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Kirah and Jo’s Grand AdventureKirah and Jo’s Grand Adventure
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Kirah and Jo’s Grand Adventure

July - September 2019
Travelling to bucket list locations and ending with Kirah's final location for the next 12 months - Helsinki for Uni Exchange. Read more
  • 31footprints
  • 7countries
  • 41days
  • 192photos
  • 13videos
  • 43.5kkilometers
  • 36.8kkilometers
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  • JoKingKirah and Jo’s Grand Adventure
    Day 10

    Jordan - Day 9 Tour - Dead Sea & Petra

    August 5, 2019 in Jordan ⋅ 🌙 29 °C

    Our tour to the Dead Sea and Petra starts today.

    Taiwan our tour guide took us to the Dead Sea straight off. A unique experience with the floating. Everyone warned me about the drying up of the sea and from where it was 29 years ago it has certainly dropped but it is still a huge sea. It does however through the Jordan River not flowing into it anymore (5%) only the rest into dams plus evaporation due to rising heat will continue to drop.

    We had a swim in the swimming pool after and then lunch.

    From there we went to Mount Nebo and visited the Memorial Church of Moses with the mosaics which were beautiful. Such a peaceful place. Mount Nebo is the mountain whete Moses went to the alone.

    Next was the Mosaic place where they showed us how they make the mosaics and showed us many beautiful products that they made. Would have loved to had a few dollars for this place.

    Then we went to Madaba to see the mosaics in the church - Greek Orthodox Church built on the ruins of the Roman Church. This is also where our guide comes from.

    After about a 4 hour drive we then reached our final destination - PETRA. We have checked in to the La Madison Hotel and wandered out and had dinner. Have to be up at 6 tomorrow to get a move on so we can see the sun rise on The Treasury.

    Jordan is an interesting country. It has a strong currency but it is broke, the people live on about $400 Dinar or $800 PER MONTH but the cost of living is through the roof. The countries debt is as high as it's GDP.

    The country used to export wheat, but the government makes no money off this and in the bad years did not help the farmers out. They incentivised the farmers to sell their land so that houses could be built on this land from which they made a lot of money. So now the soil is quite arid.

    Apparently the land does get green between November to April, but is is really dry at the moment.    Read more

  • JoKingKirah and Jo’s Grand Adventure
    Day 11

    Jordan - Day 10 Tour - Petra

    August 6, 2019 in Jordan ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    What can I say but AMAZINGLY AWESOME. I have wanted to see Petra since I first saw Raiders of the Ark. This place has always fascinated me, how did they build this, who built this etc.

    To be hete today is the fulfilment of that life time dream.

    The canyons that you walk through with the light shining down through them, the roads built by the original owners and then the Roman paving, the water pipes and channels built by the Romans all this to just get to the Treasury which is what most people think of when they think Petra.

    This is just the beginning, the tombs, the temples, the city. Words cannot describe the feeling of being here.

    What we see today is 1% of what's there, 99% has not been excavated. WHAAAT. I would love to be apart of the archeological dig that continues to dig these ruins out and learn more about this city.

    Tirred and sore from walking approximately 16 km in scorching heat, but it was so worth it.    Read more

  • JoKingKirah and Jo’s Grand Adventure
    Day 12

    Jordan - Day 11 Tour - Petra & Amman

    August 7, 2019 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Leaving Petra this morning and budding it back to Amman.

    Both Kirah and I are very sore from yesterday but we will survive 😁

    Made it back and just crashed for a few hours then managed to find a Hommus and Falafel place to eat.

    BED TIME.    Read more

  • JoKingKirah and Jo’s Grand Adventure
    Day 13

    Jordan - Day 12 Tour - Flying to Rome

    August 8, 2019 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Have just landed in Doha, Qatar a peninsula country off Saudi Arabia. Next leg to Rome.

    Got into Roma and to our Hotel about midnight. Have to be up at six in the morning.

    I am becoming acutely aware that ALL airports are starting to look the same- having said that we breezed through the airport tonight, one of the easiest process so far.

    Good night.    Read more

  • JoKingKirah and Jo’s Grand Adventure
    Day 14

    Rome - Day 13 Tour - Vatican & Catacombs

    August 9, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Up early to get ready to have brekky and meet our guide. First really small room, no room to swing a cat and sharing a bed.

    So a long day again today. We were picked up by a driver to deliver us to a meeting point in the city somewhere 😁😁😁. We were then divided into groups of language and then walked to the Vatican and delivered to our guide - Roberta - loved here, she was my age and has such a passion for this job and life.

    The line up to get into the Vatican was astounding but because we had pre-booked with a guide we were straight in.

    We went first through the museum, then the Cistine Chapel, the St Peter's Basilica, then the Pizza San Pietro or St Peter's Square.

    There were soooooo many people and a lot of it does not get air flow, got a bit claustrophobic at some points 😁😁😁 but the art work, the sculptures, the carpets, the mosaics and the history in indescribable and photos can never do this justice.

    We then had lunch with a couple from Sydney as it turned out as like us they were doing a second tour, Just married and on their honeymoon.

    From there we were organised and put in a taxi to our next meeting point and again organised into an English speaking group and then onto a bus to take us out to the catacombs. There are 600 catacombs on Roma, only 60 are open to the public and this is the largest one. Catacomb of San Callisto was the official cemetery of the Church of Rome in the 3rd century AD. Around half a million Christians were buried here, among them many martyrs and 16 popes.

    From here we then went to Saint John's (Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano) and Saint Mary's (Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore) churches. Again the art work, sculptures and the history are amazing.

    Finished off with a quiet meal best our hotel which is right near the Trevi Fountain and an early night.    Read more

  • JoKingKirah and Jo’s Grand Adventure
    Day 15

    Rome - Day 14 Tour - Picnic & Coloseum

    August 10, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Up late this morning - sleep in - yeeessss. Had coffee and brekky then went for a walk. Caught a taxi to a shopping centre, not a lot of those in Rome, on the outskirts and did some basic shopping.

    OMG Dogs allowed in the shopping centre, so many wandering around with their owners on leads, so great but so weird to see.

    Back to the hotel, taught the coffee place how to make an Iced Lattes, yummo.

    Waiting until it gets cooler then heading out to the park to play vackgammon and eat cheese and have some Vino.

    We ate booked in for a tour of the Coloseum tonight at 9:30 pm.

    Went out to Villa Not these which 8s the equivalent 9f Centenial Park Sydney and had our Picnic, wine, cheese, bread, took us, cucumber yummo and played Backgammon. Had a good afternoon. Back at the hotel for a spell before our Coloseum tour.    Read more

  • JoKingKirah and Jo’s Grand Adventure
    Day 16

    Naples & Pompeii - Day 15 Tour

    August 11, 2019 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    About to head off on our Naples and Pompeii tour, soooo early in the morning 😁😁😁

    Long hooot, humid day while in Australia it's snowing every where just about.

    We drive to Naples and did a drive through of the town, the water was beautiful and aspects of the city are the same, but I feel Roma is a nicer city.

    From there we went onto lunch, traditional Italian pizza which was quite nice and caught up with our other tour mates.

    Pompeii, what can I say, so we'll preserved and looked after and huge.

    Back to Roma for a late dinner, a Magnum ice cream with the lot and off to bed. We are catching the train in the morning to Florence.    Read more

  • JoKingKirah and Jo’s Grand Adventure
    Day 17

    Florence - Day 16 Tour - Training

    August 12, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Today we are catching the train to Florence from Roma.

    It wasn't too hard, even though it's a 'll in Italian we worked it out and caught the right train.

    Got a taxi to our hotel room. Wasn't time to check in so we wandered off down town to sort our phones and stumbled across the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. WOW WOW WOW, so large compared to anything else and so different in colours and a site to behold.

    I really like Florence best so far of Italy.

    We sort of sorted the phone then wandered around taking everything in, did a bit of shopping and headed back.

    On the way we discovered this little cafe that did c.f. the best Iced Latte, Had two each 😁😁😁, then headed back to the hotel to check in.

    So our room and a really nice place and biggest room we have had so far, well it is an apartment really. There is a lively courtyard out the side, big wide open verandah, Just really nice.

    Headed out after a nanna nap and had pizza and cabonara for dinner then home.

    That's it for another day.    Read more

  • JoKingKirah and Jo’s Grand Adventure
    Day 18

    Florence - Day 17 Tour - Tuscany

    August 13, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Heading down town after breakfast to pick up a hire car to drive up to the wineries and small villages to bask in the Tuscan Sun and eat good food and drink wine.

    So we managed to get the car. Everyone said don't drive in Italy it's crazy, but is better than Australia only on the other side of the road.

    We have been watching the traffic enough to have acclimatised to right hand driving. So off we set off to the Chianti Valley and came across the perfect winery and restaurant .

    Picture perfect is how I would describe this place, beautiful with views across the valley of the grape vines, blue sky, rolling hills and the sound of ciccarders in the back ground.

    Perfect food and wine. - fell in love with this place - Castello Vicchiomaggio.    Read more

  • JoKingKirah and Jo’s Grand Adventure
    Day 19

    Florence - Day 18 Tour - Rest Day

    August 14, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Neither Kirah or I feeling fantastic today, having a rest day today.

    Kirah catching up on her video editing and I'm reading.

    Went out and had Pizza tonight and an Iced Latte and back to the hotel. About all we could manage and still not feeling great.Read more

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