Europe
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6 Cool Things to Do in Madrid
More Details: 6 Cool Things to Do in MadridIn this post, I will share with you some unique cool things to do in Madrid – whether you only have a few hours as you are only passing through, or have more time in the city. They are not the ONLY things to do in Madrid but, at least, they are a little off-the-beaten-path.…
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Images of Another Northern Town – Husavik
More Details: Images of Another Northern Town – HusavikHusavik is certainly not the most visited spot in Iceland as many tourists tend to stick to Reykjavik, the South Shore and the Golden Circle and Husavik lies well in the north. But, when I visited Iceland last year, we had opted to spend three days in Akureyri, much closer to Husavik. That was such…
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Finisterre: The End of Earth No More!
More Details: Finisterre: The End of Earth No More!A “short” 90-km walk from Santiago de Compostela, where the famous Camino (Way of St. James) ends, is Finisterre. Finisterre is a town but the more famous Finisterre is the cape that signifies “the end of earth.” Back when folks assumed this was the end of earth, hence the name. (Note: It is also known…
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Iceland’s Northern Town – Akureyri
More Details: Iceland’s Northern Town – AkureyriAkureyri is the largest town in northern Iceland and it sits pretty deep in the Eyjafjörður fjord. It is exactly at 12 o’clock if the island of Iceland were a clock (which it is not – in case you are wondering). The town sits tight against the mountains behind it, almost being on the verge…
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Goðafoss: The Waterfalls of the Gods and Water Art
More Details: Goðafoss: The Waterfalls of the Gods and Water ArtGoðafoss, (“Godafoss” for ease of my typing!), or “Waterfall of the Gods“, is one of the must-see waterfalls in Iceland. The Godafoss waterfalls are about 36 ft high (12 m) and are located at the Skjálfandafljót River. It is located somewhere between the northern towns of Akureyri and Husavik. More precisely, it is on the…
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Can’t Beat Whale Watching in Iceland!
More Details: Can’t Beat Whale Watching in Iceland!A trip to Iceland without whale watching would just be missing something – it would just be wrong. Therefore, on my trip to there last summer, whale watching was part of the agenda though, initially, I was not sure it was my top priority (I was wrong!). As we were going to spend time up…
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Santiago de Compostela: Food, Charm, and “New” Family
More Details: Santiago de Compostela: Food, Charm, and “New” FamilyI wrote earlier about my arrival in Santiago de Compostela as a Camino pilgrim and the activities related to the end of the pilgrimage (getting the Compostela certificate, Pilgrims’ Mass, etc.). Though my stay in Santiago was brief (less than 24 hours due to needing to bring the group back to Madrid), there were some…
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On the Camino de Santiago: Day 7 from Lavacolla to Santiago!
More Details: On the Camino de Santiago: Day 7 from Lavacolla to Santiago!The big day arrived on Day 7. On this day, we departed on the Camino for the last time as we left lovely Pazo Xan Xordo to enter Santiago de Compostela as many have done over the last 1,000 years on this ancient pilgrimage for the final 2.5 hours of our trek. We were excited…
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On the Camino de Santiago: Day 6 from Salceda to Lavacolla
More Details: On the Camino de Santiago: Day 6 from Salceda to LavacollaDay 6 saw our last full day of our walk along the Camino de Santiago as Day 7 would be a short day. Day 6’s walk took about 5 hours (perhaps about 18 km) not including our lunch stop at Amenal. I felt both excited at getting close to the finish line and also a…
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Iceland’s South Shore: The Dyrhólaey Peninsula and Vik
More Details: Iceland’s South Shore: The Dyrhólaey Peninsula and VikThe south shore of Iceland is a popular route for visitors to the island. One can do a day trek from Reykjavik (though, arguably, a long day) to see the major sights along the ring road on the south (e.g., waterfalls, glaciers, black sandy beaches). The south shore deserves more than one write-up so I…
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Hallgrímskirkja Church: The Young Icon of Reykjavik
More Details: Hallgrímskirkja Church: The Young Icon of ReykjavikHallgrímskirkja Church in the heart of Reykjavik is a “young” building. It was completed in 1986 but took close to 40 years to erect. Its design, driving up in a pointed way to the sky with its tower, reflects on the landscape of the island country with its lava flows. The structure is not the…
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On the Camino de Santiago: Day 5 from Boente to Salceda
More Details: On the Camino de Santiago: Day 5 from Boente to SalcedaDay 5 would have us walk about 19 km (12 miles) in around a 4.5 hour period, leaving Boente to head to our next overnight stop in Salceda. The group left together every morning and, generally, stayed in proximity of each other but a few of us would generally spend part of the morning walking…