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Eileen Joll
Eileen Joll

Eileen Joll

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  • Antigua, Guatemala
    Hat vendor in the park
    A tuk-tuk and a boy selling foodTour guideMayan familyTaking home purchases from the market in a tuk-tukDoing laundry at the public square1They balance everything on their heads!Eggs at the marketCooking in the homeVendors at the parkMom and kids selling thingsMaking and selling tortillas out of the home1It's winter here, lol - it was 62°11Chicken busLots of chicken busses at the marketRoad repair

    The People of Antigua

    31 de enero, Guatemala ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    The people - the people in Guatamala are hard working. Whether they rely on selling things in the park or on the street, working in their homes or hold a regular job in service or construction, they work many hours, don't make a lot of pay, and seem very content. And they are very proud of their country. There is little to no litter, they sing their national anthem, Mayans dress in their native dress, and they are very friendly and helpful.

    While Spanish is the main language here, the natives here appreciate visitors attempting to speak it and are accepting and nonjudgmental of Spanglish. They will speak slower and gently correct wrong pronunciations. It is a great place to practice speaking Spanish.

    Means of transportation - people get around by tuk-tuk, chicken bus, shuttles, lots of motorcycles - including families riding on one, Uber, and back of pickup trucks. The sidewalks and roads are cobblestone. As rocks become loose, they are moved aside until the road is repaired and then they are cemented back in place. The cobblestone make for interesting rides on the roads and careful walking on the sidewalks. The sidewalks are slowly being replaced with cement.

    Vendors - selling in the streets and the parks, all ages. Mothers often have their children with them while they sell their goods until late at night. People carry their wares to and from their house everyday. Some carry things throughout the park, some set up a place on a corner, some push a wheelbarrow, some push carts with ice cream or hot food.

    Children only need to attend school for 6 years through the elementary level, four hours a day. Many schools in the outlying areas do not have the necessary materials and teachers are usually high school graduates. About half of those students attending elementary go on to middle and high school where they can train in a trade. About 1 in 5 of those students go on to university. Many children end up in the work force as vendors or farmers at a very young age.    Leer más

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  • Antigua, Guatemala
    2Del Agua Parque
    1Part of Guatamala CityChicken busCerveceria 1411Speakeasy entranceUlew (speakeasy)One of our favorite restaurantsWalking through the marketKids feeding the pigeons in the parkEntertainment in the parkFuego Vulcan1What Fuego looks like when erupting during the dayWhat Fuego looks like at night

    Our last days

    30 de enero, Guatemala ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    We have been to a few very cool places this week. We went to a very good restaurant that had real Guatamalan food. La Fonda de Calle Real was so good we went there twice and enjoyed it both times. Another night we went to a young people's bar scene, El Barrio, expecting to watch the local soccer game. They are known for their sports viewing but they were having karaoke and no one was interested in the game. We left and went to Reillys to watch the first half of the game. The other cool place was a cocktail bar, Ulew meaning land in Mayan. Ulew is actually a speakeasy you enter through a British phonebooth at the Antigua beer company. If you don't know about it, you wouldn't find it, as it is hidden. They didn't have a menu but you tell them what you like and they will make a cocktail just for you. The bartenders spoke English and were a lot of fun. It was a very cool place.

     Most of the hiking around here involves climbing volcanoes and many of them are hard, but after some searching we found a hike up Agua volcano that was all uphill but not too difficult. Corazon de Agua Park was about 2.5 miles and changed altitude of 1500 feet. It led to the De Agua Parque, an ecological park that was stunningly beautiful. There were great views of sprawling Guatamala City. They had picnic areas, lookout platforms, a swing, camping areas and just nice grassy areas. We had stopped at one of our favorite pastry places (Santa Clara) and got something for lunch that we ate at the park. We rode a chicken bus back into Antigua. Chicken busses are the locals means of transportation. They are old school buses that the people here have fixed up and painted wild colors. The colors often depict the town they travel to. They get their name because back in the day people used them to get to the market and they brought their chickens to sell so the chickens squawked on the buses, hence the name. People still use them to bring their goods to the market, just not live chickens.

    There is another brewery that is about a 20 minute drive outside of Antigua - Cerveceria 14. We went there after our hike. They have large spacious grounds, music nightly, and often hold music festivals there. We had an appetizer, provided by Annie and Felix, with our beer while we just enjoyed being in the wonderful weather and watching the sunset.

    The weather on our last day here was gorgeous. We spent time in the parks, walked the streets, and spent time on our rooftop enjoying both coffee and wine while watching fuego erupt and just enjoyed everything about this city.    Leer más

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  • Antigua, Guatemala
    Church service
    Breakfast at the farmExpatsCasa Santo Domingo Hotel - a blend of very old and very newThe take care of macaws who have been given upMiss Universe - Guatamala, having a photo shootEl Bosque!The church at JocotenangoCentral Park JocotenangoLadies making tortillas and then selling them. They are found a lot and one way people make moneyThe town of Jocotenango spreads up the hillLittle kids walking out with their soccer idols1ABC rooftop view of Arch Santa Clara Arch

    Around town part 2

    24–26 ene., Guatemala ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    We attended Sunday mass at the iglesia de la San Francisco. Of all the churches we have seen here, this one seemed the most down to earth. The seats were full and the service completely in Spanish so we didn't understand it all but enjoyed the music and got the cultural feel.

    There is an upscale hotel here - Hotel Santa Domingo - that was once a convent ruined by the earthquakes. A couple bought it, changed it up and made it a house. It was sold to a family who developed it into an upscale hotel and convention/event center. It is amazing. It has the old ruin look interwoven with a contemporary style. A wedding was taking place there while we visited. It is truly a 5 star venue.

    We returned to Antigua Cerveca - El Bosque , the brewery in the woods. It is such a peaceful place to enjoy the great weather here. We also revisited Caboa Farms for a late breakfast and music . We had met an expat who invited us to Snack and Yak, a group of expats who get together there on Saturday mornings. We saw them and their table was very full. If you wanted to move here, you definitely could connect with Americans.

    On Sunday, we walked to a neighboring little town of Jocotenango. It is not a touristy town at all and had the feel of a true neighborhood. Like all of the towns, there is a central park and a church in the center. We walked around the streets and then decided to get dinner at their fast food place of Pollo Campanero . We were very surprised, after walking around poorer looking streets, to find a mall filled with a food court and many stores. So different from the typical neighborhood but just around the bend.

    From Jocotenango, we walked to the stadium for a soccer game. It was a preseason game for the new season for the Guatamalan teams. Antigua won the title last season. The stadium was pretty full and the crowd was exciting - cheering, a pep band playing, fireworks and flares, and some hecklers. Typical of what we have seen in Guatemala, there were no refreshment stands but food and drink sellers walked past constantly. These are the same ones you would see around the park - all ages, carrying their products, working hard. The game was fun, had a lot of yellow cards and one red, and ended in a tie. There is another game on Wednesday that is a against a rival team and so should be even more exciting.

    Two things that stood out about the game. There was a huge police presence at the two ends of the field. They were in riot gear. A guy sitting next to us told us that this was normal for every game. I guess things can get out of hand though this crowd was not rowdy at all.
    The other standout item was that when the Guatamala national anthem was played at the beginning of the game, everyone sang, and I mean everyone. As poor as this country is, they take great pride in their homeland.

    One more trip to the rooftop of the Antigua Brewing company for great views although we have discovered none of the viewpoints are better than our apartment rooftop for seeing Fuego's eruptions.    Leer más

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  • Antigua, Guatemala
    Guatamala fast food chain
    La MercedFernando'sMcDonald's - not like home!A ruins turned wedding venue1

    Around the town

    23–25 ene., Guatemala ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    As we head into our last week here, we started to check off some of the things still in our list around town and a few we wanted to do again.

    We had lunch at Pollo Campero - Guatamala's fast food chain. They are a chicken place where you can eat in or take out. We are in and the table service was excellent. Both the fried and grilled chicken were very tasty and better than KFC.

    Next we went to La Merced, one of the larger churches in the area. This church is in a very busy party of town north of the Central Park, just past the famous arch. There are always vendors outside selling everything from goods to street food. We have been past the church many many times but this day we finally went inside. Like the other churches here, it also had a convent and much of it was destroyed by the earthquake in the 1700's. The church had been restored and is ornately beautiful inside.

    We made stops at McDonald's and Starbucks to check out their courtyards. It is the nicest McDonald's we have ever been in. Most of the building fronts here are right on the street, and don't look like much, but once you enter, they have beautiful courtyard/garden areas.

    Fernando's Kaffe was recommended to us by Edward for their coffee and chocolate that is made in-house. He claims it to be of Swiss quality. The samples we had made us agree. We had coffee (delicious) and sampled chocolate, and had a chance to speak to the owner who can tell you all about chocolate. We stopped back another day for breakfast and to buy coffee and chocolate to take home.

    The San Jose Church Ruins was another ruins on our list. It is another convent that was ruined by the earthquakes in the 1700's. And was even more impressive than the last convent ruins we saw. It is hard that imagine how impressive they world have been in their time. Several places that were ruined have been secured and are now event spaces. We have seen many weddings at these places.

    We visited El Deposito, a restaurant/bar and store for a beer. From the sidewalk, it looks just like every other restaurant/bar entrance. But once inside, it opened to a beautiful outdoor courtyard, upper deck seating, a library, and other special rooms. We enjoyed a beer. Music was starting when we were getting ready to leave so we came back the next night for dinner and music.    Leer más

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  • Antigua, Guatemala
    Ready to visit Lake Atitlan
    The dock at PanajachelOur Mayan guide who spoke Mayan, Spanish, and EnglishMan of the mountain - it is the face of a man laying on his back looking up.San Juan La LagunaHoney demonstrationTextile workMaking chocolateSan Pedro La LagunaGreat and colorful muralsSantiagoOur tuk-tuk1How many Americans can you fit in the back of a tuk-tuk?Lookout pointPicture of the shaman statue that Mayans pay homage to.Mayan women selling things outside the church. It is 20 meters long.Putting on her traditional hatCatholic Church that used to be a Mayan temple. There are twenty steps.An at gasket of original paintingsLunch with fish from the lakeThe voyage back

    Lake Atitlan

    22 de enero, Guatemala ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    We took a tour to Lake Atitlan, a lake formed from a volcanic explosion thousand of years ago. It sits between three major volcanos, all of which are extinct. The lake is 1120 feet deep and located about 5100 feet above sea level.

    There are many villages all around the lake, most of them of the Mayan culture. There are 22 different Mayan groups around the lake. At one time they all had their own language. Today there are three Mayan languages spoken there. Our guides spoke one of the Mayan languages, Spanish and English.

    Our tour bus picked us up near our BnB at the very early hour of 5:40 am. There were ten people on our tour. There was a family of four, with a one year old, who spoke Spanish, a couple originally from Puerto Rico (Herin-a pilot for American and ?), now living in Miami, who spoke both Spanish and English, and a solo guy traveler, Chris, from North Caroline who spoke only English. Chris had just turned 38 and the other couple appeared to be about the same age. All 3 of them were travel experience seekers, having been many places around the world on 1-2 week trips. Chris was a wannabe commercial pilot who had taken some of his lessons. He spent a lot of time talking to Her in getting tips and motivation.

    Throughout the trip we were separated by English speaking and Spanish speaking for various things so we shared our meals with the English speakers. It took about 2 hours to get to the lake. We started in the town of Panajachel where we had breakfast at the wharf. From there we boarded a boat and traveled to the first town.

    First stop- San Juan La Laguna. This is a smaller town that is known for it's industries. We first had a tour of a honey farm, where they produce honey and products made from honey. They produce three different types of honey from various bees. Each tastes completely different. Next we had a demonstration of the making of textiles. Everywhere you go here and in Antigua are people selling clothing, scarfs, blankets, etc that are woven in the typical Mayan method. The demonstration started with raw cotton and the procedure for preparing it, then dying it, and finally weaving it. A blanket could take up to two months to create. Finally we had a demonstration on how chocolate is made from seed to edible chocolate. Purchases from these places benefit the locals.

    Our second stop was a short one to San Pedro La Laguna. San Pedro is know for hosting backpackers. To the locals, it is known as the"hippie" town or the crazies. There were plenty of shops and restaurants and places to do some excursions (hiking, kayaking, para sailing) if you were staying here. But mostly this place comes alive in the evenings with music, drinking, and partying.

    Our third and last stop took us to Santiago, the largest town on the lake hosting a population of 65,000 and where our guides live. Here we had a choice of walking to one of four highlighted places or taking a tuk-tuk to all four. While we do like to walk, we all decided to visit all four places and took the tuk-tuk. All three Americans were put in the same tuk-tuk that was designed for three smaller Guatamalans, not three Americans. We first went to a mirador - a beautiful point that overlooked the lake. Next we went to the house of a Mayan shaman. It had candles, a strange statue, and two people (shamans) who just sat there. Mayan people come there to get advice and give offerings (money) to the strange statue. (The statue is a short old guy wearing long scarves with a tie around his neck and a cigarette in his mouth. The cigarette ashes are added to the incense that is burning and that is the connection between the human and the god or goddess. Sacrifices are offered to women statues, who also have a cigarette, for fertility issues.) Out of respect to their customs, no one took pictures here.

    Our third stop was to the main church. It was once a Mayan temple and now shares the building for Mayan and Catholic worship. Outside of the church was an older Mayan women selling things and demonstrating typical Mayan dress and a mayan headdress from the past. It used to be worn for fertility but today is just ornamental. A prayer service was taking place in the church and in the same courtyard was a school where students were learning to play the guitar. Our last stop was to an artist shop where there were many beautiful paintings and other crafts for sale.
    We ended our visit here with lunch at a restaurant that served fish caught from the lake.

    We headed back to Panajachel where we caught our tour bus back to Antigua. With traffic, it took us three hours to return. We ended the evening with dinner at Pappy's again mostly because the food is good and they have a good beer tap which is hard to find here.    Leer más

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  • Antigua, Guatemala
    Edward
    Edward's homeAnd garden. It used to be an empty lot.Cool plantsThe saunaInside the sauna he designedShalom cutting a coconut for us to eatEating the young coconutShalom stopped by to say goodbye as he leaves for Antigua. He and Edward are kindred spiritsParakeets in his treesFind the parakeets!Part of the real MonterricoCacao plants (chocolate)Ship building taking place by handThe same ships ferry boats to a highway. Many locals use this to come to the beach

    Edward

    17 de enero, Guatemala ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    One of the coolest things about traveling is the people you meet. We met Edward at the beach in Monterrico. He is such an interesting guy that he deserves his own post! He is an expat who lives there 3-4 months a year. He came to the beach every morning and every evening and talked to people. He says that he likes travelers but not tourists. Everytime we talked with him we learned s little bit more about him. It was like a puzzle putting together the timeline of his life. Edward is 84 years old!! He stands erect and is able to sit cross-legged for long periods, and gets up with no issues. He credits this with his daily yoga practice that he started about 10 years ago.

    Edward introduced us to Shalom, a young Israeli guy who had been traveling for 9 months through parts of South America and will be headed back soon partly because he is missing his country and partly due to finances.

    Edward was born in Illinois to Swiss parents. He lived years in the US and years in Switzerland so he has dual citizenship. After college he worked on Wall St. Then he took a 2 year trip through Central and South America. Somewhere in around the college time, he did spend a couple years in the military, but not in Vietnam. Since we got bits and pieces of information from him over multiple days, it was hard to piece together.

    Next he spent some time working with banking for the military in Vietnam. He said that the war messed him up and he moved to the wilderness in northern California for 25 years. It sounded like he was off- grid some or all of the time. He worked as a gardener and spent a lot of time in nature. During the winters he would travel in Latin America.

    He didn't provide many details after his time in northern California but he did spend a couple years teaching. He said he retired at age 62.

     He always had a story about somewhere he had been. He traveled to Guatemala many times and ten years ago he bought property and had a house built. He invited us over to see it. He has two bedrooms , an open air kitchen and a neighborhood covered patio. He also designed and had built a wood fired sauna that he uses regularly. When he bought the property, it was an empty lot aside from 2 beautiful shade trees. Edward developed it into a beautiful garden with many different plants. He spends time working in his garden everyday.

    Edward has assembled some travel journals and emailed us a couple when we expressed interest. He has also emailed a couple times since we left Monterrico, mostly about silver prices.

    Edward took us on a walking tour of the rest of the town, the real Monterrico. The people know him, but even more so, the dogs know him. He often takes beef lung with him to feed the dogs which he claims never get enough attention. He stops and pets them whenever he sees one

    Edward worked in the financial industry for those few years early in his career and his interest carried forward to today. He was giving suggestions about investing. He is a big fan of gold and silver. He is a well read man and discuss money, politics, economy, and pretty much anything else.

    He arranged and then went with us on our morning bird watch boat ride, again stunning us with his wealth of information. Afterwards her invited us to his house for a breakfast of oatmeal and fruit and coffee, cowboy style (no filter).

    Edward will be leaving here in March and heading to Switzerland for a few months. He'll then spend a could of months in the US and then travel who knows where else. There are few places he hasn't been and has a story to tell about everywhere he has been. One of his favorite cities is Budapest.    Leer más

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  • Antigua, Guatemala
    Our room at the Hotel El DolfenOur view from the restaurant and our beachBlack sandMr Relax himself!1The pool1Sunset1Sunrise. We could see the sunrise at one end of the beach and the sunset at the otherPelicansHorse ridesATVsA jumping sting ray2Sting rays in the wavesThis family brought there grandmother to the beach. They took such good care of herCanal boats we used to see the birds in the early morningEarly morning canal boat rideDogsKids selling their goods1

    Monterrico Beach - 4 wonderful lazy days

    15–19 ene., Guatemala ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    We took a shuttle to the beach on Thursday. We were the only two in the shuttle and we transferred to a car halfway there. It was about a three hour ride along mostly 2 lane roads.

    We stayed in Hotel El Delfin, a hotel on the beach. We had a private room (our own bath) with air conditioning. Our "deluxe" room was about $60 per night. Most of the rooms here are more like dormitory rooms with shared baths and showers. The rooms are all concrete with a mattress on a raised concrete slab and they have thatched roofs. Most of the hotels here are designed the same way. Our hotel had a very good restaurant, a pool, and beach-front patio.

    Because of all of the volcanic rock here, it is a black sand beach. The waves were mostly pretty rough with strong currents pulling outward during low tides. While the water temperature is nice (82F) we didn't stay in too long as it is work fighting the continuous moving waves and strong current. However, on Sunday the waves were unusually calm.

    We arrived on Thursday to a pretty quiet beach. On Friday the crowds picked up a little bit and then Saturday through Sunday afternoon, it was very busy. Many locals from Antigua and Guatamala City come for the weekend. There were a lot of large families. Saturday evening was hopping with live or dj music along the beach.

    We are most of our meals at the hotel patio bar/restaurant. Food was good and convenient. We also tried Comedor Wendy and Johny's Place, each for a single meal.

    One day we saw something jumping out of the water over and over. It turned out to be sting rays. There were so many of them close to shore jumping it off the water and rolling in the waves. Apparently it is a very uncommon sight.

    We used our time there mostly to just enjoy the beach, the cool breeze, time to read, and just relax. We met a lady from Norway, Ava, who is spending a week there and about 5 weeks total in or near Antigua. We also met an expat, Edward, who lives in Monterrico 3-4 months every year. There were some walks on the beach and one morning we took a boat ride into the mangroves. Edward recommended the trip and the guide. He also came along. We left in the dark of night at 5:30 am. There were so many stars out and it was a little bit creepy being so dark. But we traveled the canal and were in a quiet area as the sun began to rise and the birds began to wake up. There were so many birds and so many different kinds. Ibis, cranes and herons were plentiful as well as many we didn't know. Our guide spoke Spanish and told us the Spanish names of the birds.

    The beach was very peaceful and yet very busy even on a quiet day. Many people in this poor city make their living selling things on the beach. Children walk the beach carrying goods they are trying to sell. In the last year they started having ATV rides on the beach. Children, maybe 11 or 12 year old boys, ride up and down asking people if they want rides on beach. It makes crossing the beach to the water a little bit treacherous and loud. One can also get a horse ride on the beach and on the weekend, banana boat rides on the water. The beach sand gets extremely hot (up to 140°) during the day. There were also a lot of dogs in this area. Many of them have owners but they roam the beach and establishments freely and don't get a lot of attention.

    We headed back in on Monday via a car with to other travelers. We again stopped to transfer to another vehicle. This time, it was a shuttle bus that held 32 people and it was very full. It took about 4 hours to get home and we didn't get dropped off at our air BNB as advertised. We were stopped off at La Merced, about a 25 minute walk away. Walking back we stopped at Pappy's BBQ to eat. The owner is from Austin Texas. He traveled after college to Guatamala and stayed for two years and met his wife. When visiting in Texas she fell in love with Texas BBQ and they started a restaurant in Antigua. It was true Texas BBQ and very good.    Leer más

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  • Antigua, Guatemala
    San Fernando Church
    1San Fernando ChurchSanta Clara Convent RuinsPigeons occupy the crevices!2A restored archCocktails at the Sky Cafe2Views from the Sky Cafe

    Around town

    13 de enero, Guatemala ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty low key days. Jeff worked some both days. Eileen did some laundry, grocery shopping, reading and practicing her horn.

    On her way to the Caboa Farms tienda , Eileen met Deet leaving our plan with her bicycle. She came to Antigua 33 years ago for a month to escape the Chicago weather and has called Guatemala home since then. She was on her way to the Jewish center which she said was open to everyone. Deet invited us to meet up with an ex-pat group that meets every Saturday at Caoba Farm for "snack and yak" where they snack and yak. We are pretty sure we saw this group when we were there the previous Saturday.

    Late Tuesday afternoon we took a walk around Santa Clara convent ruins and stopped in Santuario San Francisco el Grande. The area behind the altar was uniquely beautiful.

    Late Wednesday afternoon we went back to the ruins of the Santa Clara convent and went inside. It was built in the early 1700s and had accommodations for 45 sisters. It is hard to imagine what life would have been like there. The ruins are the result of the 1775 earthquake. Over the years they have cleaned up and restored some areas.

    After the convent, we went to the Sky Cafe and had a cocktail on their rooftop. It provides some of the best views in town - and was very crowded. It was a little cloudy so the views were not great but still good.    Leer más

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  • Antigua, Guatemala
    All three volcanoes viewed from Pacaya, left to right - Acatanengo, Fuego, Agua
    Fuego giving off a puff1Fuego and Acatanengo at sunset - view from our rooftopView of Agua from La Cruz.

    The Volcanos

    11 de enero, Guatemala ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    There are four major volcanos in Antigua - Pacaya, Agua, Fuego, and Acatanengo.

    Agua is the largest and the one closest to Antigua. It once had a caldera (crater lake) at the top of it. One day in the 1500's, the side of the Crater collapsed and flooded the villages below, hence how it got named Agua, meaning water. It is extinct.

    Pacaya, the one we hiked, was dormont for over 70 years but has erupted numerous times since 1961. The lava field we hiked through was from the 2010 eruption.

    Fuego , meaning fire, is an active volcano that erupts fairly often as far as volcanos go. The last eruption was on June of 2025 with 5 other eruptions dating back to 2018. It is known for being constantly active at low levels. It emits puffs of smoke every 20-30 minutes. Sometimes at night you can glimpse the red lava spewing out.

    Acatanengo is next to Fuego in the same range. It is dormont and taller than Fuego. It is popular for a challenging overnight hike that gets great views of the erupting activity taking place on Fuego. For the younger crowd or those extremely physically fit, this is a highlight of visiting here. Along with a physical hike with step incline, the temperatures change drastically. The hikers hike to a base camp where they spend the night and then before dawn, hike farther up to get the views of spewing lava from Fuego. Supposedly the views are worth it. We will never know personally.

    We can see Agua, Fuego and Acatanengo from our rooftop and from most places in Antigua. Pacaya sits behind Agua, on the side opposite of Antigua.

    Guatamala sits on several tectonic plates causing tremors or small earthquakes (and the volcano activity) all of the time. Most of the tremors cannot be felt. However, one of our guides told us that they can be felt 3-4 times a month. One night, for some strange reason, both of us were awake around 1:00 am and we felt a tremor. Our beds shook and the windows rattled for about 20-30 seconds. It wasn't really scary but it was a reality check.    Leer más

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  • Antigua, Guatemala
    Pacaya Volcano - as high as we are allowed to go
    San Jose CathedralMusicians rehearsing for the wedding.Bride #1Bride #2. If you zoom in you can see her Mayan dress on her sleeve.Music at Cacoa FarmsArt GalleryView of Park from the art gallery porchAntigua Brewing El BosqueSoccer in the big screenHike up Pacaya VolcanoDark layers are ash from previous eruptions.I've could ride a horse to instead of walkingView of Guatamala CityMolten rock. The yellow is sulfurField of molten rockView of three volcanoes from PacayaHeat vents1The black is from the last eruption. It came close to houses

    Hiking the volcano

    10 de enero, Guatemala ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Over the last couple of days we listened to some music, visited the Guatamala National Museum of Art, visited the Antigua Brewing El Bosque, and hiked up the Pacaya Volcano.

    We walked around town and found not one, two weddings! One was at the San Jose Cathedral at the park, the other in a neighboring town. The bride in the second one had on a typical Mayan dress with a very long white veil over it. We walked back to the Caboa Farm and listened to some music while having lunch.

    The National At Gallery is in the Central Park in what used to be a governmental building when Antigua was the capital of Guatamala. It is a typical art museum ranging from the early ages to contemporary highlighting Guatamala artists.

    From there we walked to the Antigua Cerveca El Bosque - a brewery in the woods. It is the same Antigua Brewing Co that we ate at earlier but farther north of the square and in the most beautiful garden and wooded area. There was a lot of outdoor seating, some around fire pits, a few eateries, and a large screen tv where the Barcelona/Madrid soccer game was being played with many fans watching. You could find excitement or peace depending on where you sat. We choose excitement and watched Barcelona win a championship while munching on delicious nachos and enjoying a beer.

    Yesterday we hiked up Volcan Pacaya - the Pacaya Volcano. It is one of four major volcanos around Antigua and is an active volcano which last erupted in 2021. The other the are Agua, Fuego, and Acatanengo. More about those in another post. A driver picked us up and drove us about an hour away to the entrance to the start of the volcano hike, which is a national Park. We met our guide, Jose, there. You must have a certified guide to hike up the volcano. While there are plenty of guides waiting at the entrance to take you up (as well as people offering horses to ride up), there is no guarantee that they speak English. We booked this trip to have an English guide, though he spoke more Spanglish than English. Yet, between his Spanglish and our Spanglish, we understood each other. We hiked up about 1500 feet while Jose told us about the volcanos, plants, and animals in the area. There were great views of the other volcanos and the sprawling Guatamala City (current capital of Guatamala. Antigua was the capital at one time but it was moved when earthquakes caused damage there.) Because it is an active volcano, we could only hike so far up. On one side of the volcano there were a lot of trees but when we started down the other side, we walked through beds of molten lava rock from the recent eruptions. There were also thermal vents giving off enough heat to roast marshmellows.

    We drove back going through a very typical Mayan village Santa Maria de Jesus. It is an agricultural village with a very busy center. People were carrying things on their backs, heads or on horseback. Many of the things they were transporting will end up on the Antigua market.

    Upon our return we went to what has become our favorite Guatamala restruant/cafe/takeout place - Santa Clara where got delicious savory baked goods for lunch.    Leer más

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  • Antigua, Guatemala
    Outdoor marketThe women (and some men) carry so much on their heads!Axel buying our fruitsCooked foods that we won't eat but look and smell really goodMeat at the market. Also would not purchase as it is not refrigeratedElsa's stoveKitchen and eating area. There is an upstairs to her houseChico - one of our fruits. The others were passion fruit, guave, jaconte and cacoaRoasting the vegetables - tomatoes, peppers, and tomatillos. Axel has the plantainsElsa in her very comfortable surroundings!Jeff making a tortillaHow they should be done!Our tortillas! I bet you can tell which ones we attempted and which ones Elsa made!1Delicious Pepian

    Cooking Class

    9 de enero, Guatemala ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    We went on a market tour and cooking class. There are many places to take a cooking class here with most of them in a formal kitchens where they cook more things. We choose to do a class in a Guatamalan home. We didn't cook as many things, but it was just the two of us, our guide Axel, and Elsa the teacher / head chef. We started at the market and then Axel drove us to Elsa's house in a neighboring town.

    First about Axel. He and his wife do tours for a living. He first took us to the market where he pointed out different foods and explained how the market works. On Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, the market is in full force with farmers bringing their produce and vendors coming from all over. It is very busy these days. We were here on Monday and were overwhelmed. This day (Friday) it was still busy but not overwhelmingly so. Axel bought 5 different fruits popular here that we were not familiar with. Later, at the house, he prepared them and let us sample them. There are many food vendors here as well, like a food court, but we don't eat the street food. We cannot drink the water here so unless the food has been prepared with filtered water, it is not safe to drink and foods prepared without filtered water not safe to eat. Alex took our fruits and washed them with chlorine and then rinsed then before we ate them. (In our apt we have a filter but we also boil the water first and then put it through the filter.)

    Elsa is a very typical Guatamalan women. She spends most of her day in the kitchen preparing food for her family. Her husband is a coffee farmer. She has four children, three of whom live with her. One daughter is married and lives elsewhere. Her other daughter works, a son works and goes to college, and another son is on secondary school preparing to be a mechanic. She prepares breakfast, lunch, and dinner for everyone on a wood burning stove. She also makes and sells breads in the afternoon. She walks daily with her corn to the grinder and then back. This is needed to prepare the dough for tortillas. They do whatever they can to make living easier as incomes are not large.

    Elsa walked us through how to make Pepian, a Guatamalan stew, rice, Mole- a chocolate cinnamon dessert with plantains, and tortillas. The mole contained many of the same vegetable that were in the stew, but run through a blender
    We cooked the chicken and chopped and roasted the vegetables needed for the stew, rice, and the mole. Then we attempted to make tortillas. It does take practice. When we were done, we ate together. Elsa did not speak English but is an extremely hospitable person telling us we are part of the family and welcome anytime. Axel was a great translator. Over a delicious lunch we talked about cultures, education, politics, and may other topics. Axel is a very smart man and made sure everyone was involved in the conversation via his translation.

    We returned full and more educated in the Guatamala culture.    Leer más

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  • Antigua, Guatemala
    Our air BNBMarketPeople set up outside the very large indoor market!Cerro de la Cruz - view of AntiguaSunsetThe arch at nightFrida's RestruantCaobo FarmsRecycled tire!!!Church at San Pedro los HuertosCentral Park at San PedroClothes washing area in the Central ParkStreet in San Pedro - most of the streets and sidewalks are cobblestone!Poorer area2Local barCoffee plants everywhereFajita dinner at Caoba Farms - delicious!Sunset from our rooftop

    Our first week

    8 de enero, Guatemala ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    We purposely plan this month to be a relaxing kind of trip with a couple of day trips each week. So, we spend our days working (Jeff), practicing (Eileen), reading, walking around town, and enjoying the beautiful weather. It has mostly been in the 70's with lows in the 50's. Because of the high altitude, the sun feels very warm but once it goes down, the air cools off quickly. Layers are the appropriate clothing.

    Our place is a one room studio, fully furnished, air BNB with a great shared rooftop. We have plenty of space in a quiet neighborhood about 20 minutes from the Central Park. Most days include a walk to and around the park.

    On Monday we walked to check out the market in a part of town we hadn't been in. We made a quick walk through and realized it was very large without much organization. Fruits and vegetables are sold next to clothing and toys. While walking through it, we could see rows and rows of vendors. It was a little overwhelming and not what we had planned for. We left and went searching for a restaurant that we had found on the Internet. We ended up walking completely around the outside of the market, and became hangry looking for this place that we decided doesn't exist. Only while walking around the market did we truly understand how large it is. Another day we will adventure again ready to take on the whole thing. We stopped at a small place called La Casa de Las Mixtas and had an inexpensive meal on their rooftop. We then continued to the grocery store and picked up food.

    Tuesday we had a very good lunch at Santa Clara, a hotel, restaurant, and bakery. We brought cheesecake home for later.

    On Wednesday we walked to the Cerro de la Cruz, a cross on the hill with a platform area that overlooks the city. It is a very popular viewing place and one we will do again. We tried to get there for sunset, and while the sky was a nice color, you really can't see the sun set because of the mountains and volcanoes. On our way back we ate at Frida's, a Mexican restaurant inspired by the artist Frida Kahlo.

    Today started with breakfast at our favorite, and closet, restaurant- La Escolonia, the nursery right next door. From there we walked south away from the city center and into smaller neighboring towns. We first came to Caoba Farms, a place we had heard about and planned on visiting later. It is a farm to table restaurant that also offers exercise classes, a store, kids playground, farmers market in the weekend, and more. We took a quick look around and then continued walking using GPS as our guide.

    We walked to San Pedro las Huertos. This town has a completely different feel from the main part of Antigua. Of course, the town square has a church and a park, along with a neighborhood school. But it also has a clothes washing area that was very busy. We have been past the one in Antigua twice but have never seen it used. Here, mostly women, had large bundles of clothes they were washing and wringing out. Then they would carry the bundles of wet clothes home (maybe on they heads?) and hang them to dry. We wondered if maybe some of the ladies were doing other people's laundry. There were many small stores and vendors along the main street. Also there were people selling homemade foods that looked and smelled delicious, but we won't try these foods since we don't know how they are prepared. (We can't drink the water here.)

    Our walk continued on dusty roads, busy streets, past poorer looking areas and richer condos and nicer looking gated communities. We did stop at a local bar for a beer (Molly's) and then a half mile later turned onto a road with a large shopping center. We wound our way back to Caoba Farms. We were close to 7 miles in and were pretty hungry so we ate there. The food was delicious. We also shopped in the store for some things for home.    Leer más

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  • Antigua, Guatemala
    Pablo, our tour guide
    Our your groupInglesia de La Merced (church)Mt Fuego erupting. (Does so every 15-20 min)Fountain in park area. In rear are the ruins of the Santa Clara conventChurch of Brother Pedro where many families were arriving for a service.Family in traditional mayan clothing. The various designs represent status, area, and eligibilitySnug rooftop and viewChrist plant or plant of thornsNachos, beer and a Steeler win!

    Learning about Antigua

    4 de enero, Guatemala ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    We started our day with a 2.5 hour walking tour focused on history and architecture. Pablo was our guide and he has been doing these tours for 15 years. Pablo speaks 5 languages fluently and had some level of speaking in another 5 - that blows my mind. Antigua is a UNESCO world heritage city because of the many buildings and remains from the colonial times. A number of the buildings are in ruins because of earthquakes. Some have been partially restored but still showed signs of ruins. We had 15 people in our group. There was a young couple from New York but the rest were from various countries: Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Peru.....

    After our tour, we checked out a small outdoor market area in a church ( Brother Pedro) parking lot. The traffic was crazy because people were trying to turn into this lot to attend a service there - it seemed dedicated to youth and was very crowded.

    We then stopped at an "Irish" pub named Snug. While they had a Guinness sign out front, it was not in their offering. However, we enjoyed a beer and some lunch on their rooftop. The quiet was a stark contrast to the traffic on the street just a short distance away. It also provided a good view of the foothills on that side of town.

    Next stop was across town to pick up some additional things from the grocery store. We are still stocking up and limit our purchases to what we can carry in our small day packs since it is a 15-20 minute walk back to our apartment.

    We rested at the apartment until it was time to head out for the Steeler game. We made a quick stop at the Central Park and were surprised to see them taking the Christmas lights down on a Sunday evening. The park had many people in and about.

    We watched the Steeler game at the Monoloco (crazy monkey), recommended by our guide Pablo and many online sites. We went upstairs and asked for the NFL game (soccer was on all of the screens - surprise) and were obligated. It was not crowded but business did pick up as the evening went on. A group of students came in during the second half and the way they were cheering the Steelers on, I expected them to be from Pittsburgh. However, when I went over to talk to them, it turns out they were from a university in Michigan and were there on a two week cultural trip. They joined us in erupting in celebration when the Ravens kicker missed a fairly easy field goal as time ran out, making Boswell's missed extra point a non issue. We walked back to our apartment in good spirits, especially me (Jeff) since I fully expected them to lose going into the game.    Leer más

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  • Antigua, Guatemala
    2Garden Cafe
    Old, old church used for eventsCentral ParkVendor with stacked hatsArch with volcano in backgroundOne of the nearby churchesView from our rooftopAntigua Brewing Co rooftopPark by night with Christmas lightsCathedral near ParkHotel on site of former convent

    Arriving in Guatemala, day 1 in Antigua

    3 de enero, Guatemala ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    We arrived in Antigua about 15 hours after leaving our house. We flew into Guatemala City and the worst part of the trip was the 2 plus hours it took us to get to Antigua. There was a ton of traffic and the fuel fumes were not nice. However, we arrived safe and sound, though tired.

    Our airbnb is one large very room (studio) with a kitchen, sitting area, desk, and 2 beds. The highlight is a rooftop terrace which overlooks the neighborhood and has fantastic views of the surrounding mountains and volcanoe. We are in a gated community about 15-20 minutes from the Central Park which is a very lively place. Being a distance away makes it much quieter.

    Our first full day here was spent getting our bearings. We walked to the park and took in the shops around it. The park was very busy, maybe because it was a Saturday, and maybe because they are still celebrating the Christmas season. The Christmas season is until Jan 6, the feast of the 3 kings. That day is celebrated with church and family dinners, and then they take down their decorations. School doesn't start again until mid January.

    We started our day at a nursery with a cafe/restaurant. The food was great and the setting was beautiful. We had our first coffee in the park and enjoyed the people watching. There were many, many vendors in addition to tents that were set up for the season.

    We walked around a little more and found a grocery store to get some basics. We returned to our apartment for a few hours, spending part of that time on the rooftop.

    Later we had dinner at the Antigua Brewing Co, where they make and serve craft beers, followed by another walk through an even busier park. Tomorrow we are taking a history based walking tour to learn even more about this cute town.    Leer más

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  • UK & Ireland - hiking & more
    Jeff in jail
    Jail doorJustin courtyardTo the dungeonModern Art Museum entrance to large green spaceViking museumGhost tour guide.Leprechaun MuseumFeeling like leprechaunsParkParkOur final city walk

    Dublin - part 2

    3 de octubre de 2025, Irlanda ⋅ 🌧 61 °F

    Dublin - day 3, we...

     ... did a tour of the Kilmainham Gaol (former Jail). The jail held common criminals as well as political prisoners involved in Ireland's struggle for independence. It is now a national monument.

     ... Went to the Museum of modern art. The area has a large green space leading up to the building.

    ... Went to Dublinia, a Viking museum which focused on the Viking and Medieval history of the city. Very interactive.

     ... Did a Ghost tour which was more of creepy and gory stories of things that happened in the city. The host was a great story teller.

    Dublin, day 4

    One would think that we would run out of things to do but we didn't. Today we ...

    ... Went to the Irish Folklore Museum. Leprechauns are one of many folklores in Ireland and are not near as popular there as they are in the US. They are not like what is depicted in the Disney films. Leprechauns are mischievous creatures found at roots of trees and not rainbows. The museum was story based and talked about other fairies and folklore.

    ... Walked through neighborhoods to a large park, similar to our county parks. There park had sports fields, flower fields, and a zoo. We walked around a bit enjoying being out of the busy city.

    ... Walked back to the city to take a final look around of the sights and enjoy one more night of Irish music and a Guinness and Irish coffee.    Leer más

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  • UK & Ireland - hiking & more
    Book of Kells decorative alphabetOne decorative piece enlarged. They really are very small with such detail!Trinity library's long hallTrinity college campusBog body!!1Ha Penny Bridge14 Henrietta St - once a rich townhouse, then a tenement buildingHomeless Jesus statue1Guinness tourChrist ChurchThe famous Temple Bar already decorated for ChristmasSt Patrick's CathedralColdplay by Candlelight

    Dublin - part 1

    30 de septiembre de 2025, Irlanda ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    We traveled to Dublin and spent four days and 5 nights there.

    Our Tuesday trip from Galway to Dublin was easy - a couple hours on the train. It was a 30 minute walk to Blooms Hotel in the Temple Bar area, the most touristy part of town (and the highest concentration of pubs). We spent the afternoon and evening getting familiar with the area.

    Day one (Wed) - we went to...

     ... the Book of Kells at Trinity College. Here there is a 1,200 year old manufacturer manuscript of the gospels. They are ornately decorated with colorful pictorial script.
    The long room there contains a copy of every book ever written in Ireland. We walked around the campus as well.

     ... The National Archeology Museum. Here they had an exhibit of the bog bodies. These were from the Iron Age (500 BC to 100 AD). People were killed and thrown into the bogs. Some of them were royalty. The conditions of the bogs - wet, acidic, and having low oxygen, kept the bodies from deteriorating.

     ... The Ha Penny Bridge, the most ornate of the bridges in Dublin. A river runs through Dublin and it had so many bridges - another connection to Pittsburgh. One of the bridges is wider than it is long.

     ... 14 Henrietta St. This is a building that went through major changes in it's history starting as an elaborate summer home for the wealthy and then becoming a tenement for the poor where families of 10 - 12 people lived in one room.

    ... The shopping streets of Henry St, and Grafton St.

    Day 2, we...

     ... Did the Guinness Tour Experience learning all about Guinness beer, how it is made, how it has changed, and it's history of advertising.

     ... Toured Christ Church, originally a viking Church. The church went through many reformations, decay and rebuilding, including a major renovation paid for by an Irish whiskey giant, Henry Roe. The church tower has 19 bells and they are rung by bell ringers weekly and for special occasions.

     ... Toured St. Andouen's church, the only remaining medieval church in Ireland. It, too went through changes but the original walls still exist.

     ... Walked around the Temple Bar area where we were staying. It is the center of the tourist area. We went into the famous Temple Bar but didn't stay.

     ... Attended a Coldplay by Candlelight concert at St Patrick's Cathedral, the largest in Ireland. It was a different way to see the beautiful church. This church again has a long history of registration and renovation. In the 1800's,a major restoration took place paid for by Benjamin Guinness (yes, the beer family).

    We ended each night with Irish music at our hotel bar.    Leer más

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  • UK & Ireland - hiking & more
    Futball!
    Dunquire Castle - 16th centuryAlliwee CavesCliffs of MoherSteeler fans everywhere11Main St GalwayFamous fish n chips1The Galway Gal1Eyre SquareSeals in the harborGo Steelers!Young musicians everywhere1Salthill lighthouse - last view of Ireland for famine emmigrints1Diving platform at salthill resort

    Galway

    26 de septiembre de 2025, Irlanda ⋅ 🌬 55 °F

    We took four buses to get from the end of our hike to Galway. Fortunately, they were all on time and we did it in just a little over 6 hours. After checking into our BnB we headed to Eeamon Deasy Stadium to watch the Galway vs Cork futball (soccer) game. It was a little bit of a rival match since the coach for Galway used to play and coach for Cork. Galway won 2-1. The home stands were pretty full and had a lot of energy.

    The next day we took a bus tour to the Cliffs of Moher and a few other sites. We passed a castle, did a tour of the Aillwee caves, and had lunch in the town of Doolin. The cliffs are big and are amazing, but much of the scenery we saw in our hike was just as impressive. In the evening we found some pubs with Irish music.

    The next two days in Galway we started with liesurely mornings, not something we do much when hiking. One day we walked around the town taking in the major sights then went to 13 on the Green bar to watch the Steeler game. There were about a dozen Steeler fans and a half dozen Viking fans enjoying the game on the big screen. This is an official NFL bar and a Cleveland Browns bar! Afterwards we walked the town some more. There is a lot of street musicians here and a majority of them are middle school/high school age kids who are really good. The second day we went to the neighborhood town of Salt Hill, a resort beach town. We enjoyed our coffee and took a long walk on the shore. Back to town for dinner and one more walk along the main street. Tomorrow off to Dublin.    Leer más

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  • UK & Ireland - hiking & more
    The daily fix of sheep - but gray ones!2A little beach hiking!Fishing townsSheep and sea!An old WWII lookout post1Celebratory drinks!2

    Dingle Way - day 5, Dunquin to Feonough

    25 de septiembre de 2025, Irlanda ⋅ 🌬 59 °F

    Today was our last day of hiking. There are three more sections on the Dingle Way but we only planned on doing 5 days. It is with mixed feelings though. This trail has been beautiful and we would recommend doing the entire thing. However, this was day 17 of hiking (about 230 miles total over three hikes) and we have had enough for now.

    For our last day, nature went out of it's way. The weather was sunny but breezy - perfect hiking weather. We hiked on country roads, the beach, and above the shoreline, all with incredible views of the peninsula. Strangely, though, there were 12 Americans in the pub for dinner last night, all walking the same way, but we saw no one on the trail today. The trail was hardly hilly and very easy walking so no one really passed each other. We thought we may have been the last ones to get on the trail because we were talking with a couple from Ireland (Cork) and a lady from Belgium at breakfast. But we were the first to arrive at the BnB that most were staying at.

    When we started the day we thought we only had about 11 - 12 miles to walk today because the BnB address said one town, but we had to go farther than we thought and ended up walking 15.5 miles. We didn't mind the difference though because the costal views were amazing.

    We said goodbye to the couple from Boston as they were staying elsewhere and then had a nice dinner with the North Carolinas (Margaret and Bill) and the British Columbians (Alena and Cheryl). Tomorrow they will hike on and we will venture to Galway.

    We were blessed with fantastic weather. In our 6 days on the Dingle peninsula, we only had a few minutes of rain on the first day and had much more sunny skies than cloudy ones.    Leer más

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  • UK & Ireland - hiking & more
    Art in the sand!Petting zooFairy FortAmericans at the cafe

    Dingle Way - day 4, Dingle to Dunquin

    24–25 sept. 2025, Irlanda ⋅ 🌬 57 °F

    Today was another beautiful day for a 15.5 hike - mostly sunny. We hiked some on roads, some on beach, some overlooking the coast and lots along old stone walls. There were also a lot of beehive looking architectural structures from old. There was a "Fairy Fort" and petting zoo. Supposedly the fairies protected people who came there unless it was between 1:00am to 5:00am - then you died. The trail was varied enough to keep things interesting.

    We hiked with a lot of Americans today. Most of them had spent an extra night in Dingle like we did. We met up with the two couples from Seattle, the couple from North Carolina, a couple from Denver, and met a new couple from Boston. They just started in Dingle.

    We were pleasantly surprised to find two places to stop and have coffee. Small treasures!    Leer más

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  • UK & Ireland - hiking & more
    Fungi
    I found my Irish heritageIrish Coast GuardMain Street of Dingle

    A Day in Dingle

    23 de septiembre de 2025, Irlanda ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    We took a rest day and stayed in the touristy town of Dingle. We started off with a leisurely breakfast and conversation with our host, Brenden. He was a fisherman most of his life in Dingle but has operated the b&b for 14 years . Later we walked around the harbor area and took to a boat tour around the bay. The guide gave us a great history lesson on Dingle and a study on the rock formations.

    Dingle had a special guest for almost 40 years - Fungi (Fun Guy)! Fungi was a dolphin who lived in the area and became friendly with the locals. He also liked being fed so he hung around for many years. He is pretty much the mascot of the town.

    After lunch we walked to the Irish Coast Guard station and then to the lighthouse. We then walked around the main street looking at the shops and eating ice cream. In the evening we walked around to a couple pubs but ended up getting our fix of Irish music at the Bridge Bar. It wasn't as crowded or loud as the Dingle bar we were in the previous night The lead musician was very good at engaging the crowd.

    We only walked about 8 miles on our rest day.    Leer más

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  • UK & Ireland - hiking & more
    1Found some family heritage21

    Dingle Way - day 3, Annascaul to Dingle

    22 de septiembre de 2025, Irlanda ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

    We left Annascaul with several other hikers including the British Columbian girls and the Netherlands couple. We met two other couples from Seattle and a marathon runner from New York. Leaving at the same time as others provides for more socialization along the way including an extended lunch break. We walked 14.5 miles before arriving at Dingle. Because we are spending an extra night in Dingle, we probably won't see any of these people again.

    Today's walk was gorgeous. The sun was shining, the countryside was spectacular, and the walk was pretty easy. Over half of it was in country roads and the rest through pastures, but very little in rocks and mud. The countryside with is green patchwork of pastures and views of the ocean were incredible. We couldn't get enough of them and the pictures we have do not do them justice! It was sunny enough that Jeff applied sunscreen multiple times.

    Arriving in Dingle we were surrounded by bars. Dingle is an old fishing town made popular by the filming of Ryan's Daughter and is now a touristic stop on the Dingle Peninsula Loop. We chose to have a beer at Flaherty's Bar. After dinner we went to Neligan's where they had Irish step dancing going on (recommended by our BnB host), and then to Dingle Pub where they had live music.

    Dingle is considered "real Irish" because they proudly speak Gaelic. All of the signage is in Gaelic and some in gaelic only. While most everyone speaks English as well, those who are strong gaelic speakers are harder to understand.    Leer más

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  • UK & Ireland - hiking & more
    Drying shoes at the BnB
    Our morning view!Camp Junction BnBThere was one fun crossing today.Endless roadZebra cows? Or Oreos?The strand at InchAnnascaul

    Dingle Way - day 2 - Camp to Annascaul

    21 de septiembre de 2025, Irlanda ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    Today was an easy 12 mile day. We hiked through more pastures and a lot more country roads. There were more hills but the ups and downs were mostly gradual. The scenery was beautiful going from countryside to ocean view back to countryside. We continued to see tons of sheep!

    We had breakfast (and got packed lunches) at our BnB with all of the other hikers but once we all set off, we really didn't see them. We were passed by a group local Irishmen and women who were doing the hike for the first time.

    Walking into Annascaul was like walking into a picture. The hills around It are so green and patch like. There is not a lot in town and many of the places were closed because it was Sunday. One place to eat was the South Pole Inn. The decor is dedicated to Tom Crean, an explorer from the area, who did three trips to the south pole in the early 1900s.

    Our BnB is a room in a house. Abe met us at the door and we shared hiking stories as he is a hiker as well.    Leer más

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  • UK & Ireland - hiking & more
    11A stand off on the trail!1

    Dingle Way - day 1 - Tralee to Camp

    20–21 sept. 2025, Irlanda ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    We left our Airbnb and headed to the other end of town to find the starting point for the Dingle Way. The initial few days also are called the Kerry Camino as people trekked this way to head to mainland Europe to get to Santiago de Campostella in Spain. Tralee seems like a nice town, particularly around the old center. Today there was a race taking place near the market. We saw bikers and rowers on the canal that runs into town. The rowers appeared to be high school students practicing.

    The first few miles of our 12.75 were fairly level and paved: town sidewalks, the path along the canal, and some country roads. Eventually we made our way to a path on a hillside and were back on rocky, muddy, sometimes water filled surface. We were back with the sheep and cows, and all of their droppings. No gates on this trail but lots of stiles to climb over.

    Fortunately, while it was cool when we started (49 deg), it was dry with the chance of rain not picking up until mid afternoon. It was a beautiful day for hiking. Evidently, the past week had been very wet. We managed to get to our B&B before the rain, which didn't come until late afternoon. For almost the entire day we had views of the water, first the bay and then the open Atlantic. It was a very exposed walk so grateful for the weather.

    The Dingle Way is a loop and the last day overlaps part of the first day so we countered a number of hikers finishing up. We only saw a dutch couple, Dick and Josine going our way.

    We stopped at the local bar/restaurant right across from our B&B before checking in to have a pint and watch the ocean. The Guinness tastes better here after my 2 day sampling. We were the first to arrive at the b&b and were greeted by the proprietor, John Doyle. The only room he could give us when I booked was a 2 room suite, fully equipped, with views of the ocean. I could live here. John said he was expected 22 people for the night - all hikers, I believe. This Camp Junction B&B is absolutely beautiful and the breakfast we had was made to order and fantastic.

    Around 6:00, we went down for dinner across the road. The food (and beer) was good. We did meet a couple other hikers, including a couple from North Carolina whose luggage had gotten lost with the airline. They spent the morning shopping for essential clothing. After dinner, we went a short piece down the road to a small pub, the Railway Tavern. John said we should check it out, not many like it left. We ended up with there being 8 hikers as the only patrons. The Dutch couple, the North Carolina couple, and 2 women from British Columbia. The bartender was 18 year old Orlagh, a college student who didn't drink. She was serious about playing Gaelic football so she avoided alcohol. She had been working at the bar for about 5 years. A very nice girl, talkative.

    A few other bits:
    - I omitted bogs from the descriptions of the trail. At one point, one of my poles sunk about 15 inches into the ground.
    - blackberries: we have seen them in all our treks this trip, mostly as part of a hedge row. Today they were especially good.    Leer más

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  • UK & Ireland - hiking & more
    Big Ben
    Westminster AbbeyIconic phone both preserved for posterityBeautiful gardens at St James ParkUs flags for trumpBuckingham PalaceTrafalgar SquareGreat fire of 1665 MonumentCity StreetBombed out church now used as green spaceLloyd 's of LondonLeandenhall Market - setting for diagon alley in first 2 HP moviesSt Paul's CathedralFun in the squarePiccadilly CircleAfter work drinkers fill the streetBook of Mormon

    London

    16–19 sept. 2025, Inglaterra ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    We spent three nights and two full days in London. On day one we went to the Westminster part of town and saw Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, the traditional double Decker busses, and the famous phone booths that are not used as phone booths anymore. We spent most of our time in the Underground War Museum where Winston Churchill and his war cabinet worked in a secret underground area thought to be protected from the London bombings during WWII. In the evening we heard the London Symphony perform Aaron Copeland's Symphony #3 which includes the famous Fanfare for the Common Man - a very brassy piece.

    There were more police on the street than normal in the Westminster area due to Trump being in town. And lots of American flags.

    On day 2 we took a history walking tour of the City of London, the oldest part of London. Ann Jones was our guide. She was very informative and fun to listen to. We learned a lot about the great fire of 1666. We continued walking around some other neighborhood and green spaces not on the typical tourist path. That evening we went to Piccadilly Circus in the West End and then saw the musical The Book of Mormon.

    Tidbits:
    - we were evacuated twice by fire alarms - once from our room in the dorm we stayed in the first night, and again from the underground museum. Thankfully both false alarms.
    - our BnB had a washer so we were able to machine wash all of our clothes. This made Eileen happy!
    -we have traveled by subway, taxi, Uber, train, bus (both long distance and local), ferry, and plane on this trip
    - both evenings the streets outside of the pubs were crazily but peacefully filled with after work drinkers
    - we were surprised by the number of bicycle riders on the busy streets - tons of them.    Leer más

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  • UK & Ireland - hiking & more
    Breakfast viewA dirt bike racetrack being created1Cows in the forest!1Beautiful wild flowers!CheltenhamHello young one!Oh there's more!Subway warning

    Cotswold Way - day 5

    16 de septiembre de 2025, Inglaterra ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    Today is our last day on the Cotswold Way. Before we started today we had a nice chat with Janet, or BnB hostest with the mostest. Our little place was stocked with tons of breakfast items and snacks and anything else you might need. We spent the morning watching the sheep graze while we ate our breakfast.

    We walked 11.5 miles today in clear, mostly sunny weather. The trail was pretty easy walking as well through more forests and along some roads. We walked a ridge across from the city of Cheltenham so our views were a little different. But we still got to encounter our cows and when we took a wrong turn across a pasture, a herd started running towards us. Sorry, no pics, just wanted out. There are about 30 miles left on the way that we won't do. We are not disappointed. The trails have been a lot of the same thing so we don't feel like we are missing much by not finishing the whole thing.

    Today was the first time we encountered people walking the same direction we were (against the grain). A couple from the Toronto area walking with an English friend of theirs. The Toronto couple have done a number of long distance treks, mostly in England.

    Once we finished we got an Uber to the train station in Cheltenham, a train to London Paddington (it was crazy busy), a subway (standing room only), and then a 15 minute walk to the London School of Economics where we have a dorm room for the night. It is an old dorm with two beds, one desk, and a sink. We share the bathroom with others in the floor.

    Tomorrow we tour London!    Leer más

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