The scenic route from Kenmare to Killarney includes winding roads through the Killarney National Park, as well as rain and sun and rain again, mist and clouds, green green hills, and even greener moss, soft as a blanket. The lakes you pass are worth a stop. I could have stayed and gazed at the views for days. For a break from the car, I took a long hike to Torc waterfall, and spent a couple of hours on a rocky, muddy trail, up and down, mostly...

With over 1000 islands off the coast of Croatia, I thought I’d give you a little series of posts on a few of my favorites. Since they all have such different personalities, this may help you choose where to spend your time, should you put Croatia on your bucket list. Let’s start with Mljet (pronounced Meeyet – in Croatia, J’s are pronounced like Y’s), which means “honey” and is the greenest island on...

Plitvice Lakes is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. It is one of Croatia’s 8 national parks, a series of 16 stunning turquoise lakes strung together by a series of cascading waterfalls. The colors of the water are reminiscent of jewels – aquamarine, blue topaz, emeralds and sapphires. Plitvice Lakes is the largest of Croatia’s national parks, as well as the oldest, and it’s included in the UNESCO...