La Gomera

Gorgeous. Spectacular. 

El Teide

 Still in Spain, but on to the Canaries! Starting with Tenerife and the highest point in Spain (and the highest point above sea level in the Atlantic!)…

Parque Natural Los Alcornocales

Mom and Bougie in the cork forest: A lovely final day in southern Spain!

So grateful for this beautiful week, which was sweet and enjoyable to the max!

Marbella and Estepona

 A pair of perfectly lovely Costa del Sol towns!

Tarifa

The southernmost point of Spain was such a joy; at times it felt I was back in Morocco…which in fact was clearly visible across the strait.

The nearby beach of Punta Paloma and all the wind surfers was also quite the sight!

Ronda

 TOTALLY worth the day trip from the coast. This town is bonkers beautiful. 

Gibraltar

We’ve moved on to Andalusia! 

Last time I traveled through southern Spain was 25 years ago and I remember being distressed there wasn’t time to visit Gibraltar. Well I finally made it there. I think in the meantime I’d tried to convince myself I didn’t miss anything too special, because I was way surprised at how pretty and interesting it is. 

Sitting at these chairs…

…at this table, Monroe (on behalf of Jefferson) and Napoleon Bonaparte agreed on the Louisiana Purchase in 1802. Hard to think of a conversation that determined America as we know it more than that one. I also had no idea of the connection between Haitian independence in 1802 and the subsequent Louisiana Purchase. It was a fascinating and very educational visit to Chateau de Malmaison! 

 

Ville des Andelys

 

D-Day is remembered in Normandy

 

Rouen

Bien sur, Honfleur!

 

La Roche-Guyon

 Beautiful town, beautiful castle, beautiful company (my dad!), beautiful day. 

I’m in…

 

…for the first time in 24 years!! But way more mind-boggling: two of my parents’ friends who are traveling with us this week were last in Paris more than 50 years ago during their 2-month honeymoon in Europe, which cost $5/day. I can’t get over that. 

Muskox hunkering down

 

They’re getting ready for winter (can you see the snowflakes in this photo??) and I’m getting ready to go! Well actually by the time this posts, I’ll be gone from camp and back in WI on a VERY quick turn-around for the next adventure. You’ll see me back here before you’ve even realized I'm gone. And I’ll be coming to you from a VERY different place. I’ll let you imagine, and will let my first photo from there do the talking. 

And the time came…

 …to put up the boats and the docks for the winter…soon Toolik Lake will be frozen….

The Ice Haul Road returns

 

Loving these auroras!