As we write this, we’re in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. Jerez is known for a lot of things, including horsemanship and bulls, but most important, Sherry. (Sherry is an anglicized pronunciation of Jerez.) We’re on a sherry-tasting binge right now and we will let you know how that goes soon. For now, just let it be said that there’s a lot more to sherry than the sickeningly sweet stuff your grandmother used to sip.

Before coming to Jerez, we visited family in Morocco, and took a side trip with them to the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Although the Canaries are Spanish, there’s a lot of northern European tourism. I’d have to say we heard a lot more English and German than Spanish while we were there. But the visit was what we expected. We had some beach time, ate a lot of very good food, and took a cable car and subsequent hike up the Teide volcano. You can read about what to do with your family on Tenerife here.

Also on the topic of Spain, this is the time of year when the real rush to do the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage across Northern Spain (or several other routes, including from Portugal) begins. We did the most famous route, the French way, in 2011, starting from France, walking over the Pyrenees, and then on to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain – a walk of 500 miles (800 km.)

A hike like that takes planning, and we get a lot of questions of how we did it. So, finally we wrote up our Camino de Santiago packing list. If you’re ever interested in doing all or parts of the Camino, this is a good place to start.

Travel News

With the increased numbers of Americans doing United States tourism since the Covid pandemic, the U.S. National Parks are becoming increasingly crowded – to the point that some of the most popular parks are requiring reservations just to drive in. Be sure you check this list if you’re planning a U.S. National Park visit this year. Be aware more than the usual amount of advanced planning is required. Don’t be disappointed.

Bon voyage!

Tom and Kris