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Europe Road Trip 2021
  • Donny Foy
  • Caroline Edwards
Aug – Dec 2021

Europe Road Trip 2021

This is the beginning of a new adventure.
Phase 1 . Europe and maybe North Africa. Read more
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  • Trip start
    August 8, 2021
    Europe Road Trip 2021

    We’re off!

    August 8, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F

    Off to Ireland, via Toronto, on Air Canada which officially wins the best safety video award. I feel more relaxed already…

    https://youtu.be/0byfHIAXIcY

  • Europe Road Trip 2021

    Toronto airport

    August 8, 2021 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    Five hours in Toronto Airport. And a few vinos later. Can’t wait to get in the plane and sleep. Probably after another vino tho.
    Covid dominated the stress points today. Canada has just reopened to nonessential travel and it’s a work in progress. Our electronic vaccine cards have been very helpful. Let’s hope for the same when we arrive in Ireland.
    Excited to see family and the boys over the next few weeks. Jack and Ally coming in next week. Hooray    Read more

  • Europe Road Trip 2021
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    Dublin: Arrival

    August 9, 2021 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    After a lovely, 5.5hr red eye from Toronto (in Air Canada’s comfy premium economy during which Donny & I both slept only about 90 mins), we arrived on grand August day into Dublin—overcast, raining and 60°F.😕

    Dear bro-in-law Dermot picked us up from the airport (met us in the terminal and everything!) and described it as, “barely rainin’…it wouldn’t even get ya wet if you were out golfing in it.” 😂 Reminded me of Seattleites…you have to become water repellant if you want to experience life outdoors at all.

    He took us on an impromptu tour of Dublin city on the way to their house…along the River Liffey with its historic Customs House, modern Central Bank building, and Ha’penny Bridge (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ha'penny_B…), near the Guinness factory (at one time, they only hired Protestants) and along the less traveled streets of South Dublin where gang wars used to wage with enough frequency that the Garda would put up road blocks to restrict the flow of traffic.

    Arrived at Dermot & Gilly’s only a little bleary-eyed and easily curable with coffee, tea, sausage sandwiches (yesssss) and the usual “carry on” when a family gathers. Just hoping my ear for Irish accents kicks in after some sleep or I’ll just have to keep nodding and grinning along like an idiot.

    For Mom: neighborhood photo is a nearby street of “semi-d(etached)’s” to show what the burbs look like here…we’d call them duplexes in the States only each unit is owned independently.    Read more

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    Dublin: Walk to Bushy Park

    August 9, 2021 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    Bushy Park is only 5 min from the sister’s place. It’s a fine big park with ponds, soccer, Gaelic and rugby fields along with tennis courts.
    The Dodder river flows along the south side of the park. When walking alongside the river, it is very noticeable how darkly colored, yet clear, the water is. (See photos) This brown color is derived from organic carbon that is picked up as it flows down from the Dublin mountains.
    The Dodder then flows into the Liffey river, and Saint James’s Gate is located along the banks of the Liffey. Saint James’s Gate gets all its water from the Liffey. And guess what is made there. GUINNESS. So now we know where it gets its color. Haha.
    For the fishermen among us, the Dodder is known for its sea trout run and should be fished in the late evening. Cheers    Read more

  • Europe Road Trip 2021
    4th Tee
    17th Approach

    The K Club - South Course

    August 10, 2021 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    Long awaited visit to the K Club. Home of the 2006 European win of the Ryder Cup. Hooray. On short notice we could only get on the South Course. Where I (Donny) proceeded to get my ass handed to me. Nice work Caroline.

    Went for a beer at “The Palmer” on the North Course. The course looks fantastic. Now we have to come back and play.

    The following is a link to the almost 300 year history of the K Club
    https://www.kclub.ie/hotel-history/    Read more

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    Happy kids with Dublin in the background
    Wildflowers planted in the waste areasMushrooms lining a retired path

    The one with the hilarious golf cart

    August 12, 2021 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    Headed out to Dermot's home course today, Newlands Golf Club. I snagged Dermot's push cart so Donny, Dermot, & John all got power push carts from the pro shop. Donny kindly offered to swap with me but I was all set up so away we went.

    A few holes in, as we were putting out on the green, we hear Donny's cart tip over backward and lay there with the wheels spinning. Then they stopped. Then they started again. He picks it up--must be a random glitch--and off we go.

    Off we go on a most hilarious round of golf as Donny's possessed cart took off from a complete standstill at randomly inopportune moments, generally just as he was right in the middle of his golf shot, causing him to sprint to catch it before it crashed into a bunker or tree.

    My watch said we walked 6.5 miles but Donny got in some extra cardio.

    P.S. If you ever see "authentic Chicago style chicken wings" on a menu, you're going to want to give those a hard pass unless you like chicken wings covered in pasta sauce.    Read more

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    Me, Gary, & Spacer at Mullingar Golf Club
    Guiness and tunes1Hello Ireland!

    Mullingar

    August 13, 2021 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    Tl;dr: Celebrated retirement day with a golf open competition win, drinking Guinness, learning to pull a pint, and changing a flat tire at 2am.

    I wrapped up my final day at work, which is just strange to even write, let alone do. After 18 years , 2 months, and 4 days at Washington Mutual and then JP Morgan Chase, it is both thrilling to launch into a new phase of life and bittersweet to say farewell to so many wonderful people who have educated, inspired, and put up with me for years. (For those of you reading this that didn’t have the, errrr, “experience” of working with me, just know that I was most proud of refusing to be a serious banker and bringing at least some amount of ridiculousness to the table as often as possible. 😜)

    What better way to kick off retirement than to head for the midlands of Ireland and Donny’s birthplace?! He’d put the word out that we’d be in Mullingar so a gathering of “the boys” (a group of ~20 lads dating back to Mullingar secondary school) got together for a few rounds of golf and catching up.

    I headed out with Gary & Spacer just hoping I wouldn’t make a fool of myself on Donny’s home course. I had a great round mostly because my playing partners were hilarious. I made a comment about Spacer changing outfits more than a Madonna concert (August weather is just a tad unpredictable) which then prompted Gary into serenading us with Beyoncé tunes. Not only can he sing, he’s got the the moves to match!

    I felt like I was playing pretty well and, with my unfortunately high handicap, it turns out well enough to win the Friday Open competition that Donny had entered us in. Many thanks 🙏 to the Boys for coming to my defense when the course didn’t initially recognize my score as I wasn’t in their score posting system.

    After a few celebratory drinks and more hilarity in the golf club, we headed into town for, you guessed it, more hilarity and mayhem. It’s always amazing to be around a group of people that so enjoy each other and have the history to back it up.

    At one point, Smitty did me the tremendous honor of pulling a pint of Guiness with excellent instruction from his bar staff. The key is in the angle of the initial pour, letting it “cascade” for the requisite 90ish seconds, and then putting the perfect creamy head on it. Needless to say, I have a LOT of respect for those that make the perfect pint look so easy. It was the perfect cap to a great day.

    But wait, there’s more! As the revelry wound down, we ended up getting a ride from said Smitty which led to the unexpected experience of changing a flat tire at 2am on a dark country road. Donny is a pro iPhone flashlight holder! 😝
    Spare tire swapped and off we went to crash in a beautiful guest room only to wake to a view of the quintessential Irish countryside.

    This could be my best day ever.    Read more

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    Living Legends at the Irish Nat'l Stud
    Frolicking!€80,000 Stud Fee... that's ~8-12 million earned annuallyThe stunning Killarney Race Course (photo from their website)

    Irish Horse Racing

    August 16, 2021 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    On the drive down to Killarney from Dublin, we took a slight detour to visit the Irish National Stud. Got to see the retired geldings (https://irishnationalstud.ie/attraction/living-…) frolicking like they were foals again and some incredibly famous stud horses. If I didn’t know it before, this place confirmed that Ireland takes its horse racing verrrry seriously. Donny said that owning horses is so attractive because all the profits are tax free. That said, actually making a profit is incredibly rare but still…its enticing.

    This particular week in Killarney is special to the Foy family because it’s the last of 3 racing festivals at the Killarney Racecourse, which the family always attended growing up and holds great memories all around. It’s a beautiful little track with a golf course in the middle, but big enough to put on an 8-10 race card for a few days a few times a year. Tickets were a bit harder to come by due to Covid attendee limitations but we all descended on the course on Thursday for an afternoon/evening of flat racing and betting.

    Much fun was had as we all compared horses, tried to look up tips on the internet, timed our bets with the 3 bookmakers, meandered over to the parade ring to admire the horses up close, and then headed up into the stands or to the rail to watch the race. I managed to lose my entire stake over the course of the meeting, but a few of our group placed some great bets and were all smiles.    Read more

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    Kinsale & Old Head

    August 16, 2021 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    With it being Ally’s first trip to Ireland, we took a bit of a scenic route to Killarney via Kinsale and then on down to see Old Head. Kinsale is known as the “foodie” capital of the region but most places we passed were either booked or closed (Mondays), so we ended up stopping at the first place with availability for mediocre pizza and soggy fried seafood. Ooops.

    Headed a bit further south to see if we could stop in at the golf course at Old Head but the “cranky auld” security guard was not letting us in without a tee time. I have to say this… traveling during Covid has it’s definite perks (fewer tourists, more space, etc.) but I’m fairly certain a lot of establishments are conveniently using covid to create and/or enforce rules they’ve always wanted but couldn’t figure out how to implement without an uproar.    Read more

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    Family

    August 21, 2021 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    We apologize. We have not kept up on this. I don’t think we caught our breath since we landed. It’s been so much fun. We have spent time with so many great people. The Mullingar clan. (Where I grew up) the Dublin clan (sisters family) our dear friend from Belfast (Daddy) and the clan from Killarney. Including our new found friend Terry (Via Atlanta).

    We will catch up with all the details and photos shortly. Cheers    Read more

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    Entering the river from Lough Leane on way to the Gap of DunloeHalfway up the Gap of Dunloe with Ally & JackMade it to the top of the Gap!Resident stags at Killarney Golf & Fishing ClubDooks Golf ClubGolfing with new friend Terry and nephew CharlieBeaufort...always beautiful

    Killarney

    August 22, 2021 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    Fun-filled week in Killarney with family & friends. We walked into town most afternoons/evenings to meet up with the family for dinner/drinks, then usually ended up at Scott’s Bar (Hi Mush!), with ample entertainment provided by our friends Chompie and Jason, aka Daddy.

    Golfed Killarney’s Killeen course, which is always a treat (thanks Chomp!). Our new friend, Terry from Atlanta, got us and nephew Charlie out on Dooks, which was a lot more fun my 2nd time around when I wasn’t trying to play it like a course back home (the bump and run is *critical*). Charlie & I hit Beaufort with Mush (thanks again!) and Daddy when Donny opted for a much-needed nap after the trip’s nights of revelry and mayhem finally caught up.

    Took the Gap of Dunloe tour from Muckross Castle to Kate Kearney’s cottage. Jack & Donny, having done the tour before, said that it was the first time the boat ride wasn’t rainy and/or cold. Lucky us! At one point, the captain cut the engines so we could hear our voices echo off the hills, and we got to spend a few extra minutes floating peacefully when he couldn’t get the motor re-started right away. Grabbed a snack just off the boat then headed out for the 2+ hour walk up and over the gap, with only a minimum of whinging. 🥴

    Rounded out the week with horse racing, but that deserves its own post.    Read more

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    Catching up

    August 29, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    The bed here in our apartment is like sleeping on a rock. So I was up and at it this morning at 5am. Went for a nice stroll by the waterfront. Lots of young people sobering up!
    Caroline and I found a lovely restaurant yesterday and talked about not updating this blog so she promised to get caught up today. Let see! From my perspective here's what I have got. Ireland was a blast! We golfed, we drank, we met old and new friends. We had a great time with family. Did I mention that we drank?
    I want to thank the family for letting us stay with them, the great food they served us and to my brother in-law taking the bus while we sailed around the country in his car. What a guy.
    The two and a half weeks in Ireland flew by and so now here we are on the next part of the adventure. Lisbon. We have been here three days now, Caroline, Jack, Ally & I are sharing an apartment for a week in the historic district and two blocks from the water. Wonderful spot except for the Rock Hard bed. Lisbon also know as the city of seven hills is beautiful. The people have been so pleasant, food has been fantastic and the transportation systems first class. Love it.    Read more

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    Lots of murals and graffiit
    Best turn bar ever! Place to sit out of the sun AND have a cocktail.First time trying gooseneck barnacles--super briny and weird to peelTHE flatbread to end all flatbreadsSteak tartare... God bless the FrenchSpectacular 🤩

    Cascais

    September 7, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    While in Lisbon, we began to look for our next destination. Would it be the Algarve or go west to Cascais? While doing a little research, we accidently came across a fabulous deal for a stay and play (golf) package. Golf it is. Seven nights in a five star hotel and five rounds each of golf. I have to say that we both feel the need to slow down a bit now. I personally would be happy if I didn't see a golf course in the next month.

    Back to the story. Hotel was great and included buffet breakfast each morning. What a spread. Cheeses, ham, cured meats, smoked salmon, freshest of breads, potatoes cooked in olive oil and garlic with herbs, The list goes on. Oh, and eggs, crepes, and waffles cooked to order. YUM.

    We got to play a total of four different courses. I think our favorite was Estoril. Although only a par 69, it had character. Oitavos Dunes golf links was also quite enjoyable (and bonus that it was right out the back door). The other two were forgettable (although Penha Longa was part of a resort with 3 different Michelin starred restaurants so that might be of interest to you foodies out there). The kicker with the golf deal was that we had to get Uber or Taxis to and from the golf courses. Some were €20+ each way.

    The town of Cascais is very nice. A little touristy. It has a good vibe and great restaurants. https://www.visitcascais.com/en There is word going around that Mr. Bill Gates is building a house about 3 miles outside of town facing the Atlantic, but the locals are more excited about a rumor that Ronaldo might also be building a house here.

    Our seven days have come and gone and now we are on to the next destination. 30min Uber, 2 1/2 hours on a train and 15min Uber and we are in our new Airbnb.

    BTW, that thing that looks like a pizza was absolutely delicious (from one of the aforementioned Michelin joints at Penha Longa). Cured ham on top of beautiful cheese with garlic and olive oil. Yum. Steak tartare wasn't half bad either. Caroline’s favorite was that thing in the bowl that turned out to be pumpkin purée, sautéed chanterelles, topped by a perfect poached egg that turned the whole thing into absolute heaven. Now back on the budget (and diet!).    Read more

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    1From the lighthouse looking back to North BeachMercado Municipial - loved shopping here.1The church from our AirBnB. Bells AND fireworks!Looking up at the Sitio from the beach. Yup, its a steep hill to climb.

    The Giant Waves of Nazaré

    September 12, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    With Cascais behind us we take the slow train to Nazare. The e is hyphenated but I don't know how to do that. (CE: long press the e 🤓) From the pictures it seems like a good choice and someone back state side mentioned it. So off we went.
    Our train stop was the town of Valado dos Frades. From there we had to arrange for a taxi to bring us into Nazare. No problem. Valado is one of those dying towns from what I observed. Half the place was for sale.
    We made it to the steps of our Airbnb where Caroline, who was already frustrated with our host, tried multiple times to contact her to find out where she was at. I thought there was going to be a cat fight when she finally showed up. Yikes.

    This is a fishing village but is also famous for its BIG waves. In excess of 100 feet tall. Some of the biggest ever surfed.
    2020 Olympics:
    https://youtu.be/GJc4Ir78KdE
    100’ World Record Wave: https://youtu.be/74pnrYPozcU
    Nazaré waves explained: https://youtu.be/RuN2AnKyMio

    Besides the waves it has three beaches, all of which were calm during our visit. The South beach is the swimming and hanging out beach and the north beach is for the surfers.

    Our accommodation was adequate (more hard beds and pillows hooray!) and was on the upper part of the village. When I say upper I am not joking. See photos. Almost daily we walked down to the lower part of town which was along a windy cobblestone pathway with a swing midway down. Once down, you worked your way through narrow streets and alleyways. We found the local market which was great. Lots of fresh produce, bread, cheese, honey, fish and meat. Also a few small coffee shops and smoothies. And the prices for everything were very reasonable. It would be no problem to walk out of there with a full meal ready to cook including protein for two people for under ten euro.

    We went for walks daily which was wonderful. The promenade on the lower south beach was great and once did the entire marina which round trip was six miles. That included climbing up those steps. We found a great sushi restaurant where we overindulged on sushi and wine. It was fantastic.

    It is our last day here and off for the next slow train ride north on our eventual stop in Porto where we get the car. As I type, I am listening to the church bells chime away. I am assuming this is to let everyone know that Mass will be starting shortly as it is now 09:43. There is no other reason I can think of for this to happen. The bells are non stop. Its pretty cool, I can see them for the table here in the kitchen. Oh, and occasionally there are daytime fireworks with the bells (see video). Not sure if that’s just a Wednesday thing or some special occasion.

    Well its time to finish packing and get ready to taxi to the train station. Take care all. Cheers    Read more

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    Coimbra

    September 13, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    This story starts with two heroes… Donny and Antonio Ortega.

    As we lounged about our Nazaré AirBnB the last morning, packing a bit, cleaning a bit, catching up on email, news… I started to get that little niggling feeling in the back of my brain that maybe, just maybe I should think about getting ready to leave. I had already ordered the train tickets for our next leg so I had an idea of approximately when we needed to leave. When that little niggle hit, I pulled up Uber only to see the dreaded, “No Cars Available.” Same for taxi app.

    With about 35 mins to finish the last bit of packing, catch a car, and get to train station 10 mins away, I commence panicking which Donny finds hilarious for some reason. Possibly because he clearly had a miracle up his sleeve when he produces a business card from a taxi driver we rode with earlier in the week. A quick call to Antonio Ortega, he can pick us up in 10 minutes, which he does (not always a given here in Portugal) and we get to the station with 10 minutes to spare! I ❤️ me some heroes!

    We head north for a little over 90 minutes by train to Coimbra. This area of Portugal is clearly their “breadbasket”—we passed tons of farms growing vegetables of all kinds but the strangest were what appeared to evergreen trees that were being tapped for their sap. Anyone know what’s up there? The other striking thing about this part of the country are the huge tracts of eucalyptus that have been intentionally planted, most likely encouraged and/or subsidized by the EU according to Donny.

    Quick cab ride to our lovely little hotel right next to the oldest university in Portugal. We walked around a bit but it was pretty warm so we headed back for a late lunch, which turned into a late extended lunch that ran into wine on the rooftop deck which ran into a late dinner with new friends from Atlanta. 😊

    Now we’re hanging out in the room, watching a truly epic rainstorm roll through.    Read more

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    Beautiful azulejo at the Aveiro train depot
    Quaint pastel houses fronting the canalWhatever this is, it's beautifulQuirky art (sardines are of huge importance here)Salinas (salt works): series of salt water pondsPile of sea saltHuge raw sea salt crystals

    Aveiro: Azulejos & Salinas

    September 15, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Took a little field trip up to Aveiro (❤️ how easy it is to get around by train here), another coastal town recommended by locals.

    Right off the train is a beautiful azulejo:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azulejo. These primarily blue & white tile installations are everywhere—in either decorative patterns reminiscent of the area’s moorish influence or hand-painted murals representing people or events of import—and date back to the 13th century as a method to imitate Byzantine & Roman mosaics.

    Aveiro itself is a combination of typical working class downtown + quaint little touristy section with pastel houses and quirky art. Walking along the waterway, you have to run a literal gauntlet of locals hawking boat rides along the canal. (Note to self: t-shirt idea… “No, I do not want your ____!” in multiple languages.)

    As usual, we just kept wandering along whatever path we could find until we stumble across a salinas… a salt works. Donny & I look at each other, shaking our heads in incredulity.

    See, Donny found this book called Salt: A World History (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2715) and since I’ve been missing my book club on the road (shout out to my brilliant, gorgeous book club ladies!), I decided to read it with him. Reading nonfiction (I prefer to listen to the audiobook), particularly history, is not generally my jam so this was good for me and keeping Donny moving through the reading is good for him. Hooray!

    So it was crazy to literally stumble across a salt works when we’ve been reading all about their importance in history. They were finished for the season, but there was a cool little interpretive trail through the marshes and a pile of harvested sea salt to sample. Donny confirms it is “salty salt.”

    Cheers to serendipity!    Read more

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    Easy Streets in Porto

    September 19, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    On the ground here for four days now. It has been fantastic. Our Airbnb is five minutes walk to the city center. The weather is still really nice with morning temps at 60f warming up to the low 70's in the afternoon. Blue skies.
    As usual we have done a ton of walking and taking in the sights. I think I could manage my way around the city now. I have the landmarks. The Douro River being the big one.
    On our walks we encountered the 76 meter tall baroque Torre dos Clerigos www.torredosclerigos.pt/en the French inspired Sao Bento train station https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/São_Bento_railway…
    and lots of other magnificent sights.
    This city has lots to offer, the history, the sights, the restaurant's, the walkability. It is also a collage town which adds the young vibe to the seen. And lots of Port. We walked along the south side of the river yesterday crossing the Dom Luís I Bridge which was completed in 1886. It is a double-deck metal arch bridge and for some time was the longest of its kind in the world, with a 172 meter span. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dom_Luís_I_Bridge
    On the south side of the bridge along the river you will find all of the port makers. Port from Porto, go figure. Stuff is excellent on the way down but OMG the next morning is a shit show. I know this from experience back in 1998. Neither of us have had a drop of the stuff on this go around except for one shot with Jack and Ally in Lisbon.
    Today is our last day in Porto, we pick up our car tomorrow and head to where ever the road will take us. Stay tuned.    Read more

  • Europe Road Trip 2021
    Lisbon & Porto still have streetcars... so romantic!
    Love me a horse sculptureBeautiful art installation over the main pedestrian/shopping streetTiles to die forWhere Lisbon's tiles were mostly the blue patterned style, Porto claims the green subway tileWhat do you call baby peacocks? Chickpeas!! 😝Clowning around at the Parque da Quinta da Macieirinha. Great views if the city and Douro River.Looking north over Praia Cabedelo do DouroLooking south toward Praia das Pedras Amarelas1Sea grass + crashing waves + sun = 😎

    Loooong walk in Porto

    September 19, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    Took a self-guided tour through Porto’s streets and parks, then hopped an Uber to the other side of the Douro River (no easy way to cross on the west end of the city).

    Fortified ourselves with Sushi and sparkling sangria (where have you been all my life?!?) before jumping onto the walking/biking path fronting the coastline southwest of the city.Read more

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    The world’s worst “best” sandwich

    September 19, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 66 °F

    The francesinha (fran-sess-EEE-nyah) is one of Portugal’s National sandwiches and you see it on menus EVERYWHERE. It apparently was Portugal’s answer to the croque madame (which I love love love), it looks mouthwatering and was created in Porto, so OF COURSE I have to try it here. I even walked 10 miles today to make sure I could really, REALLY go to town on one.

    I had such high hopes… toast, steak, multiple kinds of sausage, ham, topped with melted cheese, a fried egg and a beer-tomato sauce. Served with fries. What’s not to love?

    Plate hits the table…I’m so excited. All that cheesy, meaty, toasty, saucy goodness. First bite… hmmm, ok, that’s different. Maybe I just didn’t have the right composition? (No way you’re fitting a whole vertical perfect bite on a normal sized fork.) A few more bites in, alright this is ok.

    And it never got beyond that. In fact, the linguiça and fresh sausages had wayyyyy too much funky acidity to make this work. Or it’s just me.

    Maybe you have to be really drunk and/or hungover to enjoy this? Seems to be proof that just because something is unique doesn’t make it automatically good.

    P.S. The other famous Porto sandwich is a bifana, which is apparently a pulled pork sandwich with delicious sauce. Yeah, so I totally missed the boat there. 🤨🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️    Read more

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    I wonder how many prayers and dreams that window seat has heard...
    View from the roomNature 1. Humans 0.Trunk is just a shell but the top is still going strongShowing off his best side!Our trusty steed until December

    Inland to Bouro

    September 20, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Left Porto, picked up our rental car (ask Donny about leasing instead of renting!) and headed for the next stop, a monastery converted into a hotel (https://www.pousadas.pt/en/hotel/pousada-amares) and some hiking.

    After checking in, we headed out to explore the town of Bouro, which took about 3 seconds so we just kept walking uphill. Twisty-turny, shaded paths winding through buildings and along hillsides remind me of Tuscany (particularly Chianti).

    Hard to tell if the path through the forest is man-made only because it seems mind boggling that it could be.    Read more

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    Duoro Valley by Day
    Duoro Valley at night

    Portugal wrap up

    September 21, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    We landed in Portugal on August 26th. We paid a visit to Lisbon, Cascais, Nazaré, Coimbra, Porto and the Douro Valley. With a few minor side trips. So for those of you who are just following us, here is the mission. We are traveling the world to see where we want to hang our hat at the end of all of this. Portugal is high on this list for a number of reasons.
    1. Cost of living.
    2. Good medical facilities and inexpensive medical insurance costs.
    3. Golden Visa. Which after five years one can get residency.
    4. Access to golf and good weather to play the game.
    5. Slower pace of life.

    As of this writing, I would put her high on the list. The people have been great, food is really good, public transportation is great and wine is lovely and inexpensive. Hooray

    All that been said the country seems to be low on paint. No matter where we went, as I looked around my view was always "can someone please paint these buildings". All said and done a great country. I think we will be back to take a deeper look.

    For anyone looking to visit. Get to Porto and check it out. It has it all. Then if you like wine, take a trip out to the Douro Valley.

    Thanks Portugal. It has been a pleasure....    Read more

  • Europe Road Trip 2021
    Who is that cloaked man?2We still have to walk down 😞This stuff is goodAh, our pretty little car

    Rent or Lease? It's a no brainer!

    September 22, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    I miss Portugal! But this is all a part of the journey. Right? We have to try new places and new things. So we hopped in our brand new car. Seriously, it had 12KM on the odometer when we picked it up. Besides having to get an Uber out to the leasing office, the pickup was flawless. The quick story on leasing is that when traveling in Europe for 3 weeks or more it is LESS expensive to lease a car than it is to rent one. Plus the leased cars comes with full insurance plus you can leave EU states with the vehicle (rental companies will not allow this) since technically you own it.
    We made it from Porto to Gijon in Spain on one tank of petrol. Approximately 80 euros worth or $100. It is nice to have the added flexibility to be able to pull off and see different sights and take photos. Not so easy when using public transportation. For info on leasing see following link.

    https://www.autoeurope.com/peugeot-europe-lease…

     Our drive up to Gijon was interesting, we were inland and you can see the rout on our map here. We did a lot of elevation changes which I didn't really anticipate. From sea level to over 3400 feet. The landscape changed with the Elevation also from lush green in the low lands to baron rock at the higher elevations.

    https://www.google.com/maps/place/Gijón/@43.546…

    Will fill you in later on our time in Spain so far later today. For now Cheers    Read more

  • Europe Road Trip 2021
    1Strangest ferry Ever. GetxoA friends house in Getxo

    The rain in Spain falls only on the ?

    October 1, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    We last dropped a line while in the Douro Valley (Portugal). What a spot. From there we took a long drive up to north Central Spain. Gijón to be precise. (http://tiny.cc/wiki_gijon)

    It was a really nice, working class type city but what I have come to realize is that the population density of these towns (cities) far exceeds my expectations. What appears to be a medium size town has over 1/4 million people. Nonetheless loved the place. Stumbled on a great 5k (one way) walking path along the beach. Another 10k+ day!

    From there we drove to Getxo, just north of Bilbao on the Bay of Biscay. Barry Barr's home away from home (Barry of KAVU) through his wife's family. This is a town worth reading about. It was and perhaps still is one of the most influential towns in Spain. The captains of industry built their summer homes here. (http://tiny.cc/wiki_getxo)

    Getxo has a great promenade and the Vizcaya Bridge is something to behold. A different way to ferry across the water. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vizcaya_Bridge

    While in Getxo, our good friend Gregg Ness instructed us to visit San Sebastian.
    (http://tiny.cc/wiki_sanseb) What a treat. The walks, the beaches, the architecture, the food and the hot ch...urches. (Fun fact: about 1 in 10 women sunbathe topless. Not a lot of tan lines around here...haha.)

    We have been bouncing from Airbnb to Hotel and back. The beds (and pillows) in Airbnbs so far in Europe, for the most part, suck unless one has been trained by NASA or North Korea. Seriously...what do people have against a bed that's a little soft? It's not like we're asking for a "princess and the pea" situation or something soooo smushy it makes your back hurt, but it would be nice not to have to switch positions every hour just to keep blood flowing to all parts of your body. Okay, sorry, end that rant.

    Overall impressions of Northern Spain / Basque Country:
    ~ Beautiful country--green, jagged coastlines up against cloud topped mountains, clean sandy beaches, frothy waves
    ~ Easy to communicate (with our broken Spanish), most establishments had someone that could speak English
    ~ Better food than Portugal--more flavor but still a LOT of bacalau (salt cod), seafood, and very few vegetables on the menu. Didn't have a chance to go to any public "farmers" markets but given that you see vegetable gardens in practically every backyard, I have to guess they're great.
    ~ Nice people once you engage, but not as nice as the Portuguese just walking down the street. Just simple things like people not making eye contact, or if they do and catch you smile, they don't smile back. Only had one person engage us in a bar, but they were pretty strict with masks and most people preferred outdoor seating where it's tough to just "chat someone up."
    ~ A bit more expensive than Portugal across the board, but you can still get a glass of wine for 2-3 Euros and dinner for 2 with drinks for 40 Euros.
    ~ Not as laid back as Portugal, just little things like traffic is a bit more hectic, a few more car horns heard, but still very respectful of pedestrians and nothing like a city of the equivalent size in the U.S.

    All in all, Northern Spain's combination of beaches, food, and architecture along with the Basque culture, is alluring and we'll definitely be back.

    Up next: France!    Read more

  • Europe Road Trip 2021
    Great Farmers Marker. FranceHome cooking. YumFrench Country Sunset

    French Introduction

    October 2, 2021 in France ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    As we said goodbye to the North of Spain, the unknown parts of France await. We pack up again. Which might I add is down to a science now. Two backpacks to a minimum and everything else is in the boot of the car.
    And off we go. We have decided that what we both need is time to frolic in the French countryside. So we picked a place in THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. It was owned by an English family who were so accommodating. It was so calm we extended our stay two additional days. The only excitement was Michael (the owner of where we were staying) on his riding lawnmower on Sunday. He spotted us having a glass of wine as we overlooked the valley. He quickly abandoned the lawnmower like a drunk cowboy would his faithful horse and up and joined us. Apologizing the whole time for how pissed he was. And yes he was.
    Turned out to be a very entertaining evening with our hosts. We solved all that ails humanity.
    Other than walking, cooking, wine tasting, shopping for more food to cook and going to a brilliant farmer’s market, we just chilled. Michael and us.

    Whoops, I guess we did a quick stop off in Bordeaux (the city) on the way to the middle of nowhere. Caroline can give you all that.

    I’m on me holidays ☘️    Read more

  • Europe Road Trip 2021
    Forever courious 🐝

    Loire Valley and More

    October 8, 2021 in France ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F

    We left Villamblard and meandered our way to the Loire Valley. As we drove there was not a whole lot to see on the drive. Motorway's are treelined providing little for visual stimulation besides the fall colors. We got to our B&B in the town of Restigne. I am amazed at how quiet these little towns are. They are void of any activity and its grape picking season. Perhaps this is why https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I6AF24zfSM
    Loire Valley is home to some of the most fantastic châteaux's to be seen anywhere. Check out the list on the following link. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Châteaux_of_the_L…
    Between the châteaux's and the winery's one could easily spend a month here. We had limited time so we picked Villandry which is famous for its magnificent garden's. Caroline loves her an auld garden.
    Next morning I stuff myself with the most wonderful bread, butter and cheese. And off we go again. My trusty co-pilot has said she wanted to go to Normandy so off we go in that general direction and ended up at a place I had never heard of. Shame on me. Mont-Saint-Michel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont-Saint-Michel. There are no pictures that do this magnificent place justice. Ally stayed there once and swears the place is haunted. That would not surprise me one bit. I am glad we went on the off season. It was overcrowded for us and can only imagine the shit show during busy season. Bucket List....
    Next Stop San Malo on up the coast. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Malo
    Here we booked a room for the night in town and walked into the walled town. Again pictures don't do it justice. In 1944, the Allies heavily bombarded Saint-Malo, which was garrisoned by German troops. They have done a wonderful job of putting it back together.
    At some point in the evening we decide to go out to the Channel Islands (something to do with a book Caroline read while a child) sure why not! Next morning we try to book the ferry online but their system would not accept our Credit Cards. So we walked down to the ferry terminal and booked there. Then walked back to the hotel and asked to stay another night so we could catch the ferry early then next morning. Haha. No rooms available and it was fast approaching checkout time. We packed our bags and loaded the car with our stuff. After a long meandering walk on the beach we found a beautiful place out in the farmland of the area. There we ventured off to have Pizza at a nearby restaurant and back for an early night so we could be at the ferry dock for 6:30 am.    Read more

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