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

When the Sun Shines In Scotland

February 18 – 25 Isle of Luing, Inner Hebrides, Scotland On a late February day in the northwest of Scotland, we had been given a gift.  It came in the form of a radiantly beautiful day, one in which a low-slung winter sun glazed the pastures and seacoast of the Inner Hebrides with a warm,… Continue reading When the Sun Shines In Scotland

Aotearoa by Pictures: Part 1

July 2010 North Island, New Zealand When I recently purged the hard drive on my Mac in a vain attempt to rid myself of some obscure, persistent error afflicting OS X, I came across several previously unpublished photos from our two months spent RVing in New Zealand during June and July 2010.  Rather than archiving… Continue reading Aotearoa by Pictures: Part 1

Silvester in Vien: The Biggest City-Party of the Year

Fire in the sky at Prater

New Year’s Eve 2012 Vienna, Austria Regarding Vienna’s spectacular New Year’s fête, I can’t say exactly how many times I’ve answered inquiring folk that they simply “had to see it to believe it”, so here’s me finally putting my money where my mouth is. The City of Music’s Silvesterpfad (New Year’s Trail) is the star of our… Continue reading Silvester in Vien: The Biggest City-Party of the Year

Christmas Market Crawl

December 2012 Italy, Slovenia & Austria Throughout the month of December, as we made our way through Northern Italy and into Slovenia before finally coming to rest in Austria for the holidays, we had the occasion to peruse several of Europe’s best Christmas markets – also called Adventmärkte, Weihnachtsmärkte and of course, Christkindlmärkt. While we… Continue reading Christmas Market Crawl