Day 3: Barcelona comes equipped with a number of beaches, and we had earmarked our third day for a visit. We took the bus, though the walk would later prove to be only about a half hour, and took a stroll along the boardwalk to see what sort of beach we were at. Almost before… Continue reading Barcelona, ES (part 2)
Author: dan.kronstal
Barcelona, ES (part 1)
Day 1: Our train from Sevilla departed at a relatively early time of 9AM, and cruised through increasingly greener and more interesting landscape as we made our way east. Apparently our route took us north as well, through Madrid, but we didn’t even notice. It was a high-speed express train, so we spent most of… Continue reading Barcelona, ES (part 1)
“Obrigado” Portugal!
Our departure from Lisbon required three stages, starting on a municipal train from our home of Rossio (though not the Rossio Station, rather the Rossio Metro Station, as previously covered), then via reservation ticket to Tunes, and finally a regional train, strikingly similar to Calgary’s C-Train, to our destination of Lagos, in the popular holiday… Continue reading “Obrigado” Portugal!
San Sebastián, ES
Sun, sand and sangria pretty much sums up our stay in San Sebastián. We’ve had a very nice introduction to Spain, and very much enjoyed some of the well-known stereotypes, like tapas (called pintxos, said like “pinchoes”) and siesta. We left blue-skied Bordeaux and arrived an overcast grey sky. Christina was disheartened, but there was… Continue reading San Sebastián, ES
Bordeaux, FR
Our ride to Bordeaux was mostly uneventful, as our train coursed through countryside that could nearly have been plucked straight from my Okanagan homeland. Nearly, but for the stone construction of the farmhouses and barns, and massive hilltop estate properties and other “castle-like” structures, which would have looked distinctly out of place in BC, as… Continue reading Bordeaux, FR
“Hallo & tot ziens” Netherlands
We had an easy time getting out of Edinburgh, journalling on the train platform and then boarding our train on time. We had another pleasant ride through the immaculately cared for scenery, which I believe I will miss. A couple of hours on the train, and a couple more waiting in Newcastle, then we caught… Continue reading “Hallo & tot ziens” Netherlands
Stirling, SCOT
We had heard early on that Stirling had one of the better castles to check out in Scotland, so it was always on our list of places to see. The process of getting there started out a little roughly. Having participated in yesterdays Glenfiddich tour, “nosing & tasting”, and the private after-party, I was feeling… Continue reading Stirling, SCOT
Dufftown, SCOT
We had a very nice sleep in our Bed, and were looking forward to Breakfast as the second part of our stay. Always curious, I had signed on for the “Scottish breakfast”, which included haggis, black pudding, and some more typical breakfast components. It was my first try at these Scottish classics, and I must say that I… Continue reading Dufftown, SCOT
“Fáilte” Scotland
We arrived in the rain. Both in Glasgow and in Fort William. Our ferry ride from Belfast to Stranraer was nice, and I spent most of the time journalling. Christina didn’t enjoy it quite as well, but mostly due to worry, which I would argue is a self-inflicted problem. We arrived into a sunny day in… Continue reading “Fáilte” Scotland
“Top ‘o the morning to ya” Dublin, IRL
I was very curious to see how this train experience would stack up against our excellent rides in India. While not booked in either a sleeper berth, or first class chair, we were still hopeful for a comfortable time. The seating was a little ad-hoc, as for the first of our two train rides we… Continue reading “Top ‘o the morning to ya” Dublin, IRL