Author: Greg Boone

  • Birds and Bilbao: Basque Country

    Birds and Bilbao: Basque Country

    Yesterday, we left Urdaibai Bird Center extremely glad we prioritized this stop. The Urdaibai Biosphere Preserve’s status reminds me a bit of the Adirondacks Park in New York. It’s not a national park, neither is it entirely or even mostly government-owned land. Still, it’s a specific region packed full of recreational opportunity and science and…

  • You gotta try this bean stew

    You gotta try this bean stew

    The Urdaibai Bird Center was a good choice we made somewhat in the dark when we booked our travels in Basque Country. I’m literally struggling to write this post because I’m distracted by some sheep farting around in the wetlands amongst the birds. Last night there were horses playing, stretching, and doing what I can…

  • Urdaibai Bird Center

    Urdaibai Bird Center

    We’re not the kind of travelers who stick to the big cities and famous sights. I mean, obviously: We structured two days in Madrid around trees, one (admittedly very famous) painting, and a promise to go back to one specific playground. Now, we’re spending a couple of days looking at birds. I’m only kind of…

  • Un bosque urbano

    Un bosque urbano

    We would be reasonably confused if we left Madrid after Wednesday and assumed it was Europe’s most forested capital city. That title belongs to Oslo, for the record. Madrid does have a large tree canopy, especially compared to American cities of comparable size. About 38% of the city has a canopy of “urban woody features.”…

  • Sabbatical Day 1: Midway to Madrid

    Sabbatical Day 1: Midway to Madrid

    My sabbatical started on Monday, June 19. Since I’m off for three entire months overlapped with László’s and Danielle’s summer breaks, we decided to take a big old trip to Europe. Our first international trip as a family, and my first since the 2019 VIP Grand Meetup in Rotterdam. The first day started with a…