Living in the 'Sweet Spot'

 I talked to Dawn's college roommate before I ever talked to Dawn; she told me I should get to know Dawn as someone with a similar attitude towards new destinations.  Dawn has no hesitation in traveling or other adventures.  After our first year of marriage, we both quit our jobs and traveled around the USA, Nogales to Quebec, Portland to Tampa, for the next three months.  When moving from San Francisco Bay to Omaha for dental training, we included the World's Fair at Spokane on our route.  During dental training years at Creighton, we included trips to Morelia & Zihuantanejo in Mexico and Oahu & Maui in Hawaii.  Dawn encouraged me toward a dental career in the US military for the travel and variety it afforded.  Our children were raised in South Carolina, Panama, Alabama, California, Germany, The Netherlands, and Virginia.

We continue to travel today.  In the early years, our limitations were due to a limited budget & free time.  Now that we are retired, we have plenty of free time and a more ample budget.  Our health is not yet a limitation, but it is an increasing concern.  Both of us have had health issues, but we are "good to go" at least until my next prostate biopsy.  We realize that this will not always be true; thus, we want to take advantage of the 'sweet spot' that we currently enjoy.

That sweet spot is not just in enjoying travel, but also in staying active.  Every day this summer, we are out on a forest trail on our mountain e-bikes.  Dawn takes fitness classes and has fitness equipment (treadmill, reformer, rebounder) here at our home.  Woodworking, specifically boat building, (lifting, cutting, trimming, sanding, clamping) is an active hobby for me.  I take long walks in our gated forest community and try to include daily exercises at bedtime.  Yardwork also contributes.  Now, I have a used trailer to rehabilitate for use with the kayaks I built.

Not every trip is long and complicated; this past Spring we went to Florida, Omaha, and Washington, DC, on separate trips. But plans for a next trip are always in our thoughts.  Earlier this year we took a 57-day trip touching three continents.  This Fall, we had a 40-day trip to Turkiye with extensive intermediate stops.  Planning continues for future trips to the Caribbean and Western Pacific.

Life should be a pleasurable journey, not a struggle to be endured.  Years ago, after my Navy service in the Pacific, I came to the view that that journey should be an adventure.  By 'adventure', I mean a process of discovery: learning about yourself, the world, and finding meaning in all of this.  Travel is not the only approach, but it is a convenient avenue for this to take place.  Travel forces you into unfamiliar situations where you need to consider your choices and capabilities in dealing with new environments.  A physician friend tells us that it helps maintain mental alertness, ward off dementia.

All this will end some day; we know not when.  For now, it is enough to fully live each day and appreciate that we can do so.    

         

  

Index of Entries, Fall 2024

 

Entry titles are listed in order from oldest to newest (top to bottom) in this index; however, the actual blog entries are posted from oldest to newest (back to front).  Thus, the 2005 entry will be at the back end of this blog.  Find a topic in the left-hand column, then click on the corresponding archive year in the right-hand column to get close on a time scale to the desired entry before scrolling up or down for the specific entry.

 December 2005-   Building my first boat, Leaving home and Nebraska (my bio) 

February 2016-     Travel Blog, Croatia preview

March 2016-         Iceland, Copenhagen, Zagreb, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Ireland

July 2016-             Scandinavia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Berlin

September 2016-   Colorado

November 2016-   California coast

December 2016-   Washington DC, Island of Maui

March 2017-        Argentina:  Buenos Aires, San Carlos de Bariloche, Mendoza

May 2017-           Northern Italy preview

July 2017-            Alaskan cruise

September 2017- Venice, Lake Garda, Lake Como, Lake Maggiore, Genoa, Nice, French hill villages,                                        Portugal & Algarve 

October 2017-      Lisbon & Sintra, Washington DC

December 2017-   Eastern Caribbean cruise:  St. Kitts-Nevis, Martinique, Antigua, Barbados, Grenada,                                Puerto Rico

February 2018-     South Pacific preview

March 2018-         Tahiti & Tuamotu cruise, New Zealand

April 2018-           New Zealand South Island, Australia

September 2018-   Road trip to Colorado. Idaho, Wyoming

September 2018-   Galapagos Islands, 2015

September 2018-   Panama 2014 trip

September 2018-   San Blas islands cruise 1981

October 2018-       Krakow, Poland

November 2018-   Zakopane, Danube, Budapest, Azores

January 2019-        European trip preview

May 2019-              northern France, cruise to Med, Mallorca, Rome, Copenhagen

July 2019-              Azores, Maine, Cape Cod preview

August 2019-         Omaha visit

September 2019-   A Voyage to Remember, Florida to Panama, 1980

October 2019-        Azores, Maine, Cape Cod

December 2019-    Puerto Vallarta

February 2020-      Madeira Island, Azores

April 2020-            The Lost Vacation (due to Covid), Switzerland, (now rescheduled)

August 2020-         Road trip to Montana

October 2020-        Road trip to Arkansas

April 2021-             Living in Panama, 1979-1982

July 2021-               Brazil preview (canceled and rescheduled April-June 2022)

August 2021-        Raising Children in the Military

September 2021-    Switzerland:  Lausanne, Interlaken, Lucerne, Zurich

April 2022-             Road Trip to Omaha, Washington DC, and Florida 

May 2022-              Roatan snorkeling, Our 1972 Road Trip

August 2022-            A Lifetime Travel Partner

June 2022-              Bocas del Toro snorkeling, Panama               

October 2022-         France:  Strasbourg, Colmar, & Mulhouse

                                Switzerland:  Basel, St. Gallen

April 2023-             Spain, Canary Islands, France, England, and DC

September 2023-    Scotland, Sardinia

November 2023-    Travel Planning Details

December 2023-    DC, Dubai, Mahe Island (Seychelles)

January 2024-      more Seychelles Islands, Maldives Islands, Sri Lanka

February 2024-    South Africa, a brief stop in Brazil

March 2024-        Snorkeling Sri Lanka & Maldives

April 2024-        Military Travel

September 2024- Revisiting the Past, Germany

October 2024-      Garmisch, Germany to Hall, Austria

                              Salzburg, Munich, and Onward

                              Istanbul, first encounter

                              Cappadocia, the Balloon Capital

                            

November 2024-    Back to Istanbul and a Cruise

                               Tuscany, Italy

                                Living in the Sweet Spot

Tuscany, Italy

Our cruise ship arrived at Athens in the morning, and we flew out to Florence, Italy that afternoon.  Between times, we hung out at the Aegean Airlines lounge (business class) where a banquet of food was served continuously in a relaxing atmosphere. We had been to Athens previously and visited its major attractions.  We didn't have time to explore Greece, and, to us, Athens is just another big city.  Arriving at Florence's comparatively small airport, it was easy to hop a tram to the downtown train station.  From there, it was only a few blocks walk to our accommodation.  Our B&B was not fancy, but it included all the essentials with a great location within walking distance of the entire city.

Our B&B:  Approaching the building, you first encounter a massive unadorned wooden door with a brass plate to the right.  You press the buzzer and are able to open the door.  Then you are presented with this scene.  Take the small elevator to the first floor (one floor up), go through another door, and you are now at the reception desk.

Palazzo Strozzi which we walked by every day on our way to downtown Florence (Italian= Firenze).

In case you were wondering where the tourists congregate.  Looks like they are aimlessly milling around.  Plenty of museums and beautiful churches.

The open marketplace held almost anything you might want to buy.  What was different about Florence were the small shops where craftsmen were creating attractive originals: clothing, jewelry, leatherwork, etc.  These were not 'knockoffs' but originals.

A statue of David (the original is indoors) as seen at night, located in one of the plazas.

Ponte Vecchio, one of the most famous landmarks in the entire city.

We retreated to a beautiful park, Giardino di Boboli, across Ponte Vecchio and overlooking the city.

We took the back way out of the park, planning on a different walking route back to our abode.

We stopped at a small eatery for lunch and ordered their specialty.  Not being able to read Italian, we didn't know what we had ordered until using Google translate.  You are looking at wine, bread, and tripe (intestines).  That was a first for us, but with the sauce on top it tasted okay; the texture was kind of squishy.

Of course, there were hordes of tourists, but at least the streets are wider, the attractions are more spread out, and movement within the city was easier.  If you like museums, you will love Florence.  We had been to Florence previously; this was a 'refresher' visit, worthwhile for a few days, and then we took the tram back to the airport to pick up our Audi A3 rental.  It was a new vehicle; less than ten miles on the odometer!  Dawn drives an Audi at home, so it was very familiar.  Next stop was the walled town of Lucca.

Looking out the window at our Lucca B&B.  It was quiet and we could keep the window open.

Lucca is not far from Pisa and Cinque Terre, but it is a worthy destination on its own, less crowded and less expensive.  Tourists, yes, but in manageable numbers, not suffocating hordes.  The city is completely 'walled', but the wall has been converted into an elevated pedestrian parkway for a relaxing stroll, much of it shaded by trees.  The central city has cobblestone lanes and pleasing architecture.  Our small B&B was a great choice: comfortable room, pretty garden outside our window, parking space for our Audi, fresh fruit with breakfast, and a location right outside one of the city gates.

Walking the 'Wall' surrounding Lucca.  Uncrowded now but well appreciated by locals' late afternoons and weekends.  Walking the entire circumference of the city wall is doable exercise.  

A typical inner street in Lucca.  Tourists, but not a zoo-like atmosphere.

A fountain we passed daily just inside the gate to the city.  One day as we approached this gate we heard huge roaring.  It was a lady's Harley Davison club get together. There must have been a hundred of these motorcycles ridden by women in full leathers revving up their bikes.

While staying at Lucca, we took a day trip to the hilltop village of Montecarlo.  It was a rainy day (not enough to spoil our plans) and there were few tourists besides ourselves.  Naturally, the village had a fortress, but almost all stores were located on a 2-3 block area of one street.  We had an interesting lunch there.  The chef (and owner) had lived all over our planet.  He had four daughters, each born in a different country.  His wife was from Kenya.  In the US he had worked in LA and Atlanta, and he was eager to use his English skills.  The meal was tasty.  One of his daughters, Luna, served the meal.  She was interesting to talk to, wants to travel more; we invited her to visit us.  We also had a conversation with another couple sitting nearby; they were from Sweden, had traveled extensively, and we were able to compare some of our experiences.

Looking west along the main street of Montecarlo.  Our restaurant was on the left.

Looking east on Montecarlo's main street.  The fortress is at the end of the street.

Another day we visited a large historic Villa only a short drive NE of Lucca.  There was an admission charge, but it was reasonable, used to maintain the extensive grounds.  The Villa was initially built for a daughter of Napoleon Bonaparte.  Pond, pool, chapel, tennis courts, stables, formal gardens: what have I left out?  This area includes a series of such estates, but we had time for only one exploration.

This building interior looks like it was built on a whim to entertain.  Figures of legends and supernatural creatures.

Extensive gardens and landscaped terraces.

A water feature and behind the high shrubbery are the main house, stable and shop areas.

Looking south toward the valley from the slopes of Castiglion Fiorentino.

Then, it was time to visit another destination, normally about a 2 1/2-to-3-hour drive, depending on route.  Our goal was Castiglion Fiorentino, another small hilltop village with ancient fortress and quaint medieval surroundings.  Tourists?  We met no foreign tourists there.  The village of Cortona, about 8 miles to the south is better known for tourism.  There are NO tourist-oriented stores in Castiglion Fiorentino.  Just consumer goods: hardware, clothing, shoes, fresh vegetables, pizza, and a few restaurants further down the hill. How authentic and unspoiled!

A crumbling section of the fortress wall.  Walk through the door you see (it needs to be unlocked) and then to the right is Suite San Michele where we were staying.

The fortress watch tower, once important for town defense, is now mainly used as a pigeon roost.

We stayed at Suite San Michele, a small B&B hosted by Sonja (the owner who speaks excellent English) and her very helpful staff who speak no English.  Her staff was eager to help us, but Google translate was essential.  Looking at their guestbook, almost all entries were in Italian.  For them, there was little need for English.  The village was on a steep rocky hill with a crumbling fortress at the crest of the hill.  Part of the fortress wall served as one wall of the B&B.  The B&B foundation (confirmed by archeological excavation) dates back 2700 years to Etruscan origins.  It is believed that the building began as a stable for horses, just outside one of the fortress gates.

To drive to our B&B at Castiglion Fiorentino, you must drive through this narrow opening, then turn right.  Does it look like a street to you?

Driving up, you approach from the lower left of the photo, then make a hard right (it may take two tries), then take a left to approach the steep hill.

Then you drive up the steep hill (toward the camera) and through the tunnel.

The tunnel is ahead.  Don't be distracted by the driveways off to the right.  A driveway may look wider than the actual street.  I learned this after walking the entire route to our B&B.  Without guidance, we left our car parked in a public lot lower on the hill and walked to it from the B&B.

Looking north from the fortress wall. 

Sonja has completely updated her B&B with new plumbing fixtures, electrical appliances, new door & windows, and a modern decor but with ancient cues such as that massive stone wall from the fortress.  Getting to her B&B is a different story.  We had GPS, but the signal became unreliable in the narrow streets, stone buildings, and steep contours.  What GPS said was a street, visually did not look wide enough for our Audi.  We ended up in the municipal plaza and called the B&B for help.  Sonja came in her vehicle and brought us to the B&B while one of her staff members moved our car to a free public parking lot farther down the hill.  That is really service.

Suite San Michele gets a "10" from Dawn and me.  But it was time to leave, drive to the Rome airport, turn in our car, find our next accommodation, and prepare for our ten-hour-long AM flight the next day.  We found a nice restaurant within easy walking distance and had a satisfying outdoors dinner meal to celebrate a successful trip.  Next stop was Washington, DC, to visit our son's family. 

Two days after arriving back in Colorado, we awoke to this, and there is more coming in the next few days.
           

  

Back to Istanbul and a Cruise

Looking across the Bosphorus from the Asian shore.

Colorful floral shop on an evening walk.

Sunset over Istanbul.  Of course, this photo captures only a very limited view.

This entire 40-day trip started with a weeklong cruise reservation, Istanbul to Athens.  Now it was time to get back to Istanbul from Cappadocia and meet our ship.  But we had two more excursions scheduled prior to that.  We took a ferry ride across the Bosphorus to its Asian shore.  More mosques and minarets to see, as well as some attractive neighborhoods.  The government of Turkiye recently completed a new huge mosque, able to hold about 40,000 worshipers.  My question:  Couldn't that money be better spent on health care, education, or basic public services?  Every direction you look, there are already mosques.  We were told that the public school system in Turkiye is deteriorating, and more students are being schooled in madrassas.  Our devout Islamic guide thought that was okay.  One of our secular guides believes that the madrassas are failing at education, instead memorization of Koran verses and radicalization are occurring.

A quiet walk on a perfect day visiting Prince's Islands.

Only mosques built by the royal family can have more than one minaret.

We used the ferry service to visit the Prince's Islands.  Today, these islands are a nearby getaway for Istanbul residents.  Historically, they were used for exiling disfavored (and disfigured) members of the royal family, hence the 'Prince' nomenclature.  If not exiled, the princes were always plotting to seize power for themselves.  For us it was a quiet relaxing day.  The transfer from ferry to cruise ship was easily accomplished.

At least they are honest about what they are selling.

At Rhodes (having visited it previously), we took a fast boat to an outlying island.... it was a waste of time; the sights and stores there were no different than back at the main harbor.

Our cruise ship as seen from fortress walls.  The boats with masts are outfitted for entertaining tourists in a pirate-type configuration.

A small beach below the fortress walls at Alanya.

The type of yacht that we were provided for a cruise of Bodrum bay.

Only a dozen passengers were assigned to each yacht.  We had plenty of room, refreshments, and a chance to swim in these calm waters.  At this point, there was an underwater volcanic outlet spewing warm water near the shore.

My chance for a swim.  The water temperature was pleasant, and I enjoyed the extra buoyancy of the salt water.  I wasn't the only one in the water, but the others were clustered near the stern, clutching their foam 'noodles'.

Our Oceania cruise ship was scheduled to visit Xanthi, Ephesus, Rhodes, Alanya, Bodrum, and Santorini.  Most of the port cities visited offered similar experiences: a fortress, ancient ruins, and a street section full of tourist-oriented shops.  Bodrum was my favorite.  There we spent 4-5 hours cruising the bay with a party of twelve on a large (60-70') sailing yacht.  Our least favorite was the dramatic island of Santorini.  With two cruise ships at anchor there, the island was overcrowded with tourists like herded cattle.

Anchored at Santorini.  There is no harbor; we were transferred to shore in tenders.

Only narrow passageways existed between the close-set buildings.  Thus, the tourists were forced to shuffle through in long lines, like herding through a cattle chute.  Dawn and I quickly decided that being back on the ship would be more enjoyable.  We used a gondola to descend to the harbor front from the heights of the dormant volcano.

More of the crowd of tourists.  When a tourist gets a favored spot for photos, the tendency is to hold on to it preventing/obscuring others from that viewing location.  I do not like crowds.

This is Santorini at night.  Everyone lives at the top of the cliffs.

        

Cappadocia, the Balloon Capital

 Cappadocia (Turkish= Kapadokya) is world famous for its hot air balloon launches.  Every day, weather permitting, you will see balloons beyond counting launched at daybreak.  Proper balloon handling requires an extensive ground crew, chase trucks, passenger vans, refreshments, marketing, etc.  It is not cheap, but demand for balloon rides is strong.  While we were there, about 70% of tourists were from Asia coinciding with an extended holiday period in China.

Inflating our balloon from the installed burners, pre sunrise.

These balloons are really big.  At this point, the balloon is self-supporting but not ready for lift off.

The balloon starting to build lift.

The two men standing in blue are the crew.  Everyone else is gawking at the scenery below.

We flew Turkish Airlines to Nevsehir Airport and used a shuttle to the town of Goreme in the Cappadocia region. Early the following morning we were up and ready for our balloon flight.  The typical balloon holds about twenty passengers with two crew members.  The 'basket' is actually rather large, rectangular with four sections, so you don't feel crowded.  The crew is able to rotate the balloon so that you get a 360-degree view of surroundings.  Of course, they also control altitude, dropping low over some features while rising to 3-4000 feet altitude at other times.  The ride is very solid, like you are standing on a platform.

Balloons, beyond counting, rising to feel the warmth of sunrise.

Balloons at initial launch before sunrise touches the land.

Looking down on a village, we see true topography in three dimensions.

A hilltop village.  At night it was illuminated by the glow of many windows with an engaging effect.

After an hour of floating in the sky, the crew brings the balloon down while coordinating with the ground crew.  They were able to accurately land that basket right on a towed trailer.  

When windy, the landing can be exciting, but on our day winds were calm.  The balloon and basket were brought down in a farmer's field onto a trailer towed by a chase truck.  Then we all had a sip of champagne.  For those not participating in a balloon ride, hundreds also get up early to watch the mass launchings from atop cliffs surrounding Goreme in its valley.

These are natural stone shapes that have been hollowed out to create homes inside.

Rock formations waiting to become a new housing subdivision (I am kidding).

This is the natural terrain before being altered by civilization.

Observers on the ground gathering at sunrise.

Looking down on Goreme from the surrounding plateau in early evening.  The area is greatly supported economically by balloon tourism.

Many trinkets for sale.  Also, jewelry & leather goods.  Our concern was finding a laundry service.

Really pretty when the entire balloon lights up in the predawn darkness.

At this point, Goreme is prosperous and expanding; new hotels going up.  Tourists seem to enjoy sleeping in cave rooms dug into the volcanic stone.

When the balloons fire off their burners to gain altitude, the entire balloon lights up.  

I lost count, but a typical morning includes about 100 balloons.  Figure 20 people per balloon and about $250 per person.  That is a half-million-dollar spectacle.

It seems like no two balloons are the same color.  Do they remind you of Christmas tree ornaments?

Goreme experienced record tourist visits this year.  It is at the point where the number of tourists is starting to adversely affect the enjoyment of the experience.  Our hotel was at a great location, but the staff seemed to do the minimum to earn their paychecks.  Our room looked worn and neglected.  Some entrepreneurs were starting to charge people admission to walk the trails from the valley to the overlooking cliff plateaus in order to watch morning or evening sights.

This underground church was completely chiseled out of the lava rock.

We did a day long excursion of the surrounding area.  Geologically, the area was formed from a soft lava flow.  Early settlers discovered that the thick but soft rock could be carved or excavated to create underground homes and other buildings.  Something I didn't know previously was that early Christian communities came here to avoid persecution by the Romans and built what is now called an "underground city" to shelter them.  They did not actually live in the underground complex, but it included kitchens, storage areas, shops and defensive positions where up to 5,000 people could hide in an emergency.