South Wales was the destination. We had been to the Brecon Beacons previously and this time we were able to visit a few more places. We spent the first two days in the Brecon Beacons, one day spent doing a walk up to Sugarloaf hill covered in Brecon and the next day we did a 14km walk around Llyn y Fan Fach and Fan Fawr reservoirs. So far the weather has been pretty decent!
We then made our way S Read on...
Piecing together the remnants of my original 2020 European trip (amalgamation of the travel vouchers that were issued when cash refunds were refused) proved more problematic than construction of the original trip, and numerous Plan Bs evolved. Such was the case with my journey from Spain to the Netherlands/Denmark area of Europe. Originally, my only time in France was a couple of days offered on a Read on...
Palace of Culture and Science - Pałac Kultury i Nauki or PKIN. Designed by Soviet architect Lev Rudnev. Built in in a mix of Art Deco and Socialist Realism styles. Plac Defilad 1. DSC_0256p1
Today we had our formal Collette coach tour of Warsaw. We started at Łazienki Park. It was originally a royal preserve laid out with palaces and monuments. It became a public park for Warsaw in 1918. Many Read on...
As I scrunched my way to the Bridge to survey the height of the river I met an elderly couple . Its slippery underfoot on the bridge Indeed it was . The cobblestones took on a shiny appearance underneath the covering of snow . Snow which had been falling steadily for the last hour or so. The sky was white. It looked full of the snow . It was going to fall throughout the day . Sometimes heavy . Ot Read on...
Cusco has gone back into a tighter quarantine/lockdown. Transportation in and out of the city is again limited to supply chain necessities, which I appreciate because the selection of fresh fruit and vegetables hasnt changed.
I was woken up today by a call from my parents. My Dad had bought me a cake and put candles in it to celebrate today being my one year anniversary living in Cusco. It doesnt Read on...
This summer my dad, stepmom, sister and I went to Israel and Jordan. We were supposed to take this trip in the summer of 2020, but something else got in the way...
We started in Tel Aviv, where upon arrival we settled into the hotel before my dad, sister and I walked to the Carmel Market. Along the way sat a beautiful beach where the sea breeze made the hot sun a little bit more tolerable. At the Read on...
We ubered out to Flushing Meadows which was a whole experience in itself. The driver was an expert in cutting off trucks and buses to push in the traffic. It was heart attack material.
We got to see Andy Murray win his match, watched Simona Halep get beaten by a qualifier and Madison Keys win her match. It was a long hot day again and we mostly managed to stay out of the sun. We got around to a Read on...
Day 2 started with a 6am wake up call, 6:30am breakfast, and started hiking at 7am. This day was the first climate zone change from rainforest to mooreland (I initially thought it was alpine desert, but I I think I was kind of wrong). this day had all kinds of cool looking flowers as we transitioned out of the rainforest, past tree line, and started walking east towards the mountain. The climb was Read on...
Our Motel in Londonderry was built in 1790 (the original part). History non existent in NZ. This motel is famed far & wide for their breakfasts. We could see why. In the cost of the room they supply a full a la carte breakfast. I had grits, warm maple syrup with strawberries followed by an omelette & toast. By the time I had finished I felt like returning to my room for a nap!
However we hit the Read on...
with a few short breaks, 40mins in woodland descent before Dorria and 20mins on ridge section before Planoles
A pretty bad sleep was met with a pretty slow morning. It also started with more climbing, as usual, so we felt extra slow. By the time we reached the col we had woken and warmed up though, and enjoyed nice views of the town as the sun also warmed up. There were also old border stones wh Read on...