Madeira Island, Portugal is a very rugged volcanic island rising out of the depths of the Atlantic Ocean about 300 miles south and 500 miles west of Portugal, at about the same latitude as Marrakesh. It first emerged from the ocean about 5 million years ago. These mid-Atlantic rift islands were created as a result […]

Porto, 330 km north of Lisbon, is the second largest town in Portugal, and a Unesco World Heritage site. Arriving there by air is pleasant. The airport is not too big, which makes everything easier. Passport control is fast, and a 5 minute walk takes you to the Metro station, where you can take a […]

Travel day! Car, plane, bus, train, car took me from Glasgow to the Dingle Peninsula via Cork, Ireland. I am not trying to see all of Ireland (it’s big!), nor even saying what is the best to see. I decided to limit my explorations to the southwestern areas west of Cork, Ireland. Dingle is on […]

Glasgow is a much bigger, more urban city than Edinburgh. My first impression passing through quickly and in the central area was that it was less attractive than Edinburgh. Now, back for two days, and staying in the West End, near the university, I can already tell it has more to offer than I thought […]

There is a steam railway excursion from Fort William, Highlands, Scotland, UK to Mallaig on the west coast of Scotland. It is called ‘The Jacobite’ (too much history to recount here!). It sounded like fun, so I signed up. FIring the boiler to get up a head of steam I think you have to know […]