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Eileen Joll
Eileen Joll

Eileen Joll

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  • Costa Rica
    1Extracting juice from a sugar cane.Coffee plantsJose - he leads the tours because he speaks the best English!Machine that removes the shells which are saved and used for other things.Drying the beansBeans roasting. A dark roast takes about 25 minutes.A cocoa plantThe start of something sweet!Jeff hard at work.Our chocolates!

    Tio Jose Coffee Farm

    16 janvier, Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    Today we went to the Tio Jose Coffee Farm. It is a small, family run, functioning coffee farm that has been in the family for 3 generations. Most of the coffee farmers here in Costa Rica sell their beans to big corporations that do the processing, packaging, and selling. Tio Jose decided, about 5 years ago to process and sell their own coffee locally. They do all of the work in-house. After being on the tour, I truly appreciate my coffee more. The farm is run by Jose, his brother and sister and their families, and his mom. They recently added tours to supplement the business. We had a tour of the farm, the process, lunch, and made our own chocolate.

    Before we left the building, we had a blind taste test of three kinds of coffee - light, medium, and dark. We tried them again after eating something salty and then sweet. Turns out that eating those things affects what you taste in the coffee. Jose liked to say that there is no bad coffee, just bad ways to make it. The things that affect the taste of coffee are the temperature of the water, the ratio, the ground size, and the speed of brewing.

    The farm is only about 5 acres and while most of it is full of coffee plants, there are many other things growing there alongside the coffee. Jose and his family understand the farming business and how some plants help others plants. They don't use any pesticides but do use smart planting to limit the spread of bugs and fungi. They also grow banana, black beans, sugar cane, cocoa beans, herbs, and other things too. We saw the coffee plants and learned that the beans are handpicked. We saw how the beans are shelled, dried, and then roasted. It takes about 10 days of good, dry conditions for the beans to dry. The harvest season is only about 4 months long, so they work very hard then to make the coffee for the year.

    Upon returning to the house, some tourists left but four of us stayed for a traditional casada lunch - rice, beans, salad, plantains, and meat, in this case, chicken. We also wanted to experience making our own chocolate candy. Cocoa plants are native to Costa Rica but there is little demand for it since there is no major chocolate company in the country. We were given cocoa beans to shell and then crush with a pestle and could add whatever we wanted to it - sugar, dried milk, nuts, salt, pepper, etc . Mixing with a little bit of water, it made a small chocolate bar.

    Jose and his family are always looking for ways to use all of their resources to both increase their profits and to better the environment. Most companies throw away the shells of the coffee beans but they have started using them to make a delicious tea, jam, wine, soap and an after dinner liquor. All of this, along with the roasted coffee beans, are available in their little store. They are continuing the tradition of coffee farming and planning for the next generation to continue in their footsteps.    En savoir plus

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  • Costa Rica
    2Catching a wave1Women from Florida on retreatSand artwork created by sand snailsSand artwork created by out going tideOur Airbnb1There are both Eileen's. Happy Hour!!!A tree with buttressesA Central American AgoutiLeaf carrying ants. They were working very hard!1Sleeping with his mouth open?One view from Crocodile Bridge

    A day (or more) at the beach and ....

    11 janvier, Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    Saturday and Sunday were beach days. Walking, enjoying the 83 degree, mostly calm water, eating seafood and a few drinks. No cooking beyond some oatmeal for breakfast.

    The beach at Manuel Antonio was great, the skies were blue, and the sunsets beautiful. Lots of families picnicking and enjoying the beach, especially on Saturday. There was a fairly constant stream of para sailing, with as many as 4 or 5 visible at times. We saw 35+ women from Florida in long, colorful dress celebrating life on a women's retreat. There was a wedding celebration with a DJ.

    On Monday, we got up and went for one more walk along the beach and one last dip in the ocean. After packing up, we headed back to Grecia. Along the way, we stopped at Carara National Park and hiked a couple miles. A short piece down the road from the park we stopped at "Crocodile Bridge" to view crocodiles swimming and sunbathing below the bridge.

    By 4:00pm, we were back in Grecia returning the rental car. A great few days in Manuel Antonio, but now it was time to shop and cook dinner.    En savoir plus

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  • Costa Rica
    1A sloth high in a tree. The picture was taken on my phone but through a telescope.Native plantHumming bird through the telescopeThis snake was very small, picture again, through the telescopeHalloween crab, not through a telescopeTree bird, looks like an owl but not relatedSloth hanging out near the exit of the park. Taken on the phone, no telescope.Many of these monkeys are in the area outside of the park and steal food or go through garbage cansThe sloth in the back of the restaurant. We were surprised to know that they venture out of the park

    A walk in the park - Friday

    10 janvier, Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    On Friday, we had tickets to Manuel Antonio national park. While it is the smallest national park in the country, I believe it is the most visited, combining beaches and forest.

    At the gate, we engaged a guide, Milton, to show us around for 90 minutes. It was a good call, as he was able to see and point out things we never would have seen. He also had a telescope that provided incredible views. Milton claims to have been doing this for 20 years.

    Manuel Antonio park used to be a banana plantation and other farmland. It was mostly abandoned before it ended up as a park.

    After our time with Milton ended, we continued exploring most of the other trails in the park. While there wasn't a lot of elevation change (a few hundred feet, mostly stairs), the was 85 deg with at least 85% humidity. Not only were we soaked, the conditions were kicking our butts, particularly mine (Jeff). Fortunately, there were plenty of places to refill water.

    Around 12:30, we decided it was beach time. Getting into the 83 deg water was refreshing, and certainly not chilling. We spent close 90 minutes plus at the beach, alternating between the ocean and the shade.

    Feeling refreshed, we packed up and headed towards the exit, covering some trails we hadn't seen.

    Once out of the park, it was refreshment time - we ended up with beer and fries, followed by a stop for ice cream. A lot of the white faced monkeys hang out in town. They can be seen running along the utility weird, swinging from yes, and going through garbage, it taking did from people. We witnessed a territorial fight in the streets. Two different tribes of monkeys (they all looked the same though) were going at each other, back and forth, knocking each other off of wires and squaring off in the street. It looked like a gang fight from West Side Story, with monkeys! Unfortunately, I (Eileen) screwed up the video . Back at our place we hung everything up to dry, and a late afternoon nap was in order.

    We topped off the day with dinner at a place called Buru's, right across from the beach. The tuna tacos and salad we had were good, but having a CR IPA to drink made it, since pilsners are the beer of choice here, and other options are rare.

    While we were there, the waiter said there was a sloth out back, so Eileen went off to see and take pictures. I continued talking to the couple next to us. They were from Milford, PA. They had bought about 1000 acres up in the mountains about 90 minutes away some 20 years ago. The guy, Jim, was almost 65 now and a motorcycle mechanic. They spend about 3 months per year here, although they don't live on their property, since things would be stolen in their long absence (even the kitchen sink, although it was subsequently returned). They live in a house in a family compound and supposedly pay $140 per month year round. They were in town just to spend a night and drink some IPAs    En savoir plus

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  • Costa Rica
    1

    Thursday - headed to the beach

    9 janvier, Costa Rica ⋅ 🌧 79 °F

    On Thursday morning, we packed our bags for a long weekend at the beach and headed to pick up our rental car. Around 10:00, we started the 3.5 hour, 100 mile drive to Manuel Antonio. The trip included some narrow mountainous roads with one hairpin curve after another. Even the main roads were almost all 2 lane, with an occasional passing lane. Along the way, we pulled off to a small village for lunch. I think we were the first customers of the day. We also stopped at a coffee shop. Eileen ran in since there really wasn't a parking spot. She was gone long enough to make me think they were roasting the beans. Turns out they just had to grind them and did a very slow pour. However, it was worth the wait -the coffee was best I had in a long time.

    When we arrived in Manuel Antonio, it was pouring. We were having trouble trying to locate our place. It was a gated property, down what it essential a beach trail. When we arrived, the cleaning crew was still at work and not expecting us- a mistake of the host. While we waited on the porch, they brought us a cup of coffee.

    After the rain stopped, we headed to the beach. While it was mostly cloudy, the sunset hour was pretty. While walking, we saw a couple locals setting up a special scene for a wedding proposal. We stayed nearby to watch the couple come down the beach and the guy get down on one knee. It didn't appear to be a surprise, more of a staged photo opp, since there was a photographer there also.

    While out, we looked for a restaurant where we could watch Penn State play in the orange bowl. Right before game time, we headed to El Marlin for dinner and the game. Dinner was great, the outcome of the game a little less so.    En savoir plus

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  • Costa Rica
    A pleasant surprise found along the way!Zoom in to see nice houseThe roads have deep gutters on either side. You have to be very careful walking.Well deserved after a long walk or while waiting out a short rain.1

    Around town

    8 janvier, Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    The last couple of days we have just done everyday stuff and walked the neighborhoods. We've read, practiced, exercised, worked, and just enjoyed not having to do things . We have a small front sitting area that gets a nice breeze and a back garden area with lots of plants. The rest of our place had a fully stocked kitchen, living area, and two bedrooms. We have eaten out some and have cooked in eating plenty of rice, beans and the plentiful vegetables available here!

    We have also taken walks around the town. Grecia is in the central valley of Costa Rica so it is surrounded by mountains. Closer to the center is the shopping area but the father you out you travel, the more residential it gets. One walk took us up on the ridge where it has been said many of the expats live. On this walk we passed everything from shacks to very large houses with yards, not common here. On another walk we found some gated communities with nice housing plans. Every community has it's own little grocery stores, bakery and people selling things in there driveways. We also passed several schools . The country has invested a lot into their schools in recent years. School is required for 1st to 9th grade. After that, it is optional to go on to trade school, academic classes to prep for college or join the work force or family businesses. The schools are all on break until February. We also found a mall. It has a food court with many American fast food places - but we didn't eat there! The town is very clean and for the most part, the houses are well maintained.

    Tuesday, we had pizza at Il Forno. Jeff selected this because it had a 4.9 rating on Google and he was not disappointed with our veggie pizza. We had leftovers for the next day.

    On Wednesday, we during our walk we stopped in a bar / restaurant named "El Muneco" for a beer (we had 2). The place had only been open a week. Our waitress (age 20) spoke a little English. The owner's (female) daughter was at a table coloring. They were all very nice. While the place was empty when we arrived there was a handful of people at the bar when we left.    En savoir plus

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  • Costa Rica
    1
    Andres, Gustavo, and OliverCentral valley. Where we are staying is somewhere down there.1Coffee trees1Coffee farms in the distance. They look like vineyards from a distanceThe waterfall is manmade buy Starbucks for the experience.StarbucksA fern tree. There are 400 different species of ferns in CR

    Poas Volcano National Park

    5 janvier, Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F

    Today we ventured out of town on a trip to see the Poas Volcano. We booked this through Airbnb. It turned out to be a very small group (actually 2 small groups). The tour organizer, Gustavo, is a 31 year old dentist and started doing this while in school. Last evening, I received a message from him saying his Father, Oliver, would pick us up at 7:30.

    At exactly 7:30, Oliver and Gustavo's twin brother, Andres, pulled up. We originally thought that perhaps we were just going to meet up with Gustavo elsewhere since they were originating closer to San Jose. As it turns out, Oliver assists Gustavo when there are too many to fit in a single car - so they use both of Dad's cars. While we did meet up with Gustavo at the volcano and for lunch, Oliver was our guide and I think we lucked out. The conversation throughout the day was great and we learned a lot about CR and family life here. Andres was along "in training", so that he could assist in the future.

    One of the interesting things about CR life is that kids usually stay with their parents until marriage, and Oliver had 3 of his 4 grown sons at home, while the other worked in Qatar.

    We were fortunate that it was very clear at the volcano. Many days it is in the clouds (at over 8000 ft) and you can't see the feet in front of you. The volcano is "active" and continually lets off a sulfuric gas. While we were there, an alarm sounded and we had to leave due to increased activity. The area was then closed and no further visitors allowed.

    From the crater we did a 40 minute hike that took us past a lagoon, another crater filled with water.

    After leaving the park, we stopped at a market that specialized in strawberry products, which are grown in abundance in the area . We then met up with the other car for lunch. The other tour members were a guy from the US and a young couple from India. They both work for Accenture but he is here on a 6 month assignment . She was here for a visit. Eileen had olla e carne, a traditional beef stew and I had a pumpkin-like soup served in a bread bowl. Both were excellent.

    The next stop was a Starbucks farm that is used for a lot of testing. They have a big Cafe, the nicest Starbucks I have ever seen. They serve coffee prepared in all fashions (Oliver had his prepared Japanese style), while Eileen and I both had a Whiskey Cloud. While they offered tours, we did not do which was fine with us as we plan on doing one on another outing.

    The views of the central valley driving back down the mountain were fantastic. Along the road, many locals (ticos) were pulled off and having a picnic or just enjoying the scenery. We got back to our house in Grecia around 3:00 pm.

    It was a great day, highlighted for me by the all day conversations with Oliver and Andres.    En savoir plus

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  • Costa Rica
    Cathedral and park
    Park decorationsMarketMarketOur haul from the market. Healthy eating!Meal at Sopa la Benedicion $5 per plate

    Exploring Grecia

    2 janvier, Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    We have spent the last couple of days getting to know our new little town. The main focus of the town is the cathedral and the central park. The park is decorated and lit up with holiday lights and looks very nice . We were there tonight when people got out of the Saturday service . People left church and went straight to the park. There is a playground with lots of kids, kids on bicycles and skateboards, and plenty of people just taking in the sights. Several blocks around the park is a major shopping area. The farther you move away from the center, the more residential the area becomes and it becomes hilly, much like home. All of the residences here are right at street front. Everyone has a gate to their property that is locked, including ours. We are about 6 blocks from the park . We know where the coffee shops are and have eaten at a Sopa. A Sopa is a family run cafe usually open early and closes early serving home cooked local foods at a cheap price. We also found a bar to watch the Steelers game.

    Yesterday and today we went to the market, open on Fridays and Saturdays. It was filled with tons of fruits and vegetables, some that knew and some that we didn't. We bought some of both and plan on cooking in some. There is no reason for us to not eat healthy while we are here.

    A few observations:
    - there is no hot water here. Dishes, laundry and showers all use cold water. We do have a shower heater that heats the water (slightly) as it goes through the showerhead. Yes, there are electrical wires that run across the top of the shower. (It was suggested not to shower in a lightning storm!) Unfortunately it can only heat a little water so we can get very low stream warm shower or full stream cold shower.
    - there are sidewalks everywhere which is nice for walking, but they can be uneven or broken, and the gutters between the sidewalk and roads are a foot deep so you need to be alert all the time.
    - this is not a tourist town so there is not a lot of English spoken. Some people speak some Spanglish, some younger people speak English, but the older people oblige the visitors by speaking slower. Fortunately, the son of our host lives next door and speaks English very well. He has answered a lot of our questions.
    - generally, food is not "cheap", although eating at La Benedicion was an exception.
    - lots of cars here, not many motorbikes, differing quite a bit from last year's trip to Valladolid.    En savoir plus

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  • Costa Rica
    Our "front porch"

    Arriving in Costa Rica

    31 décembre 2024, Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    After spending a week in Cocoa Beach with our family, we headed to the Orlando airport to catch our flight to Costa Rica.

    After arriving at the San Jose airport about 45 minutes late, we sailed through customs & immigration. Rather than taking a taxi, of which there were plenty, I was set on using Uber. Three Uber drivers accepted our trip to Alajuela, only to cancel on us. When the 4th driver showed up, it was a quick 15 minute trip to Alajuela's town center and our hotel room.

    After checking in, we went out in search of dinner. Many places that Google said were open were, in fact, not. We were tired (the first airport run had been at 4:00AM ) and getting frustrated so we went to a bakery and picked up a couple of things, then made a stop for a bottle of wine. The bakery items were not very good.

    On getting back to the room, we tuned in the radio broadcast of the Penn State football game. Eileen started searching through the TV channels and found ESPN, so we watched the Spanish broadcast. We were both tired and falling asleep before the game was over. We ushered in the new year asleep.

    Wednesday morning was spent exploring Alajuela on foot. This included checking out the cathedral by attending part of the mass. The town looked better in the light of day and after a good night's sleep.

    Our hotel room included breakfast but instead of serving it there, they sent us over to another small hotel a few blocks away. Our place only had a handful of rooms and was family run. Not sure if there were any other guests in there place.

    Around 12:30 we got our bags and had an Uber pick us up to take us to Grecia, where we have a house for the month. On arrival, the owners and their grown son were there. The son, Christopher, lives on the same property and speaks excellent English because he went to grade school in Houston for a couple of years. Laura speaks a little English and we didn't hear a word from John.

    We were very pleased with the house which includes a kitchen, living area with multiple couches and a recliner, two bedrooms, San alcove with a desk, and a laundry/ miscellaneous area with treadmill and a desk, a "front porch" of sorts, and a small covered garden in the back.

    No sooner than we arrived, thunderstorms rolled in. During a break in the rain we headed out to a grocery store and walked by the main town square for a quick look. Our initial impression of the town is favorable. No sooner than we got back, the rain started and was pretty continuous until after 7:00pm. We did not venture back out.

    The forecast for the next week looks pretty rainy and this is not totally the rainy season -- confirmed by Christopher.    En savoir plus

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  • Italy

    A sudden change of plans

    24 septembre 2024, Italie ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    While hiking to Siena, Jeff started having vision issues with his left eye. When we arrived in Sienna we went to the University Hospital emergency room. We were able to see an ophthalmologist that evening who determined that he had a tear and a bleed in his retina. They asked us to return the next day in hopes that the blood would have dissipated and a simple procedure could be done to fix the problem. We went the next day, but the blood was still there and surgery was indicated. We could have had the surgery done in Italy - we had complete trust in the doctor - however, the recovery process would be weeks and we wouldn't be able to do even the simplest of touring. So for that reason we booked a flight home the next day. Jeff has an appointment scheduled with surgery to follow. We are thankful that the issue occurred when we were in a major city and not a small village. The two weeks we had in Italy were phenomenal and we are thankful for them. I'm sure we will go back another time to complete the trip.En savoir plus

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  • Italy
    Piazza Publico
    Fountain in Piazza PublicoVery large pizzasSiena CathedralSiena chapelThe goose districtCheck out the table legs!Or this works on a hill too

    Siena

    23 septembre 2024, Italie ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    Eileen and Brianne, our friend from Boston, did just a little bit of touring in Siena walking mostly around the shopping area and the major plazas. The Piazza Publico is the very large main plaza with a fountain similar to one in Rome. Around the edge of the plaza is an area that was one used for house racing. And circling the plaza are very old, tall, medieval like buildings. It is definitely the central point of the city. We also walked (uphill) to the Piazza del Duomo, where the very beautiful Cathedral of Siena sits. There was a long line to get inside so we just took in the massive outside with its sculptures and mosaics. We did go into the chapel across the plaza which was more impressive than most of the churches we have been in while in Italy. On our way back we stopped at the Church of St Catherine in the goose district. There are seven different districts in the whole old town area and there were a lot of geese in the goose district. Siena is very hilly and no space is wasted. See the pictures for a glimpse of how they use all space.En savoir plus

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  • Italy
    Morning view from our monastery room
    Good morning!Monteriggioni in the distanceMuch of the walk was on this. This and hills is why it is good to have hiking sticks!An occasional castleWe found a surprise "pop-up" pilgrim rest area. He had drinks and snacks for donationsSheepSiena in the distance

    Abbadia d'Isola to Siena

    22 septembre 2024, Italie ⋅ 🌩️ 55 °F

    We left the Abbada monestary and walked 1.5 miles uphill to the town of Monteriggioni. This town is a medieval fortress town on top of a hill. There are 14 towers and you can walk on top of walks between the towers. It was Sunday morning and early so we had to wait for the cafes to open. When one opened at 8:30, we had breakfast and got sandwiches to go. This is another day where there will be no more services until we get to Siena. Most of the day was a "later, rinse, and repeat" kind of day. Uphill, downhill, past a vineyard or olive trees or countryside, and then do it again and again, occasionally throwing in a couple of castles. The hills weren't very strenuous, just continuous much like a roller coaster. It was a pretty day but not the most exciting day. Arriving in Siena, we were tired and enjoyed a beer. We will stay in Siena for a rest day tomorrow.En savoir plus

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  • Italy
    Beautiful morning!
    A local hunting for rabbitsOld city wall entranceA wedding celebrationThere were many pilgrims on the trail todayCrossing the river one of many timesBelle and MonicaWalls of the city upon leavingOne of multiple crossingsWaters Blue from calcium carbonate, algae, and microorganisms​Some of the local wildlife along the Elsa riverA rare close-up of the wildlifeA wedding just finished as we arrived at our roomFrom the courtyard of our accommodations

    San Gimignano to Abbadia d'Isola

    21 septembre 2024, Italie ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    We started the day a little earlier today since it was to be closer to 80 degrees. We stopped at a bakery to fuel up and then left the walled city on the other side. The city has a prettier entrance on the side we were leaving.

    Today was more about rolling hills. Leaving the city, the fog was lifting from the valley making for our first beautiful scenes. At one point there was a choice to go the original route, or to go a little shorter, suggested route . We chose the suggested route. The first six miles went by quickly once again through vineyards and farms, hilly but not as strenuous as yesterday. We stopped at what we thought would be our halfway point in Colle di Val d'Elsa, a rather large old city and suburban area. While walking through the city we passed a wedding and a baptism.

    We left there following the signs and our map app. The signs led us through a beautiful wooded area walking by the river Elsa with several waterfalls. We crossed the river via big boulders several times. It reminded me of the state parks at home. It was a local's favorite for hiking and swimming.

    Upon exciting this beautiful area we expected to have about 3 miles to go. But then we saw a map that told us we had about 5 miles to go. Apparently, the trail we took was another variation that we didn't know about. Back on the trail we again followed the signs and the app map only to find out that somehow we ended up on the original trail adding another mile to the trip bringing our total for the day to 17.25 miles.

     Just before the end of our day, we stopped at a cafe for a well deserved break. We spoke to two ladies from Paris who were on a pilgrimage to Assisi. They were Monica (86) and Belle (72). They had walked the same trail we did today. Belle spoke French and a little bit of Italian, English and Spanish. Monica spoke French and some English. Somehow we managed to have a wonderful 20 minute conversation.

    Eventually we found our way to an old monastery (1001 ad) that has been converted into a museum and hostel. It was a beautiful place and a wedding had just taken place in the church. We were able to eat dinner in the courtyard and relax for the evening.    En savoir plus

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  • Italy

    Gambassi Terme to San Gimignano

    20 septembre 2024, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    We started our day with a breakfast with other pilgrims. Today was just a 10 mile hike, but it was mostly uphill. We started off with a nice downhill but then hit a very long uphill. And it was 75 degrees and sunny. 75 doesn't feel that warm until you are walking miles uphill.

     Though all of the pilgrims left from the same place, leaving 5 - 10 earlier or later can mean not seeing many people along the way. After a nice downhill, there was a long uphill followed by a downhill and then a 2 mile uphill. There was no place to stop for food and drink adding the way. Though it was short, it was a hard walk. The scenery though was once again very look beautiful. We walked through/by many, many vineyards and no less than 6 wineries.

    We didn't see our hostel friends along the way but today we met Willie and Noreen from Glasgow. Willie is 83 and Noreen is 72. They started their hike from the Italy/Switzerland border and have been hiking for a month already. They have done many hikes and walk 6 miles everyday. Willie explained about the "monroes" in Scotland, mountains with peaks greater than 3000 ft, asking with some good hikes to do in Scotland.

    We have seen many more pilgrims the last couple days. Most are from Europe or Australia, although we have me Laurie and Judy from Florida.

    We arrived at San Gimignano hungry and ready for a rest. We were too early to check in to our B&B but they did let us leave our backpacks. We are sharing a room with Brianne here.

    We had some lunch and then walked the touristy streets of the old town. Many people come here for a day trip from Florence or stay here to do wine touring. The town is known for its towers. It used to have 72 in medieval times but now has 10. After checking in and taking a nap, we sat in the piazza, had wine, and people watched. Next we had dinner followed by gelato from the world best gelato place, or so they advertise!
    After walking around a little more, we turned in early hoping to get an early start the next morning.    En savoir plus

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  • Italy
    Leaving San Miniato
    Our morning viewOther pilgrims on the trail of rolling hillsOur Australian groupSo many vineyards and they pick the grapes by handFinding fun things along the wayOur ending point for the day.Our pilgrim dinner - people from Belgium, Australia, Italy, and USA represented here.The church attached to where we stayed. The building is from the 1200's. Notice the shadows

    San Miniato to Gambassi Terme

    19 septembre 2024, Italie ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    Today was 15 miles of the true Tuscany rolling hills. Beautiful countryside of farms, vineyards, and olive groves, plus a little forest. The pictures cannot do this countryside justice. The landscape is so artistically created like a patchwork quilt. And even though it is the end of the season for so many crops, it was still beautiful. It was not as long a day as yesterday but the up and down hills were continuous and the last 2 miles were straight up. Also, since it was through farmland and vineyards, there were no cafes or places to stop. We had to carry our food and enough water for the trek. We were tired when we arrived.

    When we started walking today, we saw many groups of pilgrims leaving the piazza where we were having our morning coffee. It was comforting to know that there were more pilgrims on the same journey.

    We met a group from Australia, two ladies from Florida and a couple from Scotland. We spent the night at Ostello Sigerico, an old church and monestary converted into a pilgrim's place to stay. Here we met a couple from Belgium, another lady from Australia traveling alone, and a family - mom, dad, and two young children in strollers- from Italy, and again saw an Italian friend from yesterday. We meet an Australian couple who had started in France mid-July and where planning on reaching Assisi in early October. They carried camping gear for when no accommodations or services were available.

    Our hostel a church and former Monastery, offered wonderful lodging and a pilgrim dinner. I believe the building we stayed in dated back to the 1200s. It was fun to be with so many others on this same journey. Some of these people are only here for a week or so, others are traveling to Rome like us. Maybe we will see some of them again, or maybe we will meet others. Only the trail knows!    En savoir plus

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  • Italy
    The first goats of the hike!Lots of Vineyards and Olive grovesPinocchio is from this region

    Altopascio to San Miniato

    18 septembre 2024, Italie ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    Today was a long day. We hiked 18.5 miles. The day started with a light drizzle on and off. It wasn't too bad and kept the morning cool for hiking. Our day took us through a little bit of highway, but mostly through farmland, vineyards and over dykes. And then, after 17.5 miles, straight uphill. We should get used to it since most of these towns were built during the medieval time frame and were built on hills for protection. Most days will end with an uphill climb. The scenery today was calm, peaceful, and beautiful, even though it is fall and the crops are about finished.

    One of the fun things about doing a trip like this is meeting people along the way. Yesterday we saw two pilgrims but didn't have a chance to talk to them. Today we met a lady from Italy who was hiking alone for four days. She was able to get four days away from her family and child (aged 6). Many Italians walk this trail in stages. I'm sure she will come back another time and do another section. We also met a group of people from Australia and Scotland who were hiking together. In that group was a mother and daughter. Later we met a husband and wife who are hiking a different trail. They started in France and are hiking to Assisi. They have been hiking for 50+ days and have only seen other hikers for the last 2-3 days. Many days they hiked through areas with no places to stop for food or shelter so they had to carry everything to eat and sleep! They have about two weeks left until they finish their trip. Once we reached San Miniato, we showered and then went in search of a new plug adapter. Europeans use different plugs. The adapter we have used has worked on other trips and in Florence and Lucca. But in these smaller towns, they have different plugs. Since we use our phones for directions and pics we had to find a new adapter. We found a store where they spoke no English and we couldn't ask for what we wanted in Italian so, yeah google translate. We typed it in our phone, in English, the guy read it Italian and we got what we needed! The conveniences we have today.

    Next we had a very nice dinner of pasta with mushrooms and truffles - something the area is known for. For dessert we had tarimisu and tarts.    En savoir plus

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  • Italy
    Pomegranate treePears!Raised crops off of the ground - great ideaThe trail had been well markedOlive treeEven good things must come to an endMagnolia plant

    Hiking day 1 - to Altopascio - 12 miles

    17 septembre 2024, Italie ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    We left our room around 8:30 and started walking toward the city walls. First stop was a cafe for a light breakfast, enjoyed in the open air of the Piazza. Leaving there, we headed in the direction of a sporting goods store to shop for trekking poles. The good people at TSA in Boston had confiscated Brianne's. I guess she looked dangerous. This last 5 times she flew with them, no problem.

    We took a rather roundabout way to the store but we eventually made it. In a few minutes, the poles were in her possession and we headed to the marked trail to continue our journey.

    Today's hike was 97% paved surface. At times we were walking very busy roads but other times were like country lanes and neighborhood streets. Generally, we found it nicer and more pleasant than anticipated based on what we had read.

    At our lunch stop, Eileen and I split a pizza. How special on our anniversary. Taking advantage of lunch stops today and tomorrow, I think the following two days have nowhere to stop.

    When we got into Altopascio, our first stop was for a beer. It felt good to sit and enjoy it. Then on to our room. We are staying at Villa Lucca, a gated property. Our room has a beautiful wooden floor and large, old wood furniture with marble tops. A short nap for Jeff and showers for both prepped us for dinner at a Moroccan restaurant. When they heard us speaking English, they sent for a young (teenage) girl to interpret. The food was good. We headed back to our room, Brianne was staying at a nearby hotel.

    Our hope is to get a good rest. We have an 18 mile hike tomorrow.    En savoir plus

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  • Italy
    The city wall
    The main gateFrom a top the towerSan MartinoSpritzers and bruschettaA beautiful evening sky

    Lucca

    16 septembre 2024, Italie ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Today was a very relaxed day in Lucca before we start hiking tomorrow. We started by walking the wall around the city - about 2 miles. The top of the wall is a very wide paved area for walking, jogging, and biking. It is a nice way to see in the old city and get a view of the main city of Lucca. We also walked by the original old gates into the old city.

     We followed this with a bakery lunch and a little nap. Next we climbed 231 steps to the top of a tower to get an even higher view of the old town. There is a garden at the top of the tower.

    Later is was a spritzer and bruschetta for an afternoon snack. These are common appetizers in the Tuscany area.

    Later we met our friend Brianne from Boston. We originally met her on our Camino hiking trip in Portugal/Spain. She is going to hike the Via Francegenia with us. Together we walked to San Martino so she could get her first stamp and then had dinner. We got back to our room for an early to bed night. Tomorrow we hike!    En savoir plus

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  • Italy
    1A good way to market!Gelato by the riverPainting done by New York artist showing diversity and peaceLook closely, this building leansThe baptistry which also leansInside the baptistry. This building was/is only used for baptisms!Duomo (cathedral) in black and white brick in Renaissance/Roman styleInside the Duomo. Major mosaic on ceilingInside the leaning tower looking upA ding dong1I'm helping it back upJeff's trying to push it over!One of so many people getting the perfect shot.I lean or Eileen?1Our garden picnic dinner

    Pisa Day Trip

    15 septembre 2024, Italie ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    We started our day going to the Cathedral de San Martino to get our credentials for our walk that we will begin on Tuesday. Credentials are books that one can get stamps from hotels, cafes, and churches along the way to aide as a momento of one's trip and to prove that you walked the required distance to get a certificate of completion. We wanted to get them in advance so we can begin walking early on Tuesday.

    From there we took the train to Pisa. The train system in Europe makes getting around so easy. We walked from the train station and took in sights that Rick Steves pointed out in his walking tour. We stopped along the way and had our first gelato of the trip.

    Soon we reached the Field of Miracles. That is where the leaning tower of Pisa is as well as a duomo (church), baptistry, museum and cemetery. We toured the baptistry, the duomo, and the cemetery. We also climbed the 250+ steps to the top of the tower. As soon as we walked in the tower we could feel the lean of the building. The tower, and many buildings in the city, lean because they are built on a silt foundation which shifts easily. If you look closely, the baptistry also leans. When the tower was being built, someone said, "Is it me or is the building leaning?", but they kept building anyway. The tower is hollow and the stairs are thin and cylindrical. Once at the top, we had views of the city including a local soccer game. There are 7 bells in the tower. They don't ring anymore so as not to put more stress on the building as they are very heavy, but a recording of the bells is played for church services. We got to hear the recording for the evening service. On the ground, it was fun watching so many people taking the famous picture of someone pushing the tower back up. Given the number of people "pushing", the tower should be back to normal in no time.

    It was a short train ride back to Lucca and the walled part of the city. We walked part of the way around on the wall top which has been widened into a walking/bike path before descending into the narrow street town. For dinner we went to the grocery store for fresh bagette, cheese, grapes and wine and picnicked in the garden of our hotel.    En savoir plus

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  • Italy
    Santa Maria Novella
    Waiting for our track to be assigned in FlorenceApproaching the walls of LuccaTower with rooftop gardenPiazza dell'AnfiteatroOutside the brewpub. The beer we had was made in Lucca.A sword fightPiazza dell'Anfiteatro2A night at the opera

    Florence to Lucca

    14 septembre 2024, Italie ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    We checked out of our room, packs on our back. We started off with a trip to the market again. This time we headed upstairs to the food court for a bite to eat. Really should have stuck with the traditional market for food. Not that the upstairs was bad but certainly not like a common food court.

    Next to was a stop at another church, Santa Maria Novella, near the train station . This place was massive with courtyards and cloisters. The paintings here was huge and magnificent. Most had been restored, and there was one wall painting that was currently undergoing restoration. There were frescoes through the cloisters, most had not been restored - a project for another day. Hard to imagine the amount of money just spent on art restoration. I guess the 7.50 entrance fee helps a little. Outside the church there was a sizable Piazza with a number of vendors, mostly arts, crafts.

    Inside the train station, we had "fun" with the tickets machines (the manned ticket booth had a line that wasn't moving.). One was only accepting cash. Another got as far as saying "printing tickets", then decided to give us our money back. The next clearly said "sick" on the terminal screen. Waiting quite a while at one behind a lady who was clearly having problems. We finally found one that worked and have us tickets. We had about a 30 minute wait before heading off on the 90 minute journey to Lucca. Had it been non stop, it would have been a much quicker ride but lots of stops on the way.

    It was about a 15 minute walk to our room inside the city wall. Lucca still had it's walls intact, 100 feet wide. Your are able to walk or ride bikes along them. A bit about Lucca here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucca

    The room was on the 2nd floor, so much easier to get to than the 66 steps we had to climb to our room in Florence. There is a nice garden area with tables outside that is viable from our window. After unpacking, we headed out to explore the town. We use the Rick Steve's tour books and started following his city walk, which started about 2 minutes from where we were staying. We never finished the walk. Our first distraction was a small brewpub with craft beers. Good distraction. While there we saw a flyer for a one act opera tonight. We figured why not, so Eileen bought tickets online. After that we continued walking but detoured to a monthly open air antique market.

    While there, we heard the beating of drums (had heard them while we were in our room) and followed the sounds to what appeared to be a medieval competition, primarily of archers (crossbow). Unfortunately we missed the competition but we did get to see some sword fighting and the awards ceremony. Neat seeing men, women and children in period dress.

    After a quick trip back to our room, we headed out to find some food. We ended up at one of the open air tables in the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, mainly for the atmosphere. There were some musicians in the center playing and lots of people around. The pizza and wine were ok.

    Next up was "Cavalleria Rusticana" , a one act opera that was held at the Auditorium del Suffragio, a former church. We were both glad that it was a single act .... 90 minutes was enough for us. The singers and instrumentalists were great. It was a short 4 minute walk back to our room, in by 1100 PM.    En savoir plus

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  • Italy
    Waiting on line at the central market
    Jazz bandGalileo museumPonte VecchioPonte VecchioPitti PalaceBronze David at Piazzale Michelangelo2San Miniato del Monte

    Florence Day 2

    13 septembre 2024, Italie ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    Our first stop of the day was the San Lorenzo Central Market. Fun looking at all the vendor's booths. Jeff had a a panino con lampredotto from De Nerbone. They have been in business for over 150 years. Not my typical breakfast but it was delicious.

    We strolled down to the Galileo museum for our 12:30 admission. It was a nice change from all of the art of yesterday. We spent about 2 hours there looking at how science advanced during the Renaissance time period. A lot of this were things Eileen taught her middle schoolers.

    After some lunch, we started walking toward piazzale Michaelangelo. We started with a stroll across the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge that has been standing since the 1300s. It is completely filled with jewelry shops. I have no idea how they could make money given the number there. Above the bridge is a covered walkway that has been used by the Medici family to get between the Pitti Palace and their offices (Uffizi). We didn't tour the Pitti, partly because the residences were closed for renovation and we weren't ready for more art.

    The Piazza Michaelangelo was high atop the hill offering beautiful views of Florence across the river. There were street musicians playing nice music while we were there. A short distance up there was a beautiful basilica, San Miniato del Monte. We considered waiting to hear the monks and their Gregorian chant but didn't want to wait that long.

    The walk back to the our room took about 45 minutes. We rested for about 20 minutes before heading to our 7:45 dinner reservation at the place that turned us away the night before. The food at antica trattoria da Tito was good, including some very tasty desserts. It was our first time trying Vin Santo, paired with a delicious piece of cake. We called it an early night and headed back to the room although I (Jeff) was up till almost 2:00.    En savoir plus

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  • Italy
    David
    Busy coffee shop in university areaThe duomoBell TowerBefore and after a good cleaningDavid and EileenAn early pianoJust duckyOutside the Palazzo VecchioPonte Vecchio11Eileen didn't like the chicken liver pate

    Florence

    12–15 sept. 2024, Italie ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    We arrived in Florence Wednesday Eve after a long day of travel. We left Pittsburgh Tuesday evening, arrived at London Heathrow the following morning, then took a National Express bus to Gatwick to get our flight to Florence. From the airport, we caught a tram into the center city and then walked the final 20 minutes . It was 8:00 PM until we arrived at our guest house, named Florest. The proprietor, Daniele, meet us for a late check in. He was very hospitable. Despite it being a long travel day, everything went smoothly and on time.

    We slept in this morning, got some breakfast, and then walked to the cathedral (Duomo). Just walking around the outside was magnificent and supposedly more impressive than the interior. They are in the process of cleaning the marble and one of our pictures compares before and after.

    We had a 12:30 admission to the Galleria dell Accademia where the Michaelangelo status of David is housed, along with many other statues, paintings, and a display of musical instruments.

    From there we headed to the Uffizi Gallery to view works of the Italian Renaissance matters including Leonardo, Michaelangelo, and Rafael.

    Next we headed to the river Arno, as we walked to a sporting goods store to buy trekking poles. Once there, we didn't like the price so we headed to another and bought them from a shop that appeared to me staffed by a father and two young daughters.

    After a brief stop at our guest house, we headed out to dinner based on the recommendation of our host, Daniele. However, we went without reservations and were turned away. We asked for a recommendation there and went to Perseus where we had a nice dinner.

    It was now close to 11:00 PM so we returned to the hotel. We walked over 10 miles and spent more hours on our feet than that would represent as we were standing looking at lots of things.    En savoir plus

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  • Valladolid
    1

    Mérida

    29–31 janv. 2024, Mexique ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    Only had about 48 hours in Mérida but it gave us a flavor for the city. We stayed 5-6 blocks from the main square in the historical center. Again, we felt very safe at night. We got lots of walking in. Right after getting into the center, we were looking at a church. A retired teacher came up and started talking, explaining about the history and significance of multiple buildings in the main square. He spent 2 hours with us, switching between English and Spanish. Would love to spend time with him regularly.

    On Tuesday we stopped at El Cerdenal, a local cantina. We were the only apparent tourists in the place and it had a great outdoor courtyard. We had 5 beers between us and they brought 2 courses of snacks / tapas to us complimentary. The total cost was a bit under $12.

    Tuesday evening around 8:00, we took the open air tour bus around town. The weather was great and it was a nice way to see a bit more of the town. We had walked the Paseo Montejo during the day and got to see it lot up at night.

    During our stay here, we visited a couple nice coffee shops, bakeries, as well as a taqueria in a market area that had a whole row of them. My breakfast on Wednesday was mondongo, which turned out to be a triple soup dish. Yum, yum.

    There were lots of parks / squares through the town. Nice places to sit and enjoy the surroundings.

    This was a place where we could have spent a few more days.    En savoir plus

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  • Valladolid
    1Bird doing nosedive

    Adiós, Telchac!

    29 janvier 2024, Mexique ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    After spending a few days in Telchac, we had a more favorite opinion than when we first arrived. It is a town that is seeing development and will see a lot more. The ocean front homes are all nice for the most part. There are some larger developments under way and I am sure this will change the character of the town

    Telchac Puerto is currently a summer getaway place for people who live in Mérida. This is the low season and it shows. It is extremely quiet and most places are closed by 7:00pm. Very local restaurants, the type where you can pick the fish you want cooked.

    One thing I hadn't checked on was how to get from Telchac to Mérida. It was easy getting there. While there is bus service, the schedule didn't line up with what we wanted. Uber would not let me book ahead and said limited availability. The host said there maintenance guy could probably get us to Motul, the next town down the road, where we would have more options. We decided to go to the new upscale place in town for dinner on Sunday and to see if they could provide recommendations fora ride on getting a ride the following morning. Leslye, the hostess, immediate got to work on it after getting all our information. By the time we were leaving, she confirmed that we would have a ride at 10:00 am. She provided me with the driver's name and number, as well as her own in the event there were any issues. Alejandro showed up shortly after 10 the next morning. The car was nice and it was a smooth trip. I made sure to message Leslye, thanking her for her help

    This incident reminded us of our incident last year outside of Mont Serrat when we hiked to the wrong spot and were trying to get a taxi. The woman working the bar we stopped in tried her best to get us a taxi before we decided we had just enough time to hike back to catch the last train to Barcelona. Good people everywhere who will go out of their way to help.    En savoir plus

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  • Valladolid
    3

    Hello, Telchac Puerto

    26 janvier 2024, Mexique ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    I (Jeff) may have went a little too fast in looking for a laid back beach town. Telchac Puerto is a small village/town that looks to be undergoing quite a bit of development. There are a lot of nice properties with some not so nice or empty right next door.

    Lots of construction going on on houses. Seems like everything being done by hand.

    We ate Friday afternoon at La Angelita, a seafood restaurant a couple of blocks from where we are staying. Very good and quite inexpensive.

    A bit later we walked 10-15 minutes to the center of town and the pier. Before heading back we stopped at the bakery and grocery store.

    We have 3 balconies / outdoor patios with the top one giving the best view of the sea. We are about 250 feet back from the beach, it is so quiet compared to Valladolid.

    The beach is fairly narrow, with lots of shells. We started Saturday the a five mile walk on the beach, with a stop at the market to buy some fruit.    En savoir plus

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  • Valladolid

    Goodbye, Valladolid!

    25 janvier 2024, Mexique ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    We originally planned to do a few days at the beach in the middle of the month but decided to move it to the end of the trip. We loved the city and where we stayed -- would definitely recommend a visit.

    Our last night in Valladolid, we had dinner at the place we did the first night 3rd, time there), Carolina was the waitress there each time. She is a 21 year old with a degree in tourism, with a goal of getting a job in Mérida and eventually Canada.

    We caught the 9:52 ADO bus (which was only about 10 minutes late leaving) to Mérida. The bus was very comfortable with lots of legroom. Tickets for the two of us were less than $34 USD. Not bad for a 2+ hour ride. Right before entering Mérida, there was a checkpoint where the national police entered the bus and checked everyone's ID. We were glad we had our passports on our person.

    Once in Mérida, we caught a DiDi (Cheaper alternative go Uber) for Telchac Puerto.    En savoir plus

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