Back to the USA - Houston, TX and Charleston, SC

Location: Houston, Texas, USA

We ended our excellent 325 day adventure in Europe by flying from Amsterdam to Houston, Texas.  We had a wonderful time on our trip, exploring different countries, meeting fun people, eating delicious food, taking care of other people's pets, and travelling by planes, trains, buses, camels, boats and automobiles.

Our Charleston tour group in front of a pecan tree at the Charleston Tea Garden

Houston - Pet sit with Kevin and Sophie

Our first stop in Houston was a pet sit in the Heights neighborhood with two cats, Sophie and Kevin.  They were both fun and playful.  Our pet sit was for two weeks, so Dave and I stayed there together for the first week, then he took over while I went on vacation with my mom and cousins to Charleston, South Carolina.

Kevin

Sophie

Charleston, South Carolina - September 15 - 20, 2024

Louise (my mom), Barb (my cousin from LA), Marilyn (my cousin from North Dakota), Della (Marilyn's friend) and I all flew to Charleston for our annual vacation together.  We spent the week catching up, eating good southern food, touring Charleston and learning about the history of the city.  The map below shows the places we visited including two plantations, a tea garden and some historic houses.  We saw people weaving sweetgrass baskets, rode on pedicabs through downtown, walked along the seawall, learned how tea is made and stayed cool in the shade of the huge oak trees.  We had a wonderful time and are already planning our meet up for next year.

Louise and Barb at The Citadel War Memorial.  We visited the campus and learned about the history of the Citadel, a public military college that was established in 1842.  
Learn more about the history of the Citadel at this link.

The Wood Nymph at Middleton Plantation.  She is a marble carving created around 1810 by Catherine Sherman. 
Middleton Place Plantation was a rice plantation prior to the civil war. 
You can read more about Middleton Place Plantation at this link.

A butterfly garden at Middleton Plantation, Charleston, South Carolina

We also toured the Magnolia Plantation including the Drayton House pictured above.
Note this photo is from the Magnolia Plantation website. 
Click the link to learn more about the history of the plantation and the available tours.

Barb and Della riding a pedicab to the Charleson  City Market.

The entrance to the Charleston City Market

The cemetery of the Circular Church with the spire of the St. Philip's Church in the background.
We attended the Sound of Charleston musical concert in the Circular Church.  The music included the "sounds that define Charleston’s unique southern charm — gospel, Gullah, Gershwin, Civil War songs, jazz and light classics".

B, Marilyn, Barb, Della and Louise in front of the Angel Oak, a 400+ year old live oak.

Our tour ended on Friday, September 20th.  We had breakfast then said goodbye to Marilyn and Della; they had a flight out later in the afternoon. Louise, Barb and I were on the same flight from Charleston to Nashville so we said our goodbyes there.  They flew on to California and I returned to Houston.  Dave had finished up the pet sit with Sophie and Kevin that morning and we started a new pet sit with Raleigh and Bella that afternoon.

Houston - Pet Sit with Raleigh and Bella

Our second Houston pet sit was with Raleigh and Bella, two Cornish Rex cats.  The house is in the Houston Montrose neighborhood, not too far from where we used to live. In addition to spending time with the cats, we have been taking care of our annual doctor, dentist, etc. type visits, taking morning walks along Buffalo Bayou and spending time with family and friends.  

Hiking with the family - Heather, Dave, Ben, Ben (Bubby), Maggie

Bella

Raleigh and Bella playing together

Raleigh

Raleigh and Bella snuggling together

We are here until Tuesday, October 15th then we're off on our next adventure.

Until next time...

Travel in Europe - Copenhagen, Denmark, Sweden and Spain

 Location:  Houston, TX

After our pet sit in Treviso, Italy, we flew to Copenhagen, Denmark and spent a few days touring the city.  From there, we traveled to southern Sweden for a pet sit with no pets, then to Spain to tour the north coast and Seville.  

Copenhagen, Denmark - August 10 - 12, 2024

On Saturday, August 10th, we caught the train from Treviso to the Venice airport, then flew to Copenhagen.  Our hotel was near the center of the city, so we had easy access to lots of bars and restaurants and things to do.  The city is very safe and walkable and we enjoyed our time there.

Colorful buildings and sail boats on the Nyhavn Canal in Copenhagen

The main canal in Copenhagen

Having coffee and pastries in the Brygge neighborhood

Our driving route from Copenhagen, Denmark to Karringe, Sweden

Ljungby, Sweden - August 12 - 21, 2024

On Monday, August 12, we checked out of our hotel, picked up a rental car and crossed the bridge from Denmark to Sweden.  We made our way north to the small town of Karringe, near Ljungby, for a short pet sit with no pets.  We spent the week taking care of the house and extensive garden and hiking and exploring the area.

The garage and barn at our no pet sit near Karringe, Sweden

The house where we stayed near Karringe, Sweden

Strawberries in the garden, Karringe, Sweden.
They were delicious.

Flowers and veggies in the garden, Karringe, Sweden

Plum tree in the garden, Karringe, Sweden

We hiked every day while we were in Sweden.  This is a waterway at the south end of Bolman Lake near Skeen, Sweden.

Ripe lingonberries near one of the hiking trails

Rock formation near the Sagobygden Ivars Kyrka trailhead

A deer near Karringe, Sweden

A deer stand in the woods near Karringe, Sweden

B in front of a camping shelter.

There was a small festival in Ljungby so we went into town to check it out. 
For lunch we had stir-fried moose meat with lingonberry sauce from one of the food trucks.

One of our chores was to mow the garden, the lawn between the house and the barn and the paths between the house and gardens. 
Dave worked on the lawn tractor while I mowed the garden with the electric mower.

B on the way back from an early morning trip to the outhouse in the rain. 
Did we mention that there was no toilet in the house (yes - we knew this before we signed up). 
They had a composting toilet out in the barn.

We finished our no pet sit on Wednesday, August 21st and drove back to Copenhagen for a one night stay near the airport.  The next morning, we flew to Bilbao for a road trip along the north coast of Spain.

The map of our driving route in northern Spain. 

Northern Spain - August 22 - September 2, 2024

Our first stop in northern Spain was the city of Bilbao, famous for the Guggenheim Museum located near the center of town on the Nervion River.  We spent two nights in Bilbao and enjoyed exploring the neighborhoods near downtown, trying various restaurants and walking along the riverfront.

The Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain

One of my favorite art pieces - Kathreiner's Morgenlatte (Kathreiner's Morning Wood) by Sigman Polke, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain

The Matter of Time by Richard Serra, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain

Puppy by Jeff Koons, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain

Iglesia de San Jose de la Montana, Bilbao, Spain

One of the Bilbao subway entrances 

The outside of the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain

Maman (a giant spider sculpture) by Louise Bourgeois on the river promenade outside the Guggenheim

The exterior of the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain

Outdoor art across the river from the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain

On Saturday, August 24th, we left Bilbao and drove east to San Sebastian in the heart of Spanish Basque country.  We stopped in the small coastal town of Burmeo for a coffee break and arrived in San Sebastian mid-afternoon. 

A sculpture on the Burmeo harbor front - "The last wave, the last breath" by Enrike Zubio

The breakwater, Burmeo, Spain

 

The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd of San Sebastian.  Our hotel was nearby.

Statue of a woman with bricks on her head by Salazar Romo.  
She represents the civilian population during the reconstruction of San Sebastian following the storm and fire of 1813. 

Koruko Andre Mariaren Basilika, San Sebastian, Spain

Spanish Basque country, including Bilbao and San Sebastian, is known for its Pintxos (pinchos), Spanish snacks, smaller than tapas. 
The word "pincho" comes from the Basque verb pinchar, which means "to poke" or "to stab". 
This is a variety of pintxos that we had for supper one night while we were in San Sebastian.

We took the funicular to the top of Mount Igueldo, where there is a small amusement park. 
This is the view of the Bay of La Concha and San Sebastian from the top of the funicular

We watched the start of a swim race as we walked along the Beach of La Concha.

The view of the Bay of La Concha from the beach.

The view of old town San Sebastian from La Concha Beach.

On Monday, we drove east to Santander, the capital city of the Cantabrian region of Spain.  We stopped in Getaria for a coffee break, ate lunch in Laredo and arrived in Santander mid-afternoon.

The Getaria Harbor.  We stopped here for a coffee break.

We walked along the Santander harborfront and beaches to the Magdalena Peninsula, then took a bus tour to see the rest of the city.
This is the view of the beaches and waterfront looking west from the south side of the Magdalena Peninsula.

The Palacio de la Magdalena on the Magdalena Peninsula, Santander, Spain

We had a seafood lunch at La Casa del Indiano in a covered market near the waterfront.

After two nights in Santander, we continued our drive east.  We stopped in Santillana del Mar, a small town known for its cheese making and in Comillas, a small town on the north coast, both in the Cantabrian region.  Our final destination was Ribadesella, in the Austrias region, an historic town founded by King Alfonso X the Wise in the 13th century.

The Collegiate Church of Santillana in Santillana del Mar, Spain.  It was a monastery dating back to 870 and became a church during the 11th century.

The Comillas Beach, Comillas, Spain

Dave looking out to sea from the observation deck above the Comillas Harbor

The northern coast of Spain in Comillas.

The Iglesia del Seminario Mayor de Comillas, the seminary college in Comillas founded in 1890 by Pope Leo XIII (the large building at the top of the photo). 
The white building on the shore is a seafood processor whose primary products include mussels, clams and periwinkles.

We spent two nights in Ribadesella, walking along the waterfront and exploring the town.

Looking toward the mouth of the Sella River from the east bank of the river, Ribadesella, Spain

The rocky shoreline of the Cantabrian Sea outside the entrance to the Sella River, Ribadesella, Spain

The view of Santa Marina Beach, Ribadesella, Spain

From Ribadesella, we had a short drive east to Llanes, our next destination.  We stopped in Puertas de Vidiago and hiked from the village to Bufones de Arenillas,  a sea spout where "a dozen geyser-style jets of seawater (are) pumped up through rock cavities by the pressure of the tides".

Hiking amongst the rocks near Bufones de Arenillas on the Cantabrian Sea coast, Northern Spain

The crevice above the underground tunnels for the sea geysers at Bufones de Arenillas. 
The seas were calm and the tide was out so we didn't see any geysers or water spouts but we could hear the air and water in the underground tunnels.

We spent three nights in Llanes, the last stop on our north coast of Spain driving tour.  We enjoyed hiking along the cliffs and beaches, exploring the town and learning about the Asturian culture.

The Llanes breakwater

The painted cement blocks of the breakwater at the entrance to the Llanes Harbor

Scallops and home made apple cider at a restaurant on the Llanes waterfront

Basilica of Santa María del Conceyu, built in the mid-12th century, in the historic center of Llanes, Spain

The old city wall in the historic center of Llanes

Cows grazing in the hills above the sea coast, Llanes, Spain

The sea coast at Llanes, Spain

The sea coast, Llanes, Spain

The small boat harbor, Llanes, Spain

Playa del Toro, Llanes Spain

There was a festival in town while we were there and we got to watch a parade.
A bagpipe band marching in downtown Llanes.

Kids on a float in the Llanes parade

We left Llanes on Monday morning, September 2nd and drove to the Bilbao airport.  We turned in our rental car and then flew from Bilbao to Seville.

Seville, Spain 

Seville in the largest city and the capital of the Andalusia region in Spain.  It's a beautiful city, easily walkable and there are a lot of historic sites to see.  

The Spanish Plaza was built for the Ibero-America Exhibition of 1929

The north tower at the Spanish Plaza, Seville, Spain

The south side of the Spanish Plaza, Seville Spain

Gin and tonics near the river after a long day of walking and sight-seeing

The main gate from the patio de la Montería courtyard into the palace at the Real Alcazar, Seville, Spain.  You can read about the history of the Alcazar here.

The gardens at the Real Alcazar

The Giralda tower near the Seville Cathedral.  It was originally built as the minaret for the mosque during the Moorish era in the city (712 to 1248) and was later converted into the cathedral's bell tower.  It is 101 meteres (331 feet) tall and has a total of 24 bells.

You can climb the tower using a series of 35 ramps winding around the perimeter of seven vaulted chambers at the tower's core.
These are some of the bells in the Giralda tower.

The Seville Cathedral is the world's largest gothic temple.  It was built on the ruins of a mosque.
Construction started in the first half of the 15th century and continued for over a century.
This is one of the side altars inside the Cathedral

The tomb of Christopher Columbus inside the Seville Cathedral

The Seville Cathedral nave.  Read more about the history, construction and dimensions of the cathedral here.

The front of the Church of San Salvador in Seville. 
It was built in the baroque style between 1674 and 1712 on the site where a basilica stood in Roman times and a mosque during the Moorish period.

The mushrooms of Seville, originally called the Metropol Parasol.

A flamenco dancer performing on the plaza outside of our hotel

We left Seville on Thursday, September 5th and flew to Amsterdam, then caught a flight to Houston on Friday, September 6th.

Until next time...