My idea to return home from Vancouver to Toronto via train was largely prompted by a desire to see Canada in the wintertime, to experience the country in what I think many would consider its most iconic state. "The Canadian" is a bit of an institution in Canada, having operated since 1955—it’s even featured on the 10 dollar bill! I also liked the idea of ringing in the New Year on a train, with fellow travellers and kindred spirits, in many ways. My journey was scheduled to leave the evening of December 29th and arrive the morning of January 2nd.

I am never one to pass up an opportunity to travel, least of all to Scotland, which is one of my favourites places in the world. So when the inaugural My Peak Challenge event was announced, celebrating Peakers from around the world, to be held in Glasgow, I was quick to grab a ticket. One of my Peak challenges for the year was to climb a Munro, a Scottish classification of a mountain over 3000 feet, so this was the perfect opportunity to tackle that challenge.

Strangely enough, I can ultimately credit my newfound zest for leading a more active life to a time-traveling Englishwoman and a red-haired Scotsman. Back in April, I stumbled across the television show Outlander on Netflix and proceeded to binge watch the available two seasons in a few days (not much sleep was had, which will surprise absolutely no one who knows me). Much Googling and internet insanity ensued, and I eventually learned that the show's lead actor, Sam Heughan, had founded a charitable organization called My Peak Challenge.

The plan for the day was to hike the Ruta del Cares (Cares Trail) in the Picos de Europa, and I was pleased to be getting an early-ish start (9 am). The route itself runs about 12 km from one end to the other, connecting the villages of Poncebos and Cain.

After two solid days of conferencing in Bilbao, I was ready for my next adventure. I awoke relatively early and forewent my MPC workout for the day, anticipating that I’d be doing a fairly significant hike later on. It was a cheap and easy bus ride to the airport, and it wasn’t long before I was picking up my rental car, deciding on a whim to upgrade to a BMW (since I’d never driven one before). I had, however, managed to book the rental online with the wrong credit card (my other card includes rental collision insurance), so I ended up paying about as much for insurance as the original rental cost. Annoyed but undeterred, I loaded up my BMW diesel 2 series and was soon blasting along the main motorway, west along the coast.

It was my last day in San Sebastián, and I had deliberately booked a bus ride to Bilbao in the later afternoon so I could use up the day as best I could. I banged out my MPC workout in the morning (gotta say, running along a seaside boardwalk makes for a much nicer run than a treadmill at my local gym, unsurprisingly) and headed out to climb the nearby Monte Urgull.

I spent a day or so transiting from Seville through Bilbao, spending a night feeling nostalgic for my youth at the clean and charming Quartier Bilbao Hostel. Hit a bit of snag the following morning trying to get from Bilbao to San Sebastián. I had assumed that I'd be able to buy a ticket on the bus, but when I turned up, they told me I had to buy one in advance, as the seats were reserved.

It was another sunny, sweltering day in the south when I awoke, and I was glad to have pre-purchased my ticket for Real Alcázar so that I wouldn’t have to be queuing in the heat. I headed over to the Alcázar, which apparently is the oldest royal palace in Europe that is still in use. It’s a striking mudéjar palace and quite unlike any palace I’ve been in. The stone and tile work was ornate and beautiful, with elaborate gold ceilings that I spent much time craning up at. The famed Courtyard of the Maidens, which is perhaps the most representative image you’ll see of the palace, was beautiful–though unsurprisingly well-trafficked by the throngs of tourists.

My apartment was so well-appointed that it even had a stationery bike in one corner, which made my morning MPC workout all the easier. It also had a handy beam to which I could easily affix my resistance band, so I was all set. Workout complete, I freshened up and headed out for the day’s adventures. I’d thought to try and see the famed Alcazar in the morning, but while waiting in the considerably long line, decided to purchase tickets online for the following morning instead. The other sight I was interested in checking out, which had actually not been on my list until Sara my tour guide mentioned it, was the Plaza de Espana.

My flight out of Barcelona was relatively early (8:30 am), and I had grand intentions of waking up early enough to take public transit to the airport. I did wake up when I'd planned, but then dozed off again (as I'm wont to do), so taxi it is! I think this was my first flight with Ryanair, and it was, thankfully, uneventful. I arrived in Seville and was pleasantly surprised to find that getting into the city centre was an easy busy ride. It was perhaps a mere 5 seconds after disembarking that I was made very aware of the fact that I was now in the south of Spain.

The weather forecast was threatening rain, which was unfortunate given my intentions to see Park Güell today. Nevertheless, I awoke at a relatively respectable hour, pulled on my running shoes and (somewhat amazingly) completed my MPC workout for the day. It was actually quite interesting to go for a run—made one feel a little closer to being a local. It also was just another chance to see an area of the city I hadn’t been in before.

Given how little sleep I had gotten, it was perhaps not surprising that I slept in the following morning. Thankfully I had not missed breakfast and enjoyed the fresh and healthy breakfast buffet that had been laid out on the terrace. But it wasn't long before I was out the door and on my way to see the sights. My first stop was Plaça Reial (Royal Plaza) in the Gothic Quarter, which was a beautiful, palm tree-filled square, lined with restaurants and bars housed in historic buildings.