Blogs from Europe - page 4

I love Park Güell so much and I wish it had been a nicer weather day. Soaked might be an understatement. We truly enjoyed the park, but it isn’t so fun to hang out in as long when you’re soaked. It was not quite 70 today so it was a little chilly. I took many photos of all but one of my favorite things. You can’t work your way backwards after a certain point so I missed my opportunity to recapture an image. Of course it’s also a bit different in a downpour anyway. I still love it there, but I love it most when dry and sunny, when the greatest light effects can be had on the mosaic tiles. Gaudí had a brilliant artistic mind. I can’t explain. It has to be seen. Photos don’t ... read more

This morning, we headed back towards Kilkenny to visit Jerpoint Abbey at Thomastown. This was always on the cards because of not being able to book accommodation in Kilkenny because of Bloody Bruce and his concert clashing with our itinerary. However, if we’d been a bit more on the ball, we would have called in at Jerpoint Abbey on our way to see the Green Bridge at Instioge. Rather than taking us the M9, Apple Maps took us north on the R448 which was probably more scenic than the motorway. Jerpoint Abbey is a 12th century Cistercian Abbey located by the little Arrigal River in a remote (back in the day) wooded area, close to a quarry. In 1228 there were 36 monks and 50 lay brothers who held 20 thousand acres of land. The abbey ... read more

We sailed from Lisbon with 64 passengers in our group. Time to meet new friends and visit new ports. Our first port of Agadir, Morocco is on the northwestern coast of Africa. I thought it would be warmer but this area is influenced by the cooler current that comes down from Greenland. We took the ship’s shuttle bus to the main town square and then negotiated with some very eager drivers for a two-hour taxi tour around the town. We ended up at the souk (market) and were in for some strong bargaining. I finally reached a price agreement with one merchant for some scarves and pashminas. That afternoon a sandstorm from the Sahara Desert kicked up leaving sand everywhere. We will probably see this same sand when it passes over Florida in a few weeks, ... read more

North Macedonia Friday 3rd May 2024 We left , Albania and then we drove through a seaside town, and we had to go across a bit of unmade road to get to the Border!! Got through in about ½ hour and Chris got his Green Card!! Our first stop was the Monastery Saint Naum. It had started to rain again so I don’t think we were able to give it justice! Even the peacocks were sheltering from the rain- the boat trips to see the Springs were still going though!! Walked across a bridge that was gushing water from underneath ( I can only assume from the spring!) into Lake Orhid. The monastery was established in 905 by St Naum of Orhid himself ,and he is also buried in the church! ( That explains why people ... read more

I love Barcelona. I love the art. It’s a lot of walking. I don’t mind walking but you can walk all day and see so much and still feel like you haven’t seen hardly anything. It’s so big. I’m staying a little bit out of the city center but it’s kind of more the outskirts of the city center I think would be more accurate. Definitely still in the city and close to the shore. That means a long walk anywhere or taking metro. I will do both and it has given me a greater appreciation for how much walking I did in the 6 days I was here last. We got in late yesterday so we found a tapas bar—note, the hostel front desk had no recommendations except two business cards at the front desk ... read more