Next stop Salamanca , University Town and World Heritage Area

In Salamanca we found the oldest University ever built in Spain, its construction started in the early 13th century , where they had a few students. But the major works were done in 1415 to 1435, so many of Spain's scholars, artists and famous figures attended this important cradle of learning. It is amazing if you consider that the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus was in 1492 .

It is a beautiful town, with an amazing Central Plaza ( Plaza Mayor) the buildings of the University (still in use) house all the different faculties , and there are still 30,000 students attending this world heritage centre, so it is amazing to see the young generation within these old buildings.

We loved the atmosphere , the history and the beautiful buildings like the Cathedral , Casa de las Conchas ( the old library) , the old students hospital and the paved streets.

Our travels in lovely Spain

La Coruna ( Galicia)

Our first stop in Spain , after a brief stop in Madrid was to Northern Spain where our family live , it was great to catch up after six years and see Stella , Damian and the kids .

My lovely nephews and niece, los little gallegitos..........

Santiago de Compostella ...

A very old historical and religious town 100 km south of Coruna, where a religious pilgrimage was  under way   since it was the week before the date of the Saint , and a big celebration takes place every year.

Santorini

What can I say about this diamond of the Aegean, at first I was a bit of a sceptic . I thought maybe my expectations were set too high and that no place could be so fantastical. But I was so wrong , the island, the people , the views and the atmosphere were without words .

I really enjoyed the experience of riding around the island with a cuad bike , and the cruise that we did to the volcano and to view the sunset underneath Oia , the beautiful white coloured town  on the cliff with marble footpaths. We also had the opportunity to swim from the sailing boat to the hot springs that are found around the volcano.

Hope the photos give everybody a brief glimpse of this amazing place .

The Greek Islands

Mykonos

What a great place , the people , the island , the amazing little town with its paved streets and white walled houses. Remember the Kings of Mykons ( Wog Boy 2) it only showed a glimpse of what the island has to offer , not to mention the party atmosphere for the young .

Athens

We arrived in Athens after a 3.5 hour flight from London, crossed over Europe and had some great views of the Alps we managed to get some great photos from the plane.

What can we say about Athens, it is a big city with modern and ancient buildings all co existing in the one place. We are staying in the Plaka district which is the old part of town, and from our hotel we have the most amazing view of the Acropolis sitting on the hill over looking all of Athens. It is no wonder that the Ancient Greeks picked this particular hill to build this amazing place with temples dedicated to all their gods like Athena, Zeus and Apollo just to name a few.

On our second day in Athens we had a tour organised , so we visited all the sights including the Old Olympic stadium , site of the first modern Olympics in 1896 Panatinakous. Then we went to the temple of Zeus , Hadrian's Arch a monument to the Roman Emperor as well as the New Parliament and Syntagma Square . But the highlight of our tour was the New Acropolis Museum where they discovered ancient Athens . At the time they started building the museum they discovered this ancient city , so they built the floor all of glass so the archeologist could continue with the excavations underneath the building . So as well as enjoying all the ancient monuments and parts of the parthenon that they have on display to protect them from the elements , you can see the old city on the underground  level.  

The next stop was the Acropolis , and what an amazing place. There are no words to describe the Parthenon or the temple of Athena , except that it is the most spectacular building from Ancient times, I can only imagine what it would have been like in its glory days. The photos will give you a small glimpse of what it is like, but it needs to be seen ......

Back to London through Stratford Upon Avon

On the way back from Scotland down the M6/M40 , we could not miss the town where Shakespear was born, Stratford upon Avon. After all this is the Mecca for all those Shakesperean's out there , and none more so than Vanessa . Here are some photos for you chuky , some day you will be able to visit and see for yourself.....

Tour to Sterling Castle, William Wallace monument & Loch Lommond

We could not leave Scotland without visiting the Wallace monument and one of the famous Loch's , it wasn't the one with the monster but it was the more picturesque one , Loch Lomond.  It was a great tour our driver was funny and he even sang all the traditional songs and taught us a few words in Gaelic. It was fortunate that he had lived in London for a few years so his accent was not as strong . We also visited Stirling Castle , where most of the Kings of Scotland lived , including Mary Queen of Scots.                                                                             

                                                                                                    Cruising Loch Lomond

Stirling Castle

  William Wallace monument .

A trully beautiful country , amazing scenery and very charming people.....