Hello, good morning from #Mexico ! Finally we are here!! Blog posts can now resume.
I am going to skip over most of the details of the last 2 days but to sum it up Thursday was admin day – had to sort things out related to the flight buy an esim and wash clothes and get the photos and Vids put into canva for making reels later. Fun stuff. Not much else happened Thursday. Was an early one for the flight on Friday
Getting up early Friday I set out for Madrid airport. Got there okay and it wasn’t too bad going through the motions. Morning passed by and we were soon boarded and on the way. I flew with@aeromexico who are a pretty good airline and would fly with them again. Flight was pretty smooth with 2 in flight meals and a few vino tintos but sadly I was not able to mong out on the plane so it would be a long one later.
Getting into #CDMX there was a queue but not too bad and soon I was through to meet my good pal Simon, El Gringo Mexicano – he’s actually a fellow taff who’s lived in Mexico for the last 25-30 years. I have agreed to meet me here for a few days to show us round and help with any culture shocks.
We tried to sort an Uber but signal was shit so they bought a prepaid cab to our hotel. Driving through CDMX in rush hour felt like a combination of Naples and India with everyone trying to overtake and jump queues all the time. We got to our hotel all good and staying near the historic Part. We went out for some #tacos beers and tequila then turned in pretty early as the flight was taking its toll.
Tomorrow we explore CDMX and kick off the real day 1 of this adventure! See you tomorrow!!
Hola Todos. Today was a bit of a different one as in mentioned I wanted to do another day trip somewhere. What I originally had in mind was to go to Toledo, Castille’s old capital but it was not meant to be, long story short there were no trains until late in the day and the bus station for Toledo is on the other side of Madrid, which would have taken nearly an hour to get to with about 6 metro changes.
Still I set out towards this bus station but getting 1/3 of the way I decided it was a non starter and went to Atocha to see if I could get on a train somewhere else, the only option was Segovia however I had to still go back up north to Chamartín. No Biggie we had an hour and a bit to kill so enough time to sort things out.
It’s a high speed train to Segovia and gets us there in 30 mins however the main Guiomar station is a ways outside the city itself and you have to get a €2 bus in which comes round every half hour or take a taxi for €10. I only had about 3 hours of time here and I had just missed the bus so I guess we getting chiselled today!
Once you get into #Segovia it has an impressive Roman Aqueduct which is still intact and runs across the entire historic center and it also has an impressive cathedral and Alcazar castle. Unfortunately I didn’t get to the Alcazar as I didn’t have enough time and once you see the sights it actually feels a bit like a tourist trap here.
Don’t let this out you off visiting though. Just make sure to plan it better than I did!
Thursday is Admin day then Friday we fly so blogging will be slowing down until on the other side.
Leaving off after last nights rather quiet finish I was up and running in good order to do another trip. Today’s was particularly special because we were off to a very special place. Our first monument from the infamous Europa Universalis IV of the trip. The Grandiose, wonderful El Escorial!!!
El Escorial is one of the many global monuments featured in that game and that was how I found it though people I talked to also recommended me it. Being 50 mins out by train I had to get over there and see it for myself.
Despite some train glitches I get to El Escorial town about 10.50 and have a café con leche con pincho before starting the hike up there. It is about a half hour uphill walk but once I got there I was legitimately awestruck by this place. It is huge and impressive is an understatement.
I will make a separate post on it same as I did Tordesillas so for now the TLDR version is it was The Hapsburg Spanish Monarchy’s royal monastery and a palace.
After this back to the gaffe. Getting back drags on hopping round the metro but by about 17:00 I’m back at the gaffe. I have some munch and water etc and chat to Mrs lady for what goes on to be about an hour and a half. Suddenly the doorbell goes and turns out she had another guest coming for the other empty room.
In he came and we all got chatting. Meet new best friend Jose! This guy is from Galicia but knows this particular part of Madrid pretty well. He is down here because of some company conference event for a few days he has to be at but we get talking and hit it off well.
We decided to go out for some food and a few beers together. Big up to him I recommended an excellent patatas bravas place 10 mins walk away. Grub was excellent then we had a wander heading back towards the gaffe. We went to a bar and had a couple of drinks. The atmosphere was good as footy was on it was Real Madrid v Levante and Real Madrid had just taken the lead.
Jose is an interesting character and talking he lived in Mexico for 5 years and knows several areas on my route. This is good as he has given me some great recommendations, particularly for natural wonders and more Mayan ruins, as well as some good tips for sizing up if places are safe or not. Rng rolled us a tidy geezer! Yay! he also runs a blog here on IG as well doing different foods@laconadablog- give it a look if your the foodie type.
Our little soirée was brief by Spanish standards as had to be over to El Centro for his event for 0830 tomorrow so he turned in early and I stayed and watched the 2nd half. Actually a bit of good footy for a change without too much amateur dramas. After the game finished I followed suit. Final score was 4-1 to Real Madrid. Vamos Chicos! Buen Hecho! Unsure of what the plan for tomorrow is…….. Let’s see when we’re up and running.
Overview of El Escorial & Video post:
El Escorial or known but it’s full name of El Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial.
This huge monastery was built in 1580 although its construction began in 1564. This Monastery was intended to be both a palace and monastery for King Phillip II of the Spanish Hapsburg dynasty and their royal court.
This Monastery was built at the height of the Spanish Empire’s power and shows how far they were above their rivals at the time it was built; it shows Spain’s wealth power during this age to have the money and manpower to spare on such a project they were fighting concurrent wars with France, England, the Dutch Revolt and the Ottomans!
Among all this projection Phillip II built this place to give his father, Charles V, one of Spain’s greatest kings and Holy Roman Emperor a proper burial site. Inside there is a mausoleum where many members of their and the later Bourbon dynasty are buried.
The palace also has an impressive variety of state rooms, cloisters and a cathedral-like church within. It is well worth the visit. Personally I was blown away.
Hello everyone. This one will be somewhat short since nothing particularly noteworthy happened on the last night in Salamanca and arriving in Madrid has been equally uneventful.
Today I was up about 09:00 as the train was not until 10:40 and it was a slow start all round. I head to the station have my morning café con leche and decide to throw a few of my coins into the Slotto – it was a good move as made about 55 euros from 6 or 7. This will pay for grub and beer later. Lots of worse ways you can start a Monday morning!
Train ride was pretty uneventful, just shrublands all the way into #madrid but we get into Chamartín and it’s next onto the metro. Luckily I have been here before & know it but for the first timers download a map of the metro BEFORE you get here as there are none in Chamartín station. Which is quite shit really for a station of a similar size to London Paddington!
Anyways we get over to the gaffe and it’s a slow going thing checking in but eventually we are sorted. I am doing another cheap Airbnb out in the suburbs and staying with a mother and son, Venezolanos who got out of Venezuela quite some time ago. Had a good chat in Spanish with mom and the lad speaks excellent English. Hes only spoke in English to me mostly but fair enough got to practice right? They also got 2 very fat Gatos!
Look at the size of this lad!!
With that sorted I had a look around the zone, this area is actually a Latino quarter of Madrid and is quite chill. Spanish spoken here has been a bit slower and easier to follow than everywhere else so far.
I didn’t do much tonight but did have a quick look at beautiful #Parque #retiro then went back and hung round a few bars near my place. Nothing happened, no new pals or sexy señoritas but no crazies either!! Sometimes a quiet one is best.
Tomorrow it will be another day trip. I got 2 in mind which one I will decide in the morning. Ciao ciao for now!
Hello again everyone, today is the last day in Salamanca. Taking it very easy today.
Having talked with Mrs lady until 2am it was a late start for me. About 10.30 I leave the gaffe & head down for breakfast time – croissant and café con leche and some OJ with the order of the day. With the hangover sorted out I decided to check out Mrs ladys recommendations.
First one was El huerto de calixta a lovely little peaceful garden sitting in what was left of the old city walls. It was muy tranqui I must say, second recco was this art museum which was rather baroque but they were strict about taking photos in there so none to show but it was very much about a lot of the fashions of the past century particularly during the interwar years. Some of it sexual some of it not. I’ll leave you to interpret that. Place is called Casa Lis if you want to googlearla (yes that is a legit Spanish word now)
Then siesta time & it comes time to head out for some tapas and beers. I do the usual thing of wandering round but it’s very busy and can’t get into anywhere where I’d have a seat at the bar so back to cafe escudos it was. That was heaving as well but eventually I’m able to get a seat at the bar & notice another guy there alone who ends up standing next to me (because it was still busy). Anyways he’s Spanish and starts talking to me so fk it lets have a bit of a yabber – I wanted to practice my lingo but I got more than I bargained for.
This guy knew almost no English save for radio lingo as he was an off duty cargo plane pilot. He gets friendly with me but this is when things get wierd. For the 2nd time someone starts having an uncalled political rant with me about hot topics that could get the twitter police onto you back home – I unfortunately had now accepted the uncalled for political debate side quest during pub time mini game. Joder! This guy is proper going off about all this stuff then goes on to talk about Germany building bunkers for the next big one with Russia. Reckons we have 20 years at best before ☢️💥. None of it is a crack at me but this is going on & is making me feel very on edge.
He asks me if I want to go out but I tell him I’m tired I’m staying here (in safe harbor)! He drinks up pays his tab and leaves but has a smoke outside then hangs about for 5 then comes back in shakes my hand then leaves for real. I hang back for a bit before paying my own tab and making my way back via a different to usual route just in case. Obviously no harm done as I’m writing this today but it was a big paranoia moment. Lesson learned next time this one comes up I’m hitting it with the I don’t know anything about anything & don’t want To! Seriously this is one @itssidders could make a guide about! Tomorrow I am moving on to Madrid. Let’s hope the rng rolls us somebody nice next time we got to practice Spanish! Ostia! La puta madre coño! Es solo que tengo que decir!!
Hello everyone again! We’ve survived the first full week on the road! Welcome to Day 7 – a weekend in Salamanca!
So after getting back from Tordesillas I mozied on down back to the square for a well-earned glass of vino in this cafe bar where I’ve managed to build a bit of a rapport with the staff down in the square. Soon after it was nap time once again and back to the gaffe it was for some rest.
Coming out again I have a wander round and a little drink and a tapa in a few places but finding that striking up convos with people here is hard. The locals tend to have very insular social circles and it is difficult to break into them as anywhere in Spain really and other tourists don’t want to know either. So naturally I’m drawn back to the same two places! I have a few beers and bites in the square then it gets quite late so I head back to the other frequent place, a bar outside of my gaffe.
The attempt is for a quickie then in by 12ish but then I get talking to one of the locals, a middle aged woman from here Everything in Spanish. We ended up chatting and drinking until about 2am talking about various things though the biggest topic tended to be a certain hot topic issue Spain has in common with the UK which has been causing quite a stir recently – “El Crisis de Dinghy” – Hey she started it not me honest! “If I speak i am in big trouble”.
By the time all that wrapped up we went our separate ways and I hit the hay at around 2am. Next day I decided to have an easy one. She also recommended some nice places to check out so I did those. It was not a bad day and we still got one more to go before Madrid.
Tomorrow will check out some ruins. Meanwhile nap time and will see if the rng rolls us anything interesting tonight. See you later!
Day 6 – History lessons for the future road ahead.
Good morning everyone! Today is an exciting day and the first proper excursion of the trip. This is one of an educational nature as it is in my opinion a must do before a trip to the Spanish speaking Americas, and this trip is a trip to the place where the world was divided between Spain and Portugal back in the day, #Tordesillas !
Tordesillas is about an hour on the bus from Salamanca although it was an earlier start than the day before. Up and out I was and was over to the bus station for the 0900 bus to Tordesillas.
The ride was uneventful as there is not much to see other than shrublands but we arrived on time and went for some breakfast then checked out the main attraction – The Tordesillas Treaty Museum. As you can guess this museum is all about the treaty and what it detailed and how it’s legacy still impacts this part of the world today. Within are also several pieces of history associated with the discovery of the Americas and the whole reasoning of why Spain and Portugal almost went to war with each other over claims in the then undiscovered lands. If you are into this sort of history I would highly recommend. See below for a more detailed summary on the museum itself.
Tordesillas outside of this is quite a small town and while it has a few other things to see nothing quite on the same level as Salamanca. Speaking of Salamanca I am now back on the bus. Thinking I will head to the square for some lunch before heading back for siesta time. Not sure of the plan for tomorrow you will have to think.
Overview of the Museum:
In the sleepy town of Tordesillas, Spain can be found the museum of the treaty of Tordesillas. This treaty signed in 1494, divided the world between Spain and Portugal and is historically significant even today due to what this treaty entailed and what leads up to it.
The treaty came about because of disputes around newly discovered land in the Americas between Spain and Portugal. But how so? You have to turn back the clock to 1453 with the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans. After the city & the last remnants of the Eastern Roman Empire fall to the Ottomans Europe becomes cut off from trade with the east, specifically for spices without having to go through the Ottomans + Venice/Genoa, prompting an acceleration in exploration for a route to Asia via the south & later west.
Portugal by that time had already done some exploring around West Africa by then but these events accelerated the process. Fast forward to 1492 with Christopher Columbus being sponsored by the Spanish Catholic Monarchs to sail west discovering the Carribbean although at the time it was unsure if it was truly a new continent. On his return to Spain he stops in Portugal informing King João II of his discovery prior to reporting back to Spain. Portugal stakes a claim to these lands & tensions rise with Spain. Soon the two strongest naval powers of Europe are on the brink of war.
Luckily for the Spanish monarchs, a Spanish pope (Alexander IV) was in control of The Curia at the time & called for papal intervention at the behest of the Spanish. Eventually the parties met at Tordesillas & agreed on the lines of division.
The world was divided pole to pole at the Azores. Portugal would in line with the previous treaty of Alcaçobas in 1479 would receive everything east of the Azores and south of the Canaries with Spain getting everything to the West. War was warned but Portugal would later dispute this leading to the line of division being moved 300 leagues west of the Azores allowing them to settle Brazil. It is unknown if Portugal knew of Brazil before disputing the line of division. What are your thoughts?
Hello everyone and good afternoon. Sorry for the sudden halt yesterday but after we dropped out of the Cantabrias there wasn’t much to see other than thousands of shrubland as far as the eye could see. There had been a signal problem on the line so it was a slow crawl getting to Salamanca. We arrived and checked into the gaffe was a little bit of a faf but managed fine. Only problem now was we hit siesta time so not much to do but go for a wander I did anyway and had a cheeky beer at this park not far from where I am then went back and siesta’d myself.
The evening was pretty boring or even a little crap as I was tired, hungry and grumpy and couldn’t strike up a convo with anyone however today has so far been much better.
Today I took it easy exploring the city, I visited a convent that very much resembled Hogwarts. Very grandiose place I have to say, then it was breakfast time in a nice cafe with a coffee and croissant meal deal. Why not?
Next it was La Catedral and that place is something that gives St. David’s a run for its money. The photos don’t do it justice. After that they found a small archive house dedicated to the Spanish Civil war and it was free to get in. Basically it was a big exhibition showing how Franco had it in for the Communists and freemasons and some of the brutality that went on during that one – which was very much a precursor to WW2. Again I could write loads about this but I won’t!
Finally it was a stroll down to El Puente Romano – an impressive Roman bridge. I had a quick look but by now sun was getting hot and it was lunch time. I found a decent place in the main square where I had a few tapas and some glasses of the house vino tinto and managed to build a rapport with the bar man there. Said I would pop by this evening. All in all I got enough content to make a video about everything seen today and think I will do but when unsure gives me some time to get the battle rhythm going with this.
Well now it’s almost nap time. I am making my way back and going to chill then head out later. Tomorrow I am heading off on a little bus trip for a history lesson. Stay tuned for that! See you!
Good morning everyone eleven again. Today we head for the heart of Old Castilla y León. I will be there for a few days before heading to Madrid. Might even have enough time to do a reel to 2 let’s see how we get on.
Back to blogging after me and Terry saw each other off and the evening siesta was done I headed out for some grub and a few beers. The night was mostly uneventful until I got back to the same bar we finished at the night before.
This was quite interesting as the bar girl was actually American and had lived in Santander for 2 years – managed to get here via doing the TEFL (teach English as foreign language) route although she wasn’t teaching for the moment. Interesting thought as I had considered doing this back when the concept of this trip first showed up back in 2020 and probably would have done so had the Stronk Chinese empire not had other plans for us all 🦠. Remember kids if all else fails this is always an option in the modern world!
Anyways back to her she had been through quite a few countries in Latin America that I’ll be heading to and said she didn’t feel unsafe when she was there which is a good sign I think as she will be passing through quite a few of the same cities when she arrives. It wasn’t busy so we chatted some more in between her serving people and exchanged details before I left. Was not a late one it’s quite an early start for the train to Salamanca this morning.
This morning was up and running right on cue and down to the station ready to get rolling. I am writing this one just on board the train. It is a slow train that stops off in quite a few places. Will let you know if we see anything interesting on the way down.
Just to end this one I have to say I Enjoyed Santander and recommend it for a visit to Northern Spain. It has a very classy and up market vibe about it and it shows in the locals – everyone looks and dresses smart. No piss stained joggers round here! Plenty to do here too but need more time.
Day 3 – Begin act 2 – Spain – exploring Santander.
Hello everyone, today was the first full day in Spain and the first day we haven’t had somewhere to need to be by. The blighty leg as always had been pretty challenging and I was feeling a little bit tired, so an easy one was on the cards for today.
Chatting last night to my man Terry he suggested we check out an air raid bunker from the Spanish Civil war in town tomorrow as he needed to kill a few hours waiting for his bus, so without any other plans I obliged.
I was up and running in good order and went down to meet him and grab a café con leche. Brew was good but the bunker was shut and has weird opening hours but not open today so we took a walk down to the Seafront to the Centro Botín.
Contrary to the name there is no loot to be seen here and is more of an art gallery. It was a brief but Bizarro visited there and then we had a stroll up towards the Magdalena but didn’t get a chance to visit it. You need to plan it properly how far out of town it is.
We strolled round and chatted and this guy has done quite a bit of travelling, especially in Eastern Europe and had some stories to tell about the Soviets being bullies out that way, especially in Gdansk – Read up the Gdansk Shipyard strike of 1980 and the brutal Soviet crackdown and how this started a series of protests and strikes all across the Eastern Bloc right up to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. All interesting stuff. Eventually we ambled on back and grabbed some grub ahead of siesta time. After this it was time for him to be grabbing his bags and getting down to the bus station ready to head to Bilbao. We said our goodbyes and will stay in touch. All in all was a good encounter meeting him. I am now back at my gaffe having a nap myself. I will then head out for some food and drinks later and see if we meet anyone interesting tonight.
Thewesternprovinceblog 