2013 – From Irish Trails to Austrian Peaks.

Hiking, Kite Surfing, and the Unexpected.

Summer of 2013 Thom had spread her wings volunteering in Tanzania.
This left Yoni and me to indulge in our shared passion: hiking.
Ever since my Camino de Compostella, I’d been bitten by the hiking bug.
While Thom wasn’t exactly a fan of walking further than from the couch to the fridge, Yoni and I were ready to hit the trail.

With our daughter off saving the world, we booked not one but two hiking getaways: a week in Northern Ireland and another in Austria.
In Ireland, we found a company that arranged charming bed & breakfasts for us, moving our luggage from one cozy spot to the next, while we embarked on a self-guided tour through the stunning Antrim Glens and along the Causeway Coast.

On our first day, a taxi dropped us off at the trailhead, leaving us to navigate the wilderness alone.
The scenery was breathtaking – lush greenery, mystical forests, and the classic Irish mist.
We followed the waymarks, relishing the solitude and the beauty of the landscape.

But after a few hours, something felt amiss. The trail grew steeper, and our notes didn’t match the terrain.
Yet, the waymarks persisted, so we pressed on.

We were having a blast, sharing kisses at every kissing gate, lost in the moment.
7 hours later, civilization was nowhere in sight, and we had to admit the truth: we were hopelessly lost.

We decided to find a road and ask for directions.
Luckily, the first car we hailed was a London black cab miles away from where it should be, just like us.
We flagged it down, and the driver burst out laughing when we told him where we were supposed to be.
We had walked in the exact opposite direction all day!

We called it quits and let the cabbie take us to our destination.
For the rest of the week, we ensured we were on the right track.
It was a week filled with magic, serendipity, and unforgettable bonding moments. Ireland became one of our favorite places ever.

Our next adventure was Austria. I dreamed of conquering mountains and singing along to “The Sound of Music.”
But reality had other plans. That summer was one of the hottest in Austria’s history.
Instead of singing, we were huffing, puffing, and getting sunburned.
I declared Austria the hottest country on Earth.

After a few days of survival mode, we decided to switch gears and enjoy the lakes.
That’s when we discovered boat kite surfing. Neither Yoni nor I had ever skydived, but this seemed like a fun way to fly without the fear of jumping out of a plane.
We spent a day gliding across the lake, soaking up the sun and the thrill.

While Austria wasn’t the hiking paradise we imagined, it introduced us to a new adventure.
Summer 2013 marked the beginning of a hiking tradition that continued until today.