So, what’s this? You thought that because we got back home after the Grand European Adventure we wouldn’t have any travelling to post about? Well, they may not be coming out as often as they were last year, but we have been out and about a bit since we got back. One of our weekends away was to Cooktown in […]
Category: Retirement
Our Last Waltz – The Antrim Coast
The final story from our Grand Adventure before starting the long journey home is from County Antrim, the area to the north of Belfast. Our last stay was in the coastal town of Cushendall, in the Antrim Coast and Glens Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Two of Northern Ireland’s most popular tourist attractions were close by, and we did day […]
Lake of Menteith, a Karma Resort
We spent the final week of our time in Scotland back in the south, at one of our Karma resorts. The Lake of Menteith is about an hour’s drive from Glasgow, near the Trossachs National Park. It is close to some of the larger cities in the south of Scotland, like Stirling and Edinburgh, so it was a good base […]
A Monster in The Highlands
Loch Ness, home to the famous monster Nessie, lies next to Inverness, the capital of The Highlands. We spent a few days in the district, exploring what sights it has to offer. The surrounding area is incredibly rich with attractions for tourists. From the rugged wilderness of the loch itself, to ancient sites, grand castles, spectacular beaches, a famous battlefield, […]
Speyside, The Centre of the Whisky Universe
As we continue our journey northwards through Scotland, we head back towards The Highlands. But before we get there, we pass through Speyside, where more than half of Scotland’s whisky is made. Although it was only a short visit, we were able to combine another house sit, a second walk in the Cairngorms, and a visit to one of Speyside’s […]
In the Footsteps of Romans along Hadrian’s Wall
We have done some great walks in some wonderful places during our adventure, and one of our bucket-list destinations was the walk along Hadrian’s Wall, near the border between Scotland and England. This is the story of the four days we did on the walk, and the days either side. We also wanted to visit here because Chris has family […]
A Weekend in West Yorkshire
We had an opportunity to pick up another house sitting gig on our way north, this time looking after a pair of house-rabbits. They were pretty easy to look after, and it gave us a chance to look at a couple of cities that were at the centre of England’s industrial revolution. As with our visit to Liverpool a few […]
Budapest, One of the World’s Great Cities
The final stop on our second time in the Schengen Zone was Budapest, the capital of Hungary, and one of the world’s truly great cities. With its rich history, classical and modern cultural elements, amazing architecture, and the Danube River flowing through it, Budapest proved to be another highlight of our trip so far. We were joined again by Natalie […]
A Few Days Living In a Roman Emperor’s Palace
Our journey continued from Puglia, taking another overnight ferry across the Adriatic to the Croatian port city of Split. Most of the old city of Split is enclosed behind the walls of the palace of the Roman Emperor, Diocletian. Our apartment was inside the walls, so we spent a few days living in the remains of his palace. We really […]
A Ten Day Break in The Heel of Italy’s Boot
There has been a little delay in getting this post out, due to some glitches in the site’s email system. Chris quickly found himself out of his depth when he tried to fix it, but it is handy having a network engineer in the family (thanks Dom!). We seem to have resumed normal transmission, and are pleased we can share […]
Three Weeks in the Stunning Peloponnese
We have just spent three weeks travelling through Greece’s Peloponnese Peninsula. What an amazing experience! We have encountered so much history and legends, and did some great walks through spectacular scenery. The region is much more mountainous than we expected, and car journeys between places never went by a direct route anywhere. We tried to fit everything into one big […]
Sun, Snow and Some Good Walking
As we travel south through Greece, and Spring approaches, we are seeing some warmer weather. This means our walking, mostly dormant for the last few months, can start again in earnest. Staying in Volos, we have great access to some of the best walking in Greece on the Pelion Peninsula. Volos is a lovely port city halfway between Thessaloniki and […]
Reaching for the Sky in Meteora
The monasteries at Meteora in central Greece are a UNESCO World Heritage Site that really has to be seen to be believed. Perched high atop giant sandstone pillars, or clinging impossibly to the side of a cliff, these monuments are incredible. The monks and nuns who have studied there over centuries really were trying to get closer to God. We […]
Olympus, Home of the Gods
After our spot of rest and relaxation in Thessaloniki, it was back on the road to continue our journey through Greece. Our destination was Mount Olympus National Park, home of the ancient Greek gods and some of the best hiking trails in the country. There was too much snow about to really cover the best trails in the park, but […]
A Ten-Day Break in Thessaloniki
This post marks the end of our three months in Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Eastern Europe, and back to commence our second 90-day block inside the Schengen Zone. There was a slight hiccup at the Greek border, when we thought for a moment that we were going to be denied entry, but it was resolved, and we made it to […]
A Quick Trip Through Northern Bulgaria
Our 90 days outside the Schengen Zone was drawing to an end, meaning we could enter Greece for the next part of our adventure. But we still had three days to fill in. Getting from the Romanian capital down to Greece’s second-biggest city, through Bulgaria, seemed to be easy enough. But there were some hurdles we hadn’t anticipated. We finished […]
Bucharest, Relics of Communist Extravagance
Bucharest is the capital of Romania. It is sometimes called The Paris of The East because of its grand buildings, arts and long, wide boulevards. Layered over its grandeur from the “belle-epoch”, the decades-long Communist period under hard line ruler Nicolae Ceaușescu saw the addition of architecture from the Socialist Realist style. Ceaușescu had grand plans to turn Bucharest into […]
The Painted Monasteries of Bucovina
Tourists come to the North-Eastern corner of Romania for one reason, to see the sublime UNESCO-listed Painted Monasteries of the Bucovina Region. Although it’s a long way from the attraction in Transylvania, and less than 50 kilometres from the border with Ukraine, the effort to get here and back is repaid tenfold when these gorgeous structures are seen. Enjoy seeing […]
Cluj-napoca, Transylvanian Steampunk
Our travels through Romania continued northward to the de facto capital of Transylvania, Cluj-napoca. It felt a bit strange to be back in a big city after the relaxed environs of Brasov and the medieval towns of Sibiu and Sighisoara, dealing with busy streets and having to dodge pedestrians again. We did, however, adopt a rather relaxed pace for this […]
A few Days in Dracula Country – Brasov, Transylvania
Following our fantastic New Year treat at The King’s lodge, we travelled back to the heart of Dracula Country, Brasov in Transylvania. Brasov is a smallish city with a compact old centre and plenty of opportunities for side trips. We were lucky to be there when the Christmas markets were still going, brightening up the city with their lights and […]