Hi. I’m Marie and you are very welcome to HopsSkipsandJumps. If you are reading this you are probably like me – happiest when planning your next trip (or 2… or 3….!) I’m a very unlikely victim of a travel bug. Firstly, the gene pool – my parents were of that generation that only […]
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E is for Early Mornings I’m not an early riser – in fact I’d rather not do mornings at all – they’d be banned if I’d my way! However, I have been know to drag myself from the bed before sunrise when the occasion begs it and wow – what a world there is […]
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Its March 17th and its a great day to be Irish! Today we celebrate the arrival of Christianity into Ireland. And what a celebration it is! This festival is celebrated in more countries around the world than any other national day. No matter where you are, you’re bound to be near enough to an Irish […]
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D is for Dirty Dancing – Country Style! Firstly, setting the scene: USA ⇒Wyoming ⇒Jackson Hole ⇒ Million Dollar Cowboy Bar ⇒Saturday Night. We’re in town for a few days hiking in Grand Teton National Park en route to Yellowstone. We’ve had something to eat and pick a bar for a drink on our way […]
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What a great place to build a fortress. Standing high on top of a limestone cliff, this once imposing castle still dominates the landscape. There are a few gaps in its history but this was definitely the location of an early Christian settlement known as Dún Másc (meaning ‘the Fort of Masc ‘- Masc presumably […]
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C is for Carthage You’ve probably realised by now that I’m a sucker for exotic names and stones – put them together, add a bit of sun and I really am in paradise! I wasn’t aware of Carthage’s actual existence until we visited Tunisia in 2001. I knew from Virgil (sorry – really showing off […]
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Straddling the states of Tennessee and North Carolina, The Great Smoky Mountains National Park welcomes over 11 million visitors per year, making it the most visited park in the US (even ahead of the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone). The majority of these visitors are happy to stay in satellite towns and make short excursions into […]
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