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R&L’s Excellent Adventure
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R&L’s Excellent Adventure

A 30-day adventure by Adventure thru the Lens Read more
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  • Trip start
    June 9, 2016
    Adventure thru the LensR&L’s Excellent AdventureAdventure thru the Lens

    10 Days & Counting...

    June 9, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    As Rebecca finished sharing her plans for an Eastern European vacation, Lana responds “I wanna go”
    And here we go…

    Planes, trains & automobiles… Oh my! Our departure is near, June 19th – Father’s Day

    New carryon luggage purchased –  (can we really live out of one small case for 3 weeks?)
    Travel size necessities ready – 
    Apps downloaded (Google Translate, Tourist Eye, Tripwise, Uber, Currency Exchange & AirB&B) – 
    Flights(11), trains(2), rental car(1), bus(1) booked & confirmed –  (thank you Lana)
    Lodging AirB&B rooms, Belgrade penthouse, island cabana & a castle reserved –  (my job)
    New Shoes purchased & broken in – ½  (Lana)

    Our initial (and final) stop, Copenhagen, will be a favorite I’m sure!
    From there we’ll visit:
    Gdansk, Poland
    Prague, Czech Republic
    Ljubljana, Slovenia
    Sarajevo, Bosnia
    Mostar, Bosnia (Adriatic Coast)
    Belgrade, Serbia
    Bucharest, Romania (Dracula’s Castle)

    We thought it might be fun to share our journey with you. Of course, we’ll also be posting pix on Facebook. Rebecca & Lana    Read more

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    Lana's Photography Challenge

    June 12, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    Just in case you haven’t heard the squeals of excitement coming from Baltimore & Wichita, in 6 DAYS Rebecca & I will embark on our exciting adventure in Eastern Europe. Since we are traveling light with just one carry-on each, I (Lana) decided to leave 10lbs of camera gear at home and document our adventure with just a cell phone. For a photographer, that’s a pretty scary proposition. I mean really, could I live with myself if I left my beloved Canon 50D at home with all of those lovely lenses? I’ve been told the best camera is the one you have with you. After much soul searching and relentless hours of research, I decided to accept the challenge of photographing our adventure with my new Samsung Galaxy S7. Of course what self-respecting photographer wouldn’t want the flexibility multiple lenses can bring to capturing those amazing moments? So I found a way to add a little variety to my shots and still feel like a real photographer: Lens for Cell Phones! Yes, I know so much for simplicity but I can’t help myself. Stay tuned for what I hope will be some great shots and I can only hope that Rebecca doesn’t leave me behind while I’m trying to capture them. Ha!! Ha!!Read more

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    Chicago!! Stage 1 R&L's Adventure

    June 19, 2016 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 82 °F

    8hrs in O'Hara or a sightseeing tour on the river? Love the history, skyline & architecture. The iconic tower landmark, now owned by the Willis Group may be spelled W-I-L-L-I-S, but it is pronounced 'Sears'. Next up we'll see you from Copenhagen.Read more

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    R&L's Adventure: Malmo, Sweden

    June 20, 2016 in Sweden ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    Upon arriving in Copenhagen, Denmark we knew we had a few hours to kill before we could go to our room. We decided to add another country to the list. Sweden! Just a hop over the strait. We took the train over the Oresund bridge. But now we are so tired we can't think straight let alone spell correctly for a silly travel blog. I refuse to believe we're too old to go nearly 36hrs with only 2-4 hrs of sleep. Hee! Hee!Read more

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    R&L's Adventure: Copenhagen

    June 21, 2016 in Denmark ⋅ 🌙 57 °F

    A day in Copenhagen. Drifting down the harbor & canals was the perfect introduction to this vibrant city. Certainly less stressful than strolling, where one must always be on the lookout for cyclist which are almost as numerous as cars. A lovely outdoor cafe for lunch before visiting Christiana, a squatters heaven turned hippie/artist community. Evidently, while selling marijuana is illegal, no one really enforces it. So, in Christiania there are guys wearing bandanas & masks selling it in with all of the artist goods. By the way, there are signs everywhere stating "NO PHOTOS". We only got a shot of the entrance. Idea to transplant to US, outdoor cafes provide blankets!! Rebecca's normally great sense of direction failed today, will ahopefully, be restored tomorrow. We are forever greatful to kind strangers. Next up: Gdank Poland.Read more

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    R&L's Adventure: Gdansk, Poland

    June 22, 2016 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Our adventure seemed a little dubious upon arriving in Gdansk. The atm gave us problems at the airport. The bus ticket machine was cranky and old. Then crammed in a packed bus on a long, slow ride into the city, unsure if we'd recognize our stop, we began to think maybe we should have skipped this city. Then we found the street we were staying & actually began screaming because it was so incredible. We met our wonderful host's mother whose family has lived in the apartment since the reconstruction after WWII. We had a chance to wonder around the area until we met up with Rebecca's friend Anita. I'm sure we were quite the sight as we exclaimed after every turn of a corner how incredibly amazing this city is. This area is full of street artists & musicians giving it a magical atmosphere especially after dark. In fact, our apartment actually overlooks the main street. We were so busy looking down at the street we didn't even notice the huge clock tower directly in front of us until the bells started ringing. We will be sad to leave this wonderful place tomorrow but onward we must go. Next up... PragueRead more

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    R&L's Adventure: Prague, Czech Republic

    June 24, 2016 in Czech Republic ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Oh Prague! What a beautiful city! The evening view of the palace from the Charles Bridge is breathtaking. With a mere 24 hours in Prague, we were thrilled to find our lodgings only a 10min walk to the action with gorgeous window views. As we walked to the city center we remarked on the number of people out & about. We were slightly taken aback as the number of people steadily increased. At one point we stopped to see what everyone was crowded around looking at and lo & behold, the philharmonic orchestra was playing as we passed over a bridge. The masses of tourists were just crazy! After a night's sleep we set out to tackled it during the day. After an extremely hot uphill walk thru the masses, we arrived at Prague Castle. We looked, we saw, we hired a vintage car to take us the rest of the way around the city. Fighting the throngs of people, or as we said thongs of people who creep up where you don't want them, was not what we were in the mood to deal with. The car tour thru the city including the jewish quarter was exhilarating. We found it interesting that apparently, it's a growing trend in Asia to go to Prague to get married. We saw several brides braving the heat & humidity in full wedding gowns wallking around followed by photographers lugging cases of equipment. And the photographer in Lana could see why. Even the geometric designs on all of the sidewalks & old world water fountains are picturesque. What's next on our whirlwind tour? Ljubljana, SloveniaRead more

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    R&L's Adventure: Lake Bled, Slovenia

    June 25, 2016 in Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    We arrived in Ljubljana, Slovenia as the sun was setting and a little tired after a day spent in airports. We made our way to our lodgings via a shuttle courtesy of our host. We dropped off our bags and made our way to the lively riverside area. Just as we sat down for dinner we were startled by fireworks. It seems we arrived just in time for the Slovenian Independence celebration. We had no idea this was supposed to happen. How cool is that? After a late night enjoying the celebrations, we got a late start to our day. We decided to take the bus to see Lake Bled. The misty overcast lent a very magical & ethereal feeling to the lake. It was so beautiful and peaceful to stroll around the shore gazing at the church rising from the island in the middle of the lake surrounded by the mountains of the Julian Alps. Bled castle rising from the sheer cliffs around the lake stood watch over the scene. Majestic swans floated leisurely by. We much enjoyed the relaxed day. Tomorrow? We'll explore more of Ljubljana then off to Sarajevo!Read more

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    R&L's Adventure: Ljubljana, Slovenia

    June 26, 2016 in Slovenia ⋅ 🌧 68 °F

    Goodbye Ljubljana! We have enjoyed meeting you! The small capital city of Slovenia oozes old world charm. While we are looking forward to the next stop in our adventure, we will miss the slower laid back nature of Ljubljana. This morning we had breakfast while gazing up the hill to Ljubljana Castle. We strolled along the river & city square, we encountering both a flea market and farmers market. The river meanders thru the city center with both banks linked by multiple bridges such as Triple Bridge & Dragon Bridge. Triple Bridge links 3 side streets to the city square across the river. After a quick thank you to our lovely host, Nina, onward we go. Sarajevo!!!Read more

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    2 Wild & Crazy Gals - Sarajevo

    June 26, 2016 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    Why Sarajevo? Because we can. Because it's fun to go somewhere you never thought you'd go. Upon arrival our Airbnb host, Azul, arranged a nice, affordable taxi to his apartment building. He was leaning out a window and greeted us pleasantly. Although his apartment was updated, modern and very clean, Lana & I kept giving each other sideways glances. Once alone, we quickly agreed this was not a neighborhood we would feel comfortable walking back to from dinner. But what do we do? Wait to leave once he's gone like thieves in the night? No. He seemed very nice. We caught him as he was about to depart & simply explained we needed to go to a hotel. It wasn't him, but we are at that stage in life where we must have AC (TMI). Azul was taken back, but composed nicely & drove us to a Marriott. A quick decision was necessary so we did not mind breaking our rule of staying in an American hotel. Oh, we felt better immediately! As it's Ramadan, we walked a few short blocks to old town. Delightful, bustling & fun. Not only were we hungry, but we needed to eat before 8:00 when all the locals finish fasting for the day & begin to celebrate. As we finish our last few bites, the sky darkens and a torrent of hail / rain deluged the city. And wouldn't you know it, the brand spanking new umbrella, purchased just this morning, is dry back at the Marriott.

    Tomorrow we'll write about our tour of the city and the post-fasting celebration we missed out on tonight. So many exciting and new things!!! Maybe visit a mosque, witness a city's call to prayer, tour the tunnels of hope used during the war and eat more baklava which will spoil all baklava for our foreseeable future!    Read more

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    Sarajevo's Roses

    June 27, 2016 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    We knew today's city tour would be subdued. It was a little overwhelming to see the effects of a war that was just 20yrs ago. This lively city has made great strides to recover from the atrocities committed here. The people are so postive & welcoming. It is easy to see how difficult it was during the 4 yr siege of Sarajevo. The city is surrounded by the Dinaric Alps making it impossible for the citizens to escape. Looking down the streets all you see on the horizon is mountains in every direction. In the slowest area to recover, sniper ally, there are still many buildings riddled with bullet holes. On those spots where a mortar took a human life, the locals filled in the dimples with red cement which they call Sarajevo Roses.

    After the tour, we treated ourselves to Sarajevo's best restaurant (per Azur) which did not disappoint and walked around old town enjoying an incredible mix of Eastern & Western cultures.    Read more

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    East Meets West in Sarejevo

    June 27, 2016 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    Sarajevo truly is where east meets west. If you stand on the center of the main street of the old town and look east you will see the typical buildings & mosques of the Ottoman Empire who ruled Sarajevo for hundreds of years. But then turn to the west and you will see the European influences from when the Austrians ruled the city. Talk about a split personality. Ha! Ha! But it made it pretty easy to tell where we were and we didn't get lost once! We were so excited to finally get a chance to see the Ramadan crowds after sunset. The old town really came to life. We joined right in enjoying the cool evening with dessert & coffee after our wonderful dinner. Good thing we're doing a lot of walking cause we're doing a lot of eating. We have had so much fun sampling all the local foods everywhere we've been. It's said that if you drink from the Bascarsija Fountain that you will return to Sarajevo. We didn't have a drink but we wouldn't mind coming back some day.Read more

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    A Journey Through Herzegovina

    June 28, 2016 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ 🌙 70 °F

    Welcome to Bosnia & Herzegovina! As our day in Sarajevo ended, we learned our plan of taking the train from Sarajevo to Mostar was not a possibility. It seems the train tracks are under construction. Uh! Oh! We asked the front desk of our hotel what the options were to get to Mostar. They suggested a bus that would make the 2 hrs trip in 3hrs. Yuck! Not what we had in mind! However, as we both went to our phones to figure out what to do, Rebecca connected with Sarajevo Funky Tours. We could get a private tour guide for the day to show us the sights along the way to Mostar as well as in Mostar and drop us at the end of the day. Done deal!!! Nadir picked us up at our hotel in the morning and off we went. We traveled through the beautiful Bosnian & Herzegovinian mountains and made stops at several places. First was the town of Konjic and it's georgeous ottoman bridge. Next, we stopped at a bridge the locals call The Monument of Stupidity. It was blown up by the Nazis at the end of WWII as they retreated. The Yugoslavian ruler, Tito, evetually rebuilt it but then purposely blew it up again for a movie but never rebuilt it again. Next we stopped at the preserved village of Pocatelj to see an example of a typical ottoman village. For lunch we stopped at Blagaj the location of a Dervish house were Dervish monks continue to stop frequently to reflect & pray. Finally, we made our way to Mostar. The Stari Most Bridge rebuilt after being destroyed in 1993 was breathtaking. We wondered around the narrow streets of the old town exploring. We met a fellow American also staying at our Air B&B and we all made our way to dinner to watch the sunset on the Stari Most Bridge. What beautiful way to end a beautiful day! Onward tomorrow to Dubrovnik & the Adriatic Coast.Read more

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    A Bosnian Road Trip

    June 29, 2016 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 73 °F

    Another reminder about travel in eastern Europe: Don't plan on using public transportation if you want to get anywhere in a timely manner. While having coffee & cokes with our new housemate, Frances (an American living in Paris), we discovered that the bus from Mostar to Dubrovnik takes 4hrs+ but a private driver only takes 2 AND the price for the driver is a mere $5 more. A no brainer! Our driver Selma, actually owns a car rental company in Mostar and was the sister of the very nice gentleman in the tourism office. He introduced us and wham, bam we got a driver. She picked us up in the morning and off we went. First stop was Kravice Falls in southern Bosnia. Talk about stunning! We stopped long enough to have a quick brunch before we continued on our way. As we waited in line at the border crossings into Croatia, we chatted about everything from Sheldon Cooper in the Big Bang Theory to Donald Trump to 'What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas'. We reached the gorgeous city of Dubrovnik and caught the ferry to the island of Sipan where we are staying for the night. The ferry ride was so fun watching the islands go by. We love the view from our room on Sipan! A quick respite then a short walk to a restaurant up (literally) the road from our room & watched the sunset with yet another set of of new friends from Florida. Tomorrow: a drive up the Adriatic coast into Montenegro.Read more

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    Thelma & Louise Take Montenegro

    June 30, 2016 in Montenegro ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    Drivers in Croatia & Montenegro are insane! We decided the best way to see Montenegro was to rent a car and take a road trip. Our rental car was delivered to the ferry port so we could take off asap at the start of our day. As we made our way out of Dubrovnik, we only needed two u-turns then we were off! Lana drove while Rebecca admired the scenery of the Adriatic coast. After a stop for breakfast in Cavtat, Croatia and yet another u-turn or two (Is a pattern developing?) we made it to the border. The border crossing was actually very simple but the long line stopped us for about 30min. By this time in our journey Lana was wishing she had reserved a stick shift as her inner race car driver was dying to be released on the curves and switchbacks of the coastal mountain road. But alas she was only able let it out when the crazy local drivers swerved around on the 2 lane road. We decided speed limits & no passing zones were only suggestions for the locals.

    We stopped for lunch at the beautiful seaside village of Perast. It was easy to see the Venetian heritage of Montenegro. A walk around the village then on to the small walled city of Kotor. We had a rather complicated discussion with the parking lot attendent in Kotor about how much & how to pay for the parking as he didn't speak English & we didn't speak Montenegren. We assume we finally got it right since he didn't chase after us when we left. The walls of Kotor climb up the mountainside with the castle on top. How they managed to built this fortress without modern machinery is a wonder. The magnitude of the walls can't be captured in photos. We managed to make it all the way back to Dubrovnik without any u-turns or being run off the road by the locals. Realizing that the 5 cruise ships that entered port this morning were now gone we took advantage of the smaller crowds to see the large walled city of Dubrovnik. It was so big & confusing & hot that we stayed for just a short time. Lana was worried about having to get the car out of the tiny parallel parking space & backing up all the way uphill on the narrow curved street to get out of the tight parking area. Rebecca was worried about climbing all of the slippery uneven stairs we descended to get to the main level of the city. Did we say it was hot? Finally, we succeeded in getting out of our parking spot without any damage to the car. LOTS of teamwork was required. We were soon looking forward to showers after the hot sweaty day. By the way, if a crazy man starts yelling at you in Croatian, double check that you are not going the wrong way on a one way street. Yes, one last u-turn was required. We finally made it to our hotel for those showers, glad we chose not to return to the island we stayed at last night. The small island was expecting their regular load of loud party all night sailing Australians. We had a wonderful dinner on the hotel terrace and watched the sunset on the islands of Croatia. Tomorrow? Belgrade Serbia here we come.    Read more

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    Hello Belgrade!!!

    July 2, 2016 in Serbia ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    We arrived late yeasterday afternoon in Belgrade, Serbia and were treated to a wonderful home cooked Serbian meal. Marija, one of Rebecca's Whitehall Inn girls, and her husband Luka were our amazing chefs & hosts. They introduced us to many Serbian foods and customs. We had a great time catching up, meeting their beautiful baby and enjoying all the food. Today, they showed us the lively Belgrade Beach with tons of summer activities. Marija & Luka took us to a restaurant designed in the style of a traditional Serbian home. Again we had some awesome local food and conversation. They were wonderful hosts who suggested many things for us to do or see while we are in Belgrade. After an afternoon of shopping in the trendy shopping district where our room is located, we took Marija & Luka's suggestion and went to the Bohemian Quarter on Skadarlija street for yet another amazing local meal. We think there is definitely a pattern developing during our travels... We REALLY like to try the local food. We are looking forward to catching up with Theodora & Alessandra tomorrow. T & Alex worked at the Whitehall Inn during the 2nd season. And, of course, additional sight seeing & sampling local fare.Read more

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    The Many Faces of Belgrade

    July 4, 2016 in Serbia ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    Today we were treated to another wonderful day in Belgrade with two more of Rebecca's Whitehall girls, sisters Theodora and Sandra with their boyfriends Ivan and Sladjan. We met up for an incredible lunch followed by a walk around the city center learning more about the history of Belgrade. We walked thru Kalemegdan Park to see the imposing Belgrade Fortress located at the junction of the Danube & Sava rivers. We learned the Sava river was the border between the Ottoman Empire & the Austrio-Hugarian Empire. Ottoman influences on this side of the river are easy to spot. Later we crossed the bridge and saw the Austrian influences. It was so much fun learning about the complex history of this incredible city. Similar to all areas of what was once Yugoslavia, a single block will have a beautiful, centuries old building next door to a modern structure next door to a bombed, burned out remnant. Every step, every corner brings something wonderful to see. We ended our day at another amazing restaurant styled to look like the manufacturing plant it once was. Sitting under a canopy of red umbrellas with yet more awesome food and local wine was a perfect end to a perfect day.Read more

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    1

    Good Evening Transylvania

    July 5, 2016 in Romania ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    We said goodbye to Belgrade and all of our wonderful friends there but we were sooo looking forward to the next stage of our adventure. We flew into Bucharest, Romania and met our guide Marin (arranged by our inn) at the airport. We immediately set out for Transylvania. He was so knowledgeable he had written his own guide book for Transylvania. As we drove through the beautiful Carpathian mountains, he told us about the unique history of Romania and the area of Transylvania. We stopped in Sinaia to visit the spectacular Peles Castle. It's very odd to find out that a lot of places in Transylvania have 3 names; one in Romanian, one in German and one in the local tongue. Talk about confusion. Glad we have a guide because we'd never find our way otherwise. We continued on until we came to the old town area of Brasov with its gothic Black Church and quaint center square. Finally, we arrived in Bran, the home of Bran Castle or otherwise known as Dracula's Castle. We were in awe of the view from our room. We overlook the castle and the idyllic village below the castle. The long day of traveling finally caught up with us as the sun set on the mountains above Bran Castle. Tomorrow we get to see it up close. We're just giddy with excitement. Or maybe it's just being slap happy from a lack of sleep.Read more

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    Dracula's Castle

    July 6, 2016 in Romania ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    We started our day with a visit to Bran Castle aka Dracula's Castle. No self-respecting tourist could pass up that opportunity. However, being the type of tourist who gets really annoyed at masses of tourists, we chose to go as soon as it opened for the day. Lucky for us we were able to zip thru with very little fanfare, snap some photos, explore a secret passage & admire the view from the castle windows. We finished in time to find a sidewalk cafe just as the masses began to line up. High-fives all around! Seriously though, the castle grounds are beautiful and the interior is set up so you get a feeling of what it would be like to live there. We spent the remainder of our day walking around Bran & relaxing at our Inn. It is so amazing to see that in this day & age farmers are still working fields with old fashioned scythes and horses are pulling large wagons piled high with hay. It seems that in many ways a visit to Romania is like stepping back in time. What's up for tomorrow? After a quick stop at the Rasnov Citadel, we head back to Bucharest to catch a flight to Copenhagen where we began.Read more

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    Homeward Bound!!

    July 8, 2016 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Our adventure is coming full circle. On the way back to Bucharest from Bran, our driver stopped at the Rasnov Citadel dating from 1225. It sits high on a hill overlooking the village. The view is spectacular. After admiring the view and checking out the ruins, we continued on our way to Bucharest to catch a flight to Copenhagen where we began. As our plane approached the airport we flew over the Oresund Bridge that we took over to Malmo, Sweden the first day. Our hotel in Copenhagen for the night was the Bella Sky and was such a dichotomy from where we began the day, historic ruins to space age ultra modern. But that's pretty much how our adventure has been, a wild blend of traditional & modern 21st century life. We've learned to adapt to our surroundings as we've traveled. Even the little things like finding a restroom were different everywhere we went. Some places say 'Toilette' and others say 'WC' (water closet). There were a few 'Restrooms' and one 'Pissour'. Yes, we did a double take on that one too. It has been a wonderful 3 weeks full of fun & new people. We met Alex, another Whitehall girl, for drinks & dinner on our last night in Copenhagen and met her new husband. It was great for Alex & Rebecca to catch up and to get to know her husband. Now we're off to return home. After three weeks of being away from our families we're ready to be back.Read more

    Trip end
    July 8, 2016
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