Day 1
Flew from Vancouver to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
Arrived at 1pm
Rented car from Avis in airport (Terminal 1)(437 euros for 12 days)
Drove from Paris (via the Peripherique) to Blois (4 hours)
Stayed overnight in Blois at Hostal Le Lys
(59 euros). Ate at a nice little restaurant in the pedestrian area of the town.
Very quiet at this time of year.
Day 2
In the morning, walked up to Chateau in Blois and around the
small town.
Drove to Chateau Chaumont along the Loire River Valley and
toured the chateau and horse stables.
Drove from Chaumont to Amboise for lunch and sightseeing
(Chateau)
Drove from Amboise to Bordeaux (2 hours). Stayed overnight
at Hotel Clemenceau. Parked the car underground. Ate dinner at a nice popular restaurant
on the pedestrian street, where we got a jug of red wine, and some nice food
from a set dinner. Took a walk around the central area that borders the Garonne
River. Beautiful architecture.
Day 3
In the morning, walked around some more in central Bordeaux,
and checked out and picked up the car. Gassed up (40 euros)
Drove from Bordeaux to San Sebastian (5 hours).
Arrived in San Sebastian mid-afternoon, and secured a hotel
(Arreul; 70 euros) on the surfer beach. Nice and contemporary. Short stroll
over to the old part of town and the beach. Tried a few tapas bars with some nice
sangria.
Day 4
In the morning, went for a walk up Monte Urgull to the
statue of Jesus and a very cool exhibit on the town's history.
Drove from San Sebastian to Salamanca, via a picturesque
segment to Burgos (detour), very windy and hilly and Valladolid.
Salamanca was beautiful. Two huge cathedrals and a large
university. Stayed at Hostal Catedral between the two. Lost the car temporarily
but found it in the end. Ate a two course meal with sangria and dessert (12
euros).
Day 5
Next morning, toured Salamanca until noon, enjoying a nice
coffee and muffin at a student hangout underground. Gassed up on our way out
(42 euros).
Drove from Salamanca into Coimbra, Portugal (3 hours). Rained
on and off. Stayed at Pensao Residencial Larbelo by the river. Ate some pizza late
afternoon, walked around the hills, rested, and had some tea at Café Santa
Cruz, a converted cathedral.
Day 6
Headed to Lisbon in the morning and checked into Alfama Patio Hostel in the city centre. Loved this city. Enjoyed a small fado club in the evening with a group of people from the hostel we stayed at.
Day 7
Toured the city in the morning, and left Lisbon mid-afternoon, heading for Lagos on the Algarve coast. Got to Lagos and stayed in a nice little pension. Walked around the tiny town, and along the beach for a bit.
Day 8
Headed to Faro the next day, and then on to Valencia
Day 9
From Valencia to Barcelona with a pit stop in Sitges for lunch and a stroll along the beach.
Day 10
Arrived in Barcelona and got a hostel in the old part of town (Hostel Canadiense; 50 euros). Walked up La Rambla, the main street of the city, and along the Paseig de Gracia for a couple of hours.
Day 11
Toured Barcelona in the morning and afternoon, including the Parc Guell, a Gaudi-designed park a la Dr. Seuss. The hike up to the park was a bit tough, but well worth it in the end. Had lunch in the outdoor cafeteria in the park before heading back to the hotel to continue the car trip. From Barcelona, headed up to Toulouse in the late afternoon, for the night. Had a hard time finding the 'hotel' area, but stumbled on it after driving around for a while. Stayed at Hotel Phoenicia (70 euros/night). Once you locate the Gare Matabiau, there are heaps of hotels right across the street.
Days 14, 15, 16
Toured Toulouse city centre in the morning, and then headed to Paris (7 hours), for three nights, staying in a cheap hotel across from the Gare du Nord (New Hotel).
Flew home from Paris (brief stopover in Frankfurt), early morning.
