Packed and ready to go!

In a few days, we will be on our way to our 2015 adventures in Europe. One of us is celebrating a birthday soon so we decided to mark the occasion in a special way. We begin our travels in Ireland, visiting Galway, the Connemara region, and Dublin. It's Mike's first time in Ireland and we anticipate beautiful vistas, friendly encounters with locals, traditional music, and good food.

From there we fly to La Rochelle, an Atlantic coastal city near our temporary summer residence in Charmeneuil, France. We will be staying with hosts, Veronique Deplanne and Peter Vance at Veronique's family homestead, known as Les Grandes Ormes. It's pictured here.

While there, we hope to improve our French language skills, learn about the local culture, and enjoy getting to know Veronique, Peter, and their guests. I look forward to sharing our adventures small and large as the weeks progress.