JLB43409

After a wonderful hike yesterday, it was time to leave our cozy Kaza guesthouse and head down the mountains to Olympia, birthplace of the Olympics. But first, we had to navigate the twisty-turny, barely two-lane roads down to the coast. Ken took the driving duties and did a great job maneuvering around blind corners, with massive drops to the cliffs below. At one very cute village, hanging off the cliffs (a theme the past few days) we decided to stop, enjoy a coffee and check out the festive shops. In this area they are known for their honey, and surprisingly homemade pasta. We stocked up on both, including some jars of yummy walnuts and pistachios in honey. While Google maps advised it was 1.5 hours to Olympia, it took over 2.5 (including the stop) which gives ... read more

Merry Christmas from Tolo!! or, since it is St Stephens Day in Ireland (day after Christmas), we can celebrate that too! To me, that is an important one as it encourages to be thankful for what we have and those we love. Always a good thing to celebrate. We have been here in Tolo Greece for over a week, which is actually hard to believe as it has gone quite quickly. While the rest of our friends and family were dealing with crazy cold weather, we have been suffering with 65ish and sunny. I do admit to bitching when the sun goes down as it does get chilly...and I know many of you are thinking "shut up!!!. Yeah, I get it. For Christmas Eve, a tradition is for children to go door-to-door, with little triangles and ... read more

I am combining our last two days into one blog…Last of Jordan and an evening in Istanbul. Friday was our last full day in Jordan, and time to head back to Amman to turn the car in and get ready to leave Saturday morning. As we packed up and left the Petra Marriott, dark clouds and lots of wind were starting to gather. We were grateful that the day before we had great weather and weren’t attempting to visit Petra in the wind and drizzle. As we drove the 3 hours to Amman, we had spurts of rain which didn’t look to be letting up. Luckily the drive was easy, the car was dropped off and we were settled into the Amman Sheraton with a nice suite. We had thought of doing a dinner out, but ... read more

In the fancy tent, the beds were super comfy and nice bedding, which should have made for a restful evening. Ken took advantage and slept all night, which is amazing for him. Me, not so much. This was one of those rare nights where sleep just wasn’t happening. Oh well…I was snug in bed and got a bit of reading done, before just relaxing and hoping for some snoozing. As we were doing a sunrise camel ride, it was up and at the reception area at 630a. Along with 10 others, we wandered in the barely dawn light down the path to our trusty camels. My camel, FouFou was quite chatty and wanted to talk to everyone, kind of between a horse whinnie and a cow moo that is quite comical. She was also enamored with ... read more

Sunshine dawned and this is a hang-day for us at the Dead Sea Marriott. Car is safely stowed, pools ready to be used and the big activity….MUD and SALT. More on that in a bit, as we had to enjoy the breakfast with lots of choices, including fresh fruit, fresh vegis and of course local food that is fresh and tasty. Ken is even venturing into the local fare and not complaining that “this isn’t breakfast food!”. Ok, salad and grilled vegis are not normally on the day-to-day breakfast menu, but you gotta admit it is healthier than most “normal” breakfast foods. Now, it was time to head for the beach and check out the mud and float in the sea. Down the paved path, down the stone stairs and soon we were at the private ... read more