Norte Espana

  Day 1

Today we got up early and finished packing our huge green backpacks while Dada went to ge Pia (our  car). We he got back we packed everything into Pia and set off to..... Mercadona! Mercadona??? Ohhh, we just went there to get some car snacks, our real stop was ages away! After grabbing some pringles we set off for real. We drove for hours and hours through very smoky and dusty hills. Some of the fields were black from where the fires had been the days before. After many hours we arrived at Merida, an very old town with lots of amazing Roman ruins. We found a restaurant near a cool Roman arch and had some lunch. It must always be crazy hot in Merida because there are water misters along all the streets to keep you cool. We continued our journey to Salamanca! Not the market in Hobart but the city in Spain :) And after we had parked the car we went to find our house. Our apartment wasn't very far away, just a couple of metres, but when we got there we couldn't open the building door. So we waited for someone else to open it and then we caught the door before it closed and we walked in. Once we were inside we took the elevator to the 4th floor. Once we had opened the door and dropped off our bags we went back out to explore the city. When we were exploring the city we passed some really cool but but old things and plus the Plaza de Meyor, this really cool square with carvings of animals and stuff. Moving on from the plaza we passed what we thought was the cathedral but it was actually the university! It had so many cool carvings nad next to it was this shell house. The shell house had carved shells on it. I was expecting actual shells, no lines or carved ones! We could go in but it was already late so we just went to the shops, got some sandwiches and went home to our rooms (this apartment had 4 bedrooms so we got one each) and went to bed. 

Day 2

Today we got up from a little sleep in, had breakfast and set off again. This time we went back to Plaza Meyor and got these big maps of the old town. Once we got the maps we started to make our way through the city passing statues, old houses, the Casa Muerte and we went into the shell house and there were some actual shells inside. We went in the cathedral where we got to walk on the roof and in the towers (well, Dadda and I did... Esther was too scared of heights and Mumma stayed with her). In the cathedral we saw inside with all the golden things, statues and red velvet covering on the seats. It was amazing. I loved it.

We also went into this museum after the cathedral. The museum had this amazing glass roof. It had heaps of colours and all around the rooms there were pictures, bronze and glass statues and vases. Upstairs there were all these creepy dolls and a cafe with a really cool glass wall. Esther and I got hot chocolates (cola caos). The museum was all about art nouveau. After the museum we did a bit more wondering around before going home and having dinner before bed. 

Day 3

Today we had another moving day we got up early, paced up, said our last good byes to Salamanca and left for O Pozo. It was 2 hours in the car before stopping at this town where we skated for a while, going around and around the pump track. After a while we got tired so we went to climb on these rock climbing letters for around 10 minutes before going back for one final lap of the track before getting in the car for another 3 hours. Then we got to our stop - O Pozo. We got out of the car, stretched our legs and then we saw them standing there. In a cage. The cutest little baby... OSTRICHES! Yes! Real ostriches. They had markings on their heads and feathers. Then, past the ostriches and through a little gate were chickens (with little chicks!), peacocks and ducks (one duck had a judge haircut!). Then came the goaties! A mummy goatie, a baby goatie and Butty, the (slightly) big(ger) boy goatie. Butty was my favourite. He kept on coming up to us, stopping and then butting us! It didn't hurt and was really cute. Mummy goatie and baby goaties liked eating my skirt and laces. Then we had to find our room so we left the animals in peace. 

Our room only had 4 beds and a bathroom because there was a shared kitchen and we ate outside. We wanted to explore some towns around us so we left our room and ended up in Ponte Vedra. There we had a look around the cute streets and we all had a look in a bombed out cathedral with these tombs and more. After the church we had a bit more of a look around before going back home, having a delicious dinner and going to bed. 

Day 4

Today we started off with a quick trip to the animals (there were also guinea pigs, a rabbit and this mysterious creature that we didn't know what it was) and went to Vigo. At Vigo we had a look around and it was a bit...dud. There were some cool buildings but not as many as other places and the streets were quite dirty and modern so we left pretty quickly. Our next stop was this beach, but oh no! 3 problems! 1. there are no parks! Mumma, Esther and I had to walk down to the beach while Daddy found a park, but here comes problem number 2.... At the beach everyone was... arrrghh... shield your eyes... NAKED!! Normally in Spain you will see 1 or 2 people naked but not the whole beach! But the water was too clear and the sand too sparkly not to go! Which brings us to problem 3. Our bathers were still in the car and who knows how far away that was (I wasn't going to go naked!). Luckily Dadda came to the rescue! He had the bathers and towels and had just run down from the car. We asked him how far away Pia (our car) was and he said around 3kms! But anyway, let's worry about that later. Now its time for a swim. So we found a spot, put on our bathers (even though almost everyone else was naked we were not going to be) and went for a quick dip! It was FREEZING! So we quickly got out and wrapped ourselves in a towel and and made the BIG journey back to Pia. Once we finally got there we got back in the car and went to this fishing town called Combarro. 

Almost as straight as we got there we noticed something new. There were like these little houses above ground near the big houses. After we saw like 20, Mumma went on the phone and looked up what they are and it turns out that they were actually used for storing grain and the reason they were above the ground was to stop rats getting into them. We also noticed that there were not many carparks here either, so when we found one we thought we were really lucky because if we hadn't found one, we would have to leave without seeing the town properly! 

Now that we had found a park we had to get some lunch before we starved to death. So we went to the bakery that Mumma had looked up, but by the time we got there, there was hardly any food left! So we just got empanadas (Spanish pies), and went down into the old town. The old town was really cute and we really liked exploring the little streets that ended right in the sea! We took heaps of photos. After a while we left though because there was nothing else to do. 

Now we were going to our last stop of the day, Santiago de Compostela. There we found a carpark and started to explore the windy streets and the cake! While we were exploring we passed this HUGE cathedral and palace. There were all these people doing walks! It turns out that a reason lots of people come to northern Spain is to do a really long camino (a walk). There are lots of these walks and the people doing them are called pilgrims. They all end in Santiago because of the big cathedral. Santiago was a town cool enough for the Holmstroms to have burgers for dinner in this restaurant that had there mirrors and green walls. But if it was late enough to have dinner, it was time to go home we we left the town and went home. 

 Day 5

Today was another day of driving. So we packed up and went to this place called A Coruna where we found a cool church, cute houses and a cool lighthouse. Sadly we couldn't get into the light house but the views were good anyway. Ohhh did I forget to tell you that the reason we really wanted to go in it was because it was 2000 years old?! And that makes it the oldest continually used lighthouse in Europe and maybe even the world!! But since we couldn't go up and we had seen everything else worth seeing, we left. 

Our next stop was Rinlo, this little town with really clear water and some cool cliffs on the other side of the bride. There we also saw some crabs, lobsters and prawns. It was a fishing village. But that was about it so we left. 

This time when we stopped it was the place we were going to stay a campsite that we had booked a glamping tent to stay in. But before we could go there we had to sign in at this cabin near the supermarket, pool and restaurant. After we had done that we back in Pia to drive to our tent, On the way we passed soccer fields, caravans and pods before we parked the car, dropped our stuff on in the tent, had a little explore then hopped back in Pia to go to the actual shops (not the campsite supermarket!). We got stuff for dinner, ate dinner and went to bed. 

Day 6

Now we have woken up and gotten ready for a big day. It wa sa bit os a drive to our first stop, Salinas. We skated here for more than an hour. The skatepark had good acid drops, drop ins, bowls and this huge pipe (it was actually part of an old wind farm!). It was awesome except for the other skaters (they were really good but the park was so busy!) There was nothing we could do so when our time was up we left to...

This town which, of course, didn't have any parking we we had to park maybe 2km away! And then it happened while we were walking down the hill we saw it go a fast, even faster, than a hungry chicken when it spots pasta - a mini car! It was driving down the street so fast we thought it was going to crash! But it didn't. Well not that we saw because it turned a corner. After that thrilling moment we got to the town and, wow! It was adorable! And as we got deeper into the town it got even prettier! We walked around the top of the town stopping for pictures of the town from above and going down to the clear water. Then we waited in line for aaaaggggggeeeeessss at this restaurant. Then we finally found a table and ate this hhhhuuuuuggggggeeeeee steak with cheese and ham on it (capocho). We all shared one! After we finally finished and paid, we got an ice-cream for the walk back up the hill to Pia and went home. 

At home we put on our bathers and walked to the pool at the campsite. Esther and I played for maybe an hour going up and down, up and down and giving each other rides before we got cold and sat on the grass for a bit then going back to the tent. After a rest we went back out to a city called Gijon. Gijon is famous for apple cider. So once we got there we had a look around, found a market where Dadda and I got apple cider (I got one with not alcohol!) then we explored some more around the streets. We watched this skater for a bit because he was doing cool tricks on this pyramid thing. Then we went back to the market, got some crepes for dinner and went home. 

DAY 7

Today we got up, got ready and left for this lake.. but... OH NO! We couldn't go there! There were already too many people going! So we went to see if there was another way... Yes! There was! We could park our car closer to the lakes and catch a taxi to the lake! But... OH NO! We couldn't park our car anywhere so we just left. 

Our next stop was a city known for apple cider (another one, called Oviedo). So when we go there we tried maybe 15 different places to go and get a proper apple cider and lunch, but of course all the places were full! So we just got pizzas. Then after eating we went to explore. While we were exploring we tried to find 170 statues. We only found 30 of them but it felt like a lot! One of the statues we found was of Mafalda (a comic character) and she was sitting on a bench looking at this pond with ducks and turtles in it. So we got a picture with Mafalda looked at the turtle and ducks for a bit and decided to go home. Esther and I made dinner! It was a big platter picnic! 

DAY 8

Today we got up early, hopped in Pia, said goodbye to our glamping tent and went to this beach but we didn't swim. We just waited and waited for this very special van. Anyway, while Mumma and Esther were on the toilet, Dadda and I saw this very special van! And it was when it stopped that I saw THE BENNETTS!!!! It was amazing! I hadn't seen them in so long! We hugged and gave presents and Maya gave us a tour of the van. We saw the fridge, the kitchen, the toilet and the beds. Then when the grown ups were sitting around eating, us kids went to the beach together, There we played lands and ninjas. It was really fun but then we decided it was time to go back to our caravan house. Once we got there we got some lunch and hopped in the van and went to a skatepark together. At the skatepark I dropped in the bowl and started doing that right away. It was really fun and I got so much speed. After a bit of that we went down the this old pump track that you could get around it in about 13 seconds! It was really fun because it felt like you could get air on the little bumps. But then Maya, Esther and I got called back to the main park where Luna and the grown ups were because we were going to try 50 50s and some other tricks on the mini ramp there. Once we were there we saw Luna and Esther doing all these tricks and seeing how many tricks they could do it a row. It was really cool. After a couple of tries of the 50 50 I got a bit bored and decided to go down to the rock climbing wall. I was practicing traverses. That's when you climb from one side to another without touching the ground. The wall was quite hard in some parts but other parts were easy. Then we decided that we needed to go and find a park for our vanso we hopped in again and went to our next stop together! St Vicente. 

There, us kids were sent out to find where everything was. After a look around we went to the beach and had a swim. It was great! Then we ate some dinner and were told to do the washing up. It was really fun. I was the rinser, Esther was the soaper, Maya was the inspector and Luna supervised. When we had finished we had a little play at this park then we went back to the van for a sleep. 

DAY 9

Today we got up early for a surf. So we got up, put our wetsuits on then headed to the beach. I went on my boogie board first and then on the surf board. I got some really good waves on both. We stayed in the water for more than an hour before getting out. We played on the beach for a while before getting back into the water without the boards. We were swimming between the flags but the currents were so strong they could knock you over even in the really shallow water. 

After the beach we went back to the van and had some lunch. Then we went to find a new skatepark. The first one we tried was a construction site so we left and went to another one. Once there I had a go on the surf skate and Luna started to teach Esther how to do disasters (a skateboarding trick). Maya was just skating and practicing her thing. I did not want to stop on the surf skate on the pump track. I loved it and was getting some air! Scott even got his professional camera out and took professional photos of us! Once we had finished at the skatepark we went back to the van. But, oh no! It started raining! How were we going to get our ice cream now?? Luckily when we got back to our campsite we saw that there was a bar cafe thing open and that we could sit inside there and not get wet. On the way back Dadda and I bought some bread (we had to ask the lady for the baguettes) while the others walked straight back. When we got home we had delicious spaghetti bolognaise for dinner before going to bed. 

DAY 10

Today we got up and packed up ready to go on to our next stop. Our first stop on the way to our next stop was the smallest beach in the world. But it wasn't in my opinion. Yes, thee water bit was small but the actual beach was quite big. But actually the most amazing thing about it was that it was behind a cliff. It was like it was inland! There was this cave thing around it and this little river that leads into the sea. So we took some photos so we wanted to get a better photo from up ahead. Plus there were lots of people going up above the beach and we wanted to see what they were doing so we followed. When we went to the top of the beach you could actually see the sea! It looked very rough and messy and there were bits of yellow sea foam in there. But you could actually see where the cave started that lead to the beach. It was quite cool but we had to keep moving to get to our next stop. So we went back to the car and drove to this surf beach. Luna, Esther, Maya, Daddy and I were on the beach first because the mums making lunch and Scott was surfing. When we got down there we decided to do something for Open Your Eyes and Sea. So we got our chip packet and started looking for rubbish. 3 pieces of rubbish was worth a pigeon feather. Soon we had collected so much rubbish that we had run out of feathers! But that didn't stop us! We just kept on collecting rubbish! Then the mums came with pasta for lunch. Then we walked to where Scott was surfing, collecting rubbish and drawing things in the sand along the way. Only Scott could surf because the water was so rough! Finally Scott came out, we hopped back in the car and went to our final, big stop. Well, actually we went to a skatepark first! We went to the skatepark that Esther, Dadda and I went to another day at Salinas. It was the one with the big pipe. It was really bust last time we went but this time there was hardly anyone when we got there. I had another go on the surf skate. I was going around these little bowls and practicing getting speed without pushing. And sometimes I passed Esther and Luna. Luna was still trying to teach Esther disasters. Maya was workingo n front sides. Then Maya saw it, the most adorable, really CUTE puppy! She showed me and I thought it was adorable too! It was so soft and happy! Before we left, Maya wanted to say goodbye to it. So we did and then we left. 

After the skatepark we went to our campsite. It was pouring! We had to stay in the van while the grown ups set up. We could get out when dinner was ready but after dinner we went back into the van and went to bed. 

DAY 11

Today we got up and surprisingly it wasn't raining! Yes! Thus was good for plans! It meant that since we had finished breakfast fast we could go to the beach. So off us kids went! Yes again! At the beach there was the perfect start for Fort Bennettstrom! Esther Luna and Maya were working on the actual structure. I had given myself a challenge. I was going to tile the whole corridor and the room at the end. So I set to work, carrying rocks to the corridor and then laying them out. Then the grown ups came and I got workers! Mumma and Dadda started getting the rocks for me. But then they started working on the actual house again and I was going back to work on my own but then Maya started helping me and we finally finished the Hall of Rocks! Then, once everyone came back the Bennettstrom Fortress was declared open. After the grand opening we took a video of everything including the Hall of Rocks, the Grand Archway, the Big Stick, the Little Cubby with the fire and Maya even showed them the dog kennel (a crayfish box). And then we moved on. 

Our next stop was this restaurant where we ate cochopo which is this yummy meat and cheese thing and croquettas. Then we went to the mountains... but oh no! On the way there we went to a petrol station and when we tried to start Pia after filling her up with petrol she wouldn't work! We tried starting here over and over again. We even tried roll starting her but nothing worked! So we called the mechanic and they took Pia away with Mumma and Dadda. Esther and I had to go in the van. So after we said our goodbyes and Esther, Luna, Maya, Julia, Scott and I went in the van to this town to stay for the night. There was this skatepark. It was all going well until! Ohhh no! Luna had fallen and hurt her arm! It must have really hurt because she had fallen off a big ramp. We went to see if she was okay because it really looked like she had broken her arm. She said it hurt (no wonder!). So after that we packed up and when Luna was feeling better we went to this park where Luna and I took turns pushing each other on the wheelchair swing and figuring out how good the other things were (we gave the seesaw a one, it hardly moved!). When we were finished we went to this pizza place for dinner, had dinner and spoke in Spanish the whole time until we went back to the van and went to bed. 

DAY 12

Today we woke up and did some obstacle courses around the skatepark before going in the van and driving to this berry farm. There we got tubs and Julia and Scott gave each kid a walkie talkie before going on our picking adventure! We filled like 2 tubs full to the brim with blueberries (we probably ate the same amount as we picked!) then we filled another tub with raspberries and blueberries before stopping at the aMAZEing maze. The first time in there us kids went in pairs. Then we went in alone maybe 5 times, occasionally bumping into each other. But on the last one, Maya got lost so we went into to look for her but then she said she was at the end of the maze so anyone who hadn't gone back into the maze went around the outside to meet her and wait for the others to come out. After that we went back into the berries and picked a few more, then went back to the counter and got an ice-cream each, paid and hopped back on the car. We watched Harry Potter 1 until lunchtime. For lunch we stopped at a petrol station that had a cafe at the back of it. So when we got there we ordered and the Mumma and Dadda came! They said Pia was fixed! Yay! Now we could continue on our journey. So we got our lunch and ate it in the car before reaching our destination, the outskirts of Bilbao. We were really lucky because here there is a really cook indoor skatepark called UK skatepark. It was closed but they opened it up and let us have a go. At the beginning we were the only people in the whole place! But more people came and we were tired so it was time to go. We parked the car in the caravan spot near a creek. We made a cubby, watched some soccer and played before walking to a restaurant and having burgers for dinner before going back to the van and going to sleep. 

DAY 13 

The next morning we woke up early and went to Bilbao. Once there we had to park the car. It was hard! So the kids and Mumma got out and walked to the Guggenheim museum! It is a really famous art place and when we got there we took a million photos with the huge dog covered in flowers that is outside the museum. Then we met up with other other parents and went inside. Inside we saw all these artworks and sculptures. At one point we were in this room that had these metal things in it and you could walk in them and they made noises sound funny (at one stage we thought we might lose Maya in them and I was really stressed). We went through like 20 of them before moving on. But time moves quickly and we rushed through the rest of the museum and had to say goodbye to the Bennetts!!!! Oh no! I was going to miss them! 

Once that was over and we had had a good look at the big spider sculpture, we got a doughnut and and drink and looked around Bilbao. Then we hopped back in Pia and drove to Zarautz. When we got there Dadda, Esther and I went to the beach while Mumma walked around. At the beach we body surfed and played in the water until Mumma came back. When she did we dried off and went back home for dinner and some sleep. 

DAY 14

Today we got up and went to the skatepark in Zarautz (I didn't like it very much so I didn't do much skating but Esther did). After skating we hopped back in Pia and drove to Biarittz, this town in FRANCE! But... oh noooooo! It was POURING but we are tough so we put on our raincoats and went to explore the town. In the town we looked at lots of shops, bought this big towel and had the BEST BURGERS we had EVER had! They had the right heat, amazing cheese and weren't burnt or raw. But it was still raining so after the burgers we went back to Pia and drove to San Sebastian (back in Spain). And guess what? It wasn't raining there! But it was still wet from when it had rained so things were a bit slippery (Mumma nearly slipped twice!). There we had a doughnut, cookie and special Bask cheesecake at a cafe on one of the windy streets. Then we did the climb (the walking type of climb) to the top of the mountain to get some pictures of the bays of San Sebastian. Before climbing back down, getting some pinox (what they call tapas in San Sebastian) and going back to Pia, we passed this marching band with people dressed up... But just a minute.. there were heaps of them! It was pretty fun. Then we got back to Pia, drove to Zarautz and went to bed. 

DAY 15

Today we woke up, got ready and left Zarautz. We drove for about 2 hours before having our first proper stop. It was this skatepark with a HUGE bowl. Esther dropped in the deepest part easily and I was dropping in the other parts. It was really fun and we were kind of sad to leave but we had to continue our journey. So we hopped back in Pia and drove to our hotel in Segovia. But after we had put our things down we figured out that we were on the outskirts of the town so we walked into the town. We saw the biggest and the best aquaduct (a bridge for water) made by the Romans. It was amazing with domes stacked on each other. It was amazing. But there was more to the town so we kept on walking. Next we found this square with heaps of colourful buildings. We took some pictures then we figured out that the cathedral was behind us so we did a lap around it. It was a weird building in that is was half plain and half decorated. Once we were back in the square we got an ice-cream and went to dinner (on the way we passed a house covered in pyramids). The dinner place was a cool mexico themed place. There we had some tacos before walking home. Of course we took some pictures of the city at night (it was really pretty!)! When we got home it was really late so we went to sleep. 

DAY 16

Today we left Segovia and went to a special place. But first we had to stop at a skatepark of course! It had three or four bowls and some bike riders. After a bit of skating in the dud bowl we decided to be brave and share with the bike riders in the other 3 bowls. They were awesome! Esther and I dropped in the deep end of the bowls (but not the big vert bit) and it was really fun. Unfortunately though we had to go, so we went back to Pia and drove to our next stop... another skatepark! At this skatepark Esther continued working on disasters and I worked on 50 50s. But soon enough we got tired so we got back in Pia and drove to... wait for it... CORDOBA! It. Was. Beautiful! There were so many cute streets, so we unpacked really quickly and set out to explore! Our first stop was the mezquita. It was huge and it had so many doors and they were all beautifully decorated and colourful. I couldn't believe it! Then after the mezquita we saw this huge statue and an alcazar, plus we passed some really old stables. Then we went to get dinner. We ended up choosing this tapas place. Dadda got cheese, mumma got eggplant and Esther and I got croquetas. After dinner we went back home and went to bed. 

DAY 17 (the last day)

Today we got up and ready before walking to the mezquita. This time we were going in. When we got there we had a look at the orange tree courtyard. It was beautiful. There was also olive trees there. After a beautiful walk in the yard, we lined up to go in but we didn't have to wait long. Inside was amazing! There were heaps of arches and heaps and heaps of detail on the many many MANY columns (and on the paintings). Inside we passed prayers and a little church and surprisingly there weren't too many people. After about an hour of wandering around we had seen it all, well most of it... we didn't see the bit they were fixing from a fire that happened not long ago, but we had seen most of it! So after a last look we left and went to.. Bubbly Jungly?? Ooooh, that is where we are going to try bubble waffles. So in we went, ordered bubble waffles and an ice-coffee and waited. Finnnnallllllllyyyy they came and they were delicious. We ate them quickly, paid for them and had to go. We were heading back to Pia. It was a slow walk but when we got there we realised that tonight we were actually going to be sleeping at home in Conil! So we got in Pia, said goodbye to Cordoba and drove to.... a skatepark (of course)! It was really, really HOT there! At the skatepark I kept practicing 50 50s and guess what??? I got them! We did some more tricks and it was really fun but it was hot and we really wanted to go home, so we left the skatepark and made it HOME! 

Word of the post    caravana = caravan