“Top of the mornin’ to you” our hostess said as she breezed through the breakfast room and I knew without a doubt we were in Ireland. Actually we had heard no one really says “Top of the mornin’” anymore so we were grinning at each other to actually hear it said in a real Irish brogue. John and I arrived in Ireland on May 7 and spent the next week exploring the sights of Dublin and generally taking it easy (I will write about Dublin in a later blog). After the week, our friends Vicky and Gary arrived and the four of us set out to explore the country. We left Dublin immediately because Queen Elizabeth II was due to visit and they were closing streets and sights in preparation. We headed south out of Dublin ... read more

Island Hopping is a romantic way to travel from island to island in Greece - exploring to see what there is to see. It is best done in the summer (June through September) because one of the key things to do on most islands is to explore the beaches and swim. In April it was too cold for swimming…the water was about 60 degrees F (15 degrees C) but I had a nice week anyway exploring sunlit spaces. I actually visited three islands after leaving Hydra: Syros, Paros and Thira (aka Santorini). The prettiest (and correspondingly the most popular) was Thira but the other two had their attractions as well. Syros One fun thing about Island Hopping is waiting until the last minute to decide where to go. This might not work in high season because ... read more

Celebrating Easter in Greece is like celebrating Christmas in the US. The festivities last days and many people return to their home town to celebrate. In fact, the Easter observances last four days, Thursday through Sunday. The days are full of ritual, ceremony and celebration. Since the primary church is the Orthodox Church there was nothing in these rituals that I had experienced previously so it was a fascinating adventure. I spent the four days of Easter on Hydra (pronounced ee-dra) one of the Greek islands in the Saronic Gulf just a few miles off the Peloponnese coast. Although I experienced the holy days in only this town, from talking with others, the traditions are similar all over Greece. Thursday: The Crucifixion I arrived on Hydra via a ferry on Thursday morning. There are three churches ... read more

Athens! Named after the Greek goddess Athena, it is the home of the Parthenon on the Acropolis and the birthplace of western democracy. It is the largest city in Greece and is on the Mediterranean Sea. It is so old… (how old is it?)…that every time they try to build they uncover more archeological ruins; history here goes back at least 3600 years. But before I explored Athens, I had arranged to spend two weeks volunteering at Serpentine Gardens. It is on the Pelion Peninsula north of Athens. The Pelion is known for its hiking trails and was a place I had planned to visit even before I knew I could visit Serpentine. There I met Doris and her two dogs, five cats, two geese, two ducks and three ducklings. I spent mornings pulling weeds and ... read more

Our first stop in Portugal was Chaves, a small town just over the border from Spain. It was primarily a place to sleep on our way to Porto but it still light when we arrived so we walked around town and saw the Roman Bridge and the remains of the fort. To be honest, there was not much else to see. The next day we took the scenic route. Despite the proximity to Spain, the landscape was very different. It was much drier and there were fewer trees. In addition there is a tremendous amount of litter and the people are not dressed as nicely as Spain; the country feels just a bit poorer. Our next destination was Porto but the guidebook warned us against driving in Porto so we found a hotel in a town ... read more