When we started planning this trip I knew I wanted Ireland on the itinerary. My grandfather was Irish and even though I am part of the third generation born in the United States, my family has kept in touch with our relatives back in Ireland. I got to meet some of them when I visited Ireland for the first time five years ago. I couldn’t wait to get back and explore more of this beautiful country, this time with Dan…
Dan and I only had a week in Scotland on our own before we were due to meet my family in St. Andrews for my cousin’s college graduation. With only seven days and no car we knew we wouldn’t be able to squeeze in all of Scotland’s must-see destinations. We definitely wanted to hit the two major cities: Edinburgh and Glasgow. We also felt like we couldn’t go to Scotland and not enjoy some of the beautiful countryside. Unfortunately we…
Coimbra After Porto we started to make our way south through Portugal. Our first stop was the medieval town of Coimbra, famous as the site of Portugal’s oldest university. School was not in session when we were there so, like many university towns in summer, Coimbra felt a little quiet. We still enjoyed exploring the winding streets and learning a little about it’s history. The Old Cathedral (exterior visible above) is a Romanesque, fortress-like building but it contains a beautiful…