Spain highlights

Will try and keep this short.

1. America's Cup Village, Valencia. It was awesome joining all the other Kiwi's in Valencia to cheer on Emirates Team NZ. Caught the first weekend of action. Proudly wore large souvenir NZ flags, even after the loss in the first race. Was photographed for a Finnish newspaper. Obviously a disappointing result in the end.

2. Temple de Bod, Madrid. I would recommend visiting the temple at dusk. Emily's local knowledge was a bonus on this occasion.

3, Museo de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid. Includes work by Picasso, Dali, Velazquez, Goya, Gaudi etc. I think we spent nearly two hours here. Long enough to soak in some of the artwork but obviously you would need to spend days to really do it justice.

4. Madrid Vision. The open topped bus tour. As in London this was a good way to see a lot of Madrid in a short time. Unfortunately the commentary wasn't great. Warning: overhanging branches may knock your head off. Like around England, pruning is not of high importance. I think they rely on the double decker buses to take care of the job. Seems bizarre because not a day goes by where there is not mention of restrictions due to health and safety concerns!

5. Spanish Tortilla - this should be higher up the list I think. It is basically an omelette with potato, not flat bread as you might expect. Very nice when made well. Often served in a baguette which makes a good breakfast!

Had a good time in Spain. A nice place to travel because although I don't know the language many words are recognisable. Will have to make time to go back and see more of the country.