Madrid is a very relaxed city with hundreds of parks and plaza's to relax in and watch the world go by. And there are some very strange people in that world. Performance art seems to be the thing on the streets with man dressed up as babies in pushchairs, women as statues and one bloke dressed as a pot plant. Well I suppose it's a living.

Visited the Royal Palace of Madrid, the Palacio Real. It certainly gives Buckingham Palace a run for its money even if the Royal Family moved out years ago. The throne room is a work of art in itself.

Now off to the airport, fighting the crowds attending the Spanish premier of El Rey León at the theatre next door.

Drove north towards Madrid stopping at the town of Consuegra famous for its windmills. They stand proud on top of the hills like giants, or at least that's what Don Quixote through when he passed this way, in the novel bearing his name. Did some Tilting at the windmills, which I learned later is not just leaning at an angle towards them.

There is an old Castle on the hill adding drama to the whole aspect.

After a visit to the hill topped town of Tolodo drove into Madrid, just missing the rush hour. Was a real nightmare to find the hotel, because of all the appaling pedestrianization that has taken place frustrating the poor motorist. Thanks goodness for sat nav. Made it eventually and then dropped the car at the station. Walked back to the hotel, a walk made much easier by the delightful pedestrianization that has taken place, greatly enhancing live for the grateful walker.

At the end of the 10th century Córdoba was the most populous city on earth, with around a million people located in the capital of the Caliphate, from where emirs ruled the Iberian peninsula (Al-Andalus) and parts of North Africa. Strange to think while Harold was taking one in the eye for England and surfs shivered in their mud huts in the barbaric middle ages, here was a civilized and enlightened culture influencing much of the known world.

The Mosque they built here still stands. A massive block in the centre of the city, at its height it could hold 40,000 praying. Not any more of course as when the Catholics took over they converted it into a church, but they kept the basic building so the prayer hall still stands, just as it did 1000 years ago.

What they did do is to rip a big hole in the middle of the mosque and plonk a great cathedral in it. It's quite bizarre to be walking through a dimly lit prayer hall, to turn the corner and suddenly be inside the most tremendous church.

If you ever forget that Southern Spain was part of a great Muslim Caliphate then a visit to Seville will surely remind you. The city is stuffed full of Muslim relics with two of its greatest treasures, the Cathedral and the Alcázar built on Islamic foundations.

The Cathedral is immense. It is the third biggest in the World, after St Peters in Rome and St Paul's in London, but looks bigger inside mainly because of its cavernous interior soars to the top of the guided columns. It's full of relics of course. The finger-bone of St Barnabas, the left toenail of St Jerome, the pubic hair of St Anthony, its all here, crammed into a solid silver reliquary. (I may have made some of those up but you get the idea)

The tomb of Christopher Columbus stands in one corner. An elaborate affair it features four soldiers carrying a coffin high in the air. There is some doubt as to whether the old boy is actually buried there or not, as he seems to have traveled just as much in death as in life. His remains traveled from Valladolid to Seville before moving onto the Dominican Republic then Havana before returning to Seville in 1898. Not that there is much left to test after 500 years, but DNA tests on what there is seem to point to the bones actually being his.

The old Minaret is very similar to those across the water in Morocco. This one is now a bell tower and you can walk the path to the top. I say walk because you get to the top via a long long ramp, the idea was you could ride your horse to the top. Beats a chair lift I guess. The view from the top is tremendous and you can see the whole city streched out below

The Alcázar is just across the square. It is still the official Seville residence of King Juan Carlos and it is absolutely beautiful. While it may lack the stunning location of Granada's Alhambra Palace, it certainly makes up for it with amazing architecture and fragrant gardens flanked by refreshing water features.

Now back at the coast on the spit of land that ends in the city of Cadiz. It is the oldest continuously inhabited part of Europe, so odds on we all had a few ancestors reside here at some time. The city is crammed on the the point at the end of the spit with houses and building fighting for space in between the narrow streets. Climbed up the bell tower for a fantastic panorama of the whole city below.

Staying right by the beach so when for a dip as the sun went down.

Spent the day in the stunning hill top town of Ronda. Well I say hill top, more like Canyon topped and it is perched on the edge of an enormous cliff overlooking a wide Canyon. The East and West parts of the town are seperated by a tremendous Gorge with quite the ugliest bridge linking the two. It's called the New bridge, which just goes to show modern architecture is to blame, and it opened in 1793. Apparently the architect fell to his death while trying to carve the date on the site of the bridge.

My Hotel is perched on the edge of the Gorge and I mean literally on the edge, If I sit on my balcony I can look through the railings to the river 100 meters below. It looks rather dark down there as it doesn't see much sunlight. I did think of climbing the steps to the bottom, but given I've walked my legs off over the last few days thought better of it.

In the afternoon visited a museum which had some rather appalling instruments of torture and execution, relics of the Inquistion, What was done in the name of God was absolutely horrific and quite turns your stomach.

Made it into the Alhambra by the skin of my teeth. It meant getting up at 7am, trekking through the still dark streets and plodding my way up to the complex just as the sun was rising. I was a bit horrified when I saw the queue that had already formed snaking round the car park and even more worried when they announced there were only 300 tickets available for today. There were at least 500 in the queue. But then I found the self service ticket machines, which had a much shorter queue, so managed to get one of the last 50 tickets.

I was certainly worth it. The fortress o top of the hill has a stunning position dominating the city. There are several different parts of the complex with fragrant gardens and refreshing water features. The view from the watch tower is over the whole plain on which Granada is set and to the mountains of the Sierra Nevada beyond.

In the city I visited the Cathedral and the Royal Chapel, which contains the simple lead coffins of Ferdinand and Isabella.

Headed down the coast into Andalusia and the South Coast port of Almeria. Beautiful sunny day so I climbed up to the Alcazaba fortress with extensive views over the city and the Mediterranean. Many family's out enjoying a Sunday stroll.

Today ventured up into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and Los Alpujarras. The villages clinging to the sides of the valleys were quite incredible, Bundles of houses, all brilliant while, are hewn into some incredibly steep hillsides. From afar it looks like a splash of while paint dabbed onto the side of the mountain and its only when you get close you can see the tiny lanes and paths through the houses. It was quite a tourist spot so pretty busy.

Now in Granada, home of ITV in the North, so says Wikipedia. It is also a beautiful city in the foothills of the mountains. Wandered up through the town. Hoping to go to the Alhambra tomorrow, but tickets are very scarce, so I might have to make do with wandering around the outside.

Headed South taking in the cute little town of Xàtiva. It's the birth place of Rodrigo Borgia who became Pope Alexander VI, mainly because of his skill in buying votes for the papal election. His birth house is still in the centre of town, although all that remains of the 15th Century one is the stone archway over the door.

The town nestles underneath the magnificent Castle which offers tremendous views over the surrounding countryside. It is a steep climb to the top, but one well worth making. Over the years it held many illustrious prisoners in its dank dungeon.

Stopped for a couple of hours in Elche and wandered through its palm groves. They were first planted by the Romans, so have lasted a while.

Now in Murcia, capital of Murcia region. Took a walk to the square weaved my way through the hundreds of brides on the streets. It was busy in the Cathedral with the confessions boxes full of young boys confessing their sins. Just what a middle aged single male is doing listing to the innermost thoughts of adolescent boys is a matter for debate.

On the way back came across a bizarre parade marching through the narrow streets. A cornucopia of people all carrying tourches, proceeding 20 men all shouldering a gigantic image of the Madonna, covered in candles, wobbling its way down the road followed by a brass band. Not a clue what it was for, but it was quite a sight.

Left Barcelona and traveled South West along the coast stopping at Tarragona on the way down. It's a charming little city perched high over the Mediterranean with some wonderful Roman ruins. The Circus is perched high over the bay so Gladiators would have had a lovely view just before they were hacked to death or eaten by Lions.

Now in Valencia, another city full of history and packed with churches. The Cathedral is full of works of art and relics. You can see the grinning skull of some Saint or Other peeking out the stomach of a plaster priest. There is the mummified hand of San Vicente Martyr, looking rather gone off in a glass case. And then there is the Holy Grail itself. Held high in a golden casket on an ancient wall. None of your fakes that litter other churches in Europe, this is the real thing, the authentic cup used by Jesus in the Last Supper. Apparently.

Further out the stone work gives way to the City of Arts and Sciences, a host of modern buildings inhabiting the former riverbed like some family of gigantic metallic Armadillos.

Explored the slopes of Montjuic overlooking the city. Fantastic views extending over the who area, from the planes landing in the West to the smokestacks of the industrial east. Even the Sangrada Familia looks good from up here. The slopes of the hill were the location for many of the Olympic events including the main stadium and its torch holder which still dominates the area.

At the bottom of the hill is a former bull ring, no converted to a much better use as a shopping centre and arena. A much better use for all concerned, especially the Bull.

Arrived in Sunny Barcelona after a painless 2 hour flight from sunny Luton. Managed to squash all my luggage into hand baggage which certanly speeds things you when you arrive. The train goes direct from the airport to the centre of town so was in the hotel just over an hour after landing.

Spent today wandering the city, taking in the sights. The most famous is the La Sagrada Família, a Cathedral that was only started just over 100 years ago, and is still being built today. There is a target date of 2040 for the finish. I have to say it is one of the ugliest buildings I have seen in a long time, although the vista is probably not helped by the heaps of scaffolding surrounding it. It just looks a bit over the top for my taste. A bit like the Christmas tree with to much tinsel. Plenty of admirers fighting to get in though, and a pretty impressive view from the top.

Spent the afternoon wandering around the port, which like so many city's from Melbourne to Liverpool, has been gentrified and now boats museums and cafes galore.