Feeling Fragile

After having a suitably long lie-in we could ignore our rumbling tummys no more and headed out into old town in search of something to eat. But first, we gave Fiona a little tour of the old town, the real gem in the crown of Caceres, windy streets and cute restaurants hidden by giant wooden doors. 

We wondered unto the church and past 'the toe' (if you rub it brings good luck).

We then headed out of old town and down to our favourite cafe - one of the only places you can get good cake and a cuppa to fill our bellies and perk ourselves up again. 

Fiona went for a toffee-nut cake, which was delicious especially the icing. 

I went for the '7 chocolates' cake which it a traditional chocolate layer cake but with an added biscuity, crumbly base, and a mountain of icing - yum! 

Penny opted for a nutella crepe with ice cream and Fiona and I were both a little bit jealous of her choice! 

We washed it all down with a round of milky coffee and chatted away until it was time to see Fiona off. 

Oops, we're in Valencia

Last week, a few G&T's down, Penny and I found ourselves looking at places to stay in Valencia for the weekend. Fast forward a few hours and we'd booked a hostel, 2 buses and were already planning what to wear. We knew we had to make our decision quickly, because Las Fallas was that weekend. 

Las Fallas is an annual festival where millions of euros are spent creating enormous structures made out of wood and papier maché ready to be burnt at the end of the festival. 

The sculptures are dotted throughout the city and so due to the stumble-upon nature of the festival I thought I'd share it with you a mixture of photos we took with both phones and cameras! 

We spent our last night on higher ground enjoying a few drinks with friends watching the nightly firework display. 

It was a great weekend and, despite the 9 hour journey across the country, was well worth it! Hope you all had a great weekend, too. 

A weekend in Lisbon

This weekend Penny and I popped to Lisbon. Our flatmate was driving down anyway so we thought we'd accompany him for the ride! 4 hours later and after some dodgy driving in the city centre, we had arrived. 

We stayed at Travellers House, on recommendation from Penny's brother and it didn't disappoint! An inexpensive, well-located friendly hostel with an amazing breakfast included in the price! You can choose between bacon and eggs or chocolate pancakes, I went for the eggs but both looked amazing.

We arrived late afternoon and, after checking in and finding somewhere to park we headed straight down to Praça do Comércio just at the end of our road just in time to watch the sun set over the sea.

That evening we went for dinner and then drinks with some friends, none of which I took any photos off (sorry!). But if you're looking for somewhere to go, Bairro Alto is the obvious choice, a road full of bars that you can hop between until the early hours!  

When we stirred the next morning (just about), we were very much in need of breakfast, we wolfed it down and hopped on a tram to Belém in search of the famous portuguese Pastéis. Not only did we find them, but also a stunning monastery;  Mosteiro da Santa Maria de Belém and its beautiful grounds that we wondered through. Stumbling across the most bizarre and out of place oriental style pagoda! 

The Pastéis, the main reason for our trip up to Belém are a traditional portuguese pastry, think an individual custard tart but instead of shortcrust pastry, puff. A delightful little treat that you can adorn with extra icing sugar or cinnamon if you wish. 

Penny and I then decided to walk back into the centre, a decision we then started to regret as after about an hour of walking we weren't even half way there, so we jumped on the next passing tram. We then moseyed around the centre and came across Santini's a little ice cream shop with a queue out the door, and seeing as we're both ice cream fanatics we couldn't not stop in! Penny went for raspberry and chocolate chip, both were amazing especially the raspberry! Would definitely recommend. 

Sunday was our last day in Lisbon, so we got up had breakfast a decided to walk around Alfama the oldest district in Lisbon built on the hill between the Castle and the Tejo River. It was so nice to soak up the sun and take a wonder through the older parts of Lisbon. Penny and I were constantly amazed at the beautiful tiles that covered all the houses. And, as we climbed, we reached some amazing view points. 

We hopped back on one of the trams to where we left the car and said goodbye to Lisbon, promising to come back again soon.