WED, 24 AUG 2022 – Day 12: Venice - Leaving the churches and basilicas behind, today we head to the canals of Venice! On arrival, well take an orientation walking tour with your Expat Explore tour leader, who will show you the sights including the Rialto Bridge and St Marks Square. Youll also have the option to explore Venice the traditional way - from the canals on a gondola ride, which gives y Read on...
Really we are in Pendeen but its a hamlet and too small to register on Travel Blog. Tomorrow we should be in Perranporth after rounding Lands End.
BIG day today. About 25 km but very rocky walking. We do not have many photos as proof as the weather was so poor that getting the iPad or camera out was a risky operation.
It rained from the moment we set off in St Ives and we endured 3 or 4 quite dr Read on...
Today started out in Spearfish, SD and headed for Medora, ND. North Dakota is one of the 6 states Ive never visited. Medora is a small little town that you probably have never heard of. It is one of the entrances to Theodore Roosevelt National
Park. I discovered it by watching travel shows and quickly became interested in their outdoor show called the Medora Musical.
While driving through northe Read on...
(including lots of small breaks) and with 3 hour siesta midday at picnic site (just off trail) and 1.5 hour break in Bera
Ready and raring to go (and pretty nervous!) we set off from the safety of our hostal in Irn in the cool morning air, nice and early, with the intent to get most of the climbing done before the midday heat. And what a climb out of Irn it was! Long and steep in parts, we start Read on...
Early the next morning, we made our way to the local restaurant our guide sent us to have our breakfast, which was really good. We shared plates of eggs, grilled veggies and bread. After breakfast, we hit the grocery store where L and I picked up rum (pronounced room) and Coke Zero, then we all packed up, got in the bus, and drove about 1.5 minutes to the nearby clinic for our PCR test. We waited Read on...
It seems that when most people travel to Japan, or even just think of Japan, it is the sights on Honshu that appeal the most: Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Hakone, etc. One of my aims of this little Japanese blog series is to get people to look beyond Honshu as the other islands of Japan are fantastic. However, after writing this blog and looking again at my photos, Ive why Honshu is rightly very popu Read on...
We tried birding in the Spanish Lagoon area just after 8 and were rewarded with TWO burrowing owls in the roped off area, and a new humming bird (not such a good photo though). Then off for a 2 hour drift snorkel at Mangel Halto – no ocean triggerfish or eels this time, but a large porcupine fish. Met a nice family who had done a portion of the drift and we were able to suggest the easier entran Read on...
The next day we were slept in a bit as our first plan of the day is Sunday roast!! yay! C made us reservations at the Ladbrooke Arms in Notting Hill, a highly place she found. We met K there and enjoyed (well, I did) the delicious meal. It was quite heavy, but I was in heaven with my Yorkshire pudding. I think C and K dont really get Yorkshire pudding, but that just leaves more for me! Takes me ba Read on...
As we are heading for Andorra, Carcassonne looks like a good spot to stay on the way. Its a longish drive from Serre Chevalier, especially as we decide to detour for some sightseeing in Avignon (Ive never been there) which involved some exploration of French systems to find our way to a parking spot in the centre but it is well worth the effort.
From Avignon it is Autoroute all the way to Carcas Read on...
We decided to have a leisurely start today, as we didnt have as long a drive ahead of us. It was the first day weve had that the sun wasnt shining. In fact, there were sprinkles here and there, and it was decidedly cooler. This leg of our trip was bringing us along the ocean through many small towns, and lots of forests. We crossed over the 2 mile bridge that connects Washington and Oregon at abou Read on...