Keeping our Cool in Southern Spain

 

On July 17, 2022, Clair and I fly from Paris to Granada to meet up with Clair's granddaughter, Valentina, dad John, mom Monica, and Monica's parents Jo and Pat. They had arrived in Barcelona on July 11, and already had a week of sightseeing and touring the countryside under their belts. After making their way to Madrid and Toledo, they pick up a nice, comfortable, air conditioned van, and continue south, where our story begins.

Click here for the slideshow.

The Lake District 2022

Spending a month in England in 2022, it seemed a good idea to alternate city and countryside. This was a good time to finally see the Cumbria Lake District that I had long heard about. I selected a youth hostel on the basis of favorable reviews and that it was located right near a lake and a bus stop.

We now sing the praises of the Lake District and the good fortune that blessed us with day after day of beautiful June weather.

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Once opened, click at upper right on "Slideshow."

Birmingham and Barrow-in-Furness 2022

Why Birmingham? Nowhere on any list of must-see destinations, but it happens to be about midway between Penzance and the Lake District, good for stopping over for a few days and breaking up an otherwise long train ride into two 4-5 hour segments. Did we find anything to see and do? And where in the world is Barrow-in-Furness?

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Once opened, click at upper right on "Slideshow."

London and Penzance 2022

The golden olden days of our taking off for five-six months at a time have had to be reconciled with the new era of risky times: pandemics, tightened border entries, and skyrocketing prices. The memory of having to dismantle and walk away from wonderfully made plans for Norway, Croatia and France in 2020 is still fresh and painful. 

Still, we managed a safe and happy 3 months in Paris in 2021, so we give it a go in 2022. Because, you never know.

The big idea this year is to spend a month in England, then 3 months in France, with at least one side trip, to Spain. Click here as we begin in London and Penzance.

Once opened, click at upper right on "Slideshow."

Clair and Tiffany's 2019 Adventures - #2 Corsica

Almost 20 years ago, during our first big cruise, we spent one bright afternoon in Ajaccio, Corsica. We visited the house where Napoleon was born and had coffee at a café. (So indignant was Clair  about the minuscule size of his cup, he vowed on the spot to master the term for "large coffee" = café allongé.  Which he did. Which actually means watered-down coffee in a large cup.)

Our Paris landlord and just about every other French person we know speak about Corsica with much reverence, but they warn that one needs a car to get around, and the rural roads can be treacherous.  That totally put me off until brother Clay, an excellent and willing driver, said he'd join us on our June jaunt to Sardinia and, sure, let's add Corsica.

Click here for our slideshow on YouTube, with some background music.

Clair and Tiffany's 2019 Adventures - #1 Sardinia

Although we don't have much of a travel wish list any more, we can certainly come up with a few ideas if, say, my brother Clay offers to meet up somewhere for a few weeks.  I plan, and he'll drive. That opens up destinations that otherwise we avoid because of our usual reliance on trains and buses.

We'd already booked a Danube river cruise for the end of June, and we'd be going to Paris afterwards. For months, I work on an itinerary where we can use accumulated frequent flier miles, take advantage of Clay's driving skills, stay within a reasonable budget, deal with a fair amount of luggage, have great weather every day, then get to Germany without much trouble to start our river cruise.

The winner: the Italian island of Sardinia.  French Corsica is just a ferry ride away, so we add that in too.

Click here for our Sardinia slideshow.

Clair and Tiffany's 2017 Adventures - Return to the Dolomites

In 2016, we used timeshare credits to book a week in the Dolomite Mountains of Italy.  Couldn't get enough of the awe-inspiring scenery, which got me thinking. I would be willing to come back in 2017 and lead a small group of our Paris hiking friends. Some of them have led us on some fabulous trips around France, and even to Croatia. At last, I have found a way to return the favor.

Click here for a YouTube slideshow with music.   Move your cursor to lower left to get the Pause feature to appear so that you have a chance to read the meticulously crafted captions.