Ireland photos

Hi folks,

Shari and I are safely back in Hawaii, very happy to be with our 3 great kids. Jack is working two jobs, Jay is finishing up summer school in art, and Sierra is recovering from her travels with grandmothers; she is now a roller coaster enthusiast! We are so lucky to have had this opportunity, thanks to lots and lots of people who helped make it possible.

I've begun to sort through some of the many photos we took on our trip, starting with Ireland. Here are some of the best ones we got. The first ones are from Galway, a fairly large university city in the far west, and the middle batch is from our three days of biking around County Clare. The photos at the end are from the great city of Dublin. In all of these different places we learned a lot, made friends, and heard lots of live music.

Dublin arrival

Hi folks,

Ireland has been very good to Shari and me. We loved the west, biking around County Clare in Irish weather, which is weather that changes before you even realize what your current weather is. We had lots of gray and cold, but little rain, with strange bursts of sunniness at just the right times.

We are now big fans of Irish Stew and the Full Irish Breakfast, which is basically all you need to get you from Guiness to Guiness. Shari has not taken to the local brew, sadly.

Last night whiole Shari slept I went out to find live music in the Temple Bar area. I found a very crowded loud one that had the magic, if a bit touristy. Loud and fun, impromptu dancing, shouting, singing along, stomping feet, etc.

Now we are in busy Dublin on a busy Monday morning, everyone is dressed up and going to work. We are lodged adjacent to famous old Trinity college, which is like Harvard times ten in terms of history, pillars, statues, etc. It is right in the heart of the things to see and do, and we hope to spend the next couple of days seeing and doing lots.

aloha,
Jim

biking in Ireland

Hi folks,

Shari and I loved Galway's bustle and hustle. The music at the pubs flows on and on, casting a spell. Had a truly Irish night in the oldest pub in town, with different locals chiming in for a sad ballad in between the long running Irish instrumentals.




Then we got bikes and rode to Doolin, about 35 miles. On the way we checked out the local surf beach and the cliffs of moher.





Now we are in Doolin with sore butts. Last night we had the most amazing Irish stew at McDermott's pub. the music was good, but a bit soul-less. In Galway they smiled and shouted with joy and stared with somber sadness; it was more locals than tourists, unlike last night. We are meeting a lot of people along the way, but they are mostly travellers from other countries.

2 more days of biking here in County Clare!

Jim

greetings from ireland

greetings from ireland!

\Shari and I have come through many transfers to be strolling the streets of Galway, ireland, where the sweaters are hand knit, the pubs are full of musicians, and the beer is Guiness, except for Shari, where the beer is Harp, a lighter shade of pale.

We had a great time in Kastelruth in the Alps. It's in Italy, but everyone speaks German there and acts like it's Austria. We caught up with our good friends the Walkers. Joe and Lorenza, and their kids Carrie and Sean. All of them are looking well and looking forward to returning to America after a year in Cortina.

We also did one of the most gorgeous hikes ever with our Innsbruck friend Herbert. He is 76 but hikes much stronger than we do. We hiked all over a ski area by streams and fields with the most gorgeous mountains overhead, as shown in the photo below. And of course, no matter how far into the wilderness you hike, there's always a hutte with radler and food and good cheer. I played my ukulele there for some appreciative Dutchmen who insisted that I drink shots of schnapps with them. This made the rest of the hike pleasant, but a little wobbly.

Now we are in Galway Ireland, exploring the city and getting ready for 3 days of biking, which start tomorrow. It's a lot colder here, and a bit stormy, but we love it.

aloha,

Jim
http://familysmart.blogspot.com/

mountains of euro

Hi folks,

It has been a time of amazing transitions, from swimming on a hot day in the Mediteranean in Vernazza to shivering on the top of a glacier in the Engadine Alps of Switzerland.

It was also time to say goodbye to MB and Bill in Bellagio. We had a great hotel there called the Belvedere, which means good view. Mostly we sunned by the pool and stared dreamily at the rainbows, mountains, and the endless expanse of Lake Como.

Today we will drive through Switzerland, where unlike Italy, most folks do not speak English and the euro is not the currency. We rode a big tram up to the Diavolezza glacier which looks to be a mouth wateringly good ski area in winter.


more info-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engadin

ciao, or auf weidersein, or something,

Jim and Shari

cinque terre

Hi folks,

Yesterday we hiked along the trails that connect the Cinque Terre, stopping to swim, eat gelato and drink beer at various beautiful overlooks. Our favorite place is Vernazza, where we swam and explored the cliffs and rocks for hours>:



On the hardest section between monterossa and Vernazza we bumped into some Punahou friends. Jack-s teacher and waterpolo coach Paul Hamamoto was hiking with his family right along with us. His older daughter was in Jay-s class in 6th grade. Fun coincidence and it was great to see them, though they were in a hurry and moved ahead of us since they had a big itinerary including the hike, then Pisa, then Florence, all in one day.ù

We were happy to take it slow.

Another one we liked was Corniglia:



Shari and I swam at 3 of the 5 towns, and we held hands on the Lovers Walk at the end. A nice end to a special day.

leaving tuscany

Hi folks,

Shari and I have been tooling around tuscany with mb and bill maclean. we are currently in sestri levante. our plan for today is to hike through the cinque terre.

yesterday we climbed up the leaning tower of pisa. it was like being on a ship that is tilting as it sails, and the marble steps are well worn by centuries of climbers.

before that we were in the countryside of tuscany among the grape vines and ancient hill towns. towers and castles, beautiful little churches, and scenic piazzas where we enjoyed many a gelato (italian ice cream). some of the towns were siena, montepulciano, san gimigniano, pienza, and montefollonico.

before that we saw some of the worlds great art in florence. the david by michelangelo was a real highlight.

we are eating well and tasting very good vino. mb and bill are wonderfully fun companions, and we seem to have very good luck everywhere we go. the president of italy drove by us waving out his window. we stumbled upon a beatiful wedding. the good table at the restaurant is often mysteriously waiting for us.

tomorrow we plan to visit portofino on our way to bellagio. after that the macleans will return to the usa while shari and i head into the alps.

we miss our children, and we are thinking of you,

jim and shari

Italy

Hi folks,

Shari and I are having a blast in Italy. After about 3 days in Florence seeing great art and criss-crossing the city, we have been living the vida rica, the life of the rich and famous in various small hill towns in Tuscany.

The castles are ancient, the gelato is tasty, and love is in the air. We are travelling in high style with MB and Bill, photographing ourselves by every 20 that we find, since both our marriages have been burning for 20 years.

We are moving north to Pisa, Cinque Terra, and Bellagio. After that we will be in the Alps before flying to Ireland for a week.

Fun!!!!

Jim

Two Graduations

It's been double crazy excitement around here with Sierra finishing pre-school and Jack graduating from Punahou. Here's a link to some fresh photos:

http://web.mac.com/jimsmart1/iWeb/Site/grad%20-%20Jack,%20sierra.html