A hike + a day trip to Agüimes Playa de Arinaga is a coastal town, but there's also Cruce de Arinaga, a 10 minute bus ride away, which initially can be confusing when trying to sort out the local buses! Located in the southeast of Gran Canaria they're both local areas and not overly visited by tourists. The beach (Playa) town has an amazing coastline - but for anyone considering a visit here they should know that it's one of the windiest areas on the isl...

Ottawa/Malaga/Playa de Arinaga- Gran Canaria On a day that was bitterly cold and getting colder, we boarded a train leaving Ottawa for Montreal. 90 mins later, we took the handy shuttle bus that makes the quick trip from Dorval train station to the airport. After an easy check in and security, we boarded an overnight flight across the Atlantic. Gaining 6 hours, but losing a night's sleep, we arrived in Malaga at 9.30 local time. We'd pre-arranged an airport ...

ADÍOS TÓLEDO....and a few hours in Madrid Having become a regular at the corner store, I learned from Frederick and one of his brothers, who I’ve also come to know, that they would be closed for All Saints Day - to “party” as they explained....and so I went to say my goodbyes the day before. A gregarious pair, they were very happy to talk and seemed to appreciate the fact that we’d chosen to stay the whole week in Tolédo - commenting that most peopl...

CATHEDRAL OF TOLÉDO....and more With two layers of castle walls, covered in gargoyles and crests, the whole of the historic area of Tolédo remains mainly intact - due mostly to the Catholic faith - invaders were always careful not to destroy this hallowed ground! Some cities have an old town, but all of this mountaintop city is a historic site. Apart from the Alcázar, Tolédo has survived the Visigoths, the Moors, the Christians and the Spanish Civil War! ...

TOLÉDO From the inside of this amazing city, it’s hard to realize how impenetrable it is - and has been for over 2,000 years. To appreciate this, you have to cross over the Tagus River which winds around the city, creating a natural moat. Seventy percent of this ancient city is surrounded by water, its walled defences sit atop a huge gorge....and then the city rises up even further. When building its first defensive wall around 50 B.C. the Romans named it ...