A 74-Year-Old Woman with a Yen to See the World, a Supportive Husband, and a Couple of Backpacks…

All my life, I’ve loved to travel. My dream has been to visit all the countries that interest me on every continent. Until July 2021, however, I’d never left North America.

In Spring of 2021, we could see the world beginning to reopen. Dempsey said, “This year is yours. It’s time to make your travel dream come true.” And so we did!

We’re spending fifteen weeks exploring the world, and you’re invited along.

My Blog

Exploring Barcelona

by Jillian Coleman Wheeler | Oct 2, 2021 | Spain | 0 Comments

I’m not sure why I didn’t know what an incredibly beautiful city Barcelona is. I knew about the architecture, of course, and the Catalan influence, but getting out into the city (and for us, that often begins with a tour bus overview), I was stunned by the beauty of it all.

Though people have been living in the area for 5,000 years, the Romans founded the actual town in 15 A.D. During the Middle Ages a wall was built to surround the town, and for centuries a growing population was increasingly crowded within its walls. Then in the mid-1800s, a city planner named Ildifons Cerda designed the layout that survives to this day. Not all his ideas were implemented, and it took 20 years to build the first 250 blocks, but his handiwork is still evident in the broad boulevards and spacious plazas.

This block of housing is the most expensive area in the city, we were told.

Barcelona is known for its modernist architecture, but there are a great many beautiful buildings from all eras.

Cerda’s plan for the city provided for wide boulevards. Barcelona’s city planners are now working on a plan to make more than half of its streets pedestrian only.

A downtown block.

The distinctive streetlights, with benches below.

It’s a city of fountains and public squares.

We didn’t use the Metro, but there are stations everywhere throughout the city.

Yet another fountain.

The Arc de Triomf was built as the entryway to the 1888 World’s Fair.

Barcelona’s Mediterranean climate translates to palm trees and abundant vegetation.

One of many palm-lined streets.

Until 1992, when Barcelona hosted the Olympics, its seaside was a rundown harbor. The city decided to build the Olympic Village by the sea, to construct a new, updated harbor, and to create about five miles of beautiful beaches.

The modern seafront.

A view of the Columbus Monument.

A peek at one of the modern skyscrapers.

This sculpture hovers above several streets.

The Aduana, the old port building.

A view of the harbor from Mont Juic at the southern end of the city.

Another view from Mont Juic.

This children’s park occupies a long block near downtown.

Barcelona soccer fans treat the game as a religion. Here is the enormous stadium. There is even a residential school for young players with potential.

The entrance to the stadium.

Us beneath one of those iconic streetlamps.

In front of Casa Mila, designed by Gaudi, whose work can be seen in many parts of the city.

Resting and waiting for a bus to take us to Familia Sagrada.

Another view of the Casa Mila.

I love the fountains in European cities

I snapped this because I thought it was fun – the office of a private detective.

The North

by Jillian Coleman Wheeler | Jul 25, 2021 | England | 0 Comments

As we left Aldeburgh and continued toward the town where the next day we’d be meeting friends, we began seeing highway signs saying, “The North.” It reminded us of the doomsday references in Game of Thrones. In the U.S., the only time you’d refer to “the North” is if...

In Search of Family History

by Jillian Coleman Wheeler | Jul 24, 2021 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

Like many Canadian families, my mother’s family has its roots in Scotland, via England. Although I don’t know where my antecedents lived beyond my grandparents, I had a couple of places I very much wanted to see. Sitting at the right-hand wheel of our rental car...

London

by Jillian Coleman Wheeler | Jul 23, 2021 | England | 0 Comments

I was sure I’d fall in love with London. We saw it first from the sky. Our plane flew over it just as the sun was coming up. Below us the Thames bisected the city and the iconic landmarks were easily recognizable. My mum lived in London as a young woman before the...