[Mile 130 to 335] Washington is a very unusual state. Along the western coast the weather is extremely wet and mild. The high mountains trap the moisture and creates a special climate that’s rarely too warm or too…
Day 281 – North Bend, WA – Twin Peaks!
July 7, 2020
[Mile zero to 130] This is it! We officially left the nest and started on our US road trip (after a bit of rethinking due to COVID shutting down the world). We wanted something light for our first…
Day 275 – Our new pirate ship – The 2000 Rialta 22HD. Ready to go!
July 2, 2020
We finally have a little home again. A little pirate ship to sail out into the world in a socially distant kind of a way. It’s been a difficult process to figure out what we wanted to do next…
Day 166-244 – the COVID Interlude – Escaping a pandemic and finding our bearings.
June 20, 2020
After years of saving and planning, months of giving away all of our things, our cars and furniture, and thinking through all of the problems we might face, it honestly never occurred to me that we would be thrust…
Day 161 – Granada, Spain – The last stronghold of Moorish Europe
March 28, 2020
Granada sits in the south of Spain at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains at the confluence of the Darro, the Genil, the Monachil and the Beiro rivers. It was the last Moorish stronghold to fall to Ferdinand…
Day 155 – Seville, Spain – The orange blossom dream I wished would never end.
March 17, 2020
Thin winding streets lined with orange trees, the smell of orange blossoms surrounding you, ancient tile-work facades on brightly painted buildings in ochre and curry and mustard. The sheer ornateness of the city suggests a history much larger than…
Day 155 – Seville, Spain – Andalusian cuisine: Eating tapas in Seville
March 11, 2020
Andalusian cuisine Andalusian cuisine reflects the deep history and turmoil of the region. You can trace the region’s traditional dishes to contributions made by different cultures throughout time. The region was first settled by the Phoenicians around 1100BC who…
Day 147 – Viareggio, Italy – Carnival in Viareggio
March 2, 2020
When I stepped off the train, I liked Viareggio immediately. A charming seaside Italian city that reminded me of New Orleans for some reason. Not exactly in the architecture or the language, it was a feeling, the city’s soul….
Day 140 – Florence (Firenze), Italy – Tuscan food and the Italian Renaissance
February 26, 2020
I didn’t really warm up to Florence immediately. And like any place I have high expectations of, I started off a bit disappointed. The dense narrow streets with tiny sidewalks flanked by enormous uninviting doors. It’s the kind of…
Day 139 – Verona, Italy
February 23, 2020
Verona wasn’t on our itinerary but I’ve always been curious about this Italian city so we booked an overnight to check it out on the way to Florence. Charmingly cheesy, stunningly beautiful, laid back and lazy. Verona is exactly…