We loved the staff at Hotel Pasquale...even more so when they were able to help us  seamlessly get to and from Portofino/Santa Margherita by train!  The Italian train system really is second to none!   Portofino was beautiful - just like all the pics you see of it - including the mega - yachts!   Really enjoyed exploring the town and the walk out to the lighthouse that surprise, surprise  - also featured a bar for us to soak in the sea vistas!  Thoroughly enjoyed our day trip there!!

Have been having slight technical issues loading pictures from my camera...so will upload as soon as that's been resolved.  Trip has been fantastic and then some.  We all really loved our place in Monterosso  - Hotel Pasquale.  The view from our cameras  (rooms) couldn't have been better!! Graham, Mary and me did part of the Cinque Terre walk - from Monterosso to Vernazza  where we met up with Kent.  We had done the entire walk with Julie back in 2005.  It hasn't gotten any easier - and this time it was way warmer and more humid! This time we even had time to walk up the Vernazza Castello and take in the 360 degree views! Took the minute train ride back to Monterosso after having an amazing lunch at a 'Pirate" bar.  Back in the days this coastline was run by the 'piratas'.  Something for you history buffs:)  The day was doubly awesome when we took a dip in the sea with some cold Limoncello provided by Kent.  Ahhhhh heaven on earth:)

All right - we're already behind...Good news is we had a great flight & time in London. ..and have been in Monterosso, Italy for almost two days - exploring,  enjoying the sea (the temperature is awesome! ) and appreciating the food & the wine!! Tomorrow hiking to Vernazza & maybe Corniglia? More pics to come!!

Iceland - June 2017

Can I just say Iceland was more beautiful than I ever imagined?  Around every bend was a gorgeous waterfall or beautiful mountains or a picturesque fjord or a field of purple lupines or sheep with sweet little baby sheep or Iceland Ponies with cute baby ponies or a group of swans with baby swans. It was fantastic for the senses!
After getting in at dawn - we proceeded to do some sight-seeing past Reykjavik going around a fjord and visiting some waterfalls as well as a War & Peace Museum (which was great by the way!)  We made it as far as Borgarnes and our cute B&B right on the water (Borgarnes B&B for those interested).
The next day we did drive up north to pick up Jan's brother in Saudarkrokur (after stopping and taking pictures of numerous waterfalls (like Glanni near Bifrost) & various other scenic views) before heading up to Akureyri and their apartment there.
Enjoyed a fantastic dinner with Helga's sister's family the first night in Akureyri!  Amazing fish stew & a dessert with enough cream in it to clog many arteries! :)
The next 4 days were filled with spent in north Iceland - featuring sight-seeing along the Iceland Coast with Jay with a visit to his homebase while he's here, a whale-watching trip in Husavik, a drive to Myvatn, a hike up the Hverfjall Crater with gale-force winds, viewing waterfalls such as Godafoss, Dettifoss, and Selfoss (all giving Niagra a run for its money).  Have I mentioned this is all around the summer solstice which means it's daylight for oh, 23 1/2 hours a day?!?!  Good thing the island has dark shades in all the bedrooms/hotel rooms!
Friday we picked up Helga's niece and Jay for our trek back down south to the Reykjavik for our final two days & nights in Iceland.  Friday evening we spent in Keflavik another cute seaside town and Saturday toured around the Gardur point that included a lighthouse and many, many different kinds of birds (the bird-watching opportunities are amazing here!)  Afterwards picked up sister-in-law Helga before going to Reykjavik and meeting up with some more of Helga's family and checking out the shopping, the massive church (Hallgrimskirkja) and finishing up with - get this - a jazz performance at one of the restaurant's patios in the tourist district.  If you closed your eyes we could've easily pretended we were in New Orleans! (Ok, except for it was 58 degrees vs. 80 - but you get the drift.)
After another stellar seaside dinner, we said our good-byes to the family and had our last night & the next morning at the Marina - which was another very cool experience!  Sad to leave, but we will be back another time for sure!

Rioja Wine Tasting

I know this won't be a shock,  but we've done a fair amount of wine-tasting in various parts of the U.S. and Europe...so it was a nice surprise on what an amazing day we experienced in Rioja.  We met up with our tour guide/host, Inma who recently started her own wine touring company - Rioja Wine Trips- out of Logrono.  She was fantastic!  We started by visiting the most uniquely designed winery, Bodegas Ysios.  Having worked at a local winery for 3+ years, she was very well-versed in the different styles that Rioja uses to produce grapes and ultimately wine. She then took us to a couple of family-run wineries  (which most are) for some tasting.  However their tastes would qualify for almost what we would consider as a 'glass' of wine!  Sampled 4 wines at Ostatu and then toured and sampled 6 at Bodegas Tierra.  Would've been 4, but the wine - maker Rodrigo must have liked us since he pulled out 2 bottles of the good stuff that he doesn't usually pour on tours. Next Inma took us to a several hundred year-old cave/cellar to have lunch (with wine of course) where friends of hers store a few barrels of their wine to specially sample with family and friends. A fantastic dejeuner with barrel 'tastes'...doesn't get much better than that!   Afterwards,  we did a quick trip to Elciego to see the Frank Geary designed hotel Marques de Riscal which was pretty cool and then café au lait in the hilltop town of Laguardia before heading back to San Sebastian. A very fun,  full day!!!