Lagos
Traffic jam at the marina while the tall masts go out to sea On the other side is coffee & a treat at Studio Coffee. Some great sardine wall art End the day with a walk into town when the…
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Lagos Portugal
Lagos is one of the Algarve’s top destination cities. Boasting a historic oldtown, modern marina, cultural attractions, with some incredible beaches and scenery it really combines much of what the Algarve is famous for. Today was a long bus ride…
Lisboa Portugal
We have arrived in our 10th Country and it feels sooooo good. The Flix bus was late picking us up and the couple in our reserved seats wouldn’t give them up and the honey badger was too hot to argue.…
Badajoz
Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portugueseborder, on the left bank of the river Guadiana. The population is 151,565. We took a morning walk before the temps rise to 40+ and our…
Badajoz Spain
Long travel day. So, how about we start the day with a nice breakfast in our Cafe Casino with the best coffee. Hop a train from Salamanca to Madrid Chamartín train station. The station is under a massive renovation. Nowhere…
Salamanca Train Ride
Originally we had a plan. We rebooked yesterday to get to Salamanca earlier. It meant an extra train ride. On the train from Bilbao we realized we were running late and if we stayed on Plan A we’d miss the…
Bilbao Spain
We’re in Spain, our 9th country. Our ‘rest’ day in Toulouse yesterday I think was just a combination of the realization that we were on our way out of France, and that we really don’t have anything picked out between…
France Au Revoir
A train to Bayonne and a FLIX bus took us into Bilbao Spain. Last time I was here I flew in from Madrid and the turbulence was one of my worst flights EVER. Even the lil lady next to me…
Toulouse Chillin
Laundry, breakfast, and a short walk around the neighborhood. After over 2 months going non-stop, we decided we could use a bit of a down day. There are some Japanese gardens in a quaint section of a park around the…
Toulouse France
We’re making our way to a very happy place, Portugal. We’ve discovered so many amazing places on JEllens Adventures. We’re on day 67 and just WOW!! Our plan is to be in Lagos at the end of July. So there…
Hidden Gems of Lyon
Lyon has an architectural feature unique to this city: Traboules. Traboules, which means ‘to walk through’, are narrow passageways usually linked to the courtyard of a residential building, a world apart from the hustle and bustle of the city. The…
Lyon France Day Deux
What a surprisingly cool city. You just never know until you start the adventure. Sticking with Jeff’s theme of ‘just winging it’, we hadn’t done any research into the history of the city because we didn’t have a route picked…
France Part Deux – Lyon
Our wonderful (not!) Google Maps was telling us the train station was only about 6 miles away, but that it would take about 40min! ??? So, for our 11:24 departure, we had an Uber pick us up at 9:00. Well,…
Grund & Melusina FINALLY
Yesterday we relied on our GPS to get us around the Grund which is the lowest part of the city of Luxembourg. You know when you follow the blue line & dot and then they move on you. Start again,…
Luxembourg
Historical treasures, breathtaking views, a rich cultural and architectural life, large parks where you can enjoy life, this is a summary of Luxembourg City. Nothing better than starting the day with a farmers market. Fresh veggies, fruit, pastries, breads, cheese…
Boy Scouts of Brussels and Trainbows
We met a group of adorable young men & boys are off to the mountains in Belgium for 2 weeks. These Boy Scouts get to sleep under the stars and forage for their own food. They mentioned fishing for trout…
Sunflower Heaven
We left our lovely cottage early this morning. If you ever go to the Loire Valley you must stay in Amboise. Bruno and Gislle were the perfect hosts. The manor has a bunch of rooms and there are 4 cottages.…
Chambord Castle and Château de Chenonceau
Chambord castle is one of the Renaissance’s most amazing constructions. Built to glorify Francis I in 1519. Chambord is an architectural utopia; a harmonious whole of residence, castle and hunting lodge. Its history is unique. In the 16th & 17th…
Tour of Tours & Villandry & D’Azay-Le-Rideau
Yes that’s right, we toured Tours this morning. And no, it’s not a mall full of kiosks selling package tours to seniors and hapless travelers :). Our first stop was the cathedral (I hope that by now you’ve figured out…
Amboise & Loire Valley
With its grand château and medieval old town peppered with half-timbered buildings and ancient wine cellars, Amboise is the quintessential Loire Valley town. This is where Leonardo da Vinci chose to spend his final years. It’s a French Holiday (Bastile…
Abbaye Du Mont-Saint-Michel
From the dream of St Aubert in which St Michael appeared 3 times in the year 708, and instructed him to build a church on the rocky islet, it has been known as the “Bastille of the Sea.” If you…
Caen; Our Last Day In Normandy
Our stay in Normandy came to an end today. We did a (self guided) walking tour of the major sights throughout the city center. But first, breakfast! Ellen found us a wonderful cafe with outside seating serving eggs Benedict that…
Normandy – Sword Juno and Gold Beaches
Before we started we had to have breakfast and catch up on laundry before the rest of the hotel woke up A little history first, to help put all this into perspective. The invasion began shortly after midnight on the…
Normandy And Omaha Beach
The massive Allied assault on the Normandy coastline on June 6, 1944 aimed to liberate France and drive into Nazi Germany. Beginning at 0630 hours, US, British and Canadian divisions landed on Omaha, Utah, Gold, Juno and Sword beaches in…
Normandy And Utah Beach
Where do we begin. We knew it was going to be a serious day. We were headed to Normandy to explore the WWII memorials and museums in remembrance of D-Day, 6th of June 1944. First, a fun drive (we have…
Loo Card
I can’t help myself I have to write about my BRILLIANT idea!!! We’ve mastered train passes and tram passes and bus passes. Every time you have to use the WC aka Toilet you have to pay with a card or…
Caen – Vive La France
Took the train to Brussels airport to pick up a car. No issues in the parking lot 💥. We’re off to Caen France today. Once out of the city we were surrounded by beautiful rolling hills, farms and trees galore.…
Ghent Belgium
No rain, not a drop. Ghent is an amazing city originally started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Leie. In the Late Middle Ages Ghent became one of the largest and richest cities of northern Europe, with some 50,000 people in…
Brugge History & Relic Surprises
We spent the morning booking train travel for the rest of our stay in Europe, while trying to avoid big cities if possible. We think we’re done, but changes may happen. It’ll be JEllens adventures for sure. At the end…
Brugge Rainy Sunday
Pulled out our raincoats for a walk around this medieval city. In 1089, Bruges became the capital of the County of Flanders. Bruges received its city charter on 27 July 1128, and new walls and canals were built. Every turn of every corner…