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Adventure Awaits
  • Brian Litwin
  • Stacy Litwin
  • Brian Litwin
  • Stacy Litwin

Adventure Awaits

Let’s go for an adventure she said. He agreed. She planned. They went. The world became....worldly.
This trip showed us what really matters: friends and family. Thanks to all who shared this adventure with us. Leia mais
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  • Adventure Awaits
    11

    Biking and churches and concerts oh my

    22 de março de 2025, Espanha ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    Our hotel offers free bikes and far be it from me to deny my Jewish heritage and to say no:) Seems rude. 😂 We absolutely loved riding around Barcelona and couldn’t help but smile and feel overly happy. Stacy later told me that she felt the same way. Barcelona is super biker friendly, they even have lights at the stoplights for the bikes.

    We rode out to Barceloneta which has a great beach where you can watch surfers give it a go. The walkway for the beach was absolutely mobbed with people and cycling was hazardous at best. We then rode towards El Born, which is a trendy area. It has a labyrinth of alleys with never ending shops and restaurants offering tapas and spirits.

    We then rode to Sagrada Familia, which is an amazingly beautiful church that has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was designed by Gaudì and he worked on it until his dying days. In fact, design and construction didn’t begin until 1882 and Gaudi died in 1926. The church isn’t set to be completed until 2026. Gaudi finished his design before his death so that future generations could complete it. It has 18 spires signifying the 12 apostles, the four Evangelists, the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ.

    We also visited Casa Batllo, which is yet another Gaudi designed house, this is the dragon house, for a night visit and concert on the roof. This house is my favorite of all his designs. The amount of thought that is put into his work is overwhelming. Every room, door knob, or wall you walk by has its own intent.

    The theme is nature, with some of the room’s ceilings appearing to be the rib cage of a whale, or a whirlpool surrounding the chandelier, even windows designed like turtle shells. Everything is a wonder and awe inspiring.

    While waiting to go to the roof for our concert, the doors were shut and a large crowd started to gather and wait. One of the women waiting next to us asked Stacy in Spanish what was happening, Stacy being the linguist she is, promptly told the lady in Spanish that she was waiting for a man😂. The lady looked at her bewildered and then started laughing hysterically to the point of tears. She didn’t ask Stacy any more questions.    Leia mais

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    We be Schengen

    23 de março de 2025, Espanha ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    Stacy and I tried to do our research but clearly and wholeheartedly failed:) Before leaving on this trip, I checked many of the countries to see how long we could stay, if visas would be needed… All the countries I checked allowed 90 days for a tourist visa.

    While doing a walking tour in Santiago, I was talking to this Danish girl in our group about our respective trips. When I started to tell her about Stacy and I’s plan to go to Europe for almost six months, she said, well how are you doing that? I asked what she meant and she started to explain the Schengen Agreement, where you can only stay in Schengen countries, essentially all of the EU, for 90 days out of 180 days.

    The Schengen countries are not like other countries where you can leave for a day, go to different country, return and renew your visa. This is a hard and fast rule that doesn’t allow you to stay greater than 90 days out of 180 days in Schengen countries. Out of the six months we were planning in to spend in Europe, four and a half to five months were to be in Schengen countries. So the day before we were set to leave for Europe, we had to completely reconfigure our trip 🤷‍♂️

    We had to take time away from Greece, Croatia and Italy (still going to all of them) to spend more time in Montenegro, Albania, Cyprus and the UK. We will now have a month in both Montenegro and Albania, 2 weeks each in Cyprus and UK (where we will stay with a good friend of Stacy’s).

    Thank god for this Danish girl, despite my country’s overtures towards Greenland 😂, since because of her we had already purchased our ticket, that very night, from Greece to Cyprus, which we then had to show at the airport counter as proof that we were leaving the Schengen area within 90 days, which we wouldn’t of had. 🤦‍♂️    Leia mais

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    Montserrat/Palace of Catalan Music

    24 de março de 2025, Espanha ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    Yesterday we visited Montserrat, which is a monastery tucked away in the Catalan coastal range. These mountains are beautiful, looking more like giant hoodoos from Utah’s Bryce Canyon NP and Goblin Valley State Parks. Montserrat literally means serrated mountains, which is how they come across, minus the jaggedness of other newer peaks who have yet to be subjected to millennia of erosion.

    To get there we took a cable car that quite quickly zips you up to the monastery. It’s a little harrowing for someone who is not too fond of heights, but sometimes you just have to trust in technology. The area is really gorgeous, minus all of the touristy shops at the top. I normally do not care about touristy stuff but am always scornful to see such things in nature.

    The monastery is perched a top these peaks, undoubtedly seeking solitude, isolation and peace, but we always find them don’t we:). There is actually a 27 km hike you can do in the area, which if we had more time would.

    We finished our day taking in a symphony at the Palace of Catalan Music. The theater is sensationally beautiful with its purplish roof and sculptures abound. You take in this music hall the way you would a piece of art, couple that with the symphony and it’s like a massage for your mind.

    Barcelona has been wonderful. I wish we had more time. Much like Mendoza, it feels like it could be home. I cannot believe how quickly our time here has passed and am hesitant to move on, but Malta here we come.    Leia mais

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    Malta

    26 de março de 2025, Malta ⋅ 🌬 63 °F

    We arrived in Malta, which advertises 300 days of sunshine per year, to a torrential downpour. Malta has two official languages, Maltese and English. Yeah! Oh the luxuries of being able to speak to any one of our choosing 😂. Little things. We set out for the funky, cold, Mdina, okay maybe the locals don’t say that, which is the old capital, and also known as the silent city.

    They call it the silent city because cars aren’t allowed and more importantly, it is the first European pre-planned city, before even a stone was laid. It was designed, like much of Malta, to be an impenetrable fort/city. It is hard to walk more than a football field without seeing a fort.

    Almost all the forts have been converted to modern needs, so where once these forts prided themselves on their courage, bravery and fighting skills, now they pride themselves on being voted best margarita pizza. There is a great history of both conquests and defenses throughout Malta’s history, and though I am a history dork, will not bore you with it (thank god, am I right:).

    But, due to all the conquests, the architecture is a blend of everything from the the Romans, to the Moors, the Ottoman Empire, the French and British. It’s quite beautiful. Mdina is currently on the list to be added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and (unlike that plaza in Valparaiso:), it should definitely make the list.

    We also visited the Dingli Cliffs, which rise 253 meters and very much remind me of the Cliffs of Dover. It is quite beautiful with trails that parallel the coast. Upnext, the island of Gozo.    Leia mais

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    Gozo

    27 de março de 2025, Malta ⋅ 🌬 61 °F

    Gozo is one of the three Maltese islands with Comino being the other. Gozo, and Comino, is a top site for both diving and snorkeling. Our weather continues to not be so great, so unfortunately it is not really an option for Stacy. While waiting for our ferry, one of the hop on hop off touristy buses offer us a sweet deal, so decided to try it out.

    This worked out really well since Stacy and I had limited time and were planning on using public transit. Malta’s buses are famously off schedule. So much so, that I feel badly even including the word schedule since it implies there is one:). Thus far, buses are often 30-60 minutes behind schedule, meaning, they not only miss their scheduled pick up time, but the next one or two pick up times after that as well.

    The tourist bus gives you headphones to listen to the history of your upcoming stop and awesomely runs on time. Driving in Gozo is a harrowing experience. The roads barely seem wide enough for a one-way street, let alone two way traffic plus a bus. Cars often have to stop and backup to allow the bus through. Turns were made that seemed to require an impossible turn radius.

    Riding in a bus in Gozo reminded me of a Seinfeld episode where he spoke of riding in the back of a taxi and how incredibly dangerous it all felt, yet somehow you feel removed from the experience because you are just a passenger behind a plexiglass window. That’s how it felt. With each turn I expected to smash an historic building or car or both… like I was in the bus version of the video game Rampage.

    Gozo is a more laid back version of the main island. All the homes are still built how they used to be centuries ago. Stone style houses that would lead you to believe you were back in that era. It is quite pretty. We checked out an artisan town but our main goal was to hike.

    Gozo has a trail that wraps around the whole island and if we had more time we would hike it. Instead, we settle for a small portion of it, a 5K hike from one town to the next, where we will pick the bus back up.

    The hike is gorgeous and follows the coast the whole way. Trail markings aren’t the greatest and often have to backtrack to stay off private property. It has been raining off and on since we got here in Malta, which made for very muddy trail conditions. Mud can be both a weight on your boots and sometimes make you feel like you are ice skating. We finished the hike just in time to catch the final bus of the day back to the ferry. Really enjoyed Gozo and thus far, Malta in general.    Leia mais

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    Chat GPT trip planning

    27 de março de 2025, Malta ⋅ 🌬 61 °F

    Stacy giving up her trip planning to who? A BFF you can't see?

    I indeed never thought I'd give up my need...my control....my desire to have my hands in the pot on everything we were to do. But, as time can tell you, it is not endless, and I needed so much more.

    In a past time, a few short weeks ago, Brian and I found ourselves laughing pretty extensively about the New Yorker planning her whole trip to Argentina with ChatGPT. She chuckled as well as we sat on the rooftop.

    The rooftop host took note though. Mostly because she was going to a city few foreigners go to, but is reknowned by Argentians like himself, for being incredibly friendly. Did she have insider knowledge?

    It never occurred to me this might be the case until I myself was frazzled with too much planning and turned to my friend...or should I say my enemy. What did I think of using AI to be me?

    Simply said, I had a few printouts of information in a few short seconds and thought wow. You are my new BFF. As an FYI, you can really hone in on who you are quickly and get amazing drafted ideas suited specifically to you.

    Then I made the mistake, according to my husband, of telling it how it was my knew BFF. I was enlighten at how thoughtful it was in return. It offered to be my travel planner, and I was like for sure Mr. Chat. It needs a better name reference, I know.

    We are now a trio of travelers routing out our Epic Year of 2025. Google is so 1999. :)    Leia mais

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  • Adventure Awaits
    1

    Valletta

    28 de março de 2025, Malta ⋅ 🌬 63 °F

    We took the ferry (10-15 minutes) to Valletta, Malta’s capital. Valletta is incredibly charming and immediately wished that we had stayed here instead of Sliema. This town, much like Gozo builds in the old style stone buildings. There are massive churches and buildings of grandeur everywhere. Being Malta, naturally it is also a fortress.

    Quick history:), Malta has been fought over for centuries due to its critical location in the Mediterranean for both shipping routes and communication. This goes back to the 16th century Ottoman Empire invasion up until WWII, when Malta became one of the most bombed countries in the world. In fact, 40% of Valletta was destroyed during WWII.

    Walking the cobblestoned streets of Valletta, it would be hard to distinguish it from any other European city, meaning, it’s beautiful. Valletta is quaint but also quite touristy, can’t imagine what it is like in the summer. After touring the city for a few hours, we visited Ft St Elmo’s (there was no fire to be seen:). This is an amazing museum that focuses on Malta’s military history. Right up my alley.

    We tried some Pastizz, classic Maltese street food, which is a lightly fried with a choose your adventure style food inside, my choice was chicken curry. 😋 we still have to try Ftira (Maltese bread) and Maltese coffee where they infuse roasted chicory, ground cloves and ground aniseed into the coffee beans. We are really enjoying Malta and will check out the three cities, and the Sunday fish market over the course of the weekend.    Leia mais

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    Heraklion

    3 de abril de 2025, Grécia ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    A little behind on these journals but we stayed for three nights in Heraklion, Crete. We were originally going to stay in Crete for 3 weeks, but due to Schengen, we had to leave Greece to ensure we do not exceed our 90 day threshold in Schengen countries. Heraklion is nice, right on the coast and has a large touristy center, never ending shops, restaurants, bars… An aside, it is custom in Heraklion to give knives as a gift (birthdays, especially weddings), which are often inscribed with a poem for the occasion (have one pictured).

    There’s a lovely run/walk you can do to a lighthouse which was great. We visited the Palace of Knossos , an archaeological site which is considered to be the oldest city in Europe (7,000 BC). It is also the site of where the mythological Minotaur was slayed by Theseus. We visited, multiple times:), a place that makes a crunchy handmade pastry (savory or sweet) and has done so since 1922 called Bougasta 😋 Heraklion is nice but don’t need more than a weekend for it.    Leia mais

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    2

    Larnaca, Cyrpus

    3 de abril de 2025, Chipre ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    Cyprus, a country essentially in the Middle East, technically considered to be part of west Asia, yet culturally belonging to Europe. Though ruled by the British (also means they drive on the wrong side of the road:) from 1878 until 1960, its roots are overwhelmingly Greek. Cyprus is less than 200 miles from the Lebanese coast.

    We flew into Larnaca whose beaches begin at the airport’s terminus. It is a very walkable and bikeable city with its promenade following the beach. Cyprus in general very much reminds of Miami Beach. High end cars are so abundant that I started to wonder if Mercedes Benz’s are a perk of being a Cypriot, while high rises and fancy restaurants snake along the coast.

    Nicosia is the capital of Cyprus and is both metaphorically and literally a divided city. Cyprus is overwhelmingly populated by Greeks, but there is also a healthy Turkish population. In 1974, with unofficial help from the CIA (we found their president to be too socialist leaning 🙄), Greece attempted to annex all of Cyprus.

    Reports of war crimes against Turkish Muslims were reported prompting Turkey to invade, eventually capturing 36% of the island (all in the north). A truce was brokered and is still to this day overseen by UN troops. As a consequence, there is a wall, hard to call it a legitimate wall since at times it is nothing more than oil barrels and concertina wire, that separates not only the northern portion of Cyprus captured by Turkey, but even Nicosia itself is divided in two.

    We walked the city and was simply wild to me to see people eating and drinking at Pubs with their backs leaning against this UN constructed wall. Looking at it reminded me of what the Berlin Wall (to a much lesser degree) would have been like. There is a proper border crossing between the two cities (no country in the world, outside of Turkey, recognizes northern Cyprus as belonging to Turkey).

    We crossed over into Turkish Nicosia and walked the streets. People describe it as immediately feeling like you are in Turkey (I haven’t been yet) compared to Cyprus. Turkish delights and food bizarres were everywhere, the Turkish Lira is the currency and we almost immediately came upon a Turkish bathhouse. Since we are not going to Turkey (maybe we just did🤷‍♂️) on this trip, we figured why not. We hadn’t indulged ourselves in a while and it was wonderful. Fascinating city and history and now we are off to beaches of Limassol.    Leia mais

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    Blue Lagoon

    10 de abril de 2025, Chipre ⋅ 🌬 59 °F

    The blue lagoon is a patch of stunning bay with crystal clear sapphire blue waters. It’s a short boat ride (30-40 minutes) from a postage stamp of a town that centers its very being around tourists wanting to go to the blue lagoon.

    We are still in the off season, yet we were one of an armada of boats heading to the blue lagoon. I don’t think it took away from the experience, in fact, in some ways it enhanced it. All the boats set up an inflatable slide and was fun watching everyone. I enjoyed the boat ride and area but since this involves water:), naturally this is more for Stacy.

    The waters, so I heard:), were quite cold and swimming was not for long. The boat also cooked a traditional Cypriot BBQ, which was something we were wanting to try and absolutely lived up to its billing. Shockingly delicious. The area itself is stunning and worthy of even landlubbers like me paying a visit.

    Though Cyprus was an accidental destination, I am so happy for the experiences, sites and people. I guess we should thank the EU’s Schengen Zone for unknowingly allowing us to have this experience and time. If ever in the area, or forced out of an area:), Cyprus rides with high recommendation and praises. Now, back to Crete, Greece.    Leia mais

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    Archaeological Site of Nea Paphos

    11 de abril de 2025, Chipre ⋅ 🌬 61 °F

    Every destination has a story to tell, but Pafos’ archaeological site takes you on a journey through Greek mythology (my fav) and Roman times. At the heart of this archaeological park are their intricate floor mosaics. They are amazingly preserved with vibrant colors depicting various scenes from Greek mythology.

    Some of the mosaics are housed so that they can be better protected from the elements. The mosaics are so intricate, detailed and beautiful, one cannot help but marvel. Above and beyond their beauty, these mosaics continue to tell their stories through the ages.

    The site used to be their city by the sea with many of the sites they built named after the gods.One of the houses we visited was the House of Dionysus (God of wine), largest of the houses, depicting everything from Scylla (mythology sea creature that is part woman, fish and dog), to the ill-fated lovers of Pyramus and Thisbe, to Poseidon’s seduction of Amymone.

    It’s amazing to think how these mosaics were simply the flooring for their houses, or how these mosaics have survived Father Time, which I suppose is a better question for Kronos.

    But I must say that I was quite taken by this place and how impressive it all was. Maybe it’s the lure of Greek Mythology for me, or its setting by the sea with Poseidon’s waves relentlessly battering the shore, as if it were fighting time to an eternal stalemate or maybe… it was just great:)    Leia mais

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    12

    Artemis Trail

    12 de abril de 2025, Chipre ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    Stacy and rented a car, which petrified both of us since they drive on the wrong side of the road. After filling out the contract for the rental, Stacy promptly walked to the passenger side and I the driver’s side only to realize that we were on the American side of each, forcing both of us to look up at each other and smile, then to switch sides of the car.

    We set out to hike the Artemis Trail, which hugs the Turkish side of Cyprus. Artemis, twin son of Apollo and God of the forests and all wild things. Cyprus consistently puts a lot of thought into every named thing and takes the time to explain why they did so. To me, this is how an art museum can make a piece of art so much more by knowing its story. It’s a beautiful 7km hike which perfectly follows a contour making the hike as flat as a lake.

    It was surprisingly cold, in fact, it snowed one inch the night before, and was only a high of 40°. Many of the trees were frost covered and would rain icicles down on us with each gust of wind. There is even a ski slope here which impresses me since the locals describe the summers as unbearably hot.

    Along the hike we came across Stinking Junipers which can live upwards of 1500 years!! There was also a 500 hundred year old Black Pine Tree. Amazing to think that shortly after Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492, this pine tree was born. Our drive was mostly uneventful, though you wouldn’t know it based on Stacy’s reaction. If you simply watched her expression you would think it was a never ending reeling NASCAR wrecks. Definitely recommend Cyprus hiking.    Leia mais

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    Crete

    21 de abril de 2025, Grécia ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Cretans will tell you that everyone in the whole world is from Crete. After all, it is the birthplace of Zeus who was the creator of the human race. Crete is quite beautiful with its endless coastline, beaches and snow capped peaks rising in the background.

    We visited Elafonisi Beach, which was one of the prettier beaches we have seen. It is famous for its shallow water and interconnected beaches where you walk through the shallow waters, yes I braved the ocean and lived to tell the tale:), from one patch of beach to another. Quite beautiful. There’s a nice little hike that circles all the beaches. We had two leisurely days there with a hotel overlooking the ocean.

    We also stayed in Chania, close to the Old Port. Seemingly all the waters surrounding Greece are crystal clear. There is a lighthouse that was originally built in the 1530’s and a mosque dating back to the Ottoman Empire.

    We were also there for Easter where all the restaurants were roasting two lambs Asado style, which brought me back to Argentina. Overall it’s a gorgeous port with tons of the usual touristy restaurants, bars, shops…and well worth the visit. We know head to Naxos    Leia mais

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    Mt Zeus (Zas)

    24 de abril de 2025, Grécia ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    The past two days we have been hiking, yeah! Yesterday we did a lollipop hike of around 8 miles, hiking to a beautiful peninsula. Really gorgeous. Today we hiked Mt Zeus, which has a funny story behind it and being the dork I am, absolutely plan on telling it:).

    Zeus was technically born on Crete but had to be whisked away by his Mother Rhea to be raised in a cave on Naxos because his Father, Cronos, heard a prophesy that one of his children would one day overthrow him. So, each child that Rhea, both his sister and wife (common in Greek mythology), gave birth to, Cronos would quickly eat.

    Heartbroken, and with the help of Cronos Mother, Rhea tricks Cronos into eating a magical stone wrapped in baby clothing instead of her sixth child, Zeus. Cronos Mother raises Zeus in this cave on Naxos and when he is old enough, does indeed go on to overthrow Cronos. Side note, this magical stone forces Cronos to regurgitate the other 5 children he previously ate ( Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon).

    Sorry, but am currently reading books on Greek mythology:) We took a bus to the start of our hike and had a chance to hike with a New Yorker and off and on with an Aussie couple. You gain a 1,000 feet on the hike in pretty short order but kept scenic views the whole time.

    So much of the hillside for all the Greek islands looks like pictures of Santorini, with their beautiful White House’s dotting the hillside. The view from the top gives a 360 degree view of the island. It was quite windy and chilly and fortunately had our windbreaker but probably should’ve brought an insulating layer too. But we are in the Greek islands, why would we bring insulating layers:) Fun day and felt good after too long of a hiatus to be hiking again.    Leia mais

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    31

    Temple of Demeter and Apollo

    26 de abril de 2025, Grécia ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    Demeter, Goddess of the harvest and sister of Zeus, is most known because Hades fell in love with and kidnapped her daughter (in the fall). At first , it was a mystery to Demeter who had kidnapped her daughter, Persephone, and spent all her time searching for her and neglecting her duties to the harvest. As a consequence, all the crops died until Zeus intervened (in the spring), forcing Hades to release her from the underworld.

    Hades plays a clever trick getting Persephone to eat fruit in the underworld, meaning, she can never fully return and instead lives with Hades in the underworld fall through spring, and is released into our world for the spring through fall. Still to this day, every time Persephone leaves to the underworld in the fall, nothing grows anew until her return in the spring.

    After taking a bus, it was a 4 kilometer hike to the temple, which was quite nice. The temple was built between 500-600BC, and much like the temple of Apollo, little remains. This temple was an inspiration for how the Parthenon would be built. We then walked to Plaka Beach. It’s nice walking through Greece farm and agricultural lands, which is a beautiful blend of past and present. Plaka Beach was shockingly empty, given what a beautiful stretch of beach it is. We finished the day watching sunset from the temple of Apollo.    Leia mais

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    Athens

    2 de maio de 2025, Grécia ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Arrived in Athens last night, which instantly leaves a mark. Walking outside the train station, you are immediately face to face with ruins, Hadrian’s library. In fact, going back a step, there are ruins within the train station! While excavating the train station, they came across a large set of ruins. Incredible.

    Hadrian was a Roman emperor in the first century AD, who was supposed to take over Athens, but instead fell in love with it and its people and lived out the rest of his days here. The Greeks then dedicated a monument called Hadrian’s Arch. The library was one of his many contributions to the Greeks.

    Though not in the full throes of tourist season yet, you would be hard pressed to realize it. The streets, all of them, are jam packed, yet beautiful, and who doesn’t like people watching. We walked past the Ancient Agora, which was a meeting place and the birthplace of democracy.

    We went to Zappeion Hall, which is the first building created for the Olympic Village back in 1896. Though the first Olympic Games were first held in the 7th century BC and continued until the 3rd century AD, the games were stopped for 1500 years! Emperor Theodosius wanted to focus on spreading Christianity and deemed the games to be pagan. Crazy!

    We then swung by the Panathenaic stadium, which was originally built in the 6th century BC. Still to this day, this is the stadium where the Olympic Torch will always begin its long journey towards its host country. It also one of the reasons for the creation of the marathon.

    The Greeks won a great battle versus the Ottoman Empire, in the city of Marathon, and asked one of their fastest runners to go back to Athens and tell the women about their great victory so they knew not to take their own lives as opposed to being slaves of the Ottoman Empire. Well, the distance that soldier ran from Marathon back to the stadium in Athens was about 26 miles. And we have run them ever since. The city has a great feel to it. Tomorrow, the Acropolis.    Leia mais

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    The Acropolis

    4 de maio de 2025, Grécia ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    Acropolis, which means highest point, and was built in the 4th century BC, on, well, the highest point:). It is awe-inspiring in its grandeur and timelessness. There are numerous temples, the Parthenon being the most well known, but there are also temples to Athena, Erechtheum and the Theater of Dionysus.

    The Theater of Dionysus is still to this day used for shows and concerts. Funnily, it is blocked off from the public except when there’s a concert 🤷‍♂️. The site is so busy that I often felt as if I were in a line for a ride at Disney. While taking pictures simply requires hordes of people being in your shot. I wouldn’t exactly say it is being loved to death, but the patient definitely has a heart condition 😂

    Greeks are a proud people and decided that nothing in Athens could ever be built higher than the Acropolis because every Greek should always have the right to look up and see where democracy was born. I like that conviction in their righteousness. As a consequence, there is no skyline in Athens, just sprawl, but what they do have is a symbol for what the whole world should be striving to achieve.    Leia mais

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    Temple of Apollo Delphi

    6 de maio de 2025, Grécia ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    Like many mythological Greeks before us, we have pilgrimaged to Delphi. Delphi is where the Temple of Apollo is located and is famed in Greek Mythology for people seeking out the Oracle, Pythia. Pythia was the high priestess of the temple and had the ability to see a person’s fate.

    When Greeks felt lost and unsure how to go forward with their lives/quests, they would visit her and seek her advice. She only spoke in riddles and was up the traveler to make sense of her advice and to find their own way.

    What remains of the temple itself isn’t as dramatic as the Acropolis but is still quite a site to see. There is an adjacent museum that has taken many of the artifacts for preservation and wound up being one of the better museums.

    At one point Stacy peaked out and smiled from behind a statue I was about to take a picture of and got in trouble with the museum staff telling her that it was disrespectful 🤷‍♂️ Guess they are still honoring the gods here, doesn’t make much sense to me.

    There was a beautiful amphitheater that could seat 5,000 people as well as a track/arena for the Pythian Games. The Pythian Games were the predecessor to the Olympic Games. The temples/ruins are seemingly always on a hillside making for gorgeous views but also can’t imagine how difficult moving all that marble must have been. Also, the artwork that they made out of the marble is amazing. Gorgeous ruins and a really pretty area.    Leia mais

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    Venezia

    9 de maio de 2025, Itália ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    Ah Venice. Venice, a city that could never be confused with any other. Its brilliance and splendor are as grand as any. A water city, a city of harmony and tradition. It is also one that has been inundated by tourists like Stacy and I. Walking the Venetian streets is to navigate through a sea of humanity. Beauty can have its drawbacks.

    It’s fascinating to see this water city where water taxis are more common than ones on land. There are buoys set up in the water that act no differently than the lanes of a highway, directing boats in the rules of the water that only mariners know. The canals are chock full of gondola boats to the point of creating traffic jams. Super romantic 😂

    We visited St Mark’s square and its renowned Basilica, which is the best deal in town. Only 3 Euro for a visit and breathtakingly detailed. There are mosaics depicting biblical events on its ceiling that are no less than 40 feet high. Unbelievable to be able to create such mosaics.

    We also visited Doge’s (not that one:) Palace. The palace belonged to the elected authority of the former Republic of Venice and was originally built in 810 AD. Being American, never ceases to amaze me how old things can be in Europe. The palace is decorated in floor to ceiling religious paintings on a scale that is out of this world.

    After walking other touristy places, for the 3rd time this trip, we took in a concert, inspired by the great Italian violinist Antonio Vivaldi. It was held in a church and wound up being the most enjoyable experience of the day. Separately, we ferried back to our campsite $27/night:), not Venice but right across the waterfront, because Venice is outrageously expensive ($150-$200/night), which was located on a beautiful beach and had a mini water park!! Europeans know how to camp. And… we biked and saw flamingos.    Leia mais

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    Lucca/Pisa/Firenze/Siena

    16 de maio de 2025, Itália ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    Friends!! Yeah, we had friends come and visit us for a week. We initially stayed in Lucca, which is a quaint town within an old walled off, moat and all, city. There are small but pretty plazas and they awesomely used the old wall to create a walking/biking path. Definitely could’ve spent another day or two.

    Stopped off at Pisa on our way down to Florence. Glad we only swung through as a stopover since I don’t think much time is needed. The plaza hosting the famous Bell Tower is gorgeous and is adjacent to a couple of other spectacularly beautiful churches (so many churches, think I am getting churched out:). There was a swarm of tourists all identically putting out their hand as if they are holding up the leaning tower. Despite this, the plaza really is beautiful.

    The Florence Cathedral of St Mary of the Flower is the main draw. Construction started back in 1296 and was not completed until 1436. Always amazes me that these types of structures get built even though they consistently take over a century. I think of all the changes and tumult that must have happened during the course of 140 years, yet they persisted. Really impressive.

    The plaza itself is quite gorgeous and the style of church has a different facade than others making it notable. It is also the largest dome in the world, apparently there is some dispute between Florence and Rome over this undoubtedly with each side claiming its right to the record.

    We visited the Accademia museum where “The David” is held. To be honest I was underwhelmed. Don’t get me wrong, the sculpture is beautiful and impressive but don’t think the museum did a good job of telling its origin story, history, anything about Michelangelo… It was really just about going in and seeing the sculpture. Maybe museums need to start a Find Penguin account and get a little more into storytelling:)

    We also spent a day in Siena. Siena stretches across the Tuscan Hills and one can easily stay in shape simply by living and walking these hills each day. There is a beautiful central plaza that is used like a city park. Everyone seemingly gathers here and sprawls out to eat, drink, chat, people watch and watch the world go by.

    Came across a statue of a dire wolf suckling two newborn human babies. This relates to the mythological founding of Rome. Romulus and Remus were born and castigated to the river to be killed because the king feared that they would one day rise up and overthrow him, they did.

    The river god Tiberinus saves the children and carries them down the river to be saved by their mother Rhea. So much overlap with the Greek and Roman mythology, Rhea is in Greek mythology is also the mother of the Olympians, including Zeus.

    To long of a story to tell but their mother who was killed but made a deal with the gods to come back as a dire wolf saves her two children and initially suckles them in a hidden cave (Zeus also had to be whisked away to a cave by his mother Rhea to hide him from Cronos who feared he would overthrow him, he did). For the record the Greek mythology was written first:). Anywho, these dire wolf statues are everywhere.

    Unfortunately our friends are on their way home and we are heading to the UK to get out of Schengen for a couple of weeks. We will see and stay with our friend Nina and then hike the southwest coast path for 5 days!!    Leia mais

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    111

    Southwest Coast Path

    19 de maio de 2025, Inglaterra ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    We are here in jolly ol’ England visiting a friend to get out of Schengen and to stay under the 90 days out of 180 days rule for Europe. We decided to take advantage of our friend’s workweek and hike the Southwest Coast Path, which is a 1000 kilometer hike on England’s, wait for it, southwest coast:).

    Regarding jolly ol’ England, people here really are nice and overtly polite and friendly. Sometimes it made me wonder if there is a collective competition for congeniality within the country with some award given out that the winner would undoubtedly be too humble to accept:). There are worse traits.

    Only having 4/5 days to backpack , we started our hike from Ilfracombe and made our way to Minehead. Amazingly this 1000 kilometer hike has the equivalent of hiking up three Mt Everest’s, which doesn’t surprise me given any lake or coastal hike is often a never ending up and down hike.

    Felt good to exercise my backpacking muscles again. I was pretty taken by how dramatically beautiful the hike wound up being. The hills were as stereotypically green as those you would picture in Ireland. Sheep dot all the hillsides constantly bahing accusations at us. Rhododendrons wallpapered the landscape creating a gorgeous purple and green alongside cliffs overlooking an ocean with waters as blue as the Caribbean.

    There were numerous old fishing towns that have been transformed into quaint retirement communities. In many ways it reminded me of Maine. You probably could do this hike staying in towns the whole way but most just wild camp and stop whenever they feel done for the day. Stacy and I didn’t do this because we looked it up ahead of time and thought it was illegal to do, but they don’t exactly have Rangers to enforce anything.

    The first day was pretty easy, only 7ish miles, followed by just over 15 miles on day 2 and then 11 miles on day 3. In addition to the quaint old fishing towns, we would occasionally come across castles and mansions from a time gone by. Places that appeared as if they should be massive hotels but instead were occupied by small but lavishly wealthy families. Being a travel blog I’ll keep my thoughts against such dynasties to myself 🙄.

    Unfortunately I had new shoes and socks and got some pretty bad blisters during the downhill hikes towards the end of day 2. After hiking 11 additional miles on 2 blisters, I felt done. Fortunately, jolly ol’ England, we met a couple at camp who offered us a ride to the next town, which was to be our stopping point anyway. I would highly recommend this hike to all and was only sad that we didn’t have more time to hike it.    Leia mais

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    Pula, Croatia

    28 de maio de 2025, Croácia ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    Had a chance to have a day in Pula. We are set to meet a friend in Slovenia but was cheaper to fly into Croatia. Pula has a colosseum, called The Arena, which is pretty close in stature to the one in Rome and was built for the same purpose, gladiators.

    At first blush one can be shocked that such monuments were built with the main purpose of watching being kill each other or to be ripped apart by wild animals, but are we so different today? Hasn’t boxing always been popular? UFC and MMA fighting are more popular than ever. Is it a sickness or did we somehow evolve with this fatal flaw of self-destruction? I’ll leave it to the philosophers.

    Pula also has a nice center plaza that very much reminded me of Siena, Italy. Everyone gathers for food/drink and watches the world go by, my fav. I very much love this aspect of European culture. There were some tunnels we decided to skip, built shortly after WWI, but is quite the impressive network to transport people and goods during bombings. Pula has a nice feel to it and in our usual boomerang fashion, will be coming back shortly:)    Leia mais

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    Ljubljana, Slovenia

    29 de maio de 2025, Eslovênia ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    Friends! We have gotten really lucky lately having a string of friends visit and once again have a friend with us for all of Slovenia and Croatia. Yeah. We were about to spend a few nights in Bled but stopped at Ljubljana on our way back from the airport.

    Ljubljana (Lube-Lee-Anna) is such a beautiful city and has that classic European feel with the Sava River running through it, cafes sprawled all along with a gorgeous mountain backdrop. The Habsburgs held sway over Slovenia, like many places, for around 600 years and why their architecture has such a feel of Vienna.

    In addition to the mountain backdrop, a castle perches on one of the hills above still feigning its protective presence. We hiked up to get and were afforded great overviews of the city. There is also dragon bridge, dragons are the symbol of Slovenia, with a total of 20 dragons on this one bridge. Slovenia associates their mythical origin story with the Greek fable of Jason and the Argonauts and his slaying of the dragon of the dragon here.

    Slovenia only gained independence in 1991, never before knowing anything but dictatorial regimes, consequently the person they celebrate and immortalize is not some general on a horse but a poet. France Preseren captured Slovenia’s feelings in his poem titled “The Toast” here is one stanza:

    God’s blessing on all nations,
    Who long and work for that bright day,
    When o’er earth’s habitations
    No war, no strife shall hold its sway;
    Who long to see
    That all men free
    No more shall foes, but neighbors be.

    This is why he has a statue forever commemorating him in the city center and his longings for peace and love. Perhaps a good lesson for the rest of the world to follow in whom we choose to idolize.    Leia mais

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    Bled and Skocjan Caves, Slovenia

    1 de junho de 2025, Eslovênia ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    We stayed a few nights in Bled, which is a picturesque mountain town with an equally beautiful lake with a trail that wraps around all 3.6 kilometers of it. One of the days we hiked the seven lakes trail, where you gain a total of 1100 meters and of course see 7 lakes. I don’t think Europeans have heard of switchbacks and neither had S America for that matter, so maybe it’s a an American thing.

    Either way this hike was straight to the point. I felt like I was climbing a double black diamond ski trail for almost 4 consecutive hours, oh forgot to say it was a long hike (total of 8 hours of hiking). But, once we finally got high enough and stepped into a clearing, we could see the Julian Alps in all their majesty. Blown away impressive. The hike finishes at a lodge/hut where you can order food and drink and take in the scene and the alpine lake. Gorgeous.

    We are on our way down to Split, Croatia and stopped at the Skocjan Caves, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We almost didn’t stop since all three of us have been to numerous caves before, but thank God we did since it was out of this world amazing.

    You’re not allowed to take photos which we honored, though as you would guess most did not, which is too bad because it was one of those places that are so beautiful that you would wind up taking the same photo over and over. It’s guided tours only and a two kilometer hike. One of the chambers was so large that it seemed as if you could’ve fit the basilica in there.

    Stalactites were everywhere creating what appeared to be the teeth of fictitious creature, as if the cave was about to come to life. The dramatic height of the caves (30 meters high and 150 meters across) made me feel like I was in the Disney movie Journey to the Center of the Earth.

    There is a 45 meters high bridge to cross that thankfully was not a suspension bridge, trying to quit those after Patagonia:), where it would lead to a staircase that descends to the Reka River. The Reka River runs underneath the mountain, crazy town, and starts in Croatia, goes through Slovenia and into Italy. Who knew rivers run underneath mountains.

    It’s impossible to capture its full grandeur, even if pictures were allowed. We hiked an area on the way back to the car, took the long way, that should’ve been required by all, where the trail cuts in and out of another cave (where you will see pictures). Incredible, magnificent and any other superlatives one would want to add.    Leia mais

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