The Golden Circle
We had originally thought to bypass this heavily-touristed route, but our interest in geology and a recent Zoom class on Vikings convinced us to at least visit Þingvellir. Not only…
A symphony in siding: Reykjavik
Iceland's capital city requires a mental shift to be appreciated. Coming from the airport, you traverse miles of old lava fields now covered in bristling tufts of straw colored grass.…
Going A-Viking: Itinerary
A long long time ago, in a pre-Pandemic galaxy, we decided to join our friends Laurie and Maggie on a Viking cruise around the Baltic. Fast forward. Covid hit. Viking…
Post Triptum
Like a Postscript, but different I am writing this from the comfort of my ergonomic office chair in Washington Grove rather than wedged into an airplane seat or on a…
There are three million steps in Lisbon, and every one is up
Change of plan: Instead of puttering around the Portuguese countryside to wrap up our Portuguese adventure, we booked a last minute AirBnB in Alfama - the oldest, and clearly the…
Cruisin’ the Rio Formoso
There really isn't a "best" part of the Algarve - it's varied but beautiful everywhere - so we decided to get out of town and do some touristing. Lagos This…
High tide
Just when we needed it – Zen Central
After the wilds of the Azores and the cold, wet crowds of Sintra, the Algarve was a kinder, gentler Portugal. It was unexpectedly laid-back, with just the right balance between…
Entrance to the monastery
Deep time in the old country
For our week outside of Lisbon, we had rented a traditional Portuguese farmhouse in the country. This bucolic slice of down-home Portugal turned out to be long on history and…
It’s a real Sintra
Years ago, Marida's brother had a really bad experience with a used car - a real lemon - and from that point on, he and his wife referred to any…
Exploring Floorsch
Flores: When pronounced by its inhabitants, this lovely romance word denoting flowers sounded to me like "Floorsch." So, Floorsch it is. The wild and woolly volcanic geology, colorful history, and…