The route back to BCN from Carcassone, France involved a retail side trip. We crossed the border again without ceremony. Before long, we were already exiting towards Santa Agnes De Malanyanes. The retail bugs were getting anxious as we spotted the big Mango and Adidas warehouses across […]
Month: November 2015

Maidens & Knights for a Day in Carcassone, France
From Lourdes, it was another three hour drive to Carcassone. My research for a route back to Barcelona led me to consider passing through this well-loved fortified town of Carcassone. It is the second most visited attraction in France, apart from the Eiffel Tower. Inspired […]

Revisiting Lourdes – Thanksgiving and Offering
Lourdes is a town in the Midi-Pyrénées region of southwest France. It’s known worldwide for the Sanctuaries Notre-Dame de Lourdes, or the Domain, a major Catholic pilgrimage site. Every year, millions visit the Grotto of Massabielle where, in 1858, the Virgin Mary is said to […]

Breakfast in Biarritz
It was the beginning of another long day as we bid adieu to San Sebastian. Breakfast was on hold until we crossed the border. There was no check point – just a small sign in French which I even missed as our vans sped through […]

Bilbao – Vizcaya, Spain
Bilbao was a dying city back in the 1970s. Once prominent in steel production, shipping and banking, it became saddled in economic crisis. Population was dwindling as the young opted to find jobs elsewhere. A new plan was devised towards its journey of rebirth. Old industrial […]

Throw the Scales Out in San Sebastian!
The highlight of this trip was to visit the food mecca that is San Sebastian. This is where we threw the scales out – and ate as if we shopped with gusto! Together with the surrounding area, Spanish Basque country has the highest number of Michelin […]

Pamplona sans the Bulls! Navarra, Spain
Our next Pitstop en-route to San Sebastian was Pamplona. Famous for its annual “encierros” , better known as the ghastly, exhilarating, horrific, adrenaline-pumping “Running of the Bulls” Festival supposedly dedicated to San Fermin held every 7th -14th of July. Hmmmm! Close to my son’s birthday […]

Zaragoza rings a bell! Aragon, Spain
We left Barcelona at 9am. We were off to the Food Mecca that San Sebastian is fondly known for. After three hours on the road, it was time for lunch. Rather than grabbing a quick lunch by one of the gas stations, Marc suggested that we […]

Hola Barcelona! Day 2 – La Sagrada Familia & Montserrat
La Sagrada Familia Barcelona is La Sagrada Familia. It’s sacrilege if you miss it. And so of course it was a must that we all pay homage to this amazing work in progress! They have been building this since 1882- and they are still […]

Katigbaks Euro Trip Itinerary – October 2015
What prompted this trip was that “Too Good to Miss” SQ Promo with BPI Cards last January 2015. My Father-in-Law and Sister-in-Law – Judith, braved the lines in Glorietta Mall to discuss travel options with a travel agent and after clearing out the details, we […]

Hola Barcelona! Day 1
Long flights to Europe are always a hassle. Counting the hours and calculating how many more movies I can watch makes it even more cumbersome. Then again, I find it difficult to sleep – too excited and concerned with the kids. After 22 hours of total travel […]