tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279037596992132902024-03-13T03:05:13.592-07:00Luckhounds Travel Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03150473845702056094noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727903759699213290.post-74253135692811405472023-07-17T10:42:00.006-07:002023-07-17T12:39:56.261-07:00USA! USA! Springfield, Mass. & NYC <p> <span> <span> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the last few years, our daughter Sylvie has developed a love of R&B, hip-hop and 90s style. We knew she’d love to see some of her heroes live, so when we found that BoyzIIMen were performing in New England, we planned a trip around it. But we kept it secret… kudos to Chloe for keeping it under wraps for months (best sis). </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-3b65bbe0-7fff-9a60-ef77-c375c3138d6b"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We dropped off our dog and took the Cat from Yarmouth, NS to Bar Harbour, ME. It was a smooth ferry ride, foggy for most of the way until the sun lit up the green tree-lined coast of Maine. From there we drove to Springfield. At Theodore’s Blues, Booze and BBQ, we revealed the news to Sylvie over a bowl of mac and cheese and brisket bites. She had tears of joy in her eyes. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To keep the concert secret, we found some more good reasons to go to Springfield. We spent a day at Six Flags, a sizable Looney Tunes/Superhero-themed amusement park. That was a blast, with roller coasters, Dippin’ Dots, and overpriced drinks in the sweltering heat. Mike and I rode The Batman, The Crime Wave, The Riddler, and the Wicked Cyclone, and chose to watch the kids brave the scarier ones (The Harley Quinn, The Joker, etc). They were fearless. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbQWCPI_SFUENExRX-6Useh5PVrwjfpm_7Mbv5pvsi7u6DqJl4YX15NWMin3ALfslxd5aq-6HXHv3nQurec-6Px7h2UeXj33-9iUoJiYB9HBjQdSWq9sEGMeu09nbWVH2pNs4Yby6wocM_blDpb68Kb2J8cnz4oUJakwjbpWckfMBfn7SN7U-CW3y3Fg/s4032/IMG_8079.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbQWCPI_SFUENExRX-6Useh5PVrwjfpm_7Mbv5pvsi7u6DqJl4YX15NWMin3ALfslxd5aq-6HXHv3nQurec-6Px7h2UeXj33-9iUoJiYB9HBjQdSWq9sEGMeu09nbWVH2pNs4Yby6wocM_blDpb68Kb2J8cnz4oUJakwjbpWckfMBfn7SN7U-CW3y3Fg/s320/IMG_8079.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We checked out the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Both girls play bball, so that was a slam dunk. There were lots of famous sneakers to compare one’s own feet, and plenty of paraphernalia and history on display. The WBNA was well represented, which was awesome. There’s a gleaming gym where you can shoot on nets of all sorts, including ye olde peach baskets from the Heritage Minute. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK2gI0SbuTGBZkWCH-Y6UsOJcduCaRbqJfSJ9fiJDurbcwdw_9q9S_Zdm7hACUqJAEAsU_EDMbvzv3Q4_-HIOjV1yGRaYN1fu5RJNYcXsH4iGeSG5qfL_OrbhG2NjCv_k_NeAFiqkxYbAnL3AO5nP3kOCHEG0pqZWtuEpiDPVrSCEsdQvWKzI-jml8BBo/s4032/IMG_8155.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK2gI0SbuTGBZkWCH-Y6UsOJcduCaRbqJfSJ9fiJDurbcwdw_9q9S_Zdm7hACUqJAEAsU_EDMbvzv3Q4_-HIOjV1yGRaYN1fu5RJNYcXsH4iGeSG5qfL_OrbhG2NjCv_k_NeAFiqkxYbAnL3AO5nP3kOCHEG0pqZWtuEpiDPVrSCEsdQvWKzI-jml8BBo/s320/IMG_8155.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRw1Q8yi9Z8SsHEjhQJjh4yXdpTg4Xt2wDPo7O8hGcpCntVq-F77_HFWwPzEfRcV5zMOdBFSJrEeDYCkl9A0OMtNTqcJTOu3WoUkut8DhjLSOvkwi10gnDhGAnugXZTRnMYBSzJviblg5DftqVgPcM9U6HAhFKRHSe7RCO0YTzs4VMHtPMJVeh0e7Wv8o/s4032/IMG_8158.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRw1Q8yi9Z8SsHEjhQJjh4yXdpTg4Xt2wDPo7O8hGcpCntVq-F77_HFWwPzEfRcV5zMOdBFSJrEeDYCkl9A0OMtNTqcJTOu3WoUkut8DhjLSOvkwi10gnDhGAnugXZTRnMYBSzJviblg5DftqVgPcM9U6HAhFKRHSe7RCO0YTzs4VMHtPMJVeh0e7Wv8o/s320/IMG_8158.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It also happens that Theodore Seuss Geisel grew up in Springfield, and The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum is there. He’s a family-favourite author and illustrator, and the museum is a wonderful, whimsical manifestation of his work. It was inspiring to see more of his art and learn about his life. His funny phonetics and invitation to imagine warm my heart. It’s amazing how he portrayed universal and complex concepts in lighthearted ways. His poetics are on point as well – the rhythm, the rhyme, the weird imagery – I love it. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNk8NC7m8Exyq0_e5I8_5fnrvmmUIs-wE-z71XLwqCovDMdTrB1MfrQ95aBbAleWhXkJ28qwJbFC4iDZ9_lq7QHCdqjqOxI8qtPDwUXPKsK9qUMvXy8wrc0v1krtNgNlJNAr9GgKkd9PdVWOK2pB9Dw6GBYzItJ2ZYGKTS6tKI9fU9pIXsptf-kVeOsw/s4032/IMG_8200.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNk8NC7m8Exyq0_e5I8_5fnrvmmUIs-wE-z71XLwqCovDMdTrB1MfrQ95aBbAleWhXkJ28qwJbFC4iDZ9_lq7QHCdqjqOxI8qtPDwUXPKsK9qUMvXy8wrc0v1krtNgNlJNAr9GgKkd9PdVWOK2pB9Dw6GBYzItJ2ZYGKTS6tKI9fU9pIXsptf-kVeOsw/s320/IMG_8200.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8O2Dzqq97Ze8xrOJfd-Ka3_7y2kgm2z-w3anQ9tC1oMUlw33mJFtLWYBIUY3OzqD2rRRhEylzdOna_R7NGRacsJsub6hee4VkZnRodwicWp0spK5gZJ-iyW2mZ99RiV-dbu2WxTQViNxX5RCHr0TbHf138JCrh_in3MXXSfRhp2c0hxfMY7fUipbTvSI/s3831/IMG_8161.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3831" data-original-width="2551" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8O2Dzqq97Ze8xrOJfd-Ka3_7y2kgm2z-w3anQ9tC1oMUlw33mJFtLWYBIUY3OzqD2rRRhEylzdOna_R7NGRacsJsub6hee4VkZnRodwicWp0spK5gZJ-iyW2mZ99RiV-dbu2WxTQViNxX5RCHr0TbHf138JCrh_in3MXXSfRhp2c0hxfMY7fUipbTvSI/s320/IMG_8161.jpeg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQTaWNwFSGE_uS1WzSGKZ6iOg5PLcwKCjDfAclJA0-oMOyrG_RiXvUpGS4FQpY6dPL2euSFHTe1EEIqMjiZ-S7boHGF5xTw7Wcc_K5o8AKlkKhiCgyLdIGWaewVUHrLAJMYw_yxC6cAAXc7_2-AabghzQ0N8eZlF9-SDROa_wHvn7xs_ieViEYIABofU/s4032/IMG_8182%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2499" data-original-width="4032" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQTaWNwFSGE_uS1WzSGKZ6iOg5PLcwKCjDfAclJA0-oMOyrG_RiXvUpGS4FQpY6dPL2euSFHTe1EEIqMjiZ-S7boHGF5xTw7Wcc_K5o8AKlkKhiCgyLdIGWaewVUHrLAJMYw_yxC6cAAXc7_2-AabghzQ0N8eZlF9-SDROa_wHvn7xs_ieViEYIABofU/s320/IMG_8182%202.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToLY451CFDr6FQfR1UVhsZIIYaTSBTgB7euVQu-Ks6I3zqDgEithdkwsMfc-MpbaCRlRV3ZyRrUfIZ8T9sEQ5lgyE9LFccPZ9LRUVJ4D4MTtl5Z1a6tW7-wiqNAE5J1aSRr0offwQrVfFURJjGdfRzXGKxiDMIVbdTo39ePO5ftcrQt6g0YhfVTvmL3A/s4032/IMG_8189.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToLY451CFDr6FQfR1UVhsZIIYaTSBTgB7euVQu-Ks6I3zqDgEithdkwsMfc-MpbaCRlRV3ZyRrUfIZ8T9sEQ5lgyE9LFccPZ9LRUVJ4D4MTtl5Z1a6tW7-wiqNAE5J1aSRr0offwQrVfFURJjGdfRzXGKxiDMIVbdTo39ePO5ftcrQt6g0YhfVTvmL3A/s320/IMG_8189.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally on Friday night, it was time for BoyzIIMen at the Springfield Symphony Hall. The Hall itself seats about 2600 people, with beautiful architectural details and excellent acoustics. The Boyz still have the voices for those emotional ballads and rich harmonies that we slow-danced to in the nineties. The audience was swept away in their feels and just about everyone had a hand on their heart, swaying and singing at the top of their lungs. For the last couple of songs, Sylvie made her way up to the front with the other superfans, reaching her little hand out and getting handshakes from all three of the singers, and one of the red roses they flung to fans. We all had so much fun and it was well worth the effort. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigS13anzc4GoQiBVEnBG1GsoD_J0ArIGZrPNpsE-Cnkz9rDWkSMTnkj4DsbaduwHVj1M-v6DaW8tuJFNY31Ctq8v9uk_IcNqftxutmhYOuO17at-eCGxFRfrGy7vDhHLBySMu-rjq-g871yepvsqR8bg3OiwtSnB4bsIH_ZeTQABLkqj2xLAiH0zMCdPk/s4032/IMG_8251.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigS13anzc4GoQiBVEnBG1GsoD_J0ArIGZrPNpsE-Cnkz9rDWkSMTnkj4DsbaduwHVj1M-v6DaW8tuJFNY31Ctq8v9uk_IcNqftxutmhYOuO17at-eCGxFRfrGy7vDhHLBySMu-rjq-g871yepvsqR8bg3OiwtSnB4bsIH_ZeTQABLkqj2xLAiH0zMCdPk/s320/IMG_8251.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQu6yi37LZdpRkYBJMuD7EyQ6DCu0ZdDQx9eT6x29Q3rHgU_MOeWE57aOst5Ti6jymwrOOT0xL_oOqcScKK9kchUxBUlDVjzPU_EGn80mGcdcWibnoZAE-hsO5yjS1OvxBlN7_BJVr2r_GcylZrxZGzMYSOPQ8dE76ZeFLAxi7uqria236PhaozO9Oj1c/s3478/IMG_8270.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3478" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQu6yi37LZdpRkYBJMuD7EyQ6DCu0ZdDQx9eT6x29Q3rHgU_MOeWE57aOst5Ti6jymwrOOT0xL_oOqcScKK9kchUxBUlDVjzPU_EGn80mGcdcWibnoZAE-hsO5yjS1OvxBlN7_BJVr2r_GcylZrxZGzMYSOPQ8dE76ZeFLAxi7uqria236PhaozO9Oj1c/s320/IMG_8270.jpeg" width="278" /></a></div><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Springfield exceeded our expectations, and with 4 more nights on the road, we drove to the Big Apple. We spent the first night in Manhattan, checking out some classics like the Empire State Building and Times Square (intense!). Then we had the great luck of being able to stay in our friends’ lovely home in Brooklyn. (Thanks again to Sarah and Gijon, who we met traveling in Tulum in 2019, who are now traveling in Iceland with their children!) From there we could take the subway wherever, and we also drove around to check out my dad’s childhood neighbourhood (or should I spell it “neighborhood”?) in Park Slope, quite nearby. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few highlights were the general cool vibes of NYC and Brooklyn, the familiarity of always seeing it in movies and shows, the thought that so many artists and characters are from this megalopolis, and that there’s always a slim chance of catching a glimpse of someone famous. We saw the Statue of Liberty – she counts, right? </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We had the best pizza ever, and exquisite bagels and lox cream cheese. We walked a lot, just taking in the density of the city, the diversity of its buildings and its people, the importance of public parks and social spaces. NYC has over eight million residents and even more tourists and travellers at any given time. The stories buzz all around you. No wonder it's a cradle of creativity. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnx6l3n-HknIQvt68SA4iMp4M1idT-O_VgBLrAbrpDycNyWQRBvdRNBCCYSjl1AGePLO2AoJDqnW4_qV4SRd331gBBY6_X6ILn247kL8UM070qckJr3krn2aF7GETcVV5pV6fvw8eoBeLBHNlhYh30othE_r2FihwcpvHJ8ci5MM-pzj_tGUmzu_gqvp8/s4032/IMG_8289.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnx6l3n-HknIQvt68SA4iMp4M1idT-O_VgBLrAbrpDycNyWQRBvdRNBCCYSjl1AGePLO2AoJDqnW4_qV4SRd331gBBY6_X6ILn247kL8UM070qckJr3krn2aF7GETcVV5pV6fvw8eoBeLBHNlhYh30othE_r2FihwcpvHJ8ci5MM-pzj_tGUmzu_gqvp8/s320/IMG_8289.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPlkqjFhxdm6bwEgCpkSK9pKH9ALMbSffu0cyn-YzhyX1E_oPdIHM4z2YE5LBNn4EvqnNdpp1cx0CATpxNocVhTvhC8AMqely-q8c4fuLW0alp2ooS902IslwvAldOMXI8eFj2T-lb7zHfkXizxHn7bouWRTAVdJB2JPHs-HafNqpL64ffZq2_npMwqQ/s4032/IMG_0592.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPlkqjFhxdm6bwEgCpkSK9pKH9ALMbSffu0cyn-YzhyX1E_oPdIHM4z2YE5LBNn4EvqnNdpp1cx0CATpxNocVhTvhC8AMqely-q8c4fuLW0alp2ooS902IslwvAldOMXI8eFj2T-lb7zHfkXizxHn7bouWRTAVdJB2JPHs-HafNqpL64ffZq2_npMwqQ/s320/IMG_0592.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih4zP8wCZ34oxBZOsRh8nCrbCeZd7G2SWxr_ivEK_vC1Rw5qUJtzBodJbN7b3f7Ejnr9kCfF7CrpU9t1GRBZahUA6HoMBFqQE6Jw1gV1Rk2NWU2x-qFtFyo5_3DIZlZTVQ34IBGfl69ISSygHtJ2E9hVFKGp-iz7nLkZitgQsSDjCw1c_Ymqkr88dTo0k/s4032/IMG_7232.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih4zP8wCZ34oxBZOsRh8nCrbCeZd7G2SWxr_ivEK_vC1Rw5qUJtzBodJbN7b3f7Ejnr9kCfF7CrpU9t1GRBZahUA6HoMBFqQE6Jw1gV1Rk2NWU2x-qFtFyo5_3DIZlZTVQ34IBGfl69ISSygHtJ2E9hVFKGp-iz7nLkZitgQsSDjCw1c_Ymqkr88dTo0k/s320/IMG_7232.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJ-QIzmgGNqWoW--N5oJXYRELjBH0qSt0Xqs8P_Ga-a-BQMjs2yUp1vMlITWLW3FrkBwv4mPNqMNT6vUuRc1VniSLZ3T_k3v_GqOc-6Wi9N7mDlNoj91vu7kZWUiva4t16ptyP5ixM-idfpU8nlTfgCwGpiPlk9zVSR02GrQsEZpWFsFsQklZHKZnXWw/s4032/IMG_7313.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJ-QIzmgGNqWoW--N5oJXYRELjBH0qSt0Xqs8P_Ga-a-BQMjs2yUp1vMlITWLW3FrkBwv4mPNqMNT6vUuRc1VniSLZ3T_k3v_GqOc-6Wi9N7mDlNoj91vu7kZWUiva4t16ptyP5ixM-idfpU8nlTfgCwGpiPlk9zVSR02GrQsEZpWFsFsQklZHKZnXWw/s320/IMG_7313.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last but not least, we popped into Salem, Massachusetts on the way home. I’ve been reading and teaching The Crucible for about 15 years, so it was surreal to be in the town of the witch trials. The Salem Witch Museum does a great job relaying the history and psychology of events of 1692. It was creepy and thought-provoking, with enough kitsch thrown into the kettle to keep it cool.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXk-gwViTTnJttfNNf-Cr2ebOiFHIHgCDvfidljeV7KAiAKytDnoWp4NMCWBE6gfyvMKbMJktU1J2CIhKVfQfc8t_HeNwCO3k0cywyHGu-JOeFSCxVW5NBLBMORwudwhkZouTUtdcZZ11WYCYkjPkAlxQ1TDP5euN2T_hKt7s-3KoTsGrxx7NyDD1nd90/s4032/IMG_8450.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXk-gwViTTnJttfNNf-Cr2ebOiFHIHgCDvfidljeV7KAiAKytDnoWp4NMCWBE6gfyvMKbMJktU1J2CIhKVfQfc8t_HeNwCO3k0cywyHGu-JOeFSCxVW5NBLBMORwudwhkZouTUtdcZZ11WYCYkjPkAlxQ1TDP5euN2T_hKt7s-3KoTsGrxx7NyDD1nd90/s320/IMG_8450.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03150473845702056094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727903759699213290.post-36917232919391054702022-08-09T17:54:00.004-07:002022-08-11T09:41:56.860-07:00Greece 2022 – An Awaited Revisit: Elika, Nafplion, and Meteora <p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-879f1610-7fff-7657-d6e1-6ebed2611a0e"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When we did our RTW trip in 2019, the whole family agreed that Greece was somewhere we’d return as soon as possible, so in the doldrums of February, we bought our plane tickets and started our research, booking AirBnbs in Elika, Nafplion, and Porto Rafti on the way out of Athens. We used booking.com for our accommodation in Meteora, and it worked out perfectly.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Elika was the ideal place to start our vacation. We spent nine days in the seaside village with a handful of great restaurants, one in particular I’d been reminiscing about for three years. Every night we had delicious meals, usually starting around 9pm. A quick list: gemista (stuffed tomatoes and bell peppers), tzatziki, roasted pork, gyros, dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), chicken or pork souvlaki skewers, saganaki (fried cheese), lemony Greek potatoes, calamari, zucchini croquettes, and Greek salads every night, with the signature slice of feta on top – fragrant oregano and good olive oil was all the dressing needed.
</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Our AirBnb in Elika was a tiny home on a quiet stretch of road with a sandy beach. While the home was humble, it was luxurious to walk the ten seconds from the cottage into the truly Mediterranean blue water. </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Interlude: I dove in with my swim mask. The water was crystal clear all around me, shimmering blue light filtered in. The beige sand was uncluttered, happy to keep its wavy ridges intact. I swam for a while alone but connected to the world. It was pure tranquility.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYaA1jpVVq2W8xYPHU8ZNdfOlgPhEiBXDQkABQjzbx-uAzNbg97hhndVzHf75bJdEkl9ZNxhdYqicv2MBsHfU_4XBE4odsRLeYQT0rDOg5Ou2T3ws73_itspbUfNlwzYakBK_yzMCp9CAMRvtEj_z0Ca697gA6DY71UuzFoSs2draLfuQwJtvhF-U6/s4032/IMG_5094.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYaA1jpVVq2W8xYPHU8ZNdfOlgPhEiBXDQkABQjzbx-uAzNbg97hhndVzHf75bJdEkl9ZNxhdYqicv2MBsHfU_4XBE4odsRLeYQT0rDOg5Ou2T3ws73_itspbUfNlwzYakBK_yzMCp9CAMRvtEj_z0Ca697gA6DY71UuzFoSs2draLfuQwJtvhF-U6/s320/IMG_5094.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2DRL3PQ7XVCE2orHZtcX0IKfrMSVIcm289YF9DAHfiP5zSjO-8EkPIoeqpTpZ8HF7GV18rKrQanuJFe1jrdyodj5D-FzKcFLnpYv5WSramL8iYF0Jq21trDu1s-eoD-vtEM2lDy050X_1PnNpWIkrMgMikQlZTS4qT85U4pCSA8YIfpQgIF2RUi9/s4032/IMG_5144.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2DRL3PQ7XVCE2orHZtcX0IKfrMSVIcm289YF9DAHfiP5zSjO-8EkPIoeqpTpZ8HF7GV18rKrQanuJFe1jrdyodj5D-FzKcFLnpYv5WSramL8iYF0Jq21trDu1s-eoD-vtEM2lDy050X_1PnNpWIkrMgMikQlZTS4qT85U4pCSA8YIfpQgIF2RUi9/s320/IMG_5144.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifpjED8E7Kra90hqjd0tPPGFd4JAxlKhyI64cYTvHS4jeSJy100Yz_quTbrEmoi18YXW4M1N8OjEiWwUQAFNzf47tS98gOwTY8WGxCpJlbXPWu9o-GVJsxTMek4R6gyHjmjWajUII69cumu628V-tF_ZyTkO-x0M6_VEyRl1cyhpSlUKz7lIZzSUaM/s4032/IMG_5149.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifpjED8E7Kra90hqjd0tPPGFd4JAxlKhyI64cYTvHS4jeSJy100Yz_quTbrEmoi18YXW4M1N8OjEiWwUQAFNzf47tS98gOwTY8WGxCpJlbXPWu9o-GVJsxTMek4R6gyHjmjWajUII69cumu628V-tF_ZyTkO-x0M6_VEyRl1cyhpSlUKz7lIZzSUaM/s320/IMG_5149.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfscneloux7vDLWknCfdrtsENe_Z-_wygu06kWpuSBtctSq6nW8VIAzwSSqPoz1VtUlSxFGW-A3370yb_tjOvEC-5EOhSlVZoL2Zd1oSMitzADHEGE6RKh2SM9WBJGygKwm_PD-gW8QJQW2hRcs0wDZgQmMrprN2uGDZ8LwhXss8kMHR9CvVB1Bsit/s4032/IMG_5274.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfscneloux7vDLWknCfdrtsENe_Z-_wygu06kWpuSBtctSq6nW8VIAzwSSqPoz1VtUlSxFGW-A3370yb_tjOvEC-5EOhSlVZoL2Zd1oSMitzADHEGE6RKh2SM9WBJGygKwm_PD-gW8QJQW2hRcs0wDZgQmMrprN2uGDZ8LwhXss8kMHR9CvVB1Bsit/s320/IMG_5274.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EBq6nhwjv4UL0Ka2AKp-Y2ToMpL_AeERahFEGzt1CrRbvI8Oze6xqH4irZaIdVDjj5RZ3z6u_WJLXIVB6qIHcJS0OgEHSqZukOMg7F_sqTYvSX0kLrOnmOTlOpiFb5pEBZtf_BglAVhtzr2plXBfqjtJRN0JVFLeFTqieoeJjnRuggh4JOiTHMJj/s4032/IMG_5292.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EBq6nhwjv4UL0Ka2AKp-Y2ToMpL_AeERahFEGzt1CrRbvI8Oze6xqH4irZaIdVDjj5RZ3z6u_WJLXIVB6qIHcJS0OgEHSqZukOMg7F_sqTYvSX0kLrOnmOTlOpiFb5pEBZtf_BglAVhtzr2plXBfqjtJRN0JVFLeFTqieoeJjnRuggh4JOiTHMJj/s320/IMG_5292.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">A private beach is exquisite, but it’s also fun to secure a couple of lounges under a thatched umbrella for the day. Tortuga Beach was a one-minute drive from our place, and we’d post up, play in the warm water and reeeeeelax. Of course we enjoyed a few treats from the cantina – frappes (iced coffee with foamy milk), chips (Please, Lays, bring us the oregano flavour!) and local beers Alpha and Fix. We ventured to two other beaches: Elafonisos and Plitra, both with beautiful blue vistas, hot white sand, and bathtub-warm water. We spent our days swimming, chatting, reading,and playing Uno. Vacation life. </span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We took a day trip to Monemvasia (which we had done in 2019), a spectacular town carved into a mountain-island, an ancient citadel with a panoramic view. We wandered through the quiet town, sparsely inhabited, partly in ruins, explored the fortress, and ended the evening checking out little shops and having another great supper. Like everywhere in Greece, there are always cats nearby ready to take care of any scraps. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVv_UrC9uijCM175sD4hQRORYijIfCCyX6ARXbfYYteuF8Jd6fAMCEFhlwUK0QJKnzCm0ownOa6b2pY54xXoMz-DIEr_PNNvHanNl0D52TvORIiozCYJilhUPLEWt82hfFE3OIanT-4zElHi8ViwU8BNfzqmyCFzqzzXoERz96I7bPv1cQ5AvHcWAr/s4032/IMG_5193.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVv_UrC9uijCM175sD4hQRORYijIfCCyX6ARXbfYYteuF8Jd6fAMCEFhlwUK0QJKnzCm0ownOa6b2pY54xXoMz-DIEr_PNNvHanNl0D52TvORIiozCYJilhUPLEWt82hfFE3OIanT-4zElHi8ViwU8BNfzqmyCFzqzzXoERz96I7bPv1cQ5AvHcWAr/s320/IMG_5193.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19zBW5RpStl2oMMfOzxgPoA2UkZFc9j6kSOYj8NKYjB_oLAkXcdhZfcPAehH2EwO0LuBjFzTAqLTU-1zA3tF7vSHots0i758Zh4yCPiSelNEvoFrIeORFwJviR61ICGQWeZsXvoVI7sQ2w_BsPAoU9pjtNt58W9EW--Cv_JXqVmqfWet3fbU38_Wt/s4032/IMG_5210.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2422" data-original-width="4032" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19zBW5RpStl2oMMfOzxgPoA2UkZFc9j6kSOYj8NKYjB_oLAkXcdhZfcPAehH2EwO0LuBjFzTAqLTU-1zA3tF7vSHots0i758Zh4yCPiSelNEvoFrIeORFwJviR61ICGQWeZsXvoVI7sQ2w_BsPAoU9pjtNt58W9EW--Cv_JXqVmqfWet3fbU38_Wt/s320/IMG_5210.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgIOmuvdxkVDe2oqz9G11rqsURWOMyNNz8Cu6PKTklE6JP7kV5BIdO-6gTk0WSO3EDinhuk-Y2cbxFhcA4MgQLFjH49MXxS6X5WuvCa2Af-hlIEW8WNPx4O7fmsR-3qQI-y-n6BOt8x_4aU0Fy_6vWwbe7d8lSgEmpymtw3UFg-MvkgL7Q9L4IsVU/s4032/IMG_5214.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgIOmuvdxkVDe2oqz9G11rqsURWOMyNNz8Cu6PKTklE6JP7kV5BIdO-6gTk0WSO3EDinhuk-Y2cbxFhcA4MgQLFjH49MXxS6X5WuvCa2Af-hlIEW8WNPx4O7fmsR-3qQI-y-n6BOt8x_4aU0Fy_6vWwbe7d8lSgEmpymtw3UFg-MvkgL7Q9L4IsVU/s320/IMG_5214.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our next stay was for three days in Nafplion, a small city on the water, still in the Peloponnese. Traveling with Labi, Jill and the girls, we shared a beautiful two story house in the middle of an orange grove. This large, new modern home was beautifully designed, spacious and comfortable, and had a private pool, a must when the weather was always over 30 degrees. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When we left our luxurious digs, it was to visit fascinating ancient historical sites. We hiked around the citadel of Mycenae, constructed over three thousand years ago, an elaborate fortress with a working water source. Then we checked out the Treasury of Atreus, an ancient architectural feat. It’s a beehive-shaped tomb that was the largest dome in the world for a thousand years. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The castle of Palimidi looks over the city of Nafplion and we toured it before supper one evening. It was a bit unnerving to be walking around with our kids at such great heights, but the views of the city and ocean were fantastic. It’s interesting to stroll through places with such strange and long histories, and to imagine what life was like when they were inhabited –</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> if these walls could talk</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyV9F7dnbX4RWvqcl0UlwZsrWQYSXAngBUzn4mju5ki1AGNUK7QrbTta1NsyXqzjUZPP7VoJbLkGQNDjq0h1FjbWtpFsem1pIBPykUqkCCTwM6e5GMV7ZFNIFUZDyMXgoOvc7ALMlJlGc7InzHAQkZVpgD4rjjhSS6u4qISNgVbk2ft__jdSR-w5o-/s4032/IMG_5362.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyV9F7dnbX4RWvqcl0UlwZsrWQYSXAngBUzn4mju5ki1AGNUK7QrbTta1NsyXqzjUZPP7VoJbLkGQNDjq0h1FjbWtpFsem1pIBPykUqkCCTwM6e5GMV7ZFNIFUZDyMXgoOvc7ALMlJlGc7InzHAQkZVpgD4rjjhSS6u4qISNgVbk2ft__jdSR-w5o-/s320/IMG_5362.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoM1lIYD28hpLmW9szHfNkFYlAd4aZt3IzOGsRc_IBH0YiDz8NprL1NMauQXXszFyB9EiuCv8hJqKyqDKBm6ofs8NQ7RmOrQRT5TMv5WTFFJGrb9rY6VpMopJF7kEHtxIi89O1-FLybxB3PSbDTQB5H-Qe8W3s_3aJayQOXmoU4bpl188JAuPfoBOT/s3088/IMG_5418.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2316" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoM1lIYD28hpLmW9szHfNkFYlAd4aZt3IzOGsRc_IBH0YiDz8NprL1NMauQXXszFyB9EiuCv8hJqKyqDKBm6ofs8NQ7RmOrQRT5TMv5WTFFJGrb9rY6VpMopJF7kEHtxIi89O1-FLybxB3PSbDTQB5H-Qe8W3s_3aJayQOXmoU4bpl188JAuPfoBOT/s320/IMG_5418.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The final leg of our Greek journey was to Meteora, which is in central Greece. It was an epic six-hour drive from Nafplion to Meteora, over, around, and through mountains (lots of tunnels). Mike did great driving our rental car. He got pretty smooth at saying “efcharistó” to the many toll booth workers. Very “daxi” of him.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The town of Kalabaka is at the base of unique, massive sandstone rock formations. The road twists and turns up the mountains and there are six byzantine monasteries built into and upon the rocks. We toured the museum sections of several of the monasteries, which remain inhabited by monks or nuns for the last 600 years. The artifacts and paintings were engaging and definitely gave a window into the effect and evolution of Christianity. It was a great place for physical and mental exercise. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In juxtaposition with the solemn monasteries, we stayed at a family-oriented motel with pools and waterslides. We all had a blast zipping down and floating around. The kids loved their poolside smoothies. In the evenings, we enjoyed the “Feel The Rocks” restaurant vibe so much that we went there twice, and we had a great supper at Taverna Gardenia in Kastraki, the older part of town.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOR4CUpOa7qiEybWn1aYrc0HWY3Zagiu54snd01KhVbhxPTzawnG0xUMDubTXFy90FWFM1_aj5PoDf1zXahL02STcfTnIO1uSyiYoM8whCCVeOINIV7EmjMTmW9-auK7dFEyLmiHPARKrK4CWclGtZBlSrEm45IO-tAXJpSXV3M5VvfElSWDHqYrK/s4032/IMG_5458.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOR4CUpOa7qiEybWn1aYrc0HWY3Zagiu54snd01KhVbhxPTzawnG0xUMDubTXFy90FWFM1_aj5PoDf1zXahL02STcfTnIO1uSyiYoM8whCCVeOINIV7EmjMTmW9-auK7dFEyLmiHPARKrK4CWclGtZBlSrEm45IO-tAXJpSXV3M5VvfElSWDHqYrK/s320/IMG_5458.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqiPVj0xE8ynOApaWsVTOPf3FWQNLrLg7dRXTU-kN1oxSwHUj47XW_mkusutypK6PjsMzFvj4yAAUGUfntl4gkX3itWOTNkQheAK56oIu3dFGI5r_GEp0uBK5gMpXeMAqgfCl7T06Y3_wrgmuSg_AU-qZR9UxkHsPKUkxAwk7gVpgciBjP5QA7qn-/s4032/IMG_5515.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqiPVj0xE8ynOApaWsVTOPf3FWQNLrLg7dRXTU-kN1oxSwHUj47XW_mkusutypK6PjsMzFvj4yAAUGUfntl4gkX3itWOTNkQheAK56oIu3dFGI5r_GEp0uBK5gMpXeMAqgfCl7T06Y3_wrgmuSg_AU-qZR9UxkHsPKUkxAwk7gVpgciBjP5QA7qn-/s320/IMG_5515.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhxd-LyiSNV4MqisJKvg86MCf9rMXMdom7IWvDHBH5rNcfVz0UaeE2xlIH31JF8kAIeH058QAyvdU2VjSmrcaH8QARamxZzuwi9gYLY49vZERac-r20Gc4LRfhskEls-JE-77zBj4m5h564Z7F3or4sNV6lhdzp-yS0107m2Mohe7L4IpRK-ex9x-/s4032/IMG_5519.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhxd-LyiSNV4MqisJKvg86MCf9rMXMdom7IWvDHBH5rNcfVz0UaeE2xlIH31JF8kAIeH058QAyvdU2VjSmrcaH8QARamxZzuwi9gYLY49vZERac-r20Gc4LRfhskEls-JE-77zBj4m5h564Z7F3or4sNV6lhdzp-yS0107m2Mohe7L4IpRK-ex9x-/s320/IMG_5519.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It was a wonderful trip, spending lots of time together as a family, hanging out with friends (Labi, Jill, Alexandra, Olympia, Dave, Sotiria, Kyriakos, and Alexandra!). The beaches, the food, the friendliest of the Greek people, all make it an easy and interesting destination. We will return one day. Resisting referring to Odysseus here is a challenge. YASSAS!</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdDORrk8W5LcSouf9aNU6-9xmA0T2J0GN6pbwdTILMRP6boJAllX6pa3T23NjIpiQT4-lMRPQN4Iqh9zrtFzWv7cIU8FLSwhG4rqa5LCajIKSWpdZc4j58DC0Gucmk6h4PGSENk0ek-VxliTu7n-QUS50UKhS75Qb9n67_WWXBiMta_1rs1PgZLVk/s4032/IMG_5579.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdDORrk8W5LcSouf9aNU6-9xmA0T2J0GN6pbwdTILMRP6boJAllX6pa3T23NjIpiQT4-lMRPQN4Iqh9zrtFzWv7cIU8FLSwhG4rqa5LCajIKSWpdZc4j58DC0Gucmk6h4PGSENk0ek-VxliTu7n-QUS50UKhS75Qb9n67_WWXBiMta_1rs1PgZLVk/s320/IMG_5579.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More on Monemvasia (</span><a href="https://www.visitgreece.gr/mainland/peloponnese/monemvasia/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.visitgreece.gr/mainland/peloponnese/monemvasia/</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More on Elafonisos </span><a href="https://www.visitgreece.gr/mainland/peloponnese/elafonisos/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.visitgreece.gr/mainland/peloponnese/elafonisos/</span></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">More on Meteora</span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><div><span style="font-family: Comfortaa, cursive; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03150473845702056094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727903759699213290.post-60565038205361127562019-08-11T04:57:00.002-07:002019-08-11T04:57:46.278-07:00Norway 🇳🇴 & Iceland 🇮🇸 <div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">We hadn’t seen our friend Rob in years but he’s one of those people you can vibe with quickly. He and his partner Michael were amazing hosts, taking our family in for six nights in Oslo. They made us feel totally at home, and showed us around their city. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Oslo is #goals for other cities. It’s a scenic city on the ocean, with a river and parks, designed thoughtfully and creatively. In front of one neighbourhood library there is a converted cargo container that acts as an outdoor room for the summer, stocked with children’s books and games. To top it off, they sell waffles, coffee, and lemonade. We must’ve eaten two jars of jam as a crew. Another library was « kids only » so we had to chill outside while the girls played for an hour or so - sitting in cable cars, exploring little reading nooks, making crafts. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">We also all enjoyed in The Kon-Tiki Museum, with the actual raft on display. It brought a lot of our travel experiences together with references to Rapa Nui, Raroia, and Ecuador. Thor Heyerdahl: what a paladin — the ambition, the hutzpah, the sticktoitiveness! The Kon-Tiki Expedition remains an inspiration. Available at a library near you. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Our three day stopover in Iceland gave us enough time to drive around and see some of its otherworldly geography. Lava fields, dormant volcanos in the distance, sweeping fields, waterfalls, active geysers, and thermal springs — and that’s just the bit we saw. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">We spent a day at one of Reykjavik’s seventeen(!) pool complexes. The kids relished the water slide and we hopped from pool to pool as the temperature suited. Geothermal heat is a swimmer’s delight. Iceland was a calm, peaceful place to wrap up our trip. It would be nice to return there for hiking someday. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">In the last six months, we’ve done many wonderful things. It has been exciting, challenging, surreal, yet very real. Home is, of course, the last stop on our trip, and we are all ready to enjoy being back in Nova Scotia. </span></div>
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03150473845702056094noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727903759699213290.post-36540742594622169012019-08-02T03:11:00.003-07:002019-08-02T03:12:40.859-07:00Venice 🇮🇹 & Paris 🇫🇷 <div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">We spent a few days in Venice, where we tried to stay cool during the heatwave days, and went exploring the labyrinth of streets in the evenings. We stayed in Cannaregio (the Jewish Ghetto), which was the perfect neighbourhood for calm walks far enough from the main roads. The architecture of Venice is eye candy, and the gelato is fantastic. Just like we did at DisneySea, we took a gondola ride. This time it was just us, and the gondolier told us about the community and its history. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">We went to Murano one day and spent time at a glass jewelry workshop. We also went to San Marco’s Square where the girls fed pigeons. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">From Venice it was actually quite a gruelling journey to Paris. We had booked an overnight train, which would have been very comfortable, but there was a landslide in France that made the track impassable. So the new deal was a train to Milan, then an overnight bus to Paris. Sadly it was one step up from a school bus and was stopped at the French border because it didn’t meet the environmental standards. We waited five hours for the replacement bus, then made our way to Paris, where there was a heat wave. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Luckily our AirBnb was another great one, a whimsical apartment in Montmartre with loads of fun stuff to look at and toys for the kids. To beat the heat, we went to the Louvre to appreciate the air conditioning, and the art. The Egyptian section is my favourite. We also found a community pool and went there three times during the week. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">When the weekend came, we were lucky to get visitors! James and Naomi zipped over from London. What a pleasure to spend time with family, especially these two legends! We had a great time exploring the city: la Tour Eiffel, great lunch, Shakespeare & Co bookstore, an amusement park. It was fun to spend time together and we were sad to see them go. </span></div>
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03150473845702056094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727903759699213290.post-89680749662567249792019-07-22T06:24:00.000-07:002019-07-22T06:29:46.113-07:00Greece 🇬🇷: Elika, Kalamata, Olympia, Delphi, and Athens <div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Greece: Elika, Kalamata, Olympia, Delphi, and Athens </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".applecoloremojiui"; font-size: 17pt;">🇬🇷</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">With two weeks in Greece, we decided to spend half our time on the Peloponnese, half in Delphi and Athens. We were lucky to spend the first few days with our friend Labi, whose family is from Elika, a small beautiful village on the coast. What a treat to hang out with a friend from home after five months on the road! He showed us around town, took us to the best beaches, and restaurants, and pointed us in the right direction for the next stops. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Our favourite restaurant in Greece was in Elika where we enjoyed bread & olive oil, Greek salad, saganaki, slow roasted pork, eggplant tapenade, and tzatziki. Wow. The ingredients are fresh, local, and full of flavour. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">We also checked out nearby Monemvasia, a town carved into a mountain-island. We hiked up the mountain for the panoramic view of the gradient blues of the Mediterranean, and walked through ancient tunnels and buildings. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">We spent a couple of nights in Kalamata, a funky city with a lively waterfront, lots of beachfront restaurants, a fair, and a big gated play area for kids that serves drinks to the parents. (I could see this on the Dartmouth waterfront.) The downtown beach is stunning of course (that blue sea again), and the water is perfect for swimming. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Next we went to Olympia and walked around the ruins of the ancient Olympics. We got there nice and early as to avoid a few thousand more tourists. After our tour, we splashed out in a hilltop hotel with an huge pool. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">We left the peninsula to go back towards Athens, stopping in Delphi for two nights to see the elaborate ruins at the site of the famous oracle. The mountaintop town itself is sleepy, quaint, and full of stray cats.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Finally, Athens. It’s quite surreal to get off the metro, stroll up a pedestrian street, round a corner and see The Acropolis. It’s thousands of years old and beautiful, especially when it’s illuminated at night. We walked around the neighbourhood, went to the archeological museum, toured the Agora, and on the last day toured The Acropolis itself. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">The rest of our time there we spent relaxing in our inspiringly decorated AirBnb. Our host had greeted us the first night with « the blessing », a shot of Greek grappa, and given us lots of information about the neighbourhood and sites. The next day he gave us a walking and snacking tour, where we sampled the best of the pastries, fetas, olives, etc. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">We loved Greece. It was easy to travel, and we were lucky to have great hosts along the way. My dad’s papou was from Greece, and I knew a bit about Greek culture from my American cousins, so I enjoyed the feeling of connecting to more roots. (I also have been a DHS Spartan since ancient times, and I had to stop myself from filling up a suitcase with Sparta merchandise.) </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Just a few more stops on the way home...</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".applecoloremojiui"; font-size: 17pt;">😽</span></div>
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03150473845702056094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727903759699213290.post-20766638034903129752019-07-07T07:36:00.004-07:002019-07-07T07:36:54.160-07:00South Africa 🇿🇦: The Kruger, and Johannesburg <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">We spent a week in South Africa </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".AppleColorEmojiUI"; font-size: 17pt;">🇿🇦</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">, mainly to go to Kruger National Park, where we stayed for five nights in nice little huts similar to the yurts in Canadian National Parks, but with bathrooms and kitchenettes. There were also excellent restaurants at every site. The park is 20,000 square km (that’s about four Prince Edward Islands)! The campsites are connected by paved roads, so every day we’d get up early, pack up, and drive our rented SUV for hours to the next camp, and look for wildlife. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">We drove and drove through beautiful and sometimes harsh-looking landscapes, dry and hot, seeking the animals. It was totally exhilarating to see gigantic elephants up close, in the wild, and quite shocking to see herds of forty or fifty of them. </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".AppleColorEmojiUI"; font-size: 17pt;">🐘</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">We saw dazzles of zebras by the hundreds, flipping their tales incessantly, and many alert ungulates mingling — kudus, impalas, wildebeest. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".AppleColorEmojiUI"; font-size: 17pt;">🦓🦌</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">Brooding buffalos will stare you down for a joke. </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".AppleColorEmojiUI"; font-size: 17pt;">🐃</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">The big cats were definitely the most difficult to see, but we were lucky enough to see five cheetahs cross the road right in front of us, one leopard extremely well camouflaged in the grass, and four sleeping lions a few meters from the road. </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".AppleColorEmojiUI"; font-size: 17pt;">🐆🦁</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">We saw a few rhinos very close to the road, sadly still highly in danger of poaching. </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".AppleColorEmojiUI"; font-size: 17pt;">🦏</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">There were also many hippos in the water and they’re quite daunting. </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".AppleColorEmojiUI"; font-size: 17pt;">🦛🦛</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">Sometimes warthogs and hyenas get put on the park’s homely list, but they are adorable, especially the babies. </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".AppleColorEmojiUI"; font-size: 17pt;">🐗</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">Baboons have an edgy silliness. Giraffes just seem like sweethearts, and we quoted the Teen Titans « Leg Day » episode whenever we saw them (Look-a-dem legs! Look at them legs — they’re amazing!). </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".AppleColorEmojiUI"; font-size: 17pt;">🦒🦵🏽🦵🏽</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17pt;">We were in and out of the city of Johannesburg quickly (2 nights at each end). Every South African we talked to was kind and helpful, and without fail, they wished us a great stay, and reminded us to keep our wits about us, lock everything, and be vigilant. Joburg is a vibrant, sophisticated city, but with a traumatic colonial history, vast economic disparity, and a dangerously high crime rate. We managed to go to Nelson Mandela Square, a plaza connected to a fancy mall. Accommodations and food were of high quality at very affordable prices by Canadian standards. I hope South Africa becomes more stable, that its living conditions improve, and that more people can visit this amazing place safely. </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".AppleColorEmojiUI"; font-size: 17pt;">🖤</span></div>
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03150473845702056094noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727903759699213290.post-73490964023341424002019-06-23T22:39:00.001-07:002019-06-23T22:54:44.361-07:00🇹🇭 Thailand: land of smiles ☺️😅🙃<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".applecoloremojiui"; font-size: 17pt;">🇹🇭</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">We spent almost three weeks in Thailand, in Bangkok, Koh Samet, and Chiang Mai. </span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Bangkok is intense. It certainly gets its hustle on. Where you think there’s no space, they make space, whether to set up a kiosk or to snake through traffic. We went to the big mall MBK one day, and when we tried to leave, the roads were covered in a foot of water. There were over two hundred people waiting in line for taxis, so Mike snagged us a tuk tuk, which totally saved the day. We snuggled in the back and just held on tight, hoping the water wouldn’t stop the engine. The driver,« Our fairy godfather », made lanes where there were none, and got us home safely. Although the situation looked difficult, no one was freaking out or laying on the horn, and our driver had a little smile on his face the whole time. </span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".applecoloremojiui"; font-size: 17pt;">😊</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">We stayed in the wild backpacker district again. It’s hot, noisy, and dirty, but there’s plenty to see. It’s very affordable to eat and drink really well. Not sure which beer I prefer, Singha, Leo, or Chang. They’re classic lagers like Keith’s or Moosehead. It’s just so hot there, what’s a Canadian to drink but a cold brew or two? </span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".applecoloremojiui"; font-size: 17pt;">🍻</span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">A few days in the city was just fine, then we took a cab, to a bus, to a tuk tuk, to a ferry, to a truck cab, finally to a the island Ko Samet. We stayed there four nights and swam every day in the Indian Ocean, the warmest water in which I’ve ever swum. Seriously I’ve had cooler baths. We played in the waves, floated under the full moon, and ate great Thai food. Also, everyday there’s an episode of torrential rain, during which we would read and watch movies in the air conditioned room. The girls keep journals, practice a little math, and play with their little LEGO set, two stuffies each, and the little trinkets they collect sur la route. </span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".applecoloremojiui"; font-size: 17pt;">🌊</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;"></span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".applecoloremojiui"; font-size: 17pt;">🥽</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;"></span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".applecoloremojiui"; font-size: 17pt;">🧸</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;"> </span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">After Ko Samet we traveled North to Chiangmai, by overnight train. I’m glad we did it, but I’m glad it’s done. It’s loud, rickety, and a long ride. But Chiangmai is worth it. It’s an old city, with hundreds of temples and what remains of the old wall that surrounded it. There are moats that run through it, and it’s quite easy to navigate. The vast markets that open every night have hundreds of vendors selling clothes, souvenirs, knock-offs, and again, the food. It’s delicious and cheaper to have it prepared than to even consider going to a grocery store. </span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">We booked two special tours from Chiangmai. First, we took a cooking class where we walked through a lush garden sampling ingredients like kaffir lime, lemongrass, galang (similar to ginger), made curry paste with pestles and mortars, then cooked up spring rolls, pad Thai, curries, and soups. So good, all around. We loved it. </span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".applecoloremojiui"; font-size: 17pt;">🍜🍤🥘🥭🥥🍳</span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">A couple days later, we went to the Chiangmai Elephant Sanctuary, where they have four elephants rescued from different circumstances. Elephant rides and circuses used to be a popular, but the trainers would use harsh discipline on the animals if they were not in the mood to perform, or if something went awry. I was skeptical before I went, but the elephants were not tied, and the staff seemed to genuinely love them. The elephants were gentle as we feed them watermelons and tall grass. These cuties can eat around 250 kg a day! They love a mud bath and a fresh shower in the river, and it was sweet and surreal to interact with them. </span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".applecoloremojiui"; font-size: 17pt;">🐘🐘🐘🐘</span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">The girls loved to ride around in tuk tuks, and they took took turns sitting next to the drivers. We went to stunning Buddhist temples, some five and six hundred years old. I just about evaporated in the humid heat, but the mango and strawberry popsicles helped. Thailand has been a fun time for us. </span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Next stop: </span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".applecoloremojiui"; font-size: 17pt;">🇿🇦</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">South Africa. We will be able to see how the African elephant differs from the Asian elephant! </span></div>
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<span id="goog_1218272913"></span><span id="goog_1218272914"></span><br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03150473845702056094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727903759699213290.post-26378248611389473882019-05-30T20:25:00.000-07:002019-05-31T02:45:51.322-07:00Tahiti and Moorea 🌴🌺🐚<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Ten awesome days. Wow. I had to fight back tears at the Tahiti airport as Tiaré and Kahalani put shells around our necks and gave us their last bisous </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".applecoloremojiui"; font-size: 17pt;">😘</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">. Knowing how far French Polynesia </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".applecoloremojiui"; font-size: 17pt;">🇵🇫</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">is from home and how much we love it makes it hard to go. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">We spent most of our time on the island of Tahiti, near the city of Papeete, in the outskirts of Papara. We also spent two beautiful nights on the island of Moorea. Polynesia is so friendly. It takes a while to get used to the heat, but the abundance of fresh fruit and fish is incredible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">On the island Moorea we stayed in a bungalow with an over-water deck, surrounded by fish. We swam and kayaked around the bay. It was amazing, and we didn’t even need to be on The Bachelorette finale to be there (hahahaha thank God). </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">When we went back to Tahiti, our friends the Raveinos picked us up and took us to their house, where we stayed for the rest of the week. They are great hosts, warm and welcoming, and there are always lots of family and friends around. They fed us well, toured us around the island, and taught us loads about Polynesian hospitality and culture. We attended their church, where they welcomed a new deacon. The church was huge, and packed, and the singing was — in French and Tahitian. After church there was a huge party to welcome the deacon and groups sang, danced, and regaled him with special gifts. We ate the Tahitian version of the church-reception potluck. Very cool. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">It was a beautiful stay in Tahiti and we hope to go visit our friends again someday, and would also love to host them in Canada.</span></div>
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Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03150473845702056094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727903759699213290.post-40426725312281823362019-05-13T21:09:00.001-07:002019-05-13T21:55:39.318-07:00Rapa Nui: Te Pito O Te Henua 🌴🗿🌺<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="t1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; border-collapse: collapse; color: black;"><tbody>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Rapa Nui is unique, isolated and distinct. It’s the easternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. (Hawaii and New Zealand are the other two points.)</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Clearly, Rapa Nui is known for its giant stone Moai, but there is much more to the island. The fragrant, rolling, volcanic hills are full of wild horses. There are perfect rolling surfers’ waves in the town’s small harbour, and the waterfront has parks where you can swim and watch the sun set. On another coast, Anakena beach is powder-sanded, warm, palm shaded. Fresh fruit and fish are abundant everyday in the small market. Colourful flowers are commonplace. </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".applecoloremojiui"; font-size: 17pt;">🐴🌺🐟</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">The development since our last visit (2006) is extensive: the pools built into the <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>town’s shoreline, a new museum, a monthly magazine, and more accommodation choices. Also, visitors have to buy tickets to the most important sites like Rano Raraku (the </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".applecoloremojiui"; font-size: 17pt;">🗿</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">quarry) and Orongo (site of the birdman </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".applecoloremojiui"; font-size: 17pt;">🥚</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">competition). There are signs, paths, and fences where there weren’t before, and the rules of the island are posted everywhere. I guess there have just been too many fools climbing on sites, trying to ruin or steal pieces of this place (like the historians of years passed). Twelve years ago the sites were unsupervised and when we went, we were the only ones there. Now there are larger groups of tourists, but it’s still fascinating.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Another difference for us since 2006 is that we’re traveling as a four-pack, so hitchhiking is not really an option. By fluke we were able find Tete and Tovi, the guys who picked us up when we were hitched last visit. It was surreal to meet again. They had made our last visit unforgettable. They were happy to see us and meet the girls. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">We rented a little Jeep and drove along the bumpy (but many paved) roads, often stopping for herds of cattle and horses free ranging it. There are also plenty of dogs and chickens sifting through town, and the roosters go off all night. Ah, tropical life. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">It has been a relaxing week. Next are heading to the center of the triangle, to Tahiti and Moorea. We’re looking forward to visiting some friends, and switching from Spanish to French. </span></div>
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03150473845702056094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727903759699213290.post-51654139736425169452019-04-30T19:51:00.003-07:002019-05-01T04:18:12.208-07:00Patagonia 🇦🇷🇨🇱<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Bariloche is a picturesque mountain town, full of chocolatiers. Our favorite place was Mamuschka, the dreamy chocolate store where you point and a waiter with tiny tongs places exquisite chocolates into a pretty box. Let’s just say we were regulars. It was Easter week and the festival of chocolate, so the town was hoppin.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Another chocolate place called RapaNui had a little ice rink. So the Cosgroves laced up and took to the ice. In Canada, we enjoy the occasional recreational skate. In Argentina, we are basically Tessa Virtue, Scott Muir, Elvis Stojko, and Patrick Chan. Doing leisurely laps, novice levels at best, we saw families and lovers on a date wipe out A LOT. I’m talking splits and hard falls, classic Bambi legs, and always laughing it off. The general inability and resilience were equally impressive. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">We took a side trip to El Bolson, a small hippie town in a valley. We bought cozy hats at the market and hiked up a mountain to a forest filled with carved statues. A highlight was also our accommodation, Earthship Patagonia, an evolving site with an earthship, tents, and yurts. There were horses munching the grass nearby and five cats looking for snuggles. In the shared kitchen we had fun hanging out with other travellers. The kids were especially happy to have more people to talk to (English and French). It was fun to be immersed in the backpacker vibe again for a bit. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Our next destination was Puerto Varas, Chile. We took a combination of buses and boats through the beautiful lakes. In that town we could see the Osorno volcano. We met artist Paulo Freire in his interesting house-museum. After a few days we rented a car to go explore the island of Chiloé. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Chiloé was a treat. We met fun travellers (yay! new buddies), explored another quirky house-museum, and visited Chiloé’s UNESCO wooden churches. On a visit to a deserted beach we saw dolphins playing in the surf. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Now we’re back in Santiago, and spent the day at Pablo Neruda’s waterfront house in Isla Negra. We are about to leave South America mainland for Rapa Nui. What an amazing continent!</span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-family: ".applecoloremojiui"; font-size: 17pt;">🇨🇱🍱🍣🐬🦅🐴🦌🐂🐄🐑🦙🐈🐩🐇🌲🌴🎋🍄🍂🌻🌎🌈🍎🥑🍕🍷🚗🚕🛥✈️🇦🇷</span></div>
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03150473845702056094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727903759699213290.post-46262313958903974752019-04-18T19:54:00.001-07:002019-05-31T02:47:10.993-07:00Santiago & Mendoza 🍷🍕🗻<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">After enjoying nature in Ecuador, the move to Santiago, Chile was a big switch. We stayed in an 11th floor apartment (AirBNB) in Providencia - great neighbourhood. We took the nearby teleferico, and the funicular to the top of San Cristobal for a full view of the capital.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">We toured Pablo Neruda’s house La Chascona, and were inspired again by his eccentric style, his obsession with Matilda, and of course, his poetry. We went from room to room with a listening device that gives you information about each place and Neruda’s life. Sylvie was rapt by the audio tour and refused to move on until she heard every detail, sometimes replaying it to be sure. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">We went to the tallest mall in South America and Chloe got herself a chenille sweater that she is cherishing. We also caught a concert in Sculpture Park.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">We took an 8-hr bus ride from Santiago across the border to Mendoza, Argentina, where the feasting began. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Zuccardi Bodega is a huge family vineyard that offered a cooking class for the girls while Mike and I toured. (Keep an eye out for Fuzion at the NSLC.) When we returned from our tour, Chloe and Sylvie had made pizza, doughnuts, and pain au chocolat (baked in the big clay oven outside with the chef, who showed them around the garden, where they picked the tomatoes for their pizzas). Then we had a three-course lunch. Bread, oils and tapenades, salad, lasagna, milanesa — and dessert. In honour of the vineyard matriarch, we had her signature wine with lunch, the Santa Julia rosé. Muy rico, as they say here. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">The next day, we needed some swimming. We rented a car and went to the Termas Cacheuta 25 km outside the city. It’s a complex of 15 or so pools — big, small, cold, hot, warm, you get the picture. Great day. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">The rest of our time in Mendoza we spent going to parks, plazas, a sad aquarium, a cool anthropological museum, another two vineyards, and a few great restaurants. It’s an easy city to love. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">19-hr bus ride later, we’re in Bariloche, the chocolate capital, which is in Patagonia. It’s autumn here, and we’re adjusting to the cool weather. They have a chocolate festival for Easter week. The Easter Bunny is all set in this town. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">That’s all for now. Eating chocolate. —K</span></div>
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03150473845702056094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727903759699213290.post-61322644439891109342019-03-30T18:07:00.001-07:002019-05-31T02:48:22.940-07:00Galapagos 🐢🦀🐟🐠<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Mike and Syl sweltering in the back seat of a police cruiser wasn’t the high point of our time in the Galapagos, but that’s another story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">The flight to Galapagos was super smooth — under two hours and no turbs. From the airport we took a bus then a ferry then a taxi to our hostel. Our first cab driver asked if we’d like to go to the giant tortoise ranch in Santa Rosa before going to the inn. Obviously! So we walked through some lava tunnels, then strolled through fields where enormous Galapagos tortoises were casually munching grass, walking... very... slowly..., warming in the sun or cooling in the pond. There were signs posted everywhere telling you to stay 2m away but it’s very tempting to sidle up closer. They are mesmerizing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Over the next few days we took tours to see birds — the blue footed boobie of course, Darwin’s finches, and many sea birds— as well as marine iguanas, seals and sea lions. We were able to stop and swim with sharks since they’re not at all aggressive towards humans. We saw a family of maybe ten cuddled in the mangroves. We weren’t in danger, but it’s still creepy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Our favorite was swimming with three big sea turtles. We glided above them and dove down to look closer. What a dream. I was proud of our hearty little family, that we could all swim in somewhat choppy waters decent distances. Other travellers sat out a few stops but the Cozzies got their money’s worth. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Puerto Ayora is the city on Santa Cruz Island (pop. 25,000) and the waterfront has boardwalks with colourful lights at night, lots of people out strolling, overpriced restaurants, fantastic gelato, and many tour companies. Best of all, there are seals sleeping on the dock, sharks and sea turtles swimming nearby, sea turtles too, iguanas skittering by, and tons of birds keeping the town painted white. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">We spent our last day at Tortuga Bay. On one side of the dunes there is a safe swimmable (stunning) beach with soft white sand. Around the bend there is a long stretch of beach with very strong surf. There is also a little lagoon where you can swim with small sharks and marine iguanas . . . their motion is hilarious, tails working and arms jacked in constant push-up position. Those little guys are stockier than you’d think. Bulldog vibes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Anyway, it was an unforgettable excursion to the Galapagos. I highly recommended it if you like to see calm animals on their own turf. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Next destination: Santiago, Chile.</span></div>
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Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03150473845702056094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727903759699213290.post-26232241198868475872019-03-19T20:58:00.000-07:002019-03-20T09:54:49.585-07:00Mainland Ecuador 🇪🇨 <br />
In Quito, taxis cost about $0.10 a minute, US dollars, well, cents, but still — so cheap. Drivers use their horns often, ducking into winding streets, passing other cars on either side, rounding corners, giving a heads up to pedestrians. It’s fast and loud, if not furious. The buses blow black smoke through the city. But there’s plenty to see.<br />
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The Basilica del Voto Nacional is over two hundred years old and it’s a massive fortress. Its narrow stairwells lead higher and higher to spires that overlook Old Town. The highest point of the Basilica is the Condors’ Tower, accessed by a caged-in steel ladder, technically outside. A woozy climb for us adults. Chloe zipped up in her usual fearless fashion and Sylvie pretended she was 8 (required age) and went for it too.<br />
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After that we went to the Botanical Gardens and now we’re all orchid enthusiasts.<br />
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The teleferico is a enclosed lift that takes you to the highest peaks in the city. We tried to go our first day but it was a holiday so the line was too long. Luckily for the kids, Vulcano Park was right there and they got to go on some decent rides and play some carni games. Chloe took a couple of shots at a basketball game where you had to sink a b-ball through three hoops and she got it, winning herself a teddy bear. It was a highlight. The next day we took the teleferico way up, looked at the whole city, hiked around, pet some llamas, and rode horses . . . because why not?<br />
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Sylvie celebrated her 7th birthday in Otavalo! We stayed in cute cabins overlooking the city. So many dogs — some stray, some cared for, some charming, some in rough shape. It was like the book Go Dogs Go, and at night, the dog party was raucous.<br />
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The Otavalo market is the biggest and oldest market in South America and vendors set up and sell beautiful textiles, fresh produce, and all kinds of randomness. You can get some deals (leather purse for $20, a « North Face » jacket for $30, fresh juice for $0.15, 40 limes for a dollar!). The place was chaotic and full of energy. We may have seen 5% of it. Basically we had snacks and got a few bracelets for the girls because I can’t be carrying any more on this trip!<br />
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We spent a day at Parque Cóndor where they care for spectacular and mostly endangered birds — eagles, hawks, owls, and of course, condors. There’s an eccentric fellow who has been working there for many years and puts on a show. Very impressive. Speaking of birds, we tried caldo de gallino, which was a tasty soup. It was our first time ever spooning up a foot though. Hello.<br />
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The road to Mindo spirals through the mountainous cloud forest. Hard on the neck. Within our first hour in town we did a chocolate tour at El Chetzal. Yum. Then we went to a butterfly farm, took another teleferico (why do we keep doing this? So scary.), and hiked to a waterfall. Our last day there we took shelter from the hours of rain by spending the day in a covered hot tub pool at a hotel. Great day.<br />
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We soaked even more in Papallacta. We spent an evening and a full day in the Balnearios — a beautifully designed complex of pools of all temperatures and sizes, built into the mountain, fed by the springs.<br />
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Also, we met Heather and John in Mindo. They have been traveling for five years! Their blog is www.roamingaroundtheworld.com. They have lots of insight and good advice for traveling, even a guide to Halifax, so they’re clearly good folks.<br />
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That’s all for now. Off to Galapagos today!<br />
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03150473845702056094noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727903759699213290.post-48191933024829130302019-03-07T14:52:00.001-08:002019-05-31T02:49:50.630-07:00Tulum & Cozumel 🌴🌮🌯🥑🍤Tulum & Cozumel<br />
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Believe the hype. The Tulum beach is beautiful and the water is warm, if choppy. It’s an Instagrammer’s paradise... We were privy to many awkwardly staged photo shoots. The sun was intense, and after hours playing in the waves, and walking around the Mayan ruins, we got burnt, despite our best efforts. Our condo, our first AirBNB experience, was a $10 cab away. The place was perfect. The kids had their own room and there was a huge pool shared with the other tenants. We met the sweetest family from Brooklyn, traveling with their baby and preschooler, both teachers too. We also loved the nearby truck stop with great Mexican food and incredible bands on the weekends (and quirky ones on weekdays). We ate so many tacos and panuchos at La Chiapaneca that I really need a break.<br />
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From Tulum we booked a tour to the Dos Ojos cenotes, and went cave swimming for a few hours. Flippers, masks, snorkels on, we swam through different caves, some with a few fish, some filled with bats, some so dark we needed flashlights. The girls were awesome — strong, brave, and generally up for whatever we plan.<br />
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A few days later we bussed to Playa del Carmen, ferried to Cozumel, checked in to a funny little hotel and went on a short snorkel tour. The reefs we saw didn’t seem to be in very good shape but a few schools milled around us, probably because our guide was dropping feed out of his pocket (sketchy?). When we got lightly stung by tiny jellyfish, we were like OW! And the guide was like, Oh no — no stingers here. Anyway, to make sure our Tripadvisor feedback was positive, we were given margaritas, rum punch, and strawberry pop for the kids.<br />
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Back at the hotel, the kids played in the courtyard where there were lush gardens and sixteen (they counted) turtles. They stalked them, petted them, admired them, and yes, washed their hands. We walked around the center of Cozumel that night, enjoying the plaza, the vendors, the outdoor restaurants. Mike had a couple of barley pops, the girls had the best popsicles of their lives — basically mango purée, and I treated myself to an obnoxiously large-pink-slushy daiquiri while enjoying tender acoustic covers of the music of my youth. The seed is planted for my snowbirding retirement years I guess. Haha<br />
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Our time in Mexico was awesome and I’m sure we’ll go back someday. Hasta luego.<br />
—K<br />
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03150473845702056094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727903759699213290.post-51691854906186754932019-02-24T18:50:00.000-08:002019-02-24T18:54:03.298-08:00Mexico 🇲🇽Getting to beautiful Mérida was a mission: Hfx- TO- Mexico City - Mérida. We had that Amazing Race feeling in the massive Mexico City airport as we took a train to Terminal 2 to catch our plane to Merida, but once we settled into Hotel Luz en Yucatan, it was all worth it. We met some great people — long-horn cattle ranchers from Texas who bonded with Mike over football. We also met a French family from Bretagne. Their daughter played with our girls, and one of their sons is a history buff who knows all about Acadians. 😊 The plazas in town are vibrant with music, vendors, food stalls, and we watched a simulation of the ancient Mayan “ball game” pelote. <br />
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A few days later we caught the comfy ADO bus to Valladolid, another colourful town with a lot of character. From there we booked a taxi guide to take us to Chichen Itza — a huge archeological site with the big pyramid, as well as other temples and the big field for the infamous aforementioned ball game pelote, which required players to knock a ball through a ring high up on the walls (knees, hips, forearms only!). We picked it up instantly and shut out every family we challenged, beast mode. Hahaha imagine.</div>
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After our morning at Chichen Itza our taxi driver, Luis Arceo, took us to two cenotes: Ik-Kil and Suytun. Ik-Kil was busier than Mic Mac Mall on Christmas Eve, except with everyone in bathing suits taking selfies, GoPro selfies, and action shots. I must be in the background of several thousand pics. Dios mio. It really was beautiful and a refreshing dip. Chloe and Mike took brave jumps from quite high. </div>
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Suytun Cenote was very different. It is closer to Valladolid and a much more rustic park. We didn’t know what to expect when we paid our entrance fee. They handed us life vests and pointed to a stone staircase going underground. Ok... eerie vibe, couple of bats, careful walking down stairs, then wow! An enormous cavern filled with stalactites (or are they stalagmites? maybe both?), a skylight illuminating the water below, with a walkway towards the center, and what made it even better was that there were only three other people there, total. The water was cool and a little murky, and there were quite a few little black catfish around but after some hesitation, we waded in and swam around. Muy refresca. </div>
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We went back to Valladolid and after a bit of research decided to go to Rio Lagartos overnight to do an early morning boat tour with a naturalist. There were pelicans and frigate birds close to the dock, and when we ventured out into the mangroves we saw many birds, notably great blue herons, osprey, egrets, hawks, and large flocks of stunning flamingos. We were lucky enough to get close to two very mellow crocodiles. </div>
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From Rio Lagartos we took three buses and two taxis to Tulum, where we are relaxing for a while. That’s all for now. Oh my... the food has been exceptional: tacos for days, panuchos, ceviche, guacamole, Venezuelan arepa, churros, marquesitas! Next blog post might be all food. </div>
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— K</div>
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03150473845702056094noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-727903759699213290.post-88814424745302320352019-01-31T02:45:00.001-08:002019-02-06T04:01:43.597-08:00What's the plan? Very soon, we are packing up the kids and starting our round-the-world (RTW) adventure.<br />
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The four of us will travel for six months, through fifteen or more countries. We hope to have fun, learn lots, and document some of the trip to share with family, friends, and fellow travellers.<br />
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Since it's February and our departure point is Nova Scotia, we are going south.<br />
First stop: Mérida, Mexico.<br />
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—Kristen<br />
(The pic below was taken by C. Sharp at my parents’ house in Pubnico on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary. I’m guessing in our future blog pics we will look a little scrappier. 😅)</div>
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Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03150473845702056094noreply@blogger.com3