The further we head south, the more ruggedly beautiful the landscape becomes.  Flat lands become hilly countryside with mountains looming in the distance. Olive trees as far as the eye can see. Millions and millions of them. The small town of Jaen is considered the heart of the Olive business in Spain, with over 60 … More Spain and Portugal 2026 – what’s not to like? Part Six – Granada via Ronda

Another really enjoyable 2 hour drive from Cordoba to Sevilla away from the main highway and journeying along secondary roads and tiny towns. So much farming through here, with Olives and Oranges the primary crops. And solar farms 😬 Again, our accommodation is inside the Old Town with no vehicular traffic or parking so we … More Spain and Portugal 2026 – what’s not to like? Part Five – Sevilla

The drive onwards to the Southern city of Cordoba is a really nice, easy and scenic route. We had two options – straight down the autovias for 2 hrs and 30 mins or a nice detour which takes 3 hours. We took option B. Within 15 minutes we were out of Ciudad Real and motoring … More Spain and Portugal 2026 – what’s not to like? Part Four – Cordoba

Time to say goodbye to Madrid after a few fantastic days. We walked out of our apartment to be greeted with a sea of pink ! A women’s half marathon to celebrate Mothers Day. Fantastic. Eventually into our hire car and away we set heading south for our first stop at the gorgeous hilltop walled … More Spain and Portugal 2026 – what’s not to like? Part Three – On the road to Toledo and Ciudad Real

Hola ! Well after a couple of fun filled, crazy days in Bangkok we had an early start today to get to the airport for our 6:45am flight to Madrid via Istanbul. That meant a 3:00am cab from our hotel 🤦‍♂️ All good though as the traffic was light and we arrived right on time … More Spain and Portugal 2026 – what’s not to like? Part Two Madrid

After returning from our fantastic Vietnam and Cambodia trip in late 2025 we had to put on our thinking caps to decide where to head in 2026. Our friends at APT Travel Group came up with a fabulous option which we had not previously considered – a River Cruise down the Douro River from Madrid … More Spain and Portugal 2026 – what’s not to like? Part One Bangkok Stopover

After a fantastic week exploring the Surf Coast it was time to pack up and move onto our next town to explore. We took a scenic route due north from the Coast up through farmland and rural towns with no traffic, reasonable roads and lots to look at. We took a minor detour to check … More Roadtrip November 2025 – destination “Great Ocean Road” – Part Five

We had a relatively relaxing day exploring the Torquay area which was really nice. We started by investigating the gorgeous lighthouse in Aireys Inlet where we were staying. Officially known as Split Point Lighthouse it has been looking out over the wild Bass Strait where hundreds of ships have met their demise over the last … More Roadtrip November 2025 – destination “Great Ocean Road” – Part Four

The Great Ocean Road is a 240km stretch of magnificent coastal roadway between Torquay and Allansford – possibly the most spectacular stretch of roadway we’ve ever experienced. After WWI our returned soldiers were employed to make this road, so from 1919 until 1932 the work continued at which time the road was dedicated to those … More Roadtrip November 2025 – destination “Great Ocean Road” – Part Three

The morning dawned in Lakes Entrance cool and overcast but with no rain – perfect for packing up and moving on. Morning percolated coffee never tasted so good. We continued down the coast for a bit before heading west and inland towards the Victorian Capital of Melbourne. The countryside through here was primarily industrial, farming … More Roadtrip November 2025 – destination “Great Ocean Road” – Part Two