Both Sharon and I like to walk and there are some cities in Europe that lend themselves very nicely for strolling around the old parts. I have put together a series of walks with maps and pictures. Be sure to check out the 'Walking Tours' for the cities listed in the brown buttons below. You can also open the same tours in pdf format. This makes it easier to make printed copies, but they have fewer pictures and details. The pdf files are in the second row. They tend to take a bit longer to open; please, be patient. |
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Going on a cruise that takes you as close to the North Pole as you want to get, was one of our desires when we booked the Prinsendam. The cruise started near London then went up north to Scotland, Faroe Islands, Iceland and touched the polar ice cap near Spitsbergen. I jumped with joy and this journey was not to be forgotten. |
Ice floats near Tuna Glacier in Spitsbergen |
Another Spanish place to visit is Montserrat, a monastery high on top of a mountain side about 30 miles northwest of Barcelona. To reach this former hermit's nest, you can take a gondola, a rack train or simply drive a windy road. The famous statue of the Black Madonna has been the reason for numerous pilgrimages of the Catalan people over many centuries. Here is how we traveled by Metro, train and gondola out of Barcelona. |
The gondola to Montserrat, Spain |
The Spanish masterpiece of Moorish architecture must be Alhambra, the ancient fortress near the city of Granada. We visited the 'city' with its gardens and palaces in April of 2009 while cruising on the Windsurf. Here are some pictures and descriptions of this gem.
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Gardens at the Alhambra, Spain |
The amber room at St. Catherine's Palace in St Petersburg, ancient cities such as Bruges and Tallinn, windmills in Holland, and a walk around Copenhagen with Hans Christian Andersen - they were all part of our Baltic cruise on the Regatta in July of 2008. It was a hectic schedule and we walked a lot with old and new friends, but it was worth ever step of the way.
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Windmills at the Zaanse Schans near Amsterdam |
| In May of
2006 we spent two weeks on the Wind Surf cruising the Riviera and the
western part of Italy. Starting in Nice, France, the trip included
Corsica, Cannes (during the film festival), Monaco (during the Grand Prix races), Pisa, Florence and
Portofino.
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| As part of our Mediterranean cruise (see above) we were at the 2006 running of the Grand Prix in Monaco. It was an interesting time filled with excitement, parties and lots of noise. However, driving at 200 mph on city streets is too fast for me. |
Formula 1 Ferrari |
| Bus tours are not our most favorite means of travel, but we did go to Ireland and Scotland with our friends to see the country sights and experience some of the ambiance first hand. We started this tour in Dublin, went clockwise to Northern Ireland where we then transferred to Scotland. |
Part of the Ring of Kerry,
Ireland
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| After we crossed the North Channel from Ireland, we continued our tour in Scotland, and visited lots of places we had heard and read about; places such as Lock Ness and Saint Andrews, Edinburgh and the Scottish Highlands. Our guide was good and we learned more from him about Scottish history and folklore than you might gleam from books in several days. |
The valley of Glen Coe, Scotland |
