Three weeks roaming through the Greek islands and the Peloponnese is one cool way to end a trip through Europe. Greece is: * warm balmy nights and hot dry days * incredibly blue water * blue skies and no summer rains * outstanding sunsets * windmills and windy days * hot spanikopita (spinach pie) and cappuccino for breakfast * yummy home cooked Greek food always eaten al fresco * going to the restaurant kitchens to select your food * checking ferry schedules * catching ferries and watching ferries come and go * octopus drying [View Full Entry]

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Countless lakes, dense forests, moose, fireweed, and endless hours of daylight, it could be Alaska, but it's Finland. The pristine countryside of Finland was a feast for the eyes and the soul. Our 5 days in the remote woodlands and lakes of the Lakeland region were wonderful. The weather was glorious and the time spent with good friends was precious. Picking wild strawberries and blueberries, looking for mushrooms, rowing on the lake, walking in the woods, playing with the children, and exploring the nearby town of Savonlinna were some of our main activities. We were able to experience [View Full Entry]

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Once we finally got to Krakow, we had a wonderful time. It is such a lovely city. The old city and the market square are filled with fresh flowers, buskers, amber, charming old restaurants, and lots of European atmosphere. It is a great place to stroll, shop, and people watch. The Cloth Market dominates the old square and is the biggest indoor market in Europe. It was once the medieval market place for the cloth industry, but is now filled with amber, wood carving, and souvenir stalls. All around the market are outdoor cafes and street performers. Outside the old city [View Full Entry]

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Monday started in Hungary, Tuesday morning it was Slovakia, Wednesday began in the Czech Republic, and Thursday we were eating breakfast in Poland. No wonder I woke up some mornings and couldn't remember where we were! We felt like we were in that old movie, "If This Is Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium". (Not sure if that was the title of the movie, but you know what I mean.) With so many hours spent on trains and buses, we only received a quick glimpse of Bratislava, Slovakia and Olomouc, Czech Republic. Bratislava had some beautiful old town squares with lovely art [View Full Entry]

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Budapest looked a lot different, 20 years ago, when Hungary was still a Communist country. The changes we saw were mostly positive and the development was impressive. Restaurants and shops seemed to be doing a good business even in the present economic situation. The malls were big, flashy, and busy with lots of book stores and designer shops. The Internet Cafe that we used was in an old restaurant called, "Johann Strauss Cafe and Caviar Bar". It looked like something straight out of the 1800's. Navigating the city was the biggest challenge. Buying tram, subway, and bus tickets was a [View Full Entry]

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How could 3 weeks slip by so quickly? I guess we just hiked it away. This incredibly beautiful area is always a highlight of our time spent in Europe. The trains, lifts, boats, towns, local festivals, and hikes keep us busy every day. The very efficient Swiss transportation system delivered us to various peaks, valleys, or lakes throughout the Bernese Oberland area. From there we hiked 18 different trails and liked some of them so much that we did them several times. The Swiss Trucker's Festival one weekend and the European Harley Davidson Festival the next weekend added to the fun. [View Full Entry]

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The train stations smelled like waffles and chocolate - oh my!! I knew this was very bad and that we would enjoy every minute of the wonderful delicacies that Belgium had to offer. We were only going to be there for a day and a half so we had a lot of eating to do before moving on to Switzerland. The chocolate, the waffles and whipped cream, the french fries with mayonnaise - it was going to be a diet disaster. So much for eating healthy. We walked through Brussels and tried to visit all the major sights. So, this took [View Full Entry]

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Oh, the sun, the golden cliffs, and the golden sand of Albufeira - what a contrast to Ireland. We REALLY enjoyed the sun and the warm weather, but not the cold Atlantic waters. Albufeira is a quaint seaside village where the lifeguards wear bright yellow T-shirts that say, "Matador Salvador" (Lifeguard), where people spend the entire day lazing at the beach, and then party until the wee hours of the morning. Since I've written about Albufeira in the past, I'll concentrate on the very unique sand sculpture festival that we visited on my birthday. These were definitely the largest and mo [View Full Entry]

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Can you believe it? Eight days in the Emerald Isle with sunshine every day and we never got wet? Yes, it rained, but not much and never enough to dampen our plans. However, our money just seemed to evaporate. The prices were outrageous!!! Dublin, Cork, and Waterford were interesting with quaint buildings, old neighborhoods, and historic monuments. Our travels out of the cities took us to the towns of Blarney, Cobh, and the villages of the Ring of Kerry. Blarney was beautiful and we had a warm sunny day in which to enjoy it. We hiked the grounds, climbed to the [View Full Entry]

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Even driving out of the airport, one of the first things we noticed was how excellent the roads were. Then, we noticed how clean everything was. We repeated those two phrases many times as we drove around Tenerife and Gran Canary. True, we don´t usually travel by car, but the roads really were outstanding. Especially when you consider the terrain. Most roads are clinging to steep, rocky cliffs over looking the ocean or snaking through steep ravines and high mountain passes. That said, don't even talk to us about the parking issues! Tenerife was our favorite of the two islands we [View Full Entry]

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