RIDING A RICKSHAW AROUND HISTORICAL MELAKA We spent our day exploring the UNESCO-listed historical sites of Melaka today, stopping in to see the Dutch stadthyus (i.e. city hall), the ruins of a hill-top Portuguese fortress, and Malaysia’s oldest Chinese Buddhist temple. We hired a rickshaw for the day […]
HERDING HUMAN CATTLE THROUGH THE STREETS OF AVILA & SEGOVIA Avila and Segovia are small towns just outside Madrid, both with a lot to offer the keen tourist. Avila is famous for its grand city walls and as the birthplace of St Theresa, one of Spain’s most beloved […]
THE MYSTICAL MEZQUITA OF CORDOBA During the Muslim occupation of the Iberian Peninsula, Córdoba became one of the largest and most enlightened cities in the Caliphate. What is today a small, nondescript Andalusian town was once one of the greatest cities of the Medieval world, rivalling Constantinople in the […]
ALFAMA: THE HISTORICAL HEART OF LISBON Today is officially our 200th day on the road (for this trip), and what a day it was! We got to explore Lisbon’s historical heart today: the Alfama. A Medieval maze of cobblestone streets, tiny squares, and breathtaking views, the Alfama is […]
THE UNIVERSITY TOWN OF COIMBRA In Portugal there’s a saying that goes something like this: “Porto works, Coimbra studies, and Lisbon gets the money”. We’ve experienced the (relaxed) industriousness of Porto for ourselves already, and so set out to explore studious Coimbra today. Just an hour by train […]