Madrid, Spain

The drive to Madrid was long and arduous with silhouettes of bulls lining the roadside hills for a little distraction every now and again. The biggest difference I found though was the weather which immediately went from sun, tee-shirts and ice cream to frost, winter coats and huddling over a mug of soup. Thankfully, my heater is still working a dream and the van gets toasty in a matter of seconds.

On arriving in Madrid, I booked into the Arco Iris Campsite on the city outskirts and biked into the centre. I was assured by the owner that it only took 30 minutes to get to the city centre by "bike" but it turned out that he presumed I meant "motorbike". He chuckled when I eventually got home to the campsite but I was freezing and ready to lamp him one for that error - 2 hours each way if you travel by pedals!

That said, I had a good day in the city where I made a bit of a tour of the sporting arenas. The Bernabau and Vincente Calderon football stadiums - home to Real and Atletico Madrid respectively - were first on the list in the hope that I could get tickets for a weekend match but I was unable to get tickets for Spain's biggest footballing fixture (Real Madrid vs Barcelona) as tickets were a jaw-dropping €300-€800 while AthIetico Madrid were playing away.

I was able to watch the big game on the big screen with a group of around 100 Barca fans who were wipped up into a frenzy after their 3-1 win - a fun night with lots of chanting which I couldn't really understand. I also visited the Plaza De Toros, Spains biggest bullfighting ring although all the shows were unfortunately long finished for the winter.

The city, as you may expect by now, is home to some grand old buildings and top of the list is the king's Real Palicio, complete with all the trimmings which go with a royal palace. I am ashamed to say that the parades of tourists and the high entry costs reduced me to a wander through the royal gardens and a peer through the railings though.

Next door to the palace is the snappily named Cathedral De Nuestra Senora De La Almudena - a big grey building with a startingly loud bell which is less than 20 years old.

The centre of town is arguably just as grand where they have crammed in as many "Plaza's" as possible. The biggest, Plaza Mayor, is currently a huge but tacky Christmas market while just down the road, the Town Hall is still a major draw in the middle of the shopping district and is full of pickpockets (I spotted at least two at work) and the normal fancy dress people exploiting tourists.

Arguably my favourite place in the city was the rural Parque Mardrid - a huge green paradise of grass, trees, lakes and monuments. It really is a peaceful place to escape from the hustle and bustle of the packed roads and swarming pavements. There was even a cheerful old man rollerblading in circles and grooving out to the busker on the saxophone.

A huge mention (although no photgraphs I am afraid to say) must go to Madrid's excellent art museums too. Timed right: the Graphic Art Museum (free on Friday), Museo Del Prado and Reina Sofia Arte Centre (free on Sunday) are all worthy of a look.

Grooving old man without a care in the world

Finally we come to the newly developed area by the Manzanares River. This region, like the park, is a great place to unwind from the city life with a lot of new development of the land into prime jogging and dog-walking territory. There also seems to be a new children's play area about every 30 metres. A little further down the river brings you to the ancient Egyptian Temple Of Debod, a pretty series of arches set in the water. It looks much better at night than on a dull winter's day.

Despite some transport issues and some truly naff weather, Madrid is a worthy place to visit in the wintertime and would undoubtedly be much better in the warmer months. Much like in the football though, it seems destined to always play second fiddle to vibrant Barcelona and I know which one I would want to return to the most.

Barcelona, Spain

My next stop took me into Spain and iconic Barcelona. My campsite however was a full 30 miles away in Sitges, a typical little Catalan coastal town with a nice beach, seaside church and local shops. It is certainly a luxury to be able to take a legitimate dip in the sea in December - something I don't think I would fancy in the UK right now. Also, luckily, there is a great bus network in the area so getting in and out of Barcelona was easy.

Arriving in Barcelona city centre, it is hard to avoid the huge pedestrianised boulevard of La Rambla which leads from the centre to the newly developed waterfront. It's mainly lined with the normal designer stores and clothing chains but the huge fresh produce Boqueria Market is a welcome change.

Despite the swarms of tourists (and therefore hiked up prices too), they do make some delicious smoothies. At the end of La Rambla are a number of grand old buildings by the sea and a tall column with the statue of Columbus perched on top.

If there is one sight which Barcelona is reknowned for though it is La Sagrada Familia. This goliath church building which was never actually finished and is surrounded by cranes, will eventually have 18 towers - each over 100m tall. Elsewhere, there is the equally scaffolding-clad Cathedral with it's gothic towers and stained glass windows while a long hike up the slopes to the Guell Park in the north gives a nice panorama of the city.

Now any trip to Barcelona is not complete without taking in a football game at the Nou Camp to see arguably the best team on the face of the Earth. I went on a Tuesday evening to watch Barcelona demolish Belarussian minows BATE Borisov in the Champions League.

While it may not have been the most atmospheric of games (Barcelona had already qualified, the stadium was hardly packed and they fielded a team which was short on household name stars), they still managed to cruise to a 4-0 victory and played the kind of mesmeric football that most teams can only dream about.

A little bit of Barca magic

Pedro scores his second of the night from the penalty spot.

If it is culture that you are after, Barcelona has it in bucketloads. In particular, the Picasso Museum is a must see. The gallery focuses mostly on the painter's early work and his inspiration growing up before moving through his moody "blue" period and on to the quirky cubist portraits which are now so instantly recognisable.

For something more, well, contemporary, the excellent Contemporary Art Museum has several floors of the usual mix of the good, the bad and the frankly ridiculous modern art.

If Barcelona has one person to thank for shaping the city into what it is today though it is Antoni Gaudi. As well as the previously mentioned Guell Park and Sagrada Familia, this nutcase nature-lovin' god-fearin' architect produced the likes of the neighbouring Casa Battlo, Casa Amatller and Casa Lleo Morera as well as the city's easy to navigate grid system which is reminiscent of how I imagine New York to be.

Another of his unique buildings, La Pedrera, has been turned into a dedicated museum where you can visit the beautifully designed and functional chimney pots on the roof, the parabolic arches which support the building in the strongest possible way and many of the wonky rooms and balconies inside.

Barcelona was perhaps the city I was most looking forward to seeing in Western Europe and it didn't disappoint. Anywhere that offers this much art, culture, great football, live music, swimming in December, architectural delights...etc...etc...      is alright with me.