Take A Hike Series: The Clifftop Walks of San Sebastián

May 22 – 28 San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain After going several knockout rounds against the sublime pintxos bars (pronounced: “peen-chos,” Basque for tapas) in San Sebastián, our latest favorite city and first stop in Spain, we decided to go out for some much-needed exercise.  Fortunately for us, the Gipuzkoa province, one of seven that forms… Continue reading Take A Hike Series: The Clifftop Walks of San Sebastián

Off the Beaten Path in Ireland: The Road to Torr Head and Carrick-a-Rede

March 19 – 24 Northern Ireland If there was a way to somehow distill the essence of Ireland such as to contain it in a bottle so that it could be taken as an elixir at the end of a particularly long and difficult day; a sort of tonic that could lift the senses and… Continue reading Off the Beaten Path in Ireland: The Road to Torr Head and Carrick-a-Rede

Happy Birthday, Little One: Kendley Turns Two (From Daddy)

May 18 Bordeaux, France Happy birthday to my beautiful little girl. From the second I laid my eyes on you, I was in awe of you. You have always filled my heart with joy and have given me a lifetime of love in only two years. While you might not understand what we are doing… Continue reading Happy Birthday, Little One: Kendley Turns Two (From Daddy)

Happy Birthday, Little One: Kendley Turns Two (From Mommy)

May 18 Bordeaux, France Today our daughter turns two years old.  To celebrate, we followed our GPS for ages around the sprawling suburbs that spiral off Bordeaux’s ring road until it brought us to Récréa’Land, an indoor gymnasium/fun zone complete with multilevel play structures, slides and several enormous, child-swallowing ball pits.  In the past, we… Continue reading Happy Birthday, Little One: Kendley Turns Two (From Mommy)

Off the Beaten Path in Ireland: Escaping the Ring of Kerry

April 4 – 9 Iveragh Peninsula, County Kerry, Ireland  Many things have been said of Ireland’s Iveragh Peninsula, which is better known for the (in)famous coastal road that circumscribes it: the Ring of Kerry.  The “inspiration of poets and writers”, “magnificent coastal scenery”, a “mystical & unspoilt region”, are the words of some.  In actuality,… Continue reading Off the Beaten Path in Ireland: Escaping the Ring of Kerry

The Sands of Harris

March 9 – 16 Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides Scotland “You’ll get off the boat in Lewis and you’ll say to yourself…wow, now that’s really something”.  Clustered around their dinner table, our friend Davy’s eyes grew wide and round as he illustrated his point.  Nodding her agreement, his wife Cheryl chimed in. “Then you’ll get… Continue reading The Sands of Harris

Over the Sea to Skye

March 2 – 9 Isle of Skye, Scotland We approached the Isle of Skye cautiously on a morning when it was shrouded in a winter’s mist, carefully crossing the Kyle of Lochalsh via the long, cantilevered bridge that linked Scotland’s largest island to a dramatic corner of the mainland. Earlier, our drive had taken us… Continue reading Over the Sea to Skye

Take A Hike Series: The Hill Walkers

February 25 – March 2 Glen Coe & the Western Highlands, Scotland “Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves… Continue reading Take A Hike Series: The Hill Walkers