Fanal forest

 

Plateau walker

 

Porto Moniz natural pools

 The more developed ones were closed due to the vigorous waves of high tide, but all the better to luxuriate in the less developed tidal pools a ten-minute walk away. Bliss. 

Véu da Noiva

 Bridal Veil Falls!

São Lourenço

 

Santana

 These carefully restored, traditional thatched-roof houses are over-the-top adorable. 

Pico do Areeiro

 The glorious mountaintops of Madeira…

The view from Cabo Girão

 Feeling grateful today for the vastness and beauty of this planet. And anyone who is reading these words. 

São Vicente

 The beginning of loveliness from different corners of Madeira island…

Madeira!

 Already a joy to be spending the rest of the month on this sunny, Portuguese island. Today I waded among the three shiploads of cruise passengers visiting the main city of Funchal, took the gondola up to Monte for the views, visited the wildly enormous Livreria Esperança, and enjoyed the shade in Mercado Dos Lavradores. All in all a lovely afternoon of initial exploration, with certainly more to come…

So long, Spain!

 When I was planning this trip earlier this year, I certainly did not set out to spend an entire month in Spain, but that’s how it worked out and it has been so beautiful and joyful. These past few days in Barcelona with antarctica friend D has been more of the same. I say so long to Spain with so many great memories!

Back in Barcelona

 What a treat, to have a friend who lives in Barcelona and to be able to visit and stay with her here for the second year in a row. And what a jaw-dropping view of La Sagrada Familia from her deck…

Last two stops on the north coast road trip

 Hondarribia!

And Pamplona!

A joy from start to finish!

San Sebastián

 Look in one direction…

…and then the other. 

And then head to the beach. 

This place is all gorgeousness. 

Roadtrip!

 What a day, making our way from Bilbao to San Sebastián. Before leaving Bilbao we took the funicular to see the city view. 

 Then we headed to the coast and took in the view of the monastery in the sea, San Juan de Gatzelugatxe…

Before getting a coffee in the port town of Mundaka…

And swung through Gernika, aka Guernica. 

We were in San Sebastián before sundown. More to come on that tomorrow…

Bilbao

 Since I visited in 2015, I’ve considered Antwerp to be the most under-appreciated city I’ve been to in Europe. Now Bilbao shares top billing on that list. Wow!

Driving across northern Spain

 It was a long day on the road, but who cares when anytime you make a stop you see something amazing? I wanted to go to a thrift store to look for more comfy pajama pants, so we stopped in Santiago de Compostela and were amazed at building after building off this kind of grandeur…

A couple hours later I wanted ice cream and my friend J randomly navigated us to the town of Luarca, where the ice cream was great and the town itself was even greater!

Ponte Vedra

 

Madrid at dusk

 

Last day in the Canaries

 So last round of Gran Canaria beauty!

Gran Canaria, are you serious?

 

More Canaries unsung

Not enough time to get to all of these islands, but very fun to see La Graciosa from the northwest point of Lanzarote. Maybe someday!

 

Volcanoes, vineyards, and vistas

 All found on the beautiful Canary island of Lanzarote!

Fuerteventura beaches

A beach at sunset,

A beach of rhodoliths doing their fake-popcorn thing,

And a beach among massive sand dunes!