Driving toward France we saw the Pyrenees mountains rising in the distance. Our first stop was Carcassone, a medieval town with a castle that needed exploring. We hauled our bags up to the quirky apartment we had rented and then headed to the old town. We walked through streets filled with shops, restaurants and galleries. The castle greeted us with a grand entrance, and we … Continue reading Bonjour, France!
Some days we pack a lunch before we get on the road, other days we just plan to stop along the way to find food. USUALLY, either approach works out well. On our way from Valencia to Barcelona, we drove along the coast, expecting to find a pleasant spot to stop for lunch by the beach. On our first try, we drove down sandy paths … Continue reading Barcelona
Every stop is different, and our room off an alleyway in Cartagena was modest, but a great location in Old Town. We explored the beautifully tiled pedestrian area for one brief day and night before we continued on to Valencia. Valencia was breathtakingly beautiful. Our first day in Valencia we toured the City of Arts and Sciences, a large-scale urban recreation center, with a small … Continue reading Valencia
We passed vineyards, olive groves and impressive rock walls as we headed across southern Spain. Tavira was a pleasant stop for lunch by the Gilao River. A lovely room in a charming building greeted us in Seville. We took a looong walk along the pretty Guadalquivir River, seeing the sights and locating the Torre del Oro (top right). More walking brought us to Maria Luisa … Continue reading Seville & Granada
After loving Lisbon, we wrapped up our tour of Portugal with a few brief but spectacular stops. We stopped in Evora, and walked the town to find the Royal Church of St Francis and next to it the Capela dos Ossos – Chapel of Bones! The sign over the chapel door says: “We bones that are here await yours.” It was eerie and amazing! The … Continue reading Perceptions from Portugal
From our traveling on the boat days, we’ve learned to try and keep our driving time to just a few hours each travel day so we can enjoy more time at each stop. Heading south from Porto, we first stopped at Nazare, a seaside town that is a mecca for surfers due to the huge waves on its north shore in the winter. Since it … Continue reading Loving Lisbon
On our way to Porto, we stopped at the town of Penedono, to see the very small (by castle standards) Castelo de Penedono. The castle wasn’t hard to find in the tiny town. We were permitted to explore the castle on our own, with the understanding that if we hurt ourselves, it was our own damn fault! We had the place to ourselves and spent … Continue reading Porto.
Our European Adventure started with an overnight flight from JFK to Madrid. We picked up our rental car, drove through the city to Hotel Moderno, and brought our luggage up to the sixth floor. Thank goodness there was an elevator! It was a sunny day as we located El Oso y el Madrono (The Bear and the Strawberry Tree) sculpture around the corner from our … Continue reading Hola Madrid!
As we pulled into Key West last November, Kenton and I were discussing this very question. The Great Loop and the Canada Loop had been fantastic, but now what? We had enjoyed almost three years of living and traveling on a boat, but had no definite plan for the future beyond spending another beautiful winter at a marina near Key West. We gave ourselves an … Continue reading Now what?
Our first stop in Florida was Fernandina, the pretty town between the factories on Amelia Island. We docked nose-to-nose with Double Down, a 214-ft yacht that made our boat look like a tender. We walked the town, finding good music along the way. Next stop was Jacksonville, where we celebrated Curtis’s birthday with Chrissie and new friends from the dock. Then on to St Augustine, … Continue reading Finding Our Happy Place
