After a week in Tenerife, we went to the island of Gran Canaria, another hugely popular destination for European tourists. To make the short hop between islands, we boarded a high-speed ferry for an hour and a half trip. The boat docked in the northwest port town of Agaete, framed by steep cliffs and dramatic coastline. From Agaete, we caught a bus for the half-hour ride across the island to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. After settling into our apartment,…
he Canary Islands feel like a little world of their own. Even though they’re part of Spain, because they are just off the coast of Africa, they have that perfect year-round “endless spring” weather that’s hard to beat. There are 8 main islands in the Canary Islands archipelago. While historically known as a group of 7, the islet of La Graciosa was recognized as the 8th inhabited island in 2018. Each island seems to have its own personality. Some feel…
A year and a half ago, we hiked the Camino de Santiago route. We loved the landscape, culture, and slow pace of travel. After completing the Camino, we spent two weeks in Seville, in southern Spain. During that time, we talked about crossing the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco. It felt so close, geographically, yet we never made the trip — something we’ve regretted. On this 2026 trip, we’ve decided to visit Morocco. This time, though, we’re beginning with a…
After our 14-day walk on the Camino, we spent a couple of extra days in Santiago. But we were anxious to move on. We were tired of the cool, wet, cloudy days and wanted to go to another part of Spain. Initially we had planned to stay in northwest Spain (Galicia) and explore some of the other cities. But we changed our mind because while walking the Camino, we saw plenty of ancient, gothic towns. And we ate phenomenal Galician…
We have been intrigued about the Camino de Santiago de Compostela for several years, even before we retired and began traveling. We know one person who walked the Camino and when she described her experience, we thought that we might like to walk it someday. But the distance seemed daunting. We didn’t have a spiritual reason for walking the Camino but approached it as a physical challenge and a chance to visit Spain and Portugal. So, 6 months ago we…