Mauritius

So we decided to visit Mauritius

Why?  Good question.

For one, it is beautiful

Great weather

Nice beaches

Brethtaking forests

And a bizzare landscape of craggy, pointy peaks, harking back to a volcanic past. 

It is a wild mix of India, China, and Africa

Right in the middle of the Indian Ocean - far away from just about eveything. 

So why not visit?

Summer Days

The summer officially began with a quick trip to Paris to visit our friends the Morrison's (from Manila). We took some time to stop by a few museums.  This included the Pompidou ( with is all about modern art)

Weston was especially confused by this style of expression, and why it was worth so much money.  He even tried to hang up his jacket on a priceless work. 

 This one was made by naked young girls rolling around on the canvas. We thought it was a wild boar.

On the other hand, the Louvre was right up their alley. We spent all day exploring the galleries, and trying to tie in their history lessons. They were good sports.

 However they would have rather spent all day feeding pigeons in front of Norte Dame.  In fact we went back this twice while we were in town. Much cheaper then a museum I suppose.

 We had a great time. Visiting new places.

 Exploring the city with our friends.

 And pondering the amazing art work. The Monet's were a big hit.

 We came home to our new house in Ireland. It was obvious we had been gone a while, as the local Fox population felt comfortable sitting in our yard.  This has since changed. I think our Dog has something to do with it.

 While we are no longer right on the sea, we are just a short stroll away from a rocky beach and view of Killiney Bay (with Dalkey island in the distance).

After two hectic weeks of moving, it was off to the US. I found time to visit my old friend Frank (from my Manila days as a kid). It was great to catch up. We picked up right where we left off.  For better or worse?

 Then it was Family reunion time. Out first stop was the Thurston gathering in Yellowstone.

 The kids had a great time, catching up with familiar cousins, and meeting people they had no idea even existed!

 Then off to Tahoe for the Jackson family reunion.

 More of the same. Lots of family, food and activities.  Both locations were spectacular, but I did not take many pictures.

 We spent one afternoon up at Squaw valley.  I had no idea it had a roller skating ring at the top of the mountain?  The results were mixed.

 Weston refused to give up. Falling again, and again, and again.  He even went back later on his own to try, and fall, again. No broken bones.

 Shaynie decided it was not her thing almost right away.  End of story.

 We spent a few other days playing some heated Volleyball matches with the family...

 While the kids swam in the freezing waters. I am sure Weston felt right at home - back in the Irish sea.

 The kids enjoyed playing with some of the younger children, and meeting new cousins (or second cousins once removed!)

 We took a bike ride the last day.  What a great trail!

 Then went to visit the new Donner memorial and museum. We felt hungry afterwards, so went home to have some junk food.

 Before we knew it, we were back home. We ended the summer, on my birthday, playing golf at Powerscourt. We even stayed the night at the hotel.  Just like old times. Believe it or not - this was the first time we have played golf in Ireland. If you saw us play, you would probably believe it.

Unfortunately Rebekah's Uncle Dave was there to witness the horror. Luckily he was a good sport and coach. As a golf pro, we hope he has seen worse. Regardless, it was a nice way to end the summer.

Captain

 Rebekah and I finally got the nerve to rent a boat on our own.  No Captain. Just us. In preparation, we took a refresher course in Ireland, which went well (except a small run in with a rock...)  So we headed back to Croatia.

The kids decided to sleep outside, and built a tent.  It did not last, but was a good idea.  It was hot inside the boat!

We did a bit of sight seeing, exploring old towns and castles. 

 But this trip was about the sailing. Not so many pictures.

 We even made our way up a river to visit a famous national park.

 While exploring the park, Weston's sandel broke. Luckily there was a working blacksmith on site (it was a historic tourist attraction).   Despite being told it could not be done - we found a way. I wonder how many blacksmiths have worked on rubber sandels?

 However, this park is famous for more then an old fake blacksmith. People come here to see the huge waterfall.

 Weston took some time to read a newspaper out in the water.

 Our biggest fear was docking the boat. We tired to find places with no one around. Better safe then sorry.

 This meant the selection of restaurants wasn't great.  But we always found something to eat.  This place had some great fresh fish!

 Rebekah was a natural, especially at parking - which she didn't do until the last day!

She even filled up the boat by herself (another first).  We barely used any fuel in 7 days!  It really is the little things.  

Norway

Work recently took us to Norway.  The land of Rebekah's ancestors (some of them anyway). So we made it a family affair. 

My conference was on the west coast in the town of Stavanger.  While not the most picturesque Norwegian towns (a former sardine canning mecca, that has since turned into the hub of North Sea oil exploration), it bills itself as the gateway to the Fjords.

While most of my time was taken up with work, we did find a few hours to explore the area.  This included a boat ride up the Fjords. They were as charming and awe inspiring as promised, hemmed in by little green villages and steep cliffs. 

The water was dark, smooth and glossy.  I am pretty sure it was also quite cold.

Weston decided he wanted to work on his photography skills and spent most of the trip taking pictures with the camera hanging around his neck.  I am sure he got a few good ones.

The boat stopped by a waterfall to get some cold fresh water.

Then we drove underneath Preacher Pulpit (or Pulpit Rock), some 2000 feet straight up from the boat.

It was shrouded in mist, but still looked very high and mysterious. This giant, flat outcropping is the major tourist attraction in the region. So we decided to come back the next say and climb it.

The hike was around 5 miles, up a very steep trail. The kids were not especially looking forward to the hike. 

We started out with lots of complaints (like normal), but they slowly faded away as the kilometers increased.  Strange, but welcome. 

I couldn't get over the train.  Who in the world placed giant granite boulders several miles up a 2000 foot mountain?  Vikings?  Giants?

In any case, it was appreciated. If you tired to stray from the trail, you found yourself in a muddy quagmire, or looking straight down a precipitous fall.

We even made it high enough to find snow. Weston ate some. It did not look clean.

Finally we made it to the top, and to Preachers Pulpit. It was an amazing sight.  We tried to imagine the giant glacier, and immense pressure involved in creating this valley. Weston was a bit nervous about any of us going to the edge.

Probably a wise move. There are no ropes, no fences, no gates, just raw nature. Hard to image the first person (recorded) to ever fall to their death happened in 2013.

And the best part.... no whining or complaining on the way back down!