Madrid Moments: Day 4 – Trip to Toledo and the last evening

Toledo

On my final full day in Madrid Esther drove us to see Toledo, the medieval town that was the capital of Spain until 1560. We reached Toledo without too much trouble and walked up to the tourist information where we received a map and some guidance.

Madrid Moments: Day 3 – Lazy day by the pool and an evening in Barrio Chueca

On Thursday I woke up only at 10 and headed to Mür Café for my breakfast again. Afterwards I wandered around the neighbourhood, not daring to stray too far since Esther was picking me up from my hotel after her doctor’s appointment.

Madrid Moments: Day 2 – Grand buildings, greenery and delicious food

On my second day in Madrid I woke up at 9 after a wonderful 12 hours of sleep. After getting ready I went out for breakfast. I had done some research to find a suitable breakfast place, because although I was sure there were many lovely places around my hotel I had a special need that Madrid could not easily cater for: good tea.

Madrid Moments: Day 1 – A tired trek through downtown Madrid

On 21 July the the Think Tank that I work for organised an event in Madrid and since my work paid for the return trip I decided to stay for some additional days. To my delight my friend Esther, a madrileña currently living in Paris, was also going to be there from Wednesday 22nd onwards, so we would have some time together.

Dublin After Dark – the second evening

On my second day in Dublin I got to into town somewhat later, but the city was still buzzing with life. Unfortunately I had no time for tea but made my way, with some detours, towards the Mercantile Hotel, where we had been invited for a party. The detour took me past the Gaiety Theater, where the Grease musical was opening, and the Christ Church Cathedral.

Dublin After Dark – the first evening

By some strange twist of fate I was assigned by my job to join my colleague at the Dublin Web Summit last week. A strange place to be for someone who still carries around a Nokia 1650 (which I did my best to hide during the summit). This was my first visit to Dublin. I arrived late on Monday and left again on Thursday afternoon, so I only had two evenings to see the city. 

Ardèche Adventures: Day Eight – The Hotel and the Drive Home

Saturday 26 July 2014

We were tired when we woke on the day of our return, but we still took the dog down to the river for one last swim. We had an hour and a half before 10.30 when the caretaker would come to the house for an inspection and handover of the keys.

Ardèche Adventures: Day Seven – The Final Day in the Ardèche

Friday 25 July 2014

On our last day we decided to go back to Thueyts, seeing as we had such a good time there the day before. We were thinking about continuing the walk that we interrupted the previous day, but finally we figured we were too late to do a long hike before lunch. Instead we decided to go to the little beach at Pont du Diable, which was much less crowded than the day before.

Ardèche Adventures: Day Six – Loki, the Ball and a Delicious Lunch

Thursday 24 July 2014

Thursday was the first day of our holidays that we woke up to a sky completely free of clouds. The weather was perfect with full sun and a gentle cooling breeze. A few days earlier we had found a booklet that described walks around the nearby village of Thueyts, so we decided to try one of the walks.