Needing a break, our friends took Wednesday off from hiking, so Leandra and I set off on our own to explore Glen Coe. On an earlier trip we had driven through and loved the views, so for this trip we wanted to get out and do some hiking as well as experience some of the hard to reach spots. With rain forecasted for the afternoon we made sure to start our morning with Coire Gabhail, also known as Lost Valley or Hidden Valley. A several-mile hike takes you part way up the mountainside to a ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: Glen Coe, Hidden Valley, Glen Etive
Scotland 2018: Isle of Skye – Fairy Glen, Mealt + Lealt Falls, Quairaig
Our luck with good weather held out for our full day on Skye, starting with some great light in the morning. We decided to work our way along the Trotternish peninsula clockwise, making our first stop at Fairy Glen. Parking is along the road here, and by starting early, it was fairly easy to find a spot and start our exploration. The views are absolutely stunning with the green grass and the blue skies. After taking our fill of photos we continued along the ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: Isle of Skye – Eilean Donan Castle, Fairy Pools, Portree
On our way to the Isle of Skye, we stopped off at Invermoriston Falls (a falls we photographed a year ago) to take advantage of some blue skies. Then it was time to head west toward Loch Cluanie and beautiful sweeping vistas. And goats! We reached Eilean Donan Castle just as a parking spot opened up in the small lot. How lucky! The castle was a bit pricey, so we skipped going inside, but enjoyed the views from the outside nevertheless. Once we passed over ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: Inverness + Drumnadrochit
Our first stop was the Clava Cairn burial mounds, just a few miles from the airport. These tomb mounds are ancient, dating back to the Bronze age, and the entrances are situated to line up with winter sun patterns. Also nearby was the very tall River Nairn Railroad Bridge. From here we continued into Inverness to seek out some lunch. After finding an ATM we walked through the pedestrian zone to Black Isle for beer and pizza. Eric got a saison and then a scotch ale, and we split a ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: introduction
Scotland is definitely one of our favorite places, and over the past five years (2017, 2015, 2013) we've explored many different regions. When some well-priced tickets became available for the first week of May we naturally jumped at the opportunity, and started planning. We ultimately decided on five days of hiking in the Highlands (primarily Skye and Glencoe), then four days attending events at the Spirit of Speyside whisky festival, and one day in London on our way back home. This time we ... continue reading...
Italy 2018: Naples Food + Drink
Pizza Pizzeria Da Attilio - When we checked into our apt we immediately asked for pizza recommendations to see if they matched up with what we had already looked up. This restaurant was close to the apartment and not in a super touristy area so we gave it a shot. I got the regular Napoli pizza (mozzarella, tomato sauce and basil) and Eric choose the version with buffalo mozzarella. Service was brisk and the pizzas came out fast. Everything was delicious! When we paid, the woman complimented us ... continue reading...
Italy 2018: Naples sights
Several times on our trip Naples reminded us of a South Asian city, with its tightly clustered buildings, a fairly dirty and chaotic streetscape, and commerce seemingly everywhere. So while you can see something quite European on Sunday morning: Large parts of the old town look like this: usually mopeds are on the sidewalk here too... We walked quite a bit through the old town, and wow, so many churches! Piazza and the stunning Church of Gesù Nuovo And the ... continue reading...
Italy 2018: Rome Food + Drink
Open Baladin. We decided to try all the smoked beers! Eric got 'Jenny the Smoker' scotch ale and I had the Open Garden Smoked Ale. We decided to split the stronger Imperial Ghisa, a smoked stout from Lambrate. I remembered later that we had this beer at the brewery in Milan on a previous trip! Tonnarello. Recommended by our hotel hostess, we ate dinner here the first night. They only had space outside at 9pm so we kept our coats on and sat near one of the heaters which kept us ... continue reading...
Italy 2018: Rome sights
Wednesday Having arrived in the late afternoon, our exploration on Wednesday was limited to a walk past the Roman Forum and up to the beautifully evening-lit Coliseum. Thursday Our original plan for Thursday involved a regional train, but due to a transit strike we decided it was prudent to stay within walking distance. Not really a problem as there is plenty to see in Rome! We started at the Campo de 'Fiori market - some produce, but small and quite touristy. We wouldn't go out of ... continue reading...
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