Epic Honeymoon - Day 43 - Bruges

Having seen most of what there is to see in Brussels (of course, there’s always more to see in every place!), we decided to use our last day to take a day trip out to the gorgeous town of Bruges.

Epic Honeymoon - Day 42 - Brussels

It’s easy to catch the feeling of relaxation in Brussels, and we did just that on our third day. Throughout the course of our trip, we had rough plans of what to see and do on each day. But more often than not, plans were changed on the fly to allow for a more easy-going schedule. After all: who wants to come home from a holiday more tired than you were before you left?

Epic Honeymoon - Day 41 - Brussels

Our first day waking up in Brussels began with a more than pleasant stroll through the parks outside Palais de Bruxelles. Officially in the midst of Europe’s autumn, with leaves littered all along the paths and across the grass, backed by a cool and overcast sky, it was a beautiful way to start the day.

Epic Honeymoon - Day 40 - Brussels

Making use of the metro at our front doorstep one last time, we bundled our luggage to Gare du Nord to board our mid-morning train, headed east. In less than an hour-and-a-half, we’d arrived to our next home away from home, and another new country to add to the list; home of beers and chocolates, mussels and chips, and a mixture of the cultures by which it is surrounded: welcome to Belgium.

Epic Honeymoon - Day 39 - Paris

Our last day in Paris had arrived, and this was no time to slow down. Determined to get as much value from our Paris Museum Pass as possible, we crammed in as much as we could, down to the closing hours of the day! If you’re willing to put in the legwork, then I definitely recommend picking up one of these passes, as the value can easily be recouped, and then some.

Epic Honeymoon - Day 38 - Paris

Sunday, 22^nd October, had been set aside for a trip out of the city to see the infamous Chateau Versailles. If you’re planning a trip to Paris, you’re undoubtedly aware of tourist hotspot which housed the royal court in the late 1600s through until the French Revolution. Foreboding in size, this modern-day museum to French royal history is certainly not to be missed.

Epic Honeymoon - Day 37 - Paris

No time to rest today, because we have museums to get to! Let the record show that the next time I go to Paris, I won’t go to a single museum – I’m just going to drink coffee and eat tasty Parisian food! But no… that’s not to say that the museums are bad… just that it is possible to become “museumed-out”. But we hadn’t quite reached this point by this stage of our epic journey, so we will press on! First stop was the Parisian museum which needs no introduction (but I will introduce it anyway)… The Louvre.

Epic Honeymoon - Day 36 - Paris

The one and only Arc de Triomphe.

The next morning, we started with a visit to another iconic Parisian sight: the Arc de Triomphe. Built by Napolean to commemorate his armies’ various victories, the Arc is an impressive structure to behold. Inspired by ancient Roman arches of similar design, it’s quite a bit bigger than you might expect when you see it for the first time.

Epic Honeymoon - Day 35 - Paris

An unmistakable sight.

... the city of lovers and of romance; a city with an incredible history of royal, rebellion, and culture; a city that truly needs no introduction. When I first came to this city in 2011, it was the first stop on a Contiki tour. I was a much younger man back then, but I still recall being blown away just trying to comprehend the age of this place. As an Australian, European history in my own country only goes back 200 years, but this place has existed for more than 1000. Ladies and gentlemen, bienvenue à Paris.

Epic Honeymoon - Day 34 - Lyon

Beautiful buildings along the north of the Saône.

On our last day in Lyon, we set out with no particular plan. We started with lunch, returning to our favourite haunt of Rue des Marronniers and taking a second meal at Chez M’man, since we had enjoyed the first one. Unfortunately, the quality was not as good this time – or rather, our choices were a bit off. However, the lemon meringue pie for dessert was very nice!

Epic Honeymoon - Day 33 - Lyon

Another beautiful day in Lyon.

Tuesday 17^th October was dedicated to some more organised sightseeing. As much as Lyon is more about the food and culture, there are some fantastic old buildings and sights to see, too.

Epic Honeymoon - Day 32 - Lyon

Beautiful leafy avenues along the river; I could get used to Lyon.

The next morning, after a lie in and a late breakfast, we returned to Rue des Marronniers for some lunch, this time going next door to Chez M’man. Both aiming for one of the offered set menus, I couldn’t pass on the intriguing entree of poached eggs in red wine sauce; and it was delicious! This, followed up with blood sausage – which was equally tasty – made for a good lunch. Avy’s steak was, unfortunately, overcooked, so it wasn’t smooth sailing all around!

Epic Honeymoon - Day 31 - Lyon

Clear skies and beautiful vistas in Lyon.

Departing Barcelona started very early; we were walking down La Rambla with our luggage at 6am to get the metro. At first, I couldn’t work out why so many Barcelonians were up and about at that time, but then I realised it was Sunday morning, and they were just heading home from a night in the clubs! Ahhh, youth! We made our way to the airport to farewell Spain, moving to the neighbour in the north, starting with a visit to the centre of food culture in Lyon, France.

Epic Honeymoon - Day 30 - Barcelona

Our last day in Barcelona, 14 October 2017, began with a fleeting visit to Palau Güell, just off La Rambla. An example of Gaudi’s early work, we never planned to go inside – maybe we should have, because the exterior wasn’t particularly exciting! There were some cool adornments, but that was about it.

Epic Honeymoon - Day 29 - Barcelona

Park Guell, Barcelona.

The following day, we started with a general stroll around La Rambla and side streets, at first venturing down to the port area, but then coming back up. As it’s a hotspot for tourists, there’s always something going on around there.

Epic Honeymoon - Day 28 - Barcelona

The infamous Casa Milà.

The next morning we crossed La Rambla and headed towards Barcelona Cathedral, enjoying the scenery of the suburbs. If you see Barcelona from the air, it’s quite an intriguing view: All the buildings appear to be the same height and all laid out in a grid pattern, creating a maze-like effect. The feeling is similar on the ground, with large apartment buildings rising both sides of you, almost enclosing you.

Epic Honeymoon - Day 27 - Barcelona

It was a bit chilli in Barcelona.

We touched down at the heart of Catalunya in the mid-morning of 11 October 2017. The airport is a bit of a trek from the city itself, so we had to take two metro lines for a total of about an hour to get to our accommodation, but it was relatively painless – apart from my shoulders from carrying both suitcases up and down stairs! Emerging at Liceu station, we were thrust right into the hive of activity that is La Rambla, and thus began our time in Barcelona.

Epic Honeymoon - Day 26 - El Escorial

Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

After our chat with Nacho, we made some hasty plans to, the next day, visit one of the UNESCO listed sites situated a short journey from Madrid. The town of El Escorial is about 45 minutes by train, and is mostly famous for the large monastery, San Lorenzo of El Escorial. Arriving at the station, we walked through the Casita del Principe gardens, passing by the house of the same name, before trudging up the long, tiring slope towards the monastery.

Epic Honeymoon - Day 25 - Madrid

Parque de El Retiro, Madrid

Our breakfast visit to San Gines went ahead as planned, and we took in some lovely calories to get our day started. For about €8, we got two coffees and a serve of 6 churros with hot chocolate, so the prices are quite reasonable, also. The churros were delicious – less sweet than what gets served up in Australia. Definitely stop by when you visit Madrid, but come early or be patient – seating is limited!

Epic Honeymoon - Day 24 - Madrid

El Rastro Flea Market

The next morning, we took the metro from the happy-to-be-gay station of Chueca, disembarking at Puerta de Toledo. This was our only opportunity to check out El Rastro Flea Market, as it’s only held on Sundays. What followed was a tiring trudge through thousands of people also checking out the market. To be honest, it wasn’t really all that enjoyable. The stalls sell basically everything under the sun, but not for the bargain prices you might expect. My suggestion would be to come here early, before it’s too crowded, just so you can say you have been, but don’t get too excited about it!

Epic Honeymoon - Day 23 - Madrid

Wandering the streets of inner-northern Madrid.

Moving along from our stay in Lisbon, there wasn’t much further west to go (sorry, USA – maybe next holiday). So we boarded a plane to head east into Spain. With two stops lined up over the following week or so, we started with the capital and metaphorical centre of Spain: Madrid.