During the Christmas holidays in December 2018, I visited Spain and spent 2 weeks travelling along the coastal cities.

I started my journey in Barcelona, where I spent 2 days which also included a day trip to Girona. Girona recently gained traction for being the shooting spot for the Game of Thrones series. From Barcelona, I took a train along the coast to Valencia, and after soaking its splendour I visited a small historical town called Cartagena, and then made my way to a famous beach town, named Almería. I imagined the south of Spain to be warmer compared to the north, but was surprised to find snow on mountain tops in Granada. It even had a ski resort up there. Nerja was also a beautiful city with white houses where many retirees lived from the UK and abroad. I ended my trip in the port city of Malaga where I spent just one night and then flew to Belgium. In total I spent 7 nights in Spain, renting out AirBnBs in each city I visited.

Sion is famous for the Tourbillon Castle and Valère Basilica which are located on a hilltop in the city center. I went there on a sunny Saturday morning on the SBB train which passed through Laussane, Montreux, and Martigny. The journey takes about an hour and 45 minutes and goes around Lake Geneva.

Upon arriving I went straight to the Tourbillon Castle. After asking around how to reach the hilltop I found that the castle was closed (and would reopen later during the day) so I instead went to Valère Basilica, which was located on the opposite side of the hill.

Bern, the capital city of Switzerland, is situated in the about 120 KMs to the west of Zürich, the largest city of Switzerland. The majority of the population speaks Bernese German.

The Aare river stretches along the entire city due to which there are many bridges. The city is built on an uneven ground. An elevation difference of several meters exists between the city center and its outskirts.

Les Ateliers de Marinette is a vintage shop located in the city of Lyon. The road besides the shop leads to the Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière and overlooks the Saône river.

Vintage items include posters, light bulbs, bottles, matchboxes, buttons, jars, etc. Some of the items date back to the early 1900’s.

Among other items, the shops also sells vintage polaroid cameras and films.

Located in the east-central part of France, Lyon is the country’s third largest city. It is known for its architectural landmarks and is titled the Capital of Lights because of the light festival “Fête des Lumières” that is held each year in December.