Tag: Europe

  • The Azores

    The Azores

    Our final leg of this trip took us from one Portuguese archipelago to another: Ponta Delgada on the Azorean island São Miguel. It was an extraordinary cap to a trip that took us to big cities and countrysides across south-central Europe. Why these archipelagos? Well, we had this wacky idea to go big on this…

  • Porto da Cruz, Madeira

    Porto da Cruz, Madeira

    There’s something incomprehensible about island life to me. No doubt it is largely due to having grown up landlocked, or at least shore-bound, on a massive continent. I felt this when we visited Hawaii in 2016, and I felt it again almost immediately upon arrival in Madeira. It’s a marvel of the global supply chain…

  • Slovenia: so hot right now

    Slovenia: so hot right now

    Literally. The continent is just beginning a heatwave with a striking resemblance to the one that is (hopefully) leaving the US Southwest and Slovenia is no exception. We left a few days ago after sustained days above 80ºF and high humidity. Since then, it’s only gotten hotter. Today’s forecasted high is 94ºF, in a place…

  • Swimming in Munich

    Swimming in Munich

    Munich is a landlocked city and the capital of Freistaat Bayern, one of 16 states in the German federal republic. It’s bisected by the Isar River which completed an 11 year restoration project in 2011 and is now the cleanest, and wildest, it’s been in centuries. There are beaches on the Isar, but the city…

  • Barrel camping for the complete beginner

    Barrel camping for the complete beginner

    Barrel camping is a new-ish but growing (based on our research for this trip) trend in camping accommodations. It’s basically exactly as it sounds: You sleep in a giant wooden barrel. It’s probably three meters wide and I’d guess 12 long. There’s a door, a few windows, electricity, and a heater for cold nights. It’s…