Greece: a few Islands We had started out booking accommodation on two islands in the Dodecanese (group), but finished visiting seven; Rhodes, Symi, Tilos, Nisyros, Kos, Kalymnos and Astypalia. After the hectic pace that was our journey through the Middle East and Turkey, this was our ‘wind down’ period. As always, if you want to see the picture in a larger size, just click on it. Day 1 - Sunday May 26; arrival Rhodes We’d scheduled two accommodation destinations in Rhodes, the ‘capital’ Rhodes Town and Lindos. Having an (international) airport that allowed us to arrive from Turkey, we weren’t quite prepared for what we discovered. After where we’d been, the airport was very low key and laid back. The (public) bus to Rhodes Town took about 1/2 hour and... read more

Israel: a taste of the biblical trail This trip with Peregrine Tours gave us a taste of the important Christian biblical attributes, with a heap of enjoyment on the side. Day 0.1 - 12 May - From Jordan Our last ‘blog’ had us finishing the tour in Jordon on Day 6. The following day (today) Peregrine Tours transported us to Israel. We had wanted to visit the Jordan River where Christ had been baptised. Despite much email ‘conversation’ before we left and a few requests along the way while in Jordan, this was not to be. We’d departed the Amman hotel early so as to get to the border in a reasonable time. We were advised the border is bedlam and every minute ‘counts’. Imagine our dismay as our bus passed the turnoff to the site, ... read more

Oman: a delighful diversion On this trip (to the Middle East) we were confronted with expensive options that travelled via Europe. The alternative was a more direct route using multiple legs. The latter were daytime flights (our preference) being Australia > Malaysia > Oman > Jordan. Instead of using Oman as an overnighter, we decided to stay a little longer. As always, if you want to see the picture in a larger size, just click on it. Day 1 - May 3: Arrival As the plane descended to Muscat (capital of Oman), the dust haze of the Arabian peninsular gradually gave way to a rocky, parched desert. The bright blue of the ocean contrasted with the beige and brown of the landscape. From the air, there was no evidence of green anywhere! At the terminal, we ... read more

. Our venture into the rural part of Portugal.The collective ‘episodes’ (this being the third) describe our journey from our departure from Oz, our arrival in London from the 3rd week of May and onto Portugal for a journey into the Portuguese culture and landscape. In the few weeks available to us, we cannot experience 'everything'. Even so, we'll do our best to enjoy all that is available. This 'episode' describes our 'experience' as we make our way from Lisbon and into the more rural parts of Portugal. We attach a few pics to give a flavour of our journey, and some may 'flow over' past the dialogue. If we do this, you may need to manually go to the 'spillover' page to see them. As always, if you want to 'see' more detail in an ... read more

Our little 'taste' of London. The collective ‘episodes’ (this being the first) describe our journey from our departure from Oz, our arrival in London from the 3rd week of May and onto to Portugal for a journey into the Portuguese culture and landscape. In the few weeks available to us, we cannot experience 'everything'. Even so, we'll do our best to enjoy all that is available. This 'episode' describes our London 'experience. We attach a few pics to give a flavour of our journey, and some may 'flow over' past the dialogue. If we do this, you may need to manually go to the 'spillover' page to see them. As always, if you want to 'see' more detail in an accompanying picture, click it to enlarge. . Monday 22nd May 2017. . Departing Gold Coast for ... read more