Riga and Vilnius – Our last two cities in the Baltics. We arrived in Riga, Latvia on the bus and walked the 0.7 kilometers to our Hostel. We chose the hostel because of its location in the middle of old town. The room was okay but the location was perfect only about 3 blocks form the main square. Riga’s old town is alive with activity. Many restaurants have a stage for singers to perform. It was great after a long day of walking on the cobblestones to sit and listen to music and have a cold one.
On the final day in Riga we took a river boat cruise which allowed a different glimpse of the city. 
Our next stop was Vilnius, Lithuania. We stayed 3 nights in a brand new (nobody has ever slept there) flat right outside the old city walls. The city, similar to Tallinn and Riga, has an amazing old town. We walked the streets and took in the sights of the beautiful churches, castle and great architecture.
We have enjoyed our time in the Baltics, but we have other adventures ahead of us. We are now on a LONG bus ride to Warsaw, Poland and then off to Krakow.
Micra, was wonderful. She has brought our Irish trip to a close with 2697.1 km — 1675.9 miles in 12 days. As I said – full speed. For the first time on the trip we had an automatic. The guy renting us the car actually asked us if we knew how to drive an automatic!!!
in all we could. From natural phenomena like the Giants Causeway, to the ancient Irish tombs of Carrowmore dating from 4500 years before Christ. Sprinkled throughout the trip were amazing castles and some English language movies (we had to see Spider-Man and Wonder Woman).
oday, back in Dublin, we went to 
learn how to pull the perfect pint of Guinness. Yes, I know, completely touristy, completely hokey – but completely fun. We had a great time learning about Ireland’s favorite drink.
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Caribbean Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, The North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean.
included, hostels, B&Bs, standard hotels, guest houses, apartments and rooms to let over pubs.
was calm, the sun was high in the sky. I was sure that THIS was the time. We joined the search aboard the Jacobite Warrior – a vessel equipped for the challenge. With sonar reaching the depth of 750 feet on our journey, we crisscrossed the Loch with our eyes locked on the sonar screen looking for anything. We waited and watched. We watched and waited. Nessie did not appear. I’m not sure what went wrong – everything looked to be perfect for our historical viewing. I guess it just wasn’t our day.
is stunningly green, there are so many castles that even my wife is saying “no we can skip that one”, the pubs are just as you imagined they were 75 years ago, and it is the birthplace of Scotch whisky (no “e” if you are in Scotland).
We have explored these castles and climbed to the top of the sometimes endless staircases. The castles have been spectacular; the ones left in ruins leave everything to your imagination and the ones that are still standing are a gateway to another time. We have enjoyed them all.
stayed in a fishing village at a pub with rooms. The experience was wonderful, we felt we were part of the “real” town. The pub is where all of the town goes at the end of every day to talk and have a pint or two. The pub was listed as one of the top rated in all of Scotland to get the “perfect pint”. BTW – a pint in the UK is 20% larger than a typical US pint. We loved it, and the drive home was just 20 yards away.
In my opinion, no visit to Scotland would be complete without sampling a ‘wee dram’ of uisge beatha or ‘the water of life’ …the name given by the ancient Celts to the fiery amber nectar now called Scotch whisky. We toured the one that started it all -The Glenlivet. The tour was fantastic and allowed us to see the entire distilling process and allowed us to try a few drams.
people and the sites. We sang songs (always in perfect harmony), we made wrong turns that ended up to be great directions; we also made many wrong turns that ended in U-turns, in detours, and once in the middle of a field (don’t tell Hertz). We ended this 30 day segment where we began, in Barcelona.
we found ourselves in an area looking more like Austria than Spain. The weather had turned so instead of shorts and T-shirts we were wearing long pants and jackets. It was 39 degrees on Monday morning – my Florida blood was not liking it one bit. The sun did manage to come out and we hiked the mountains and enjoyed the sights.
Valley, Portugal. Missy is researching our next stop and I am trying to concentrate on writing this entry. I say trying because I can’t help but to look up from my laptop: in the shade of an olive tree overlooking the vineyard, listening to the birds – this is truly a place to remember.
Driving north we went to the walled city of Obidos. This magnificent city sits on top of a hill surrounded by ancient city walls. The walls were tall and at times a little precarious. 
Missy has found our next spot so we can now just sit, relax and listen to the birds – before we have to drive these hills to find dinner tonight.
The rhythm of the Flamenco dance flows though the city – you cannot escape it. The energy is intoxicating. Seville takes all.
The Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza encapsulates the history of Spain’s traditional bullfighting. The narrow streets of this fantastic city will captivate you as it has us.
