The second part of our late-March sun break in Andalusia. We capped off the trip with a few days in a rental car exploring the white villages (pueblos blancas) of Zahara de la Sierra and Grazalema and the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park.
Category Archives: Cities
Visits and guides to different cities
Andalusia in March: Part 1 – Málaga, Córdoba, Granada, and Ronda
The first part of our late-March sun break in Andalusia, built around southern Spain’s excellent public transit: a Córdoba stopover between trains, two days in Granada split between a Sierra Nevada foothill hike and the Alhambra, and a pivot to Ronda when Caminito del Rey was closed due to weather.
Andalusia in March: Planning a Spring Break
We needed a sun break in late March 2022 and decided to visit the Andalusia region of southern Spain. Our trip plan covered four areas, while maximizing use of the region’s excellent public transit. We started in Málaga, with a day of exploring in Cordoba, before heading to Granada. We capped off the trip with a few days in a rental car exploring the pueblos blancas of Zahara de la Sierra and Grazalema and the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park.
Tour of the Écrins Prelude: Lyon and travel to Le Monêtier-les-Bains
For our 2022 trip to the Écrins, we chose to fly in and out of Lyon, France. Flight schedule changes resulted in us having an extra day to explore, which was wonderful. Lyon’s architecture, parks, and food made for a wonderful stay.
Tour of the Bernina – Prelude: Arrival in Zurich, Oeschinensee, and transit to Pontresina
For the Tour of the Bernina, we flew into Zurich. The next day, we took a train to Oeschinensee for a day hike, returning to Zurich in the evening. The following morning, we dropped our luggage and took the Bernina Express train to Pontresina.
New Zealand Part 1: Christchurch and Akaroa
For our trip to New Zealand, I flew into Christchurch and met up with my parents, who were there on their own trip. We spent day exploring the Banks Peninsula, including an excellent boat trip from Akaroa. The next day, I flew Queenstown to meet up with Kyle.
Picos de Europa Prelude: Bilbao and getting to Espinama
Bilbao made for a great stopover on the way to the Picos de Europa. We could recover from jet lag while wandering the riverside, exploring the Guggenheim Bilbao, and eating excellent food. Rental car pick up at the train station made it easy to head out toward the Picos the next day.
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A Winter Weekend in Budapest
We made a last-minute decision to visit Budapest on a winter weekend in February, to enjoy some of the city sights without the crowds (or in some cases, entrance fees) of high season. (This strategy also works quite well for Paris.) Low season apparently began that weekend, if you use the “hop-on-hop-off” tourist bus schedule as a metric. This a brief overview of our 34 hours in Budapest.
Paris in January
Paris can be crisp in January, and Paris can be dreary in January. Regardless, it’s wonderful in January. The city is quiet yet alive. Christmas crowds have gone, but lights and decorations remain. It’s a perfect time to go, bundle up, and walk, and walk, and walk, stopping in at sights or for un chocolat chaud.
Rather than summarize any one trip, I’ll mention a few of my favorite highlights, both in the city and day trips, across a few trips.
Southwest Portugal Coastal Hiking: Overview
In March 2017, we hiked the Rota Vicentina along the southwestern Portugal coast from Porto Covo to Carrapateira, via sections of the Fisherman’s Trail and Historical Way. This series of posts covers our travel and explorations between the starting point of Lisbon, and our endpoint of Lagos. The Rota Vicentina is a network of official trails that connect the historic fishing villages of the southwest Alentejo region and Vicentina Coast Natural Park.
This post covers the resources we found helpful for trip planning, while subsequent posts describe our travels.