I’ve been in exotic lands many times on November 2nd.
This time it’s Antalya, Türkiye. My second visit.
I was here in 2017 for a week hiking on the Lycian Way.
Loved it. And I’m back for more.
I bought myself a 2nd airline ticket here — because I accidentally went to the WRONG Istanbul airport.
Oops.
Luckily domestic flights are inexpensive.
I first visited Bilbao in 2009 en route to the Picos de Europa hike.
I enjoyed it that time and was keen to return in 2026.
My cheap flight from London got me downtown after midnight. Beautiful. The streets empty.
Building this weird — form over function — museum worked for Bilbao. The small city was transformed into a major tourist destination.
This time I stayed 4 nights total, before and after a week on the Camino del Norte hike.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
I stayed at 3 different excellent hostels. They all cater for pilgrims walking the Camino.
Bilbao is quite walkable with many pedestrian paths — though the attractions are quite widely spaced.
Salt fish in the main market.
It seems to me that Basque separatist movement, happily, is is now pursued strictly through legal, democratic politics via regional parties like the left-wing coalition EH Bildu and the more moderate, conservative Basque Nationalist Party (PNV). Violence killed more than 850 over the years.
The Museum of Fine Arts was FREE for a week while I was there. Quite good.
I picked up my Camino passport (Credential) at the Cathedral and caught a bus to the French border to start my week long hike back to Bilbao.
Definitely visit Bilbao, if you get the chance.
My one regret is running out of time to make the side trip to the coastal islet of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. I’d even made a graphic. 😀
After getting washed out hiking Skye, I fled to the capital of the Scottish Highlands ➙ Inverness.
The tourist centre is small. I did two walking tours using the GPSmyCity app.
I stayed right beside Inverness Castle. Accommodation here is expensive in September. Highest I’ve paid in Europe so far in 2026.
Night outside the castle was my favourite spot.
Just across the river is the impressive St. Andrew’s Cathedral.
The best of the city walks is along the river to Ness Islands. Turns out this is where Nessie relaxes. 😀
Because of the climate, enduring things in Scotland are made of thick stone and metal. Stolid Scots learned the hard way.
A highlight for me and many is Scotland’s largest second-hand bookshop. Family-owned and run since 1979.
Beatles played Inverness as a back-up band 21 May, 1960.
Most food in the U.K. is too expensive for me. 50 – 100% higher cost than the same dish in Canada.
My go-to donairs are too expensive in 2026. Instead I ordered donair burgers at about half the price.
When I do spend money, it’s mostly for U.K. Indian food.
I headed out to a nearby hostel on Loch Ness when accommodation was booked out on a Saturday night.
Did some relaxing day hiking. Here are Divach Falls.
Two children were watching this slow worm.
I thought it was a snake. They explained it’s a non-venomous legless lizard. Also called a deaf adder, blindworm, or regionally, a long-cripple, steelworm, and hazelworm. I’d never heard of the creature.
Get a haircut, hippie. 😀
As I often do, booked an inexpensive early morning flight. Headed up to the small airport — BUT it’s locked during the night. Airport Information desk recommended I tent at the end of the last parking lot. Under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code you can tent almost anywhere for free.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Albania is cool in 2026. Especially the Albanian Riviera.
Almost every tourist online has a lot of praise for Albania.
Once the “North Korea of Europe“, Albania is frantically trying to become the next Greece for tourists.
Inland Berat is great. I hear Gjirokastër is terrific, too.
The capital, Tirana, is NOT one of the tourist highlights. Fly in and leave as quickly as possible. The airport is terrible in 2026, by the way.
Taking walking tours of the centre on a hot day, I concluded this must be the most boring capital city in the world.
The only attraction to write home about is weird and wonderful Pyramid of Tirana. On top is the place to be at night.
The inexplicable structure was co-designed by daughter of former dictator Enver Hoxha — and nobody has settled on best function. Numerous proposals to demolish the thing have been pitched — but I hope they keep it.
There are some impressive religious buildings.
This thing was closed.
I did enjoy walking the Grand Park of Tirana close to the city centre.
Tried to go to the Botanic Gardens — which seemed to be closed — so bought a ticket to the animal prison. The zoo is bad, as I expected, needing funds for reparations and animal care.
After a week hiking Accursed Mountains, crossing between Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro — some of our group finished the trip with an excellent meal downtown.
Food fantastic.
Walking town on Saturday night after dinner, I started to see why tourists like the lively cafe culture, and budget-friendly, high-quality food.
That night I stopped in at the government Flamingo Revolution protest. It started against luxury tourism developments, one backed by American investor Jared Kushner.
Expanding nationwide into an anti-government movement focused on corruption, land rights, protected areas, strategic-investment laws and political accountability. Most of the signs I saw were calling for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign.
Tourism is booming everywhere in Albania — and I expect things will keep improving quickly.
Don’t count on good toilets or showers. 😀
Dubrovnik, Croatia, is now one of the most overtouristed cities in Europe, with visitors outnumbering permanent residents by a staggering ratio of up to 36 to 1.
Still … it’s fantastic.
I crossed the border to nearby Kotor, Montenegro, hoping it would be Dubrovnik light.
I found Kotor just as majestic. BETTER for hiking:
But the promised ~40% lower cost looks to be fake news in 2026. I found it equally expensive. Death by cruise ship.
The old city of Dubrovnik is better. But the fortified city of Kotor is great too, also a UNESCO‘s World Heritage Site.
In any case, if you travel to one, you should visit the other.
Traffic in Kotor is worse. I wished I’d taken a boat from Dubrovnik instead of a bus.
I wandered the old city streets for hours.
The highlight for me was all the cats.
I caught the awful local bus to Perast, a charming little tourist trap nearby.
It’s the jumping off point for Our Lady of the Rocks.
My main memory of this lovely place is a confrontation with an asshole local motorbike punk. Happily, he didn’t throw me in the ocean. 😀
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
The Honda Element is officially rumored to return, with an anticipated global debut expected to happen sometime in late 2028.
According to leaked production plans first reported by Automotive News, Honda is reviving the iconic, quirky crossover to target the booming outdoor adventure market.
Personally, I’d love an old (discontinued) USED Honda Element.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Due to Trump’s idiotic Epstein Distraction Forever War, I decided to stay closer to home this Spring.
Made a PLAN … that mostly worked out. 😀
The Skiing was excellent. My best year ever. 12 days at Sunshine.
Hiking great. 17 days in the tent, walking deserts in California and Nevada.
Cycling was the most problematic. But I still made it 11 days on the Trans Canada Great Trail, starting in Vernon and ending up in Fernie (with a busted bike).
What’s next?
Still considering my options.
The only thing fixed for sure is World Gymnastics Championships in Netherlands Oct. 2026.
I cycled the last sections of the traditional Camino de Santiago in 2022.
To my thinking, cycling is even better than walking.
I rented a touring bike. VERY convenient.
If interested, check out the best guidebook:
Cicerone – Cycling the Camino de Santiago: a complete planning guide
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Due to Trump’s idiotic war, I decided to stay closer to home this Spring.
Made a PLAN … that didn’t exactly work out. 😀
The Skiing was excellent. My best year ever. 12 days at Sunshine.
Hiking great. 17 days in the tent, walking deserts in California and Nevada.
NEXT is visiting friends in Kelowna and Vernon. Most probably cycling back to Calgary on the Great Trans Canada Trail.
Check out my GEAR for the trip. Everything but the kitchen sink. 😀
Rick will be mostly offline well into June 2026. He’s section hiking part of the Pacific Crest Trail in California.
