Ireland….a journey into my genealogical and religious roots
My father spent a lot of time working on our family tree. He found a couple of the obligatory convicts, in every multi-generational Australian family tree. Plus, three generations of …
Genuflecting and drinking beer in Devon, England
I had a very pleasant 8 days in Torquay, The 5 weeks prior were very full-on and I needed some “cave time”. Torquay is endeavoring to sell itself as the …
Prague
Our itinerary (apart from Riga for New Years and taking Santa home) has been very much decided by what others have recommended. Our travel agent recommended Tallinn, the boys in …
Vilnius, Lithuania
Next stop on our Eastern Europe Odyssey was Vilnius in Lithuania. As a break from airplanes and airports we used the local buses for the 600 km transit south, from …
Tallinn, Estonia
The next stop on our Eastern Europe Odyssey, was to fly 1,200kms south from Lapland to Tallinn, Estonia The 4 star hotels we have been staying in have been to …
aurora borealis (northern lights)
The aurora borealis (northern lights) form when charged particles emitted from the sun during a solar flare penetrate the earth’s magnetic shield and collide with atoms and molecules in our …
Santa goes home
When I was in full-on “South Seas Vagabond” mode, my beard decided to get in on the act, growing itself to Santa Claus proportionswhen Lisa suggested we go to Lapland, …
catching an Ice Hockey match in Helsinki
In my reading prior to departure, I discovered that Ice Hockey was the nearest thing to a national sport up here. So of course, I felt a need to see …
Seeing in the New Decade, from behind the Old Iron Curtain
The initial plan was to go to Vienna for New Years, but everything was either booked or as dear as poison. Lisa has a friend from Latvia, Liene, who she …
Christmas in Cornwall
Christmas is only a few days away I’m at Lisa’s, in Penryn, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom the Christmas tree is upTime to pick up Lisa’s grandson Oliver and drive down …