The Wild Atlantic Way – Part 2
Let’s talk about the roads in Ireland. Maybe I was a little harsh in my last post. Basically, there are ‘M’ roads, which are the big, multi-lane highways, some of which are also toll roads. These are great, but we …
The Wild Atlantic Way – Part 1
The Wild Atlantic Way is a driving route that, in the north of Ireland, begins in the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal. It was here, after returning from our quick jaunt into Northern Ireland, that we began our journey along …
Catching up with family in Ireland
Have you ever heard of Slane Castle in County Meath? No? How about Slane Concerts? Surely you are familiar with the annual concerts staged on the castle grounds in a naturally-formed amphitheater. Still no? Me either. Until, that is, we …
Ireland: The Return Home
When we booked our ferry from France to Ireland, we had the choice of disembarking either in Rosslare or Dublin. Can you even imagine driving off a ferry in downtown Dublin and, for the first time ever, driving on the …
Repositioning across France
Did you know that France is only slightly smaller than Texas? I didn’t, until it was time to make tracks to the other side of the country. Once we started planning our departure from Plaine Joux, we realized our trip …
Surviving the Heatwave
Albertville is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics, when Kristi Yamaguchi was queen of the ice and the ever-entertaining Italian skier Alberto Tombo hurled himself down the Giant Slalom to cheers of “Tomba la Bomba!” I may or …
Into the Mountains
In the days following our return from Santiago, Steven and I took time to reacquaint ourselves with Bijou and restock our empty cabinets and fridge. We had been gone from her longer than we had lived in her, so it …
Our Camino, Part 5 – Hola, Santiago!
The weather cooled significantly in the days after leaving Leon, a welcomed change from the hot, dry Meseta. We bundled up in whatever warm clothes we had, which for me included a pair of leggings I purchased years ago at …
Our Camino, Part 4
Nearly two weeks after our rest day in beautiful Pamplona, we planned our second one in the city of Burgos. By this time, we were nearly 200 miles into our 500 mile journey. Rest days are complicated. In …
Our Camino, Part 3 – A Day in the Life
A stripped down version of a pilgrim’s day would look like this: wake up, walk, eat, walk, eat, sleep. The simplicity of a day on the Camino is of one of the things people say they miss most once they …