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/