This was my first holiday abroad since 2019, and I planned it on an impulse. It was after realising that I would not make it to the Isle of Wight festival to see Muse, that I started browsing their tour-page for suitable concerts. The winner was a new festival in Spain called Andalusia Big, and I decided to make a holiday out of it. Having mentioned it to a friend he decided to hijack my holiday, though arriving a few days after me.
Transport from Málaga airport
It was finally time and upon my arrival at Málaga airport, I went looking for the bus stop and saw two of them just as I exited the building. After much confusion I found out that the bus stop I needed was the one closes to the exit. The bus only took cash and you had to wear a mask, or they would not let you on, but luckily, I had come prepared.
Bus journey
I knew the bus journey would take about 20 minutes, so I wrote my destination into google maps to have an idea of when to get off. Without it, I would have been really lost, and apparently with it as well. Having filled in the wrong destination and realising too late, I got off at the Málaga bus station, about 20 minutes’ walk to my actual destination. I decided to stop for a coffee at the café just outside the station and after failing to ask in Spanglish if they had any dairy free milk options, I opted for a black coffee.
After a crazy hot walk to my hotel, I had an orange juice at a nearby café to kill some time before my check-in opened. When finally checked into my tiny and dark, but cosy, room I got ready for the beach that was only a few minutes’ walk away. I had literally only slept an hour and a half the night before, plus some snoozing on the flight, so I was crazy tired. It was 3 pm and chilling on the beach sounded like the best way to spend the rest of the day.
Day 2 Monday
I did not wake up as early as I had planned the day after. My room was so dark that I thought it was still the middle of the night. I had a window, but it had a built-in blinds that I could not change. It was mid-day when I finally left the room and started my walk along the beach towards the Málaga old town. It was another scorching day, but with less clothes it was bearable.
Cathedral garden
I came across the Málaga Cathedral (it’s hard to miss once you’re next to it!) and had a walk to the back where there was a cute little garden. I also found the tourist entry to the Cathedral but decided to save exploring the inside for another time. For now, I was in desperate need of a toilet and finally found a café where I ordered the safe option of a black coffee. As it was slightly off the tourist track, I was the only one there besides a Spanish gentleman.
Roman Theatre
I decided to have a walk up the tourist track and reached the Roman Theatre. In classic amphitheatre style it had the stage at the bottom and a semi-circle of stone steps where the audience would have sat. You could not enter the old stone area but there were a few rows of new seats where you were allowed to go.
The theatre was built in the 1st Century BC, and though its existence had been known since the 1950s it was not until 1995, after the building sitting on top was demolished, that restoration started. It has since been open to visitors from 2011.
Plaza de le Merced restaurant
After my brief visit with history, I was getting hungry. I found my way to Plaza de le Merced – a square lined with restaurants. It looked very touristy, so I decided to have a walk around the smaller streets, just to find my way back there. I somehow managed to order in Spanish and got by very well until one of the waitresses asked me something in Spanish, and I replied with a hesitant ‘no’. Hopefully she was asking if I wanted something else, and not if I had enjoyed my meal.
Earlier I had taken a picture of a tourist map and went to check out the Casa Natal Picasso Museum (Picasso’s birthplace) in the corner of the square, which unfortunately was closed for renovations.
San Miguel Cemetery
As I was not sure what my friend wanted to see, I went for something about 15 minutes’ walk away from the tourist area (as I knew he would not be up for the walk). Maybe not the best plan in the scorching heat, but when I reached the historical San Miguel cemetery, I was the only one there. The gates where open, so I assumed it was free. I had a stroll around the paths lined with trees, statues, and vaults – the resting grounds of the rich and famous since the 19th century until the 1980s. The architecture of the buildings was impressive and apparently in a range of styles from Romantic Classicism to Art Nouveau. I took some photos, but on the way out I saw a sign with a crossed over camera. Whops. I left there rather quickly.
Puerta Oscura & Pedro Luis Alonso Gardens
I took a different route back along residential streets, looking over my shoulder in case I was followed by the cemetery police. I made it back to the Old Town without being arrested, and my next aim was to explore the other side of the hill with the castle.
I walked along the sidewalk of the road leading through the tunnel and reached a nice little garden. I sat and had a rest for a bit and took a photo of a pigeon on top of a statue’s head before deciding to follow one of the paths up the hill. The view of Málaga below got more and more amazing the higher I got.
About two thirds up the hill, I spotted a red squirrel in a small tree. I spent some time taking photos until the squirrel decided to come down the tree. I first thought it was begging for treats, but when I noticed it was the water bottle it was after I poured some into the cap and it drank eagerly so I had to refill a few times. When I looked up, I noticed I was observed by about a dozen tourists.
Back to the beach
Abandoning my gig as a temporary tourist attraction, I made it to the top and the castle entrance. As I thought it was a bit late to enter, I bought myself a new drink from a street vendor in a van and started the walk back down. Halfway down I took a different turn and reached the bottom of the hill next to the Roman Theatre. Time to head back to the hotel. After dropping my stuff and brining my beach gear, I bought some snacks in the local supermarket that would be my dinner at the seaside.
Day 3 Tuesday
The first mission for the Tuesday was to check out from my hotel and check into the other hotel where I was staying with my friend that were arriving late in the evening. They were kind enough to let me check in two hours early, and after getting myself a much-needed coffee I was ready for another day of exploring. The walk to Old Town was a lot shorter from this hotel.
Alcazaba
My first stop was the Alcazaba at the edge of the old town. It is a palatial fortification originally built in the 11th century, but with changes made up until the 14th century.
I headed in through the entrance at the bottom, where I also saw the Roman Theatre again, and got my double ticket to see the Alcazaba and the castle. Once inside the walls I spotted some people on top of the walls and realised there were steps to go up there. I followed their example, and the explorer in me had to step on every piece of wall I could find, with the added bonus of getting some great views of Malaga below.
The path led up the hill, past a café, and past gardens, until I reached the Taifa-period palace and the Nasrid palace at the end. I walked around trying to find the path that would take me to the castle further up the hill. I thought I could see one below the stony rooftops, but it was not accessible by the public. After consulting google maps, I found out that the only entrance is the one I had visited the day before, so I took the path backwards back to the bottom, where I started ascending the hill again from the outside.
Gibralfaro Castle
I looked for my squirrel friend on the way up but could not see it. There was a street vendor in the same corner selling fridge magnets and folding fans to tourists. I made it all the way to the top for the second time in two days and showed my ticket at the entrance to the Gibralfaro Castle.
Once inside I turned right, not noticing the sign that said turn left until way later. Some guys were playing football against the castle wall below and managed to shoot the ball over the wall. Probably for the best.
It did not take long until I noticed there were stairs leading to the top of the wall here as well, so of course I had to follow them. I was pretty much alone (unknown to me then, that I would be walking against the current) and followed the wall to the prison tower at the end. The top provided another excellent viewpoint over Málaga, and if I had to ever be stuck in a prison tower, I would choose that one as at least it had great views as well as reasonable temperatures (compared to let’s say a damp prison tower in the UK).
The place stood in ruins over a 1000 years ago, but they were transformed by Abderramán III. In 1340 it was enlarged and turned into a fortress by the sultan Yusuf I of Granada. Over 100 years later the castle was sieged by the Catholic Monarchs Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon.
The squirrel
After having walked the wall all the way around I did another quick walk on the grounds. There is a café and a toilet, so had a quick stop before saying goodbye to the castle and starting my descent. This time I spotted the squirrel up among some rocks, so called for it while waiving my water bottle, in case it was thirsty. Amazingly, it ran up towards the little tree that were next to where I had given it water the day before. As I followed it there, I saw that there already was a bottle cap with water in the tree, left there by the street vendor. As he had not been there the day before, it all made a lot more sense. I felt grateful to this man for looking out for the little guy.
As it was already late afternoon I headed back to my new hotel and picked up my beach bag. My feet needed some rest after all that walking.
Day 4 Wednesday
My friend’s plane had been slightly delayed the day before, so he arrived after midnight. We still had to wake up at a reasonable time to make the hotel breakfast, and after we headed towards the Old Town. At the cathedral, we decided to get a ticket to have a look inside.
Málaga Cathedral
The Cathedral of Málaga is Roman Catholic and was built between 1528 and 1782. It is built in Renaissance architecture style, except the façade that is in Baroque style, and looks very mighty where it stands. The north tower is the second highest cathedral tower in Andalusia at 84 meters high.
There were a lot of people, but we took our time to look at the impressive sculptures, altars, and artwork inside. At the end there was a little gift shop, and I got a church coin in the machine, as I for some reason started collecting these years ago, my first one from Notre Dame.
Picasso Málaga Museum
Our next stop is an essential one if you like me is an art fan – the Picasso Málaga Museum. It took us some time to find it, with google map leading us in circles, but eventually we got there. We had walked right past it earlier, but been too preoccupied with the items in the gift shop across the street. The museum showcases his work in chronological order so you can follow his life from the start of his career to the end. There was also a side exhibition with photographs of Picasso himself in his later years.
Evening
Afterwards, we had an essential ice cream stop (though, sorbet for me) before heading toward the hotel past the Calle Larios shopping street.
Once back, we decided to check out the roof top pool. Not the same as the ocean, but very convenient when you need a break from walking. In the evening we went in search of a place to eat and came across a lucky find with great music, great food, and great staff, where our waitress even sat down with us at our table (on our next visit a few days later, it turned out she was the owner).
Day 5 Thursday
Since my friend had yet to swim in the ocean, we decided to spend the day at the beach before heading to the first day of the festival later in the evening. We had an awesome lunch at a seafood restaurant that seemed full of locals rather than tourists, where they luckily had one staff member that spoke English.
Andalusia Big Festival
Finally, it was time for the Andalusia Big Festival. It was a great first evening that we spent in front of the stage with some El Salvadorians we met there, watching Stereophonics and Franz Ferdinand. As I also wanted to see Suede, me and my friend went there afterwards to catch the rest of the show.
Day 6 Friday
As the day before had been a winning concept, we went for the beach this day again so that we could get some resting done before the second evening at the festival would kick off. Not recognising any bands besides Jamiroquai, we had a quick listen to all of them and the one I wanted to see was Sports Team. We made it there in time and as we waited at the front, as there was some technical issues, we met another woman from London who, like the El Salvadorians and I, had travelled there because of Muse. Sports Team turned out to be even better than expected with a super charismatic frontman and as we looked behind us half-way through the concert the few festival goers that had been there at the start had turned into a sea (or at least a lake) of people.
Day 7 Saturday – Muse
We continued with our tradition of beaching it before the festival, but this day I wanted to get there earlier. Having spoken to the El Salvadorians and the UK woman, I knew I had to be there earlier than planned to secure a good spot for Muse at the front. We got there a little bit later than I had wanted, at 6 pm, and there was already a lot of people waiting at the front. As my friend was not feeling well, I had him watch my spot before he went home so that I could take one last toilet break (as I knew I would not be able to move for the next 6.5 hours). This was my new record time for waiting to see a band, and I hope I will never have to beat it, but Muse were great as usual.
Day 8 Sunday
The festival was over, and my friend was luckily feeling better. After breakfast we were up for some exploring and we had the picture I had taken of the tourist map as a guide. We went to check out what the Pompidou Centre was and found that it was the centre of national art. We were not really in the mood for any more museums, so we went to check out what the Ayuntamiento was. It turns out that means City Hall, and inside the entrance it did not really look like a tourist destination, especially with the metal detector that you had to walk through. We gave that a miss.
Another Alcazaba entrance
Instead, we headed into the Old Town again and found a nice café that served vegan cake where we made a stop. After, we went inside the maze of roads inside the Old Town and found our way back to the Roman Theatre. As we noticed that the gate on the left of it that previously had been closed was open, we went up the stairs and followed what looked like a path to another entrance to the Alcazaba. It was, but the gate was locked and not open for visitors, so we started back down again and spotted another gate leading to a walking street going through a tunnel under the Alcazaba. Finding that gate locked as well, and not wanting to have to walk all the way down and up again on the outside, we looked like criminals sneaking through an opening in the fence. At least we did not have to climb any castle walls.
Up the hill – again
As my friend had not been up the hill yet, I had to walk it for a third time. When we reached the top, we found that the castle was free on Sundays, so we walked inside. This time I made sure we followed the path on the wall in the correct direction. Afterwards we had a drink at the café before heading back down, and once again I said hi to my squirrel friend. The street vendor was there looking after it, and to support him my friend bought one of the folding fans with the motif of famous paintings. Back in the Old Town we stopped for an ice cream and a sorbet again before making our way back to the hotel.
Later, we went in search of a place to have dinner and ended up at a restaurant at the beach where we had a seafood paella. Apparently not the national dish of Spain, but good, nevertheless.
Day 9 Monday
For our last day the weather was not going to be great, so it seemed the perfect day to rent a car and visit a place a colleague had recommended – the small town of Ronda. After some issues with the rental company demanding a £1000 deposit as we had bought the insurance through a third party, we finally got our car, took photos of all the little dents we could find, and got on the road.
Ronda
The drive was a bit over an hour and with the help of the GPS and some good tunes on the radio we got there, problem-free. We found somewhere to park, that turned out to be a short walk from the top of the shopping street Carrera de Espinel. The street had some interesting shops, cafés, and restaurants. We stopped for a coffee at one café before making our way towards the main attraction in town – the Puente Nuevo Bridge.
Puente Nuevo Bridge
As we were on top of the bridge, we could not see it in all its glory, so we took a right walking along the fenced and paved cliff edge path. Still not the best view of the bridge, but as we continued along the path, we got an amazing view of the valley below. The path continued along the valley, but we turned back to the little park we had passed on the way. My friend bought a gift from one of the street vendors, while I said hi to his dog.
Wanting to find the way down into the valley, we crossed the bridge and took the first road to the right, which we hoped would lead us there. It did.
Down the valley
Without issue we joined the other tourists following the winding path downward. We had definitely found the best view of the bridge, as it could be seen in all its glory with the little waterfall below. After some mandatory photo stops, we continued down toward the bottom of the bridge, until we reached a blockade. From there you could cross a narrow stone bridge without a fence to a little house, but as it was still a scary drop I refused. However, as we saw some people coming from the blocked off area, we decided to be rebels as well. We climbed the fence and met a couple that had continued all the way to the waterfall. That path did not look safe to me, so we stopped at a cliff half-way there.
Back up the hill, we found a little restaurant where we stopped for lunch. After, it was time to walk back to the car. As my friend wanted to go to Marbella, we left Ronda a different way than we had come. A couple we had met at the hotel pool said that route had been a scary drive. The road had a fence between the road and the drop, so I found it rather pleasant. Nothing compared to driving over that mountain in Lanzarote.
Marbella beach
We ended up in the middle of traffic chaos trying to find somewhere to park close to a beach. That was scary. After some bad luck, we finally found a place by luck where we took a five-minute stroll down to the beach. It was raining, so we where the only ones there. As it was not cold, we changed into our swimming clothes, and plunged into the ocean. The waves were high and a lot of fun. The water felt refreshing and what we needed after the traffic stress.
On the way back to Málaga we accidentally took a toll road, which was rather expensive, but we made it back to the rental car place rather easy. After a quick stop at the hotel, we went back to the restaurant with the friendly staff and great food we had visited the week before.
The morning after we took one of the first trains to the airport and made it back to the UK without drama. It had been a great festival, and a great trip all-in-all. Going to a festival abroad had been a winning concept that I hope I will repeat one day soon.
- September 2022
Good to know
The train (line C1) from Málaga airport is the best option to get to the city centre, as it is both quicker and cheaper than the bus. If you do decide to take the bus, it’s line A. Remember that you (at time of writing) need to wear a mask on public transport in Spain.
Toilets available inside the Alcazaba, Gibralfaro Castle and the Picasso Málaga Museum. Could not see any inside the Málaga Cathedral or the San Miguel Cemetery.
Links
https://visit-andalucia.com/roman-theatre-malaga/
https://www.andalucia.org/en/malaga-cultural-tourism-castillo-de-gibralfaro
path. The private lands were home to garden gnomes, an angry ogre that looked a lot like Shrek and a fairy cottage.
My friend tried a complicated technique of walking with one foot on each side. It is not to recommend, and she gave up that one quite quickly. Luckily, I spotted a fence hidden inside the hedge to the right, so another complicated technique was tried. Hanging on to the fence I managed to walk on top of the small water free patch of mud on the side without sliding into the water below.
A bit further on we reached what finally seemed like the proper countryside. The view was lovely with green fields and hills in the background. We had decided to take a shortcut as the whole route would turn out to be too long. We had not even made it halfway through yet, so when we saw a sign that said public footpath pointing to our left, we took a chance.
As we walked along the field on the other side of the gate we spotted something that looked a lot like a llama in the distance. As we got nearer, we saw it was not just one, but three of them. They were in a smaller enclosure and started walking up towards us when we got close. They stopped at a safe distance a few meters away and eyed us suspiciously.
The walk was still nice, and we saw some pretty early white flowers and an amusing sign warning us about ducks. The only downside was that the road went slightly uphill and it kept doing that for about 45 minutes. We were getting rather tired and it was a relief when we were finally back on the trail and the walk briefly turned flat again.
When I arrived at the airport in Prague my internet would not work, which I did not realise until I was at the ATM to get cash. Having no idea what the exchange rate was I went for one of the lowest options, just to see I was about to withdraw over £500 – way too much. I tried to cancel it, but of course I approved it instead. Great. How would I get that money back into my account back home in time to pay rent? Luckily it was over the limit of how much I am allowed to withdraw so it was not approved. Phew.
remembered incorrectly, so when I appeared above ground I was on unfamiliar territory. Google maps had to come out and I noticed a big park nearby. It was crazy hot outside so after a short walk over there I took a break at a park bench in the shade.
The metronome is 23 meters (75-foot) tall and was erected in 1991 on top of the plinth that had been left behind when a giant statue of Joseph Stalin was demolished in 1962. The metronome is functional but was not turned on when I was there.
As soon as I had crossed the river the heat got unbearable so instead I went to sit down under the Čech Bridge in the shade, dangling my legs over the edge. There were statues down the side of the bridge. The ones that were on my side were angels which are said to bless sailors leaving the town. On the other side the hydra guardian statues were to keep evil from entering the city. The bridge was constructed between 1906 and 1908.
previous visit to Prague, but never taken a closer look at.
The path took me to the back where there was a couple of more sculptures including one of a man with a massive scull on his back. At the back of the garden there were an outside exhibition of baroque tombstones. Apparently it was a popular place to get buried back in the days. As I had a look at the stones, I saw a couple come out from an open door, so I figured it was fine for me to go have a look as well.
early life she was used as a political pawn in arranged marriages that would never happen. She finally had enough and decided to devote her life to prayer and spiritual work with the help of the Pope.
The first room I came across inside the convent was dark with a high ceiling but nothing spectacular. The rest of the building was a lot better. There was no furniture but the design with the arches in the high ceilings were beautiful.
We met next to a weird yellow artwork by artist Jan Dostál in central Prague and as always it is great to catch up with a friend you do not get to see often enough.
The park is called Havlíček Gardens and I wanted to find a place called the grotto that looked really cool in the pictures. Though I was not in a hurry so decided to start with checking out an interesting looking building on top of the hill inside the park. It was surrounded by a vineyard and as I later looked it up it turned out to be a gazebo built by the landowner Moritz Gröbe at the end of the 19th century. If you want to taste wine from the surrounding vineyard you can do it in the restaurant underneath the gazebo.
It was slightly disappointing as I thought you could go inside, but from the outside it looks like a regular residential house, though a nice-looking old building I suppose.
£2 to go inside so it is definitely worth a second visit even though it is rather small. All they have is a rainforest section with exotic plants and a desert section with cactuses, but it still interesting to watch all the crazy looking flowers.
I used Google map to see if there was anything to explore in the neighbourhood and found quite a lot of places that looked touristy that I thought I would check out.
The Church of St Ignatius was just next door and as I reached the entrance, I realised that this was not really a tourist destination either. After I few moments of hesitation I decided to brave it and go inside anyway. I had been having too much bad luck and it being a church meant I would still be welcome inside.
Since I seemed to be on a very unfittingly described church crawl, I thought I could tick of one more – the Church of St. Katherine of Alexandria. It was just around the corner and a simple looking but nice building. I could not enter this one either. Though it is located inside a little park which was nice to have a stroll through and I came across some interesting looking wooden artwork.
I was walking down the many steps of a street called Albertov when I saw a little path leading thought some trees on the other side of the fence. I decided to follow it and it led me along a wooded area on the side of the hill.
Lucking out on the dinosaur bones I found some more stairs at the end of a road and decided to see where they would lead instead. They took me up to a little park with a spiral staircase leading up to the top of a brick wall. The explorer in me said I had no option but to climb those winding steps. It was scary as hell but I made it to the top and the even scarier top-of-the-wall with no fence.
The Ztracenka Garden is positioned on top of a platform overlooking Prague and translates to Lost Garden. The garden did not have any plants – only a few sculptures and a tree – but the truly spectacular thing about it was the fact that it felt like being on a ship suspended in the sky overlooking the world below. That the view is great is no doubt an understatement.
Starting to get more desperate for a restroom I had to find myself a bush to hide beside and almost made the mistake of having two youths on top of the brick wall as an audience. I continued down a side path which led to the bottom of the valley and luckily found myself a good place just in time. I hope I was not breaking any Czech laws.
The park at the bottom of the Nusle Valley is positioned under the Nusle Bridge – a highway that stands tall in the sky connecting Prague 2 with Prague 4. This park, called Park Folimanka, was nothing special either, but I can expect it is nice for local people to have a green area easily accessible.
the street heading towards the castle. We spoiled ourselves with a little coffee break in a cute little café before making it up the hill to the castle courtyard and the ticket office. You could choose between a guide speaking Czech or English, but with English for some reason being more expensive we went with the Czech one and I payed a little extra for an audio guide in English.
centuries.
Sunday together. My friend had been there before, but did not mind, and the weather was back to sunny.
alright, but nothing special. What caught my friend’s interest was the shop next door where you could buy the plants, some of them costing next to nothing. If only I could have fitted it into my hand luggage I would have been tempted as well.
greenhouse and finally made it there. No big bags were allowed inside so my friend had to leave his backpack behind the ticket desk to pick up on the way out.
On our way out we passed St. Claire’s Vineyard and a wine shop, but we were in need of food, not more beverages. After making our way into central Prague again and me being annoying with my food restrictions we finally found a place where we both could eat.
My plan was to go to the Hostivař Reservoir Beach which is a closed off swimming area that you have to pay about £4 to get into.
I spotted a few local people taking a dip in the water from this side of the lake, so I figured it was fine for me to do the same. As the path turned and the lake with it, I found a nice sunny clearing just next to the water’s edge which seemed perfect.
be able to get back up as it was about 1 foot between the surface and the land. I knew I could always swim to the pier but would have to temporarily leave my backpack which seemed a bit risky.
I saw a big fish doing a backflip out of the water again and wondered if it was for fun or if it was trying to escape something under the surface. I could also see that the turtle had gotten back on its branch in the distance and after a while I went back to take a photo. It saw me coming but stayed where it was for a few minutes before plummeting into the water again. I felt bad for disturbing it and left it alone for real this time.
The nature reserved is called Divoká Šárka and it is only a short bus ride from the city centre. The place is great for a hike or bike ride in beautiful surroundings and you can find hills and rugged cliffs as well as grasslands, creeks and apparently a small waterfall.
I walked a bit further and luckily made it to the right place where there were no naked people in sight. There was a little café that sold beer as well, plus a place where you could wakeboard along a line across the lake that looked a lot of fun. Had I not had my backpack I might have given it a go.
As I got there I saw market stands outside as well, but since it was freezing I decided to head into one of the hangars. Of course as a non-meat-eater I chose the one that would have put a shark into a feeding frenzy if it had legs and could breath air. The smell of it was too much for me though and I had to head back out into the cold. I did not want to risk heading into another hangar in case there were more than one hell. I had a quick look through the outside stands instead. I had wanted to find 
somewhere that sold ready-to-eat food but saw none so decided to just keep walking to see where I would end up.
like they were about to fall into a pile of rubble at any moment. Ok, a slight exaggeration, but only slight. My apartment building was really nice though with fencing around. The reason I had “missed” it was that the sign over the entry had a different name than that on my booking.
looked kind of spooky in the shadows of the street lights.
The river running through Riga is called Daugava and it flows through Latvia, Belarus and Russia. The path running along it was really nice to walk and the lit-up bridges in the distance was a stunning sight. There were a few places along the path that did not have a fence so I kept a safe distance from the edge as the dark river water looked rather scary in the cold. The bridges looked awesome up close as well and I walked until I reached the last one that was next to Riga castle.
city canal and follow it back towards the central square. On my way I came across an artwork with a digital clock counting down to Latvia’s 100th anniversary. In 1918 they gained independence from the Russian empire, which does sound like it is worth celebrating. With my lack of pre-trip-research I had missed that, but the Latvia 100 signs I had seen everywhere suddenly made sense.
soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence that took place between 1918 and 1920. The monument was unveiled in 1035 and is an important symbol of Latvia’s freedom and independence.
Freedom Monument which I now got to see in the day light. I crossed the Riga City Canal which location once upon a time held a wall protecting the Old Town. The area is called Vecrīga and it is also a UNISECO protected site.
Having a tourist map at my disposal I found the statue without problem. The statue is a rooster on top of a cat, on top of a dog, on top of a donkey. It depicts the Town Musicians of Bremen which is a fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm. It basically tells the story of the four animals scaring off a band of robbers on their way to Bremen where they plan to retire as musicians. The statue was a gift from Riga’s sister city Bremen in 1990 and I thought it rather cool.
inside I got as far as the ticket office. Since I could see into the church from there it felt unnecessary to spend money on a ticket. Had I known about the tower it had been a slightly different story. Yes, I do have a tower-climbing-obsession.
Bear. In the summer of 2018 there was a United Buddy Bear exhibition at another Old Town square with more than 140 of the colourful 2-meter-tall bears. They were there to set an example of tolerance and international understanding. The one I came across was designed by Latvian pupils. Though I had not come to the square to see the bear. I was there to visit the House of Blackheads.
But who were the Blackheads? The Brotherhood of the Blackheads was a guild for unmarried merchants, shipowners and foreigners in Riga. They used the cellars to store their goods and the historical cabinets at the first floor is where they would have held their meetings. Now there is an exhibition of silverware in of one the rooms which I had a quick look through. The cellar had been more interesting.
My next stop was Riga Cathedral that also goes by the name Dome Cathedral. It was built in 1211. I decided to have a look inside as well as it was not very expensive. The church’s interior was really nice, but my favourite part was the walk around the courtyard with the arched openings from where you could see the statues of men in various poses scattered about.
surviving gate which was built into the city wall in 1698 during the Swedish rule. Having Swedish roots myself it was on my must-see-list.
the roof top. Their tails are turned towards either the house of the Great Guild or the Riga Town Hall because the man who commissioned the building had a dispute with one of them depending on which story you believe to be true.
lots of great architecture to look at. It was better than my derelict part of town. Though to be honest I kind of loved staying there as it gave me a better view of Riga and it was definitely time to head back to my run-down part of town. I was exhausted and luckily at the time not knowing that the fire alarm would go off in my building at 4 am. It was a false alarm, but it took over an hour until the few of us staying there found out. Half asleep I made it to the airport the morning after with the same bus I had taken two days earlier.
Sure, there are a lot of big parks in London and I already wrote about a couple in “Richmond Park and Wimbledon Common – two giants in one go”, but this one I think is lesser known as everyone I mentioned it to had never heard of it. I found it by looking at a London map where I saw this big green area with lakes around Heathrow Airport. It is called Colne Valley Regional Park and after some quick research I was intrigued to explore it more.
Uxbridge was a really cute little place with a country town feel to it and we had a little walk around to find a coffee place before we headed to the park. My friend took out a map on the phone and led the way to the Grand Union Canal where we started out hike.
We followed it north and passed a lot of those long canal boats that people live on as well as a lot of nice looking houses with their back gardens facing the water. There were also two guys on kayaks paddling north. We outwalked them quite quickly and eventually reached the Denham Deep Lock where two people seemed to be trying to open it by spinning a wheel by hand. I have no idea how they did in the end as we kept walking.
packed lunch. Without success we headed back to the canal and sat down next to the water.
path on random we ended up crossing a little bridge that must have been over River Colne. Not long after we saw a bridge a lot bigger in the distance from where we could hear traffic. To avoid it we headed west and found ourselves on a street called The Pyghtle. We followed that to a cute little village where we decided to stop for dessert at one of the pubs. It really did feel like we were in the county side.
trespassing. Whoops. He was really friendly though and as we left the church grounds through the main gate we saw the big sign that said: “Trespassers will be prosecuted.” That could have ended up a lot worse than it did.
Town. I did not see any old looking buildings indicating any kind of Old Town – just a roundabout with a parking lot behind it and behind that the beach and the ocean. The parking lot was a disappointing sight. It ruined the view of a perfectly good beach. You would have thought there would be somewhere else where that parking lot could have been placed.
saw a place selling coffee. Sitting next to the road was way less appealing than the coffee shops in the little town center. Instead I found a side street that did look interesting. The buildings looked old so I assumed that I had found the Old Town. It was a cosy little street called George Street made with cobblestones and lined with little shops, pubs and restaurants. I found a little square with animal shaped artwork which seemed popular with the little kids hanging around. I liked them too, which makes sense since I am still part kid.
and jumped into the water. The waves were high and I had to keep an eye on them as I was floating in the water so I would not get dragged along and pulled under. It happened to me once when I was around 12 years old – a wave got a hold of me and then I got pulled along the bottom out towards the open sea. It was really scary, but luckily I managed to stand back up after a few horrifying seconds. I have always respected the water after that.
feeling I had taken a long detour up the hill to get there, especially when I saw a sign for the castle pointing down. It felt as though it was wrong. The other path leading up surely would be the correct one. I decided to trust the signs this time even though a couple of people behind me turned back around thinking it was the wrong way as well. It was not. I made it there and paid my £4.95 to get inside.
minute documentary that came with the entrance fee, but since I would have had to watch it with fifteen or so school kids around the age of nine, I opted out. I am not that much of a kid.
very children focused. There was also a bit of a scary touch to it and after the intro warning about ghosts a little girl around three years old turned around and headed back for the entrance. It took her parents some convincing to get her to come along in the end telling her ghosts are not real – but are they really sure about that?
Back in the daylight I went for a coffee at the café on top of the hill to enjoy the view and relax for a bit. After I took a stroll around the building and found what looked like some other sort of attraction. I headed inside and found myself at the West Hill funicular hidden underneath the café. There was a carriage about to head down the hill so I was asked if I was getting on. I said yes without having planned to do so. I paid the £2 at the bottom and saw that I had 10 minutes left before the one heading up the East Hill would close. I decided to see if I could make it there, figuring I could walk down after.
the ticket from the West Hill for the East One.
As I reached the bottom of the steps there was something going on. A lot of people were standing or sitting down along a narrow street. I asked a man with a big camera that looked like he could be local press what was going on and he said it was the Crown Lane Bike Race that was held in memory of local fisherman Jimmy Read killed by a hurricane in 1987.
but he got up on the bench next to me and kept me company until the train arrived about fifteen minutes later.
the next stop was the last one and I had gotten on the wrong bus. Luckily it was the right one and kept going to Nadrazi Veleslavin, which was the last stop towards the center. From there I jumped onto Metro Line A with my still valid 90 minute ticket. I almost felt like a local.
After about an hour of driving without explosions we reached a small Czech village with the tiniest church I have ever seen. We were not in the right place. The GPS seemed slightly confused. Eventually we found our way and dropped off the car before heading to the nearby train station. We crossed a river with a beautiful view 
to get there. I would not mind seeing more of the county side next time I am around.
As we were not far from the John Lennon Wall we headed there first. My friend had not been there in years and we got a bit turned around finding it. So as we strolled around the streets in the area we came across a little courtyard with a church in the back where we had a look in through the barred gate. I have no idea what it was called. Then a few moments later we found our wall.
1980s and when it was painted over by the authorities it was covered in poems and flowers already by the next day. In 2014 it was painted white by a group of students with the text “wall is over”. Now that is changed to “war is over” and the wall is once again covered in graffiti representing love and peace and it is a popular tourist attraction. I thought it was kind of cool.
After that my friend took me to the nearby Wallenstein Garden that was designed in the 17th century. We had a look inside the sala pavilion, a kind of stage with three walls and ceiling that are covered in da Vinci-style art. The garden itself is filled with neatly cut hedges, statues, fountains and peacocks. There is one peacock there that sticks out among the others as it is completely white.
of them had an English section and there were some interesting antique books. I almost bought one until I decided I do not actually need it. Then we met up with a friend of my friend and went out for a few drinks. When it is holiday, it’s holiday.
there are a steep walk up the paths in the park called Petřín Hill, or you can take the funicular up to the top. As my friend just lived at the bottom of the hill we took the more exhausting option. It did not help that it was still 25 degrees Celsius outside, but somehow we made it up there. We passed the Mirror Maze that looks like a castle out of a Disney movie from the outside. I decided to skip it as it felt more like a kid’s place.
soon I had bought my ticket and was climbing up the steps of the tower. Half way up you could get out and have a look at the view, so I did.
different country that sold a local dish or drink. Can you guess which one that sold tea? We did not get any tea, but bought a coffee in a coffee wagon and I was surprised to find dairy free milk options, as the last time I went to Prague I could not find decaf coffee anywhere and milk options felt like a step up.
castle district and to actually go inside the buildings. I found my way easily and made a stop at the Belfry Tower that my friend recommended I head up.
was used by the State Security to keep an eye on the American and Yugoslav embassies as well as the access route to the West German one. The tower was also used by the Secret Police until the 1990’s.
places. I passed a lot of little cute shops, cafés and restaurants on the way before reaching the gates at the top.
to see inside. I went onto St George’s Basilica instead which looks awesome from the outside as it is all pink. It was founded in 920 and is the oldest surviving church building within the Prague Castle area. I walked around that one quite quickly as well so when I got outside I was in explore mode again.
I found my way to the South Garden that runs almost 500 meters along the castle and overlooking Prague. It is the garden I had seen from atop the Belfry Tower and it was a perfect spot for a nice hot day. The place was renovated in 1912 to look like it originally did in 1920 and it holds three different gardens: Paradise Gardens, Garden of the Ramparts and Hartig Garden. It was a lovely place to stroll through and I even came across a couple taking wedding photos. I got some great photos myself – of Prague and the South Garden, not the couple.
the brilliant idea to run up the steps just to get it over with and though it kind of worked I was so out of breath when I got up to the top that it took me five minutes to recover.
alchemists never worked or lived there. The houses were painted in bright colours in the 1950’s and are now a really cute looking street which houses holds museums showing medieval armour and weaponry, as well as displays of old workshops and homes. Of course there are also the obligatory souvenir shops.
ceiling. I realised I had not needed a ticket to see that bit and felt a bit cheated. Though it gave me access to take a lap around inside so I gave my ticket and tried to walk slowly to get my money’s worth. It took me about five minutes. Luckily the tickets had not been that expensive, and I had enjoyed the Golden Lane so it had not really been a waste of money. The free South Garden and the 150 CZK South Tower had been my favourites though and I recommend them together with good shoes and good legs.
Cemetery and the area around there. We had visited last time I was in town, but it is a really nice place to relax with less tourists so I did not mind going again.
this time around as it was being restored, but I would not mind paying a visit again next time. The oldest part of the clock dates back to 1410 and it celebrated its 600th anniversary with a spectacular light show 8 years ago that my friend had been lucky enough to go to.
museum I saw a street that looked familiar so I headed up that way in search of my café. It was right there next to the canal and not as hidden as I had remembered it. Though it might have changed name to Piknik Park. There was a little green space next to it as well with a statue of a naked lady I did remember, plus some graffiti of Pikachu that probably was new.
As I headed back towards Charles Bridge I came across a really nice area with a hotel and a few restaurants with outside tables. It was surprisingly not very busy, but maybe the tourists get too distracted by Charles Bridge to actually see the steps leading down to this nice little oasis.
I managed to make my way forward and passed people selling paintings and touristy trinkets. As I made it to the middle of the bridge the sky suddenly opened up and buckets of water started pouring down upon us. Most people started hurrying away from there as the vendors covered their stalls with plastic sheets. I kind of liked getting a bit more space, but got a bit worried that more people would want to climb up the tower to escape the weather. As I got to the other side of the bridge I realised that the tower does not have tourist access and from what I could see not even an entrance.
of trees, boats and houses, which you can find along the river pretty much everywhere, but the Kinsgston path has more of a coastal village feel to it for some reason. At least from where I started which was at Kingston Bridge and from there I was following the Thames Path north. My goal was to make it all the way to Barnes, but as you might have guessed by the headline I did not make it even half that way.
As I walked under Kingston Bridge I unexpectedly entered a park called Canbury Gardens. Not a massive park, but there was a pathway just next to the river where the shadow from the trees made it look slightly surreal and awesome. At the other end of the park there was an interesting looking pub called The Boaters Inn. I kept walking as I had not planned to stop anywhere until I reached one of my new favourite London cafés called Petersham Nurseries that is located just outside of Richmond and a few stone throw from the river (actually quite a lot of stone throws or more like a four minute walk).
After passing a few boats, some more houses and walking along a quiet road for a bit I finally reached a trail that was lined with trees again. For some reason the biggest one was fenced in and had a big sign in front of it. It had me intrigued and upon reading it I find out that there used to be a 500 year old tree at that exact spot that was taken down due to its dangerous conditions and replaced in 1952. Locally it is known as The Half Mile Tree as it marks the distance to Kingston town.
and had a carefree looking bird lying on top. Lucky bird to manage securing such an awesome holiday home.
realised it was better to leave it alone and hoping the parents would hear its calls.
Houseboats lined my side of the river and there was a walking bridge to the other side of the Thames, but also to the island in the middle that I felt intrigued to explore. I headed over there and the first thing I did was finding myself an awesome little beach. I sat down for a bit to soak in the sun and enjoy the view. Afterwards I went over to have a closer look at the constructed mini waterfall at the barrage. Water really is impressive and rather scary (says the River Thames kayaker).
Next I reached a woodsy area where some of the trees were rather amasing looking as they were standing in the river with its branches hanging out and touching the surface of the water.
After that the path turned boring. Mainly because I could not see the river anymore – my view was blocked by trees – but also because for some reason they had turned the trail into asphalt. It was probably to make it less muddy and easier for cyclists, but I did not like it. I started daydreaming about my coffee at Petersham Nurseries that were now only about an hour away. To make it more interesting I veered off the path once in a while to have a look if the river was still there or to see what were hiding on the other side of the trees in the area called the Ham Lands. No, unfortunately it was not filled with roaming pigs.
there was a beutiful young raven standing in the shallows. I decided to enjoy the view with my packed sandwich, so I parked myself on a bench next to the river’s edge.
Just another hundred meters down the road the tide had risen so much that it was covering the whole path. I followed another couple in to the trees thinking that there would be a way around it, but nope, in there it was even worse. It was like a tiny flood crossing the path in front of us that was pouring into a stream on the other side of the fence next to us. I debated whether it was worth taking my shoes off and cross it anyway, but that is when I realised the guy climbing the fence with his bike probably had come from this direction. Maybe it was even a shortcut to the café that was pretty much just around the corner at this point. I decided to give the detour a go.
As I climbed into the horse enclosure I felt as if I was trespassing. When the two horses that were in there did not seem to care that I was in their territory I figured that they were used to people passing and it would be fine. I think I was right because there luckily was a way to get out on the other side.
“inland” instead because the pathway heading that way looked intriguing as well. From there I found another narrow path that was between two high wooden fences. It felt as if I was in a maze and that I could end up pretty much anywhere. Luckliy I ended up next to a sign that pointed me to Petersham Nurseries, but by now it was already 5 pm. I went there anyway to check if it was still open, but as I had suspected it was not. I had missed it by a minute. Ok, so that coffee dream was down the drain. If you are ever in the area the place is definitely worth a detour, especially on a weekday when it is less crowded. Just make it there before 5 pm.
I walked on top of the brick wall to stay away from the muddy ground.
Passage as I was amased by the river at full tide extreme.
TRIPPER OF LONDON 