Dublin: The History, The Culture, The Guinness

Trinity College, Dublin

Trinity College, Dublin

Be sure to take a stroll through Trinity College while in Dublin.  A beautiful campus, I can’t believe students actually sit in classrooms in these old buildings.  Trinity was founded back in 1592.  Even the trees looks ancient, with all the branches growing in all different directions.  

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Girona: An ancient town in Catalonia

A medieval city, Girona,  a few hours away from a popular tourist destination Barcelona.  A hidden gem in the Costa Brava region.  Colourful buildings lining the river that runs through, this is Europe.  Catalonia is made of four provinces which include Barcelona and Girona.

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Allure of Costa Brava

Rent a car.

Three simple words, yet you will be thankful you followed the advice.  When you rent a car you have more flexibility, and you can drive through more of the smaller villages in the area.  It’s amazing what you can see in one day with a car.  Through the Costa Brava region, the drive was manageable up until we started going up the mountain.  The roads were slim.  Cars were speeding by because I was driving slow.  There were some parts of the mountain road that had no guard rails (why I was driving so slow).  The roads were so windy it was making me nauseous.

Cap de Creus National Park

Cap de Creus National Park

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Beautiful Barcelona

After taking the wrong train to leave Girona to Barcelona (an extra two hours), finally the train station.  Outside the train station a couple offered us their hop on hop off bus tickets.  Pure luck!  If we hadn’t got on the wrong train we wouldn’t have got those free tickets.  The tickets were good for the rest of the night.  It took forever to walk to the hotel.  TIP: Be sure to know the subway stop of your hotel.  After check in, a hop onto the bus for a city tour.  I highly recommend hop on hop off bus tours, it’s a great way to see the city. 

The Columbus Monument

Columbus Monument located at the bottom of La Rambla.

Columbus Monument located at the bottom of La Rambla.

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Cayo Santa Maria: blue waters, white sand

First time in Cuba.  The resort was beautiful and on the island of Cayo Santa Maria.  It is a long bus ride from the airport to the resort, and a really long bridge to get to the resort.  The weather was beautiful – sunny and hot.  The food was mediocre.  The staff was very friendly.

Charlene's foot and Andrew's foot

Charlene’s foot and Andrew’s foot

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Algonquin Park July 2013

The last couple annual trips were easy, canoed one way, stayed on the campsite for two days and came back the same way.

2013 = challenge

Yes, approximately 70 km of paddling over four days.  This is not a trip for the faint of heart.

Canoe Lake access point, on the dock and packing the canoe.

Canoe Lake Access point dock.

Canoe Lake Access point dock.

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Algonquin Park July 2012

A beautiful, serene peaceful lake… McIntosh Lake

McIntosh Lake

McIntosh Lake

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Another day in Washington D.C.

 

The White House

The White House

A beautiful White House surrounded by a luscious green landscape… just another day in Washington D.C.!  It looks like a peaceful place to take a stroll around the gardens or enjoy a latté on the patio. The house of the President of the United States of America.  A magnificent house.  One can only imagine the decisions that are made behind the walls of this house.  This is just one of many attractions in Washington D.C., and we went to many.

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The Prague Animals

Prague Zoo is located in the north of Prague. It was opened in 1931. You can take the subway and bus to get to the zoo. It was ranked one of the top then things to do in Prague by Trip Advisor. For animal lovers, this is worth the trip. The animals are kept in areas that resemble their natural habitat.

http://www.zoopraha.cz/en

Mountain goats hanging out on their mountain in the zoo.

The lounging mountain goats.

The lounging mountain goats.

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Cobblestone Streets of Prague

A view of the Prague Castle from the Vltava river.

A view of the Prague Castle from the Vltava river.

A peddle boat ride along the Vltava river, fireworks in the background, a truly romantic first night in Prague.  This takes serious planning and research, or perhaps it is luck, not sure which one.

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