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Why Not

December 2024 - September 2025
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Let’s go for an adventure she said. He agreed. She planned. They went. The world became....worldly. Nine months. One main goal. Exploring. Read more
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  • Cyprus
  • Greece
  • Malta
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  • Why Not
    11
    Day 105

    Artemis Trail

    April 12 in Cyprus ⋅ ☀️ 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.    Read more

  • Why Not
    Day 104

    Archaeological Site of Nea Paphos

    April 11 in Cyprus ⋅ 🌬 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:)    Read more

  • Why Not
    Day 103

    Blue Lagoon

    April 10 in Cyprus ⋅ 🌬 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.    Read more

  • Why Not
    2
    Day 96

    Larnaca, Cyrpus

    April 3 in Cyprus ⋅ ☁️ 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.    Read more

  • Why Not
    Day 96

    Heraklion

    April 3 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 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.    Read more

  • Why Not
    1
    Day 90

    Valletta

    March 28 in 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.    Read more

  • Why Not
    Day 89

    Chat GPT trip planning

    March 27 in 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. :)    Read more

  • Why Not
    Day 89

    Gozo

    March 27 in 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.    Read more

  • Why Not
    Day 88

    Malta

    March 26 in 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.    Read more

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