Portugal's Southern Beaches

Monte Gordo (Big Mountain) is a city without a mountain or at least I never saw it. It is on the Southern coast of Portugal not far from Spain and an easy trip from Seville. The breaches are wide and deep composed of white sand. We were there during the week and almost had it all to ourselves. We had lunch in a traditional "Beach shack" which was not a snack at all.  Good food. Of note about the beach: it is handicapped accessible as they have wooden walkways for wheelchairs laying on the sand.

GUERNICA ( Picasso)

     In a college art class and again in grad-school I was exposed to the painting "Guernica" by Pablo Picasso. It is a depiction of the Spanish Civil War and is an anti-war piece. I only saw it in books in college and grad-school. We were in Madrid Spain and I came upon the painting. I was surprised by its size having only seen it in books. In the Prado it takes a whole room. I guessed it to be 30 feet wide and 12 feet tall (it is 25 x 11 feet). I was awe struck. The group I was with continued on to other rooms. Art can do things to you, and Guernica represents the awfulness and futility of war. If the Prado had not closed for the day, I might still be there

 

Kenmare Harbor

 

We made a road trip around the Republic of Ireland. We started by flying into Dublin and headed south over several days to Cobh. We had some good BNB's but the surprise was Kenmare. We had a great visit with some former strangers and explored the harbor, the stone circle and a wonderful small town. Never heard of it before. We planned nothing except the route and we were fortunate all the way back to Dublin.   (Then we flew to London for a week.)

The photo above is one of my favorites.

Gablergasse in the fall

 

Fall in the south of Germany.

Great little village.

The Shoulder Seasons

            If you don't have children in school and would like to have a special experience choose travel in a shoulder season. These are March through May and September through November. The summer tourist season has not started or is over. Often the airline and hotels are less expensive. The places you wish to see are not as crowded and the lines are shorter. Often these months are the ones seniors choose. There are some things you  can't do like play in the surf  many places. Oh well. The time to go to Southern Africa is the early summer as it is winter there and the dry season, but if you don't mind a little rain go in September.   The weather app on your phone is a real help as are many travel sites. For us, the best is the end of September in Europe with the Fall colors.

The Temple Bar: Dublin

The "Temple Bar" is the name of a bar and also the name of the

area where you will find it. Across the river from central Dublin

you will find a rip-roar'n place that you will not wish to miss.

I good walk from the center city on O'Conner Street along the River Liffey and over the Ha'penny Bridge. It is fun even if yo don't like beer.

 

Bikes in Amsterdam

I was in a conversation with a friend and he was telling me how he got his medical degree in Amsterdam. We talked about why a car is a liability there. When I was there I was taken by the number of bicycles. The figure is two-for-every-person. They have crews that go in the canals and pull out those bikes that have fallen in.