Our plans, decisions, and adventures
Algarve is the region at the south end of Portugal. Its over 200 kilometres of coastline offer up sandy beaches, rocky cliffs, white hillside towns and historic fishing villages. With decent year-round weather (warmer and drier in winter than other parts of Portugal and not too hot even in the hottest month of August) and... Continue Reading →
So ... Much ... Rain.... At least on the day we arrived in Lisbon. We took a bus from Caldas da Rainha, where we had returned our rental car, and then took a metro to within 800m of our accommodation. Even if we had taken an Uber or Bolt ride, we would still have had... Continue Reading →
The Silver Coast region of Portugal includes Coimbra and Aveiro, which I've covered in a previous post, but this post touches on quite a few smaller towns and areas in the region. We stayed for a week in a little village called Carregal, a few minutes away from Óbidos. Since we had a rental car... Continue Reading →
From the Douro Valley, we drove southwest to the Silver Coast region to visit Coimbra with stops in Aveiro and its beach area, Costa Nova, on the way. We were originally going to try to see Aveiro as a day trip from Porto, and then drive right from Douro Valley to Obidos, but the revised... Continue Reading →
The Douro Valley is Portugal's major vineyard and winemaking region and the oldest demarcated wine region in the world. The Douro River runs through the valley and the terraced hillsides create a feast for the eyes and a sense of wonder as you try to imagine maintaining and harvesting the plantings on what look like... Continue Reading →
Our first port o' call on this Portugal trip was Porto, a short flight from Amsterdam, where we had been visiting with family. Porto is in the northern part of Portugal and is known to be cool and rainy in the fall and winter (we arrived near the end of November). The hilly, cobblestoned streets... Continue Reading →
An extended visit to Portugal has been in our plans for some time, and finally the time is now. We had been in Europe for three months just three months earlier and were lucky enough to make a return trip to spend another three months here (three months is significant as this is our current... Continue Reading →
Pennsylvania We crossed through Pennsylvania on our way north to Corning, New York (see New Jersey and New York), and then returned south to Pennsylvania to continue our journey west. Finally, we were immersed in autumn colours. Susquehanna River: Wyalusing Rocks Overlook We stayed one night at Ives Run campground in the Tioga-Hammond Lakes Recreation Area.... Continue Reading →
We didn't want to leave Vermont since the forests had not yet reached their autumn colour peak, but we had booked a housesit in New Jersey, so leave we did. Once we got adjusted to leaving, we started looking forward to what was next. Our New Jersey housesit homeowner had suggested stopping at Storm King... Continue Reading →
Cathedral Ledge After exploring the coast of Maine, it was time to turn inland to visit the forests and mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont. We drove across Maine into the White Mountains and the Cathedral Ledge State Park in New Hampshire. Cathedral Ledge Scenic Lookout offered gorgeous views of the valley, lakes, and across... Continue Reading →
We spent about a week on Maine's beautiful coast and Acadia National Park and could have easily spent a lot more. There are so many nooks and crannies to poke about in, rocky shores to hike, places to explore by bicycle and beaches to hang out at. Ogunquit and Wells While camping in Wells for... Continue Reading →
Just left: South America and Antarctica
Now: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Up next: Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia, Canada
Life: Phase Next 