St. Jean de Luz is a small coastal town just barely on the French side of the border between Spain and France. The town looks out on the Bay of Biscay and further out, the Atlantic Ocean. St. Jean de Luz is in Basque Country. But what does that mean, exactly? Continue reading “Welcome to Basque Country”
Rough Road to St. Jean de Luz
We started the day in Barajas, Spain – a pleasant pueblo adjacent to Madrid International airport. From there, we flew to San Sebastián. Next step: rent a car and make the short drive across the border to to St. Jean de Luz, France. It should have been easy, but it was a rough road to St. Jean de Luz. Continue reading “Rough Road to St. Jean de Luz”
Snags in San Sebastián
It’s early afternoon, but it’s already been a long day. We’re on our way from Madrid, Spain, to St. Jean de Luz, just across the border in France. Everything was easy until we arrived at San Sebastián airport. It was there where we hit our first snags in San Sebastián. Continue reading “Snags in San Sebastián”
Adventure at San Sebastián Airport
We’ve just started our “Basque Country Adventure.” I noted last time that we didn’t actually plan to have any serious adventures per se, but our arrival at San Sebastián airport turned out to be more adventuresome than expected. Continue reading “Adventure at San Sebastián Airport”
Basque Country Adventure
OK. “Basque Country Adventure” might be a stretch. I mean, we aren’t the most adventuresome travelers. There won’t be any whips, slithering asps, or runaway boulders on this adventure. But the “Basque country” part is accurate. That’s where we’re headed. C’mon! Continue reading “Basque Country Adventure”
Danube River Cruise Recap
Our Danube river cruise is coming to an end. We embarked in Vienna, Austria, then made our way south 1,200 miles all the way to the Black Sea. I never thought I’d visit Eastern European countries like Bulgaria and Romania, but I’m glad we had the chance to. Here’s a recap. Continue reading “Danube River Cruise Recap”
Roamin’ Around Romania
The average westerner doesn’t know a lot about Romania. It hasn’t been in the news much since the communist break-up in 1989. When westerners think of Romania, maybe gypsies come to mind. If you’re into tennis, Ilie Nastase and Simona Halep for sure. And for off-beat history buffs, maybe Vlad the Impaler? Continue reading “Roamin’ Around Romania”
Cyril and Methodius
We’re in Bulgaria, the first place I’ve been where Cyrillic script is used extensively. It looked so strange to me, like something out of a Tolkien book. I wanted to know more. It turns out that two brothers, Cyril and Methodius, invented it to solve a tough problem. Here’s the story… Continue reading “Cyril and Methodius”
It’s All Cyrillic to Me
Our cruise down the Danube has taken us all the way to Bulgaria – someplace I never thought I’d visit. The forested Bulgarian landscape was nice, but the thing I’ll remember most about Bulgaria is the pervasive use of Cyrillic script. Continue reading “It’s All Cyrillic to Me”
Onward to Bulgaria!
We’re on a boat, cruising down the Danube river. The cruise started in Vienna, Austria, and will go all the way south to the Black Sea. Yesterday we stopped in Belgrade, Serbia. Now it’s onward to Bulgaria. Continue reading “Onward to Bulgaria!”
