My idea was to travel to a nearby town one day and home the next, so that we were not just running from place to place. So having spent a day in Venice, it was time to spend a day in Verona.
We loved the nearby Piazza Erbe, translated to Square of Herbs. We read that herb shops were around the square but I did not see any. There were, however, lots of restaurants, coffee and gelato shops and shop Read on...
Week 15 - the start of another week . I think it is week 15. Days 107 and 108 are upon us. I read my quote off the calendar this morning and it was one I had read before . A walk of a thousand miles starts with one step . I guess when you produce a calendar every year eventually you run out of new things to write . It is a good one though and I really did not mind reading it again. My walk starts Read on...
With the coffee and croissant refreshing me I was ready for the next part of my morning . It was only 10.15 and I knew that the major service would take until lunchtime . I needed to waste another hour at least before I could find a cafe for my early lunch with yet another double espresso on the cards . If I had not been called up by then to tell me the car was ready I had already earmarked a walk Read on...
Today I had to focus on this question after seeing a lot of people walking with their backpacks along the way just as I did 10 years ago. We flashed them by on our fancy electric bikes. Their effort seems much bigger than ours, although we started much further back and cover much more distance every day. I leave the answer to the question for the time being. I want to finish the trip and then, to Read on...
For our wine tasting experience, we headed towards the cape winelands via the N1 Highway, the first section of the famed Cape to Cairo Road.
Our destination was the cities of Paarl, Franschhoek, and Stellenbosch, and selected vineyards in each of these locations.
Paarl is the third oldest city of European settlement, and the largest town in the cape winelands. Paarl gained international attentio Read on...
WED, 20 JUL 2022 TRAIN TO BRUSSELS, BELGIUM: My only experience with the rail system in Europe thus far has been with the trains (save that hop aboard before it departs fiasco) and not with the local trains. All of those trains have been staged at the platform awaiting its passengers well before the departure time – in a couple of cases, over thirty minutes early. Retrospectively, all of those Read on...
We are still technically in a pandemic. You would never really know this in Vegas. No one was following the rule. Masks were being worn by basically everyone everywhere but many people werent covering their noses with their masks (even waitresses). Saturday, when the young crowd was here, masks were optional outside everywhere it seemed. They didnt care. There were some crowded places at times Read on...
Another good day in Ireland with untypical weather I believe. The first ferry at Rathmullen was a treat to most people and was easy to ride to. The last time we did this tour we took some minor roads only to find that they were very steep and torture to some, so this time we took the easier route which actually gave us a better view of the coastline. Luckily there was a coffee kiosk at the ferry t Read on...
DOC (or DOP): DOC stands for Denominao de Origem Controlada and means the from a strictly defined geographical area with and permitted grapes and maximum vine yields (to control quality). Technically there are 31 DOCs in Portugal, although 3 of them overlap, making it seem more like 28.Vinho Regional (or IGP): The entirety of Portugal is divided into 14 regional wine (vinho regional) areas that ha Read on...
Sunny morning but we headed off into a strong southerly wind of 25mph which I initially was ok as it was broadside for the first 20km along the northern coast past Ballycastle. I dont like wind, unless it is behind. Oh dear! We turned south and found out the true ferocity of the cyclists worst enemy. Not only that but the hills were something out of a ski catalogue which had me walking four times Read on...