Driving in Ireland

Going to the Republic of Ireland? Thinking of doing a self-drive tour? If you answered yes to these two questions you, by now, have probably read a lot of warnings about driving in Ireland and likely have encountered opinions varying from “piece of cake” to “taking your life in your hands” Right? Okay. Let’s try […]

International phone calls

Did you know each country has its own telephone “exit” code that has to be dialed before you can make an international call? Recording (and carrying with you) the exit code for each country you will be visiting can save a lot of time and stress if you need to quickly make a call to […]

La Mancha

“To dream the impossible dream. To fight the unbeatable foe” Those lyrics from the musical  Man of La Mancha float through our rented car as we drive highway A4 south from Madrid, Spain. What could be more perfect as we are in the autonomous region of Castitle-La Mancha…the very region that was Don Quixote’s stomping grounds. As […]

Spain’s Oldest Bullring

    Snap quiz…where is the oldest bullring in Spain? Madrid, you say? I would have guessed Madrid too, but we both would have been wrong. So knowing that, what is your second guess? Need a hint? Okay…Have a look at this special piece of art. Over on the left hand side, near the bottom, […]

Ronda, Spain

Today we are leaving the Mediterranean (Malaga area) and heading north…up into the mountains. Soon after turning off the A7 highway at San Pedro de Alcantara, we find ourselves on a paved road that goes up and up and up…winding back and forth and back and forth and up and up. The valleys get deeper […]

The Best Thing about Gibraltar

Some things just can not be planned…they just happen. And sometimes the things we did not plan turn out to be the “best” thing about a visit. Maybe because it was unexpected. Maybe because it appeared at just the right moment. Whatever the reason, the experience is forever embedded in our minds. That is what […]

Where is Gibraltar?

Where is Gibraltar? That is not a rhetorical question when one is driving the highways of southern Spain looking for the turn off to go to Gibraltar…because you will not find any signs that say Gibraltar. Instead one must either look for signs that say La Linea (the community on the Spanish side of the […]

Travel tip: Souvenirs

A recent posting in the travel section of Canadian Living magazine’s website (5 tricks to avoid overspending on vacation) started me thinking about the souvenirs we have purchased over the years. While I reject the idea that souvenirs are not necessary, I do agree that buying souvenirs just for the sake of buying “something” is […]

Montevideo, Uruguay

  Hurry! Our car and driver will soon be here to take us on a tour of Montevideo, Uruguay‘s capital city. Never thought I would say something like that in my lifetime…“My car and driver will soon be here”. Rather pretentious, huh? But on second thought, not really pretentious. More practical I would say. Hiring […]

Where is Uruguay?

“On a map, place the following countries: Uruguay, Paraguay.” In my grade school days correctly answering a test question like that would have had odds of 50-50.  I knew both countries were in South America but which one was on the coast and which one was inland? Fast forward a number of years (no, I am […]

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