I will postulate that there is no off the beaten path! Everything have been done, seen and eaten. But travelling should not be about being the most special and innovative traveller the world have seen, it is about finding the way that you personally like. So what if you enjoy going to Barcelona with a million other tourist, staying at a hostel, only meeting other tourists and following the safety of the guidebook (the French really follow the Routard as a bible - it can do no wrong!). It is not a travel form that I enjoy, but I am not fooling myself and saying that what I am doing is in anyway doing anything new and untried. It is untried by me and every step, experience, place etc. is new to me. I go a lot of places few people go, but the most are fairly well known tourist destinations. I still need to visit Rome, yes after almost two month combined in Italy, Belgrade (I crossed through and passed by a few times but not stayed... yet) and many more. Right now I am in the center of tourisme in Portugal - Sintra. it is a magical, mystical and expensive place. Here is one castle, a load of palaces, loads of big mansions and some beautiful nature around, and of course a never ending stream of tourist mainly from France, Spain, Portugal, Canada, USA, Italy and UK. We have been around visiting some of the things despite the insanely expensive intrances... Yeah we kind of avoid paying by little loopholes in fences and a bit of climbing and crawling... Which just adds to the experience in my opinion :) So when the beaten track is done I have time to do the not so normal stuff as going around the big wilderness' finding secret, hidden, locked and abandoned treasures alone with Jess. Here in Sintra we have found the creepiest little tunnels going 10-20 meters into stonewalls and something that might have been a building or intended to be one. The tunnels are small, usually filled with bats and BIG spiders, with dead rabbits/rabbit skins outside and ending abruptly in stone with no apparent purpose. Other than these tunnels we found abandoned lemon orchards, a old half build mosque, actual friendly locals, shortcuts and awesome views.
All this just under the tip of the so-called beaten path! Just go explore, but bring a real flashlight and a extra pair of panties, plaster and a knee support in case of an unexpected bat attack ;)
More soon
