in Bilbao is home to many narrow streets, and the cathedral dedicated to Santiago (St James). Due to this, it turned out that it was free admission for pilgrims 😀 I still paid €2 for an audio guide, which was useful to explain the artwork and architecture. The building is basque gothic, and has three naves which is unusual to me.

I also visited the basilica of Burgos which is on top of the hill up literally hundreds of steps… I walked to the top of these in the rain, then I saw the elevator…🥵😤

I really liked the style in the basilica, and the atmosphere was really calm. I would recommend a visit, on your way into Bilbao, (to avoid going up the steps).

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe

I decided that on the last morning of my stay in Bilbao, I would take a bus (for only €2.50 each way) to Bakio, and walk the steep 30 minute trek to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. This is unique location, as an island off the coast connected by a stone bridge, and topped with a hermitage building. It is also ‘Dragonstone’ from Game of Thrones. Another one off my GoT list! ✅✅✅

The past week has been tough. I have walked through about 26 villages and towns and walked over at least six mountains with over 10kg on my back. The views have been amazing though and I can feel myself getting stronger! Physically, and mentally.

Now I just need to decide if I should keep walking or take a few more days off. The weather will get wetter and colder, but I am due for some days of flat terrain, which should be a welcome relief. What do you think?

Preparation for the Camino del Norte

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Getting ready to travel 824 kilometres on foot.

This year, after being trapped at home, I decided to pack up my life, and start my wanderings across the globe. The beginning of this journey starts with a physical and mental challenge.

I am travelling by train to Irun, Spain, and walking West across the Northern Spain coastline, along an ancient path to Santiago de Compostela. This path or ‘camino’ has been travelled on for hundreds of years, ever since the remains of St James was discovered in Santiago de Compostela in 9th century, and pilgrims made their way to see his tomb.

If you have seen my other posts, you may have picked up on the fact that I love churches, and with this being traditionally a religious route, it really appeals to me, because of all the churches I will see. I also love walking, and have been learning Spanish for four years, so it seemed like the perfect way to start the year ahead.

Wow though! There has been a lot of preparation to get ready for the trip! The pilgrimage involves carrying everything you need on your back, and staying every night in a different location, as well as lots of training.

Training

I am not the fittest person, and whilst I enjoy walking, I have never done such a consistent walking itinerary. I have done mountain climbing, but never walked over them over several days. Most people recommend 12 weeks of training to prepare for the challenge (especially as the Northern route is one of the most rugged).

I had less than eight weeks…

On average, pilgrims must be able to walk approximately 21-25km (13-15 miles) per day, and one of the longest stretches goes as high as 39 kilometres. Since deciding to do this challenge, I have been slowly increasing my walking distances from walking 7 miles every other day and having a big walk at the weekend, and slowly getting up to regular 21km walks. I was also mixing this in with using an exercise bike, swimming and a better diet. It was all going well until two weeks into training, I sprained my ankle. I then had to start again from scratch. I now feel confident that I can walk the distance, but my speed is very dependant on the weather (which is likely to be rainy), the terrain (which is likely to be uneven), my ankle (which is going to be strapped up), and my backpack (likely to be very heavy)!

Accommodation and Covid-19

The route normally has traditional accommodation for pilgrims to stay in, called ‘albergues’. These are generally public buildings such as monasteries, halls, or train stations, that have bunks for pilgrims to sleep in for very little money. Unfortunately, Covid-19 has meant that many albergues did not open this year, and even some that did, will be shutting for the end of the high season when I arrive. So, booking the accommodation has been a little trickier than expected, and in some places I will need to walk further each day to make it to my bed. I now have my first week of accommodation booked, this is made up of a mix of albergues, hostels, pensions (guesthouses), and hotels. If I ever get caught out though, I do have a poncho that doubles as a rain shelter, so it’s all good!

Booking the accommodation, I used regular booking platforms, and also directly contacted albergues and tourist information centres by email in spanish. This has been very successful so far. I would recommend using a cashback platform when making bookings, to earn back some of your money. I have used TopCashback for almost all my accommodation so far, and made over £30 back in cash so far (for about 10 days of hostels). It is completely free to benefit from this scheme, so it is an obvious win.

I have put all these extra earnings into a giant spreadsheet, along with all my expected expenses for the trip. The three months total I will be spending in Spain, should hopefully total under £4000.

Covid-19 has also meant that I have had to be more cautious with my documentation and vigilant of checking the .gov website. For example, I am travelling into Portugal before I go into Spain over land. Portugal were previously accepting the NHS vaccination pass, but has since changed their advice to say that you must have an EU vaccine card, you can only get this if you are an EU citizen. Thanks a lot BREXIT! Very frustrating. So I will now need to test before entering Portugal, but thankfully the over land travel between Spain and Portugal, does not require testing..

Technology

The ancient pilgrims never had to worry about what tech they would need, because they just followed the sun and the other travellers, West to their final destination. In our modern world, I have been encouraged to use apps and tech available to me to make sure I am as safe as possible. It does feel a little like cheating though!

I have available to me:

2 Portable chargers
Digital camera
Two apps about the pilgrimage, with maps, updates, photos, and resources
A panic alarm app, SOS emergency app, and emergency services app.
My Strava and Fitbit accounts
NHS digital covid pass
And of course, good old, Google Maps.

I do have a traditional map and compass, just in case I still want/need to use traditional methods of orienteering. I will still be using my torch rather than moonlight though.

Packing

Packing has been a real challenge of distinguishing the absolute must have items from the luxuries. For example, I now consider the following items as ‘luxuries’; shampoo and conditioner, a third evening shirt, a wired bra, and a razor. That’s right… I am going to be a stinky, hairy mess of a woman for a few months! I am quite excited to let loose! Haha

The advice is to not carry more than 10% of your body weight on your back. I already invested in a heavy sleeping bag, as I will be travelling during a cold season, so sacrifices had to be made. The weight of my backpack now consists of the following proportions:

20% – map, compass, documents, torches
25% – walking clothes and one pair of flip flops
40% – foot care items and first aid kit
10% – rain protection
5% – personal items/money/phone

I hope I am prepared physically now. I just need to prepare my emotions for the challenge ahead of me, and remember to enjoy every second of it!!!

I will be posting regularly about my adventure on this platform, as well as on my JustGiving page, set up to raise funds for Mind.

Buen Camino!

Zaragoza: hidden gem of Aragon

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Last week, I made it into Aragon, (which until now, I had thought was a made up place…), and into the pretty city of Zaragoza!

I left Madrid with a full blown hangover, and met up with a local, Alejandro, who was driving to Zaragoza for work. I used the rideshare app ‘Bla Bla Car’ to link up with him, and this saved me over a hundred euros in train fare. It also made his car journey more efficient!

I had hoped that it would be a good opportunity for me to practice my spanish… Unfortunately, I had been having too much fun the night before in Madrid, and had to make my entire focus of the journey, not being ill…

Anyway… back to Zaragoza! I had been told by a man in Madrid ‘why are you going to Zaragoza, its really small, and nothing there’. This worried me, as I already had my stay booked. I am happy to report that he was quite wrong though!

Zaragoza is actually the fifth largest city in Spain. As someone, that personally walked 22km around the centre exploring, I can confirm that there is a fair bit there..

As soon as I ventured into the ‘old town’, I was greeted with beautiful architecture and a pleasant and huge plaza to enjoy.

Seo Cathedral & Pilar

There are two cathedrals to see, and helpfully, they are next door to each other! That is the Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Pila and the La Seo: Catedral del Salvador. They also share one joint ticket (although you don’t need a ticket for the Pilar, but this way you are supporting them). It also gives you access to other attractions in the city, and for one euro more you can access the top of the tower for a panoramic view. I did opt for this, and was pleased to see an elevator. 😍

The views are quite pleasant and for only a euro it is worth it!

Both the Pilar and the Seo Cathedral are beautiful, but the weird thing I found was that both looked one way on the outside and was the opposite on the inside. For example, the Seo Cathedral looked fairly ordinary from the outside, but inside, it was stunning. Sadly, they do not allow photos, so I only have my memories… I can tell you that the ceilings and alters were beautifully designed though.

The only frustrating limitation to these two sites, and in general with religious buildings in Spain, is that they all shut during midday. I had a train at 5pm, so I had to squeeze both buildings into the morning. The receptionist told me that I should spend an hour in the Cathedral. I only had 20 minutes… I managed it though! Even managed to sit on a pew for a minute. I am very church efficient!

With the Pilar, it was impressive outside, but generally traditional inside. I think I am just spoilt at this point to be honest! The special thing in El Pilar and why it is called this, is because this is supposed to be the location that Santiago (St James- Patron Saint of Spain) was approached by the Virgin Mary when he was feeling discouraged. Mary gave him a jasper pillar and told him to build a temple to her in that place. James did this, and supposedly it became the first church dedicated to Mary. There is a huge chapel dedicated to it inside, and many people make pilgrimage to see the spot where the pilar is thought to be.

Courts of Aragon / Palace of Alajaferia

I made a special effort to reserve a visit to the former palace (now courts building) whilst I was visiting. This was very cheap (€5), and you just needed about an hour. The palace still retains lots of muslim designed decor, which I thought was unique to see outside of Andalucia.

The really great thing about the visit was that the tickets are limited to small numbers of visitors. So this is a great opportunity for taking photos and looking at the detail in this sort of architecture, without crowds. Once you go through security, you can make your way round the one way route of the site, unsupervised, very special.

Parque Grande José Antonio Labordeta

After a long walk across the city, whilst everyone was taking their siesta, I managed to make it to the park that I wanted to explore. The city’s biggest green space, Parque Grande Jose Antonio Labordeta.

Public parks in Spain are generally gorgeous, with sculptures, fountains, and roses. This one in particular has one very good first impression. On entering the park, you are greeted with a line of fountains in a row, and overshadowed by a grand white staircase with a waterfall. Very fancy!

It was quite a big walk to get to the park, and in hindsight, it would have been better if I was there for more than one day, as I was rushing through it too much. It deserved a good lounge around with a sketch book in hand.

So overall, Zaragoza definitely has some great things to shout about. Most of all, I just thought it was a very relaxing place to be.

Next stop… Irun, for the beginning of my Camino!

Cordoba: A city of craftsman

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After an excellent and short train journey from Seville, I arrived in Cordoba. Once the Capital of Islamic Spain, this city is a beautiful mix of styles and culture.

I arrived in the evening and enjoyed the lively atmosphere of the city as it was filled with people bustling to shops and restaurants under the sunset sky. The city actually reminded me a lot of Pisa, the sort of place that is usually seen as a day trip, and is quite suburban, but actually has a lot to offer.

I had a wonder around the city outskirts, and came back around along the riverside. The city’s river is its focal point, and most of the historic area is by the riverside.

The river is also home to the beautiful Roman bridge, which happens to be another Game of Thrones location! It was actually used with CGI to create the bridge to ‘Volaris’, still counts though. Another one off the list. ✅✅✅

Me at roman bridge in Cordoba, another GoT location.

The buildings around the city are also very pretty, and often you can spot silversmiths, leather workshops and tile shops. These have been the ancient crafts of this town for quite sometime, and still are now. If I could carry a tile in my backpack, I would have got one to stick somewhere at home.

The town also boasted an unusual amount of ice cream and cake restaurants. I was struggling at one point to find regular food! I did enjoy my ice cream milkshakes though, as temperature was still around 30’c.

Mesquita Cathedral

The Mesquita (meaning mosque) is what most people visit Cordoba to see. You can see why when you visit. I was excited to see the building but it truly left me speechless, (well other than repeatedly saying ‘WOW!’)

The site was originally home to a roman temple, but later the foundations were used to build a mosque,when Spain was under muslim rule. When the catholics conquered the area, the mosque became a cathedral. The original mineret tower was wrapped around with a christian structure, and much of the mosque internally was maintained as it was so remarkably beautiful. The christians did do three extensions to the building over the time though. This included getting permission from the King to build a traditional catholic chapel inside. Whilst pretty, most people agree that it is very out of place within this beautiful mosque.

Within the mosque, the builders actually reduced costs by recycling columns and pedestals from the previous roman temple, which makes each one unique. The craftsman that provided some of their columns also left their trademark logo and signature on their pieces provided, which can still be seen. I love a bit of ancient graffiti!

I had a guided tour during my visit which was very helpful. The guide provided a lot of detail about the history and showed us what to look for. The entrance area / plaza is actually available for anyone to visit for free. It is only the inside of the temple that is ticketed, and this is limited and to restricted hours.

My tour also included a tour of the jewish quarter and a former synagogue. These are free to see generally. The jewish apparently moved into the centre of the city after the muslims were expelled for a period.

Alcazar Gardens

In my short visit to the city, I also decided to book a visit to the Alcazar there. You must have a reserved time slot, and the website is abit tricky, but just persevere with it! It is only five euros and worthwhile. The Alcazar building itself was quite small and hollowed out, but I went for the gardens. They were lovely…

Full of fountains, flowers, sculptures and impressive topiary, I parked myself on a bench, and sketched the scene in the sunshine for an hour.

Before I knew it, time was up and I had to head to the bus station. Cordoba should definitely be on your list to visit. There is so much culture here, and it has a very friendly feel.

Next stop… Madrid!

Sevilla: Pearl of Andalucia

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Following on from a week in Portugal, I decided to travel four hours by bus, to one of Andalucia’s best known cities, Seville (or Sevilla).

The journey to Seville was reasonable by bus, and cost only about €30 from Lagos, Portugal. There was no border restrictions and I didn’t even have to go through a passport check. The only downside was that the bus was very hot! It was 30’c outside and hotter inside the bus. Thankfully, we made plenty of service station stops to get some air and water.. (makes me sound like a car haha).

On arriving to Seville, I was able to walk the short route to my hostel. I definitely had lots of strange looks though, carrying a huge backpack and sleeping bag on my bag in 30’c weather. I must have looked mad, in a place where no one even owns a coat, as apparently it hasn’t rained for five years! I stayed at the La Flamenka hostel in the city centre, and this was a lovely place to stay. The staff and volunteers were very friendly and helpful and the environment makes it really sociable. Due to a chilled out kitchen and terrace layout, I was able to strike up conversation and befriend a Brazilian, a Norweigan, an Austrian, and a Barcelonina. Great practice for my language skills! All guests were solo travellers too, so we all had that in common.

Alcazar

On my first day, I had prebooked a visit to Seville’s Alcazar through Viator, which also included a guided walk of Santa Cruz neighbourhood, and a visit to the Cathedral & Giralda.

I have visited Granada’s Alhambra on a previous trip, so I knew somewhat of what to expect in this Alcazar visit. The Alcazar in Seville is still beautiful though, and has its own charm. It seemed to have a lot more gold in the decoration and many more tiles and christian influence too.

The site also had several lovely gardens which set themselves apart as unique, due to different sections being created based on different styles from around the world. There is a french garden, italian, and even english! The english garden is home to many wondering peacocks, I was wondering if I had missed something in this, are peacocks English…? 🤔

I also ticked off another Game Of Thrones filming location from my list! The site was used as one of the locations for imaginary kingdom of ‘Dorne’. ✅✅✅

There is also a hidden away area in the garden which is quite cool. That is the mistress’ bath underground. Apparently, the Peter ‘the cruel’ built this bath for the the lady he was wooing, so she would have somewhere refreshing to relax. Considering the heat here, that seems like an act of true love to me! The bath is accessed through a tunnel and is a very pretty space.

Seville Cathedral

Connected to the Alcazar, is Seville’s Cathedral. The Cathedral is built on the site of the former mosque. The mosque was gradually destroyed after the Christian conquest of 1248, except for the minaret or Giralda that remains today. The cathedral is very grand inside as you would expect from any catholic cathedral, but it does have some additional advantages.

There is the Giralda, which actually means ‘weather vane’, (I had to question the guide about this as I knew tower is ‘torre’.) You can climb this to the belfry area and get a good view of the city. Wierdly, it has 35 ramps rather than staircases, so there really is no excuse!

The cathedral also makes links to lots of important figures. I was very excited about the abundance of seashells used as shapes in the decor to symbolise Saint James (Patron Saint of Spain) and the symbol of my upcoming pilgrimage.

They also pay tribute to Justa & Rufina, in the cathedral and all over the city. These were two sisters who lived as potmakers across the river, in 3rd century. They became martyrs when they refused to take part in a pagan festival due to their faith and broke a statue of Venus. For this, the authorities, imprisoned, tortured, starved and killed them. They are remembered all over the place!

Lastly, the Cathedral is the place that you will find the only DNA certified tomb of Christopher Columbus. His body has moved around the world to different countries before finding its way back to Spain. It makes sense that he is in Seville, as he set sail from nearby town of Huelva, before first discovering America.

Not only is this an interesting figure but the tomb itself is very beautiful and unique. Columbus is not buried underground, but is actually overhead. His tomb rests on the shoulders of four men which represent the different kingdoms of Spain (Castile, Leon, Aragón and Navarre) symbolising that not one kingdom can claim his accomplishments, but they belong to all of Spain as a union.

More art

As well as seeing beautiful art and sculptures at the Cathedral and Alcazar, there are many pieces in city plazas, numerous churches and galleries/museums.

I visited both the church of San Salvador in the centre and Santa Ana church in the neighbourhood across the river, called Triana. I would definitely recommend wondering into Triana, as it has a very sociable vibe and lovely views from across the river. Prices are slightly better too. Both these churches were very cheap to visit, under 5 euros each.

I also enjoyed free admission and air conditioning 😀 from the art museum ‘Museo de bellas artes de Sevilla’. The art displayed in this ex- convent is a mix of very renowned artists such as Murillo and Picasso. I must admit that I was not a fan of all the Picassos as they are so odd. There were many portraits and religious art that I loved though. The building is really beautiful and has many courtyards to sit and relax in. The gallery is only two levels so not too intense which is nice.

Other ideas for a fun time in Sevilla:

Spend some extra time across the river in Triana. The atmosphere is great here and you can also visit the local food market at the bridge for an affordable and fresh lunch.
Visit one of the many convents in the city and purchase something from a nun. Many convents and monasteries sell goods to sustain themselves, often you can get homemade sweets. I went to one in Sevilla, and bought from a nun though a strange turntable window!
Visit the Plaza de Espana and the park. The plaza is an obvious tourist spot, and very pretty, but the adjoining park of Marie Luis, is full of beautiful places to sit and relax in the shade.
Head to the big mushrooms in the sky! The huge ‘setas’ monument is named this because it is the shape of mushrooms. Get there a little before sunset, and you will see wonderful views of the city.

Overall, I thought Sevilla was a very romantic and beautiful destination. It was also easy to walk around and had good transport connections, and of course reliable weather! I would certainly visit again.

Next stop… Cordoba!

Quirky day trip ideas!

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Many of us have been unable to travel lately due to the pandemic. This means that we have needed to get a little creative with how we spend our spare time to keep it interesting. Day trips out are a big part of this, and in this blog I will give you some tried and tested quirky day trip ideas for you to explore!

With most of our leisure time being spent nearer to home this year, why not try something a bit unusual in your area.

Metal detecting

Many people have an interest in metal detecting with so many TV programmes about discoveries and salvages. I decided to have a go, and see if I could find some long lost treasure. A lot of people head to beaches, and back gardens with their metal detectors, and you do have to consider permissions from landowners when you do this. You might also need to agree the split you will get from any profit you make!

I wanted to try some fields, and my dad happens to have some land that I could investigate. The fields have been used for a few centuries by nurseries, farmers, scrap yard owners, and for other unknown purposes. This makes it a very mysterious place under the earth.

In the first two hours around 20 items were found, including several door handles, a light switch and a pig feeder, which could be recycled into a lovely bird bath.I didn’t find my fortune on that occasion, but I will keep looking. Either way, the experience is a fun one, and you do get a thrill from digging something out and trying to figure out what it is!

If you get really into this activity, you can apparently upgrade to a smarter metal detector which will tell you exactly what the metal is, so you can narrow your searches. This is a fun way to spend half a day with a friend or as a family, just bring your metal detector, a spade for everyone involved, and be prepared for everyone to get filthy!

Beach cleaning/litter picking

I like to keep the planet clean, and so naturally I hate litter! Of course, within waterways and oceans, the pollution, especially plastics, is extremely harmful for animals and us. If you want to do your part, or teach your kids about giving back, and the harm of littering, then a clean up event is great fun!

Many local groups and national charities such as the Marine Conservation Society, will organise beach and river clean ups, and other litter pick events regularly. These tend to be with a group of differently aged volunteers, and the group leader will provide you with a high viz, litter picker, gloves and bin bags. These events are especially popular during the off season when less people are visiting the beaches and riversides. ‘Keep Britain Tidy‘ creates several campaigns throughout the year in Britain, to encourage people to take pride in their open spaces and keep them litter free, such as the ‘Great British Spring Clean’ event.

I have done several litter picks before, and I always feel good afterwards, it is also a great way to get some exercise, and enjoy outdoor spaces that you may have not visited before. It can be quite addictive, and you can become quite competitive about how much you pick up. I got so into it, at one event, that I was climbing the sea barriers to retrieve a discarded shoe and fishing nets!

Foraging

Ever wondered if you could survive an apocolyptic event? Well, a day out foraging, might give you some idea. You may have tried the odd herb, or picked blackberries before, but you can go much further!

Foraging is becoming more popular as people become more interested in their green spaces, and lots of people are providing information on how to do this, and what greens to look out for in your area. You can even go on foraging tours and events to learn all about it. The Woodland Trust provide a great monthly calendar on what to look out for when you are out and about. The organisation will also allow you to forage in several of their woodlands, as you must ask permission before foraging in an area. You should also be sure of what you are picking, no poison berries! Lastly, you should minimise your impact, by only picking the fruit (not the plant) and only take what you need.

On my visit to the woods, I downloaded two apps on my phone to identify edible plants and see how they were to be consumed. Woodland Trust also has an app for identifying trees. I have previously collected blackberries, nettles, dandelions and chestnuts. I have been able to use these items to make teas, desserts, and soups, but I know there are lots of recipes available to try. Autumn is certainly the best time for this activity, I would like to try to find more varieties of nuts in the woods… if I can beat the squirrels to them! I would also be really interested in spending a day with an experienced forager, to learn about some of the more unheard of plants.

Exploring community gardens

If you live in an urban area, you may be unaware of a network of community gardens that are taken care of by locals. There is more and more demand for green spaces within towns and cities, and locations that locals could grow their own food & cutting flowers. There are a few national schemes that you can use to look up gardens and social farms in your area, some are open all the time, and some have set open days. Some examples are Social Farms & Gardens, Community Supported Agriculture, and National Garden Scheme. You can also speak to your local parish council about what is nearby to you.

I love to explore local community gardens and allotment areas when I am out walking. You can see the individual styles that have been incorporated across the plots and garden spaces, and get some really quirky ideas for your own gardening. It is a lovely contrast to a formal garden at a stately home, and it is also free, so lots of reasons to visit! If you explore enough that you like, you might even find that you want to volunteer to get involved with one local to you.

Geocaching

Geocaching is an activity of following GPS co-ordinates to find hidden containers that others have placed. Often these are hidden in very creative hiding spots, and when you find the container, you can add your name to a list of finders inside. Geocaching has a huge following, and is a great way to make your next walk a bit more interesting. Geocaching.com calls the activity ‘the world’s largest treasure hunt’ and invites you to download the application onto your phone for free and get started!

I have done this with quite a few different friends, and some containers are easier to find than others. A friend of mine once had me looking around all of Covent Garden for a specific geocache, for over an hour. We found it though! The buzz of finding it is quite satisfying, and I can see why people get really into doing this on their days out. Geocaching is so popular, you are very likely to have some in your area, so why not give it a go?!

Bird watching

If you love getting outside and experiencing nature then birdwatching is a popular hobby to take up. There are so many nature reserves dedicated to wildlife conservation, and offering brilliant facilities for ‘twitchers’ to enjoy. I have enjoyed visiting various RSPB nature reserves in my time, and have my own pair of binoculars! You can take it as seriously as you want to, but the more dedicated you are, the more likely you are to spot a rarer bird.

I am happy with whatever bird I see, as long as it surpasses the status of a pigeon… It is quite interesting to learn the different bird names though, and actually try to identify what you are looking at. You can equally do the same thing with creepy crawlies, if you are more that way inclined!

Crabbing & Rockpooling

Just a ‘ponds throw’ from bird watching… (see what i did there..) looking for crabs can be quite a fun way to spend a few hours, especially for kids. This is a really popular activity where I am from, in Norfolk. Every day that the sun is shining, there are people sitting at the edge of a beach pier, hanging bacon from a string, in the hope of catching a crab. Equally, you will see kids jumping over rocks to dig for crabs in the shallow pools of the beach.

I have done this with my family, although with little success (my fishing skills are lacking). My sisters were normally the ones to find the crabs, and then we would enjoy looking at the little fellow for half an hour, before gently releasing him back into the sea.

Church / Cemetery crawling

Those of you that like history, and specifically ancestry, may find this to be a particularly wonderful day out, especially in the days where you want to be indoors or in the shade. There is so much history to a parish church, and most are open all the time for visitors to walk in and explore. Equally cemeteries have become an attraction in themselves…

I started to take an interest in walking around cemeteries so that I could find specific graves of ancestors, and discovered Ancestry.co.uk and a website where you can find and record grave stones in local cemeteries to keep records up to date, and digital for all researchers. Once I then started visiting the cemeteries more, I began to appreciate the artwork, verses and style of the various tombstones. A lot of people also like to visit cemeteries as part of tours, or on their own, to pay respect to well known public figures that are buried there.

A final reason that they are nice to visit, is that they are generally beautiful, peaceful and often wild places to relax in. Many UK cemeteries have become accredited as mini nature reserves, for their wildlife credentials. I have even had a picnic in a cemetery before, as it was a pretty spot and also pleasantly shady on a warm day!

Fossil hunting and Flint knapping

If you want to do something that is really unique and one to write home about, then consider the world of geology! There are several locations across the UK where you can get permission to go fossil hunting, or join an organised event. The UK Fossils Network seems to be a great source of information about locations within the UK, and also guidance on how to do this activity safely. I have so far been unsuccessful in my lone wonderings to find fossils, but I may try one of the group events as it seems that they provide the equipment and safety bits you need to get more serious about it.

If you want to do something even more niche, then you may want to consider learning about flint knapping! I haven’t tried this myself, but I understand that you can take workshops in this, in my home county. Flint knapping is the act of finding flints, and then hitting them into the shape of weapons, that you would have used in prehistoric times!

Self guided tours/ trails

Taking yourself on a self guided tour of a city or town is a really traditional and easy way to spend a day out. Lots of locations will provide you with a map or app for following a trail of blue plaques, or local murals. In some locations, you can even walk up to a local statue and listen on your phone to a recording about who the figure was. This is part of the ‘talking statues‘ scheme.

I have walked several self guided trails in different cities, and have found that the more interactive, and unusual, the better. I especially like to do trails where you have to follow clues, as i find this more challenging. ‘Treasure Trails‘ is a great scheme that offers trails with clues to solve at different levels, across the UK.

To summarise…

If you are heading out for the day, why not make a proper day of it, and try an experience you won’t forget! I hope the above ideas may have tickled your imagination, and made you think about what is nearby to where you live.

St Paul’s Cathedral: A very English icon inspired by Europe

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I recently had a visit to St Paul’s cathedral in central London, and found it to be a stunning example of architecture, art and history. This church is recognisable across the world as an important site for ceremonial events, and a centrepiece to the historic London skyline.

Surrounding St Paul’s

St Paul’s cathedral is in the centre of London and has a dedicated underground station down the street, St Paul’s station. It is recognisable from a distance, by its large dome, but I also think of the front of the building and its iconic steps and open space…. this may be somewhat led from my childhood memories of watching Mary Poppins! The church is used in the film for the song ‘feed the birds’…

Feed the birds!!!!

I know you’re probably singing it along in your head now! Oops! Sorry!

Around the cathedral, there is a plethora of shops and restaurants to enjoy, and on the site, St Paul’s also has a well kept set of gardens and cemetery to meander within. St Paul’s is also in close proximity to the iconic Millennium bridge, and the Museum of London.

What’s on offer

We booked our tickets into St Paul’s the day before, and this was well worth doing, as we were able to walk straight into a clear queue, past many people that had just walked in. As part of your ticket, you can access an audio guide and headphones that have lots of useful information about the cathedral. It breaks the content up into different sections of the cathedral geographically, by topic, or how much time you have. So, if you only want the highlights version then you can still benefit from an audio guide.

There are also guided tours freely available throughout the week at lunch times, as well as private tours which you can book. If you want to slip into the background and enjoy the atmosphere, you can also take part in a daily service of Eucharist or Evensong. The full schedule of services can be found on the St Paul’s website.

Architecture

The architecture within the cathedral is very striking. I really enjoyed taking photographs of the church from different angles, as there are so many arches, curves and also geometrical shapes, both high and low. The styles and colours of white and gold, did remind me more heavily of a European cathedral, specifically, ones I have seen in Italy. The church certainly did not feel English. I think this is rather ironic, considering it is one of the biggest religious attractions that international visitors see, and represents the country across different medias around the world.

The original St Paul’s was much more English looking, and looked similar to cathedrals of Salisbury, Canterbury or Norwich. That church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London, and this new structure was built between 1675 and 1710. The architect, Christopher Wren, attempted to approve several designs before the King eventually signed off on the plans. It seems that Wren attempted to put his own twist on the Baroque style which was becoming popular in Europe at the time, interestingly as a counter action against Protestantism. He coined this as ‘English Baroque’.

The similarities between the two styles are obvious though, if you take a look at the two images below of the towers of St Paul’s vs Santiago de Compostela, Spain… you can see for yourself!

St Paul’s also boast some very beautiful English features, including 18th century delicate wooden carpentry, the third largest organ in the UK, and of course a good level of stained glass windows!

The ground floor of the cathedral is not the only level available to visitors. Visitors can also go up to the galleries, and go downstairs into the crypt of the cathedral. Other crypts that I have seen, have had very rough walls, dingy smells and pokey spaces. This is not the case at St Pauls, I was really suprised at the look and feel of the crypt. It is a large, reasonable open, and light space. It actually has a very modern, and contemporary feel to it. This seems so strange, in such a historic building. In this part of the cathedral, there are some memorials and tombs of important figures from English history, such as Norfolk’s very own Horatio Nelson. There is also a chapel space to sit peacefully, toilets and a gift shop!

Artwork

There is a mix of artwork at the cathedral, from beautiful ceiling paintings, to wooden and stone sculptures. The focus is clearly on the magnificent ceiling paintings of bible figures and scripture such as the apostles, and so in the nave, the sculptures/memorials are fairly thinned out except for a few large pieces. On the other hand, in the south aisle alongside the nave, there are several memorial sculptures detailing key figures in English history and their achievements.

Steps to roof and galleries

Arguably, the most iconic part of St Paul’s Cathedral is the dome, and within the dome and below it are two galleries that visitors can see. Unfortunately, these were both closed when I visited, but I still had the ‘pleasure’ of climbing the 376 steps to the roof, before I discovered I could not access the galleries that day. On the bright side though, whilst the stairs left me breathless (not in a good way), there were lots of seats to stop at on the way up, and medieval graffiti carved into the walls that i could appreciate whilst trying to stabilise myself!

The climb wasn’t a waste! From the roof, you can still walk around the dome and see the London skyline, including the shard, sky garden, london eye, and look more up close at St Paul’s bell towers. I actually happened to be on the roof when the bells were ringing out, which I thought was pretty special.

View from St Pauls – London Eye & Bell Tower

Overall, I think that St Paul’s was very interesting, had a great booking system, and good content. I was disappointed that I could not see the galleries, but the views made up for it, and I understand their need to do renovations, especially whilst they are quieter. I would recommend a visit, and if you are brave enough, climb the steps and listen to the bells…. equally if you really do struggle, there is an elevator… they just wouldn’t let me use it!

City of Culture 2021: Coventry

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Coventry has been declared the city of culture in the UK this year, and it is not hard to see why. On a weekend away in Coventry, a few weeks ago, I discovered that the city is bursting with culture, art and life!

I always like to visit new places, and Coventry was a great choice when deciding on a weekend away this year, as it is smack bang in the middle of the country, and so was easy for me to meet a friend there, who lives across the other side of the UK.

We stayed in a gorgeous AirBnB only ten minutes from the city centre. Within our accommodation, we enjoyed a full entertainment system, a garden and barbecue, a hot tub and even a lovely welcome pack of snacks. We enjoyed some late night cocktails in the tub and even saw a fox in the garden, at the ‘Foxes den‘, I would definitely recommend a stay.

I thought it would be a good idea to use the nearby park and ride to travel into the city, and better for the environment, but this ended up being a moral about never assuming you already know what is best! The park & ride ended up costing us about £8 and we still had to wait 30 minutes for a bus. I believe that just simply using the bus service from our accommodation would have been cheaper. Equally, we discovered on the second day, that there are actually some ridiculously cheap car parks in Coventry city centre, so never assume! It is always worth checking out Just Park or Parkopedia to be sure!

Visual arts

I was aware that Coventry had been declared the City of Culture this year, but I wasn’t sure how much culture was on offer. My previous experiences of the city had been rushed conferences and a university open day many years ago. From the first day of wondering the city though, I could see the reasons it had achieved this accolade.

There are thought invoking sculptures and visual art pieces throughout the city, as well as various performances and events. There were lots of colours around through walkways, decorations and painted buildings. I especially enjoyed a rolling fountain instalment in front of one of the main shopping centres.

Lady Godiva

There is quite a lot of references to Lady Godiva around Coventry. Including a large statue in the centre of a vibrant square full of restaurants. According to legend, Lady Godiva was a woman who rode through the city of Coventry, completely naked in protest against her husband’s high taxes of the poor people of the city. The story says that she asked all the town people to close their window shutters and not look upon her, but one man looked and was immediately blinded as a result. This was ‘peeping Tom’. Obviously, this story is very debatable, but it is nice to have folk stories like this and Lady Godiva, as a key figure, is clearly well celebrated by the city.

History

The city of Coventry has been around since before the Norman invasion of 1066, and dotted around the city are small remnants of the old walled city that once stood here. You can wonder through the old priory gardens, a medieval almshouse that is known as one of the finest examples of a timber work building in England, and of course the old cathedral ruins. The original cathedral was a priory dedicated to St Mary, and was founded as a Benedictine community by Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and his wife, Lady Godiva in 1043. This fell into neglect following the dissolution of the monasteries, under Henry VIII. Later, the parish church of St Michael was consecrated as the cathedral of Coventry in 1918. This cathedral did not stand for long though, as it was unfortunately the victim of bombing during the second world war, and was burnt down a long side many other buildings in the city. Shortly after, the community decided to rebuild the new and current cathedral as an act of faith, trust and rebirth. The building was consecrated in 1962 and still stands today next to the ruins of the old cathedral.

The old cathedral still has fragments of original stained glass hanging in place, easy for passersby to see. It is also a useful open space now, which can be used for events and exhibitions. There was even a classic car show inside the space when I visited. The space also has a number of sculptures that are captivating to the eye, especially the reconciliation statue. This symbolises the reconciliation and reunion of neighbours, loved ones, and countries following the second world war.

The new cathedral

The current cathedral is a work of art in itself, it is a large cement based building, but has huge stained glass windows, and wide open spaces. It is a great example of a modern cathedral that has still mastered being a place of peace and reflection. We did have a booked time slot for the cathedral, but this wasn’t actually checked when we arrived, and we were able to just walk straight in.

Nightlife

Whilst I was visiting, the city centre was holding a cultural festival in the assembly garden grounds, which seemed to be a pop up seating area with bars, mobile catering, stages and performance tents. Something that we booked for only £20 each was the Circolumbia show, which was brilliant value for money, and a great start to the evening. This was a circus, acrobatics, singing and dancing performance, that was done entirely by Columbian artists and themed on Columbian culture and music. This was so brilliant, and i spent a lot of the time during the show, gripping my seat, as the performers were doing things like standing on top of each other’s heads!

I also had a brilliant night at a bar/club called ‘The Yard’, which is known as the best and biggest LGBTQ+ venue in the city. The venue offered such an amazing time, we were there on a Saturday night, and they run a drag / cabaret show every weekend, so we were able to enjoy this. There was seating inside and outside, and we spent the evening dancing away with cocktails in hand, and managed to get an Uber back very cheaply at the end of the night.

In conclusion, I think Coventry is certainly full of culture, and a great place to let your hair down and just have a relaxing time, with lots of entertainment and engaging arts to be engrossed in. I would definitely revisit. It is also worth mentioning that it is in close proximity to Leicester, Nottingham & Birmingham, if you wanted to make multi centre tour out of the trip!