A Sabbatical in Three Acts

Update :  Blog posts are complete!  (and it only took me 11 weeks ☺) This blog will be a bit different from my other ones.  On my first sabbatical, I traveled with a laptop and posted every night.  I didn't do that this time, so I'm doing it all "after the fact". Trying to blog about 2 months of travel is going to take me awhile -- so either check back periodically -- or subscribe to the blog and you'll receive an email when I make updates. I'm also using slideshow videos -- especially for the Tanzania posts.  Most of the videos are around 10 minutes long.  Where possible (and not obvious), I've included a note identifying the animal in the slide.   The video music is a bit random -- so you might want to turn the sound off. ☺☺☺ Enjoy! Act I - The Baltic States (06 August - 18 August) Lithuania (4 nights) Latvia (3 nights) Estonia (5 nights) Act II - Tanzania (21 August - 09 September) Tarangire National Park (2 nights) Lake M...

Last travel day of my sabbatical.  It's been an amazing experience -- and I can almost say that I'm ready to go back work (almost ☺). The only thing planned for the day was to drive from San Sebastián to the Bordeaux airport (153 miles, 2 hrs 45 mins).  My flight wasn't until early evening -- so I had a leisurely morning at Akelarre (including a fantastic breakfast) and started my drive around noon.  I drove the toll highway for a good portion of the trip -- with a couple of little detours.  About 30 minutes from the airport, I stopped at a pretty rest area and sat outside reading & enjoying the sunshine. 1:  Early morning fog over the Atlantic 2:  Breakfast view 3:  The hotel really was gorgeous -- scattered throughout where these interesting sculptures and beautiful views 1:  I found it interesting that there weren't any doorknobs -- you held your key up and the door opened -- magic! ☺ ...

My last full-day in Basque Country.  I decided to finish up my sabbatical travels with a "bang" and have a fabulous meal in San Sebastián, Spain.  I was lucky to get a reservation for lunch at Akelarre, a 3-star Michelin restaurant.  After I made that booking, I decided to also splurge and book a room at their hotel for the night -- that way I could fully indulge and not worry about driving, etc.  I will say that my plan was an excellent one -- lunch was just fantastic and the hotel was superb (add on a gorgeous location overlooking the ocean -- and the sum is perfection!)  Oh -- and the hotel also has an amazing spa ☺☺☺! I took the scenic drive from Guéthary to Akelarre -- 31 miles and a little over 1 hour of driving.  The drive took me right into the center of  San Sebastián  -- I stopped for a quick walk around (and apparently only took one photo ☺) -- it's a beautiful city and I would definitely like to go back and spend more time th...