We had another four days to spare when we returned to Oahu from these other islands. Mrs J drove us around Oahu, from Honolulu to the North Shore, Waimanalo and Waikiki, among other areas of interest, hunting down lookouts, beaches, wildlife and 'onolicious' local food. We continued to see at least one rainbow every day, but we had got so used to that by then and it was only on our last day, when we did not see one, that we found it unusual... Oahu 2011: notes and pics

Our main objective in Maui was to do a spot of whale-watching, dolphin spotting and some snorkelling. Whale sightings are guaranteed between December and April when the humpback whales migrate from Alaska to the warm, shallow and sheltered waters around the Hawaiian islands. If you're a humpback whale, this is the perfect place to birth and mate... Maui 2011: notes and pics

If you are visiting Hawaii for sunshine and hot weather, Volcano is not the place to be. We learnt later that there are many micro-climates on the Big Island and Hawaii in general. Apparently, of the 13 major life zones (deserts, grassland, rainforests, etc), found throughout the world, 11 exist on Hawaii. Volcano village, with about 128 inches of rainfall a year, is one of America's wettest towns... Big Island Hawaii 2011: notes and pics

As this was a stopover en route to Hawaii, we had no planned agenda in Vancouver. After enduring some very rude service from the crew on board Air Canada, we were glad to find that at least our room at St Regis was comfortable - we had one double bed each! - and the staff was nice and friendly... Vancouver 2011: notes and pics

F and J drove us across the Chunnel into France, to Champagne, where we had good food and wine... Champagne 2011: notes and pics

The night staff of La Maison Montparnasse recommended dinner at La Cantine du Troquet so that's where we went. They don't take reservations so go early. We had a very patient waitress who sat beside us as she explained the menu. The food was very good... Paris 2011: notes and pics

There was a row of protestors across the street from the bullring. D was wearing a tourist T-shirt with a bull on it. He thought it would be funny to pose for pictures in front of the protestors... Bullfight in Barcelona 2011: notes and pics

The overnight train from Granada to Barcelona was surprisingly comfortable, and we all managed to catch some sleep on the bunk beds. After our experience in Granada, we were already on high alert for pickpockets. Nevertheless, we were grateful for all the kind advice we received: the manager at Urban Suites Apartments warned us to be extra careful in trains, and two passengers in the trains told us separately to carry our bags on our fronts rather than our backs... Barcelona 2011: notes and pics

After checking in to Las Almenas, we decided to take a bus to the Albayzin. An old man at the bus-stop started to chat with us. We couldn't understand a word but I managed to make out that he lived in Albaycin. He was trying very hard to be understood. I produced a map to show him where we were heading. He said his eyesight was bad... Granada 2011: notes and pics

Just as we were beginning to panic over which bus stop to alight for our hotel, we discovered that we'd reached the final stop. Fortunately for us, it was the correct stop, as WK confirmed with his newly acquired iPad. "I'll never get lost again," he said. Jokes about WK and his iPad were to become a recurring theme throughout this trip, but more of that later... Seville 2011: notes and pics