Travel Planning Details

Our next trip is planned to include Turkey (Istanbul, Cappadocia), an Aegean cruise, and Greece (Athens, Santorini) plus other intermediate stopovers (Germany, Italy) while coming and returning.  It will be months before we start completing all the details for that trip.

I am still working on completing the ETAs (Visas) needed for our soon upcoming trip.  I needed to upload selfie photos, pages from our passports, our accommodation contract, our tickets for the arriving airline, and our tickets for the departing cruise ship.  Then add in a medical form, background information, tracing data (for Covid), payment, and then complete some pull-down menus.... and that was just for Seychelles.  Best to do it on a well-connected cell phone.  Don't forget that international service plan for your phone. Tomorrow, I start on the Sri Lanka forms.

Four different types of electrical plug adapters will be needed for this trip (D, G, M, N).  Hopefully, our credit cards will suffice in most situations instead of using the multiple currencies involved.  What other details do we need to prepare for?

Today I discovered that our temporary change of address form was not submitted properly by the post office employee I dealt with.  Again, it was a matter of uploading identification information; she did not do it; thus, today I had to go to the post office and start over again.

Our cruise company wants us to bring formal wear for an onboard dinner, plus another "all white dinner" and then a semi-formal dinner.  Dawn and I simply do not have the space in our suitcases for these extras which will be worn only ONCE for an event in the middle of the Indian Ocean.  As it is, we have had to switch to larger suitcases which will need to be checked.  Checked luggage tends to get lost.  We have had it happen previously in Ecuador, Tahiti, and Sardinia.  Fortunately, we have absolutely no close airline connections for this trip.

We may skip those formal dinners.  Does the ship have a snack bar?

To travel to these far-off places on our own is a personal challenge.  I can understand why people hire travel agents.  The point is that you CAN do it yourself.  Our cruise company was not aware that Seychelles requires a visa.  I discovered that through dealing with Emirates airline.  Travel insurance.... we have never bought it unless required; medical evacuation insurance was required for the Galapagos islands and was justified by its remote location.  Depends on your situation.

Postscript:  The trip went almost perfectly.  We needed to change one of our transfer agents in Sri Lanka, and we needed to switch rental cars in South Africa.  Also, there was a mix-up on Dawn's ETA/visa in Sri Lanka; for some unknown reason she received a two-day visa instead of a two-week visa.  But, for a 57-day trip, that is minor stuff.

Sardinia in retrospect,

 Dawn says that this is our worst trip ever, and I tend to agree.  Several factors apply. First, we originally planned this trip for mid-September.  We moved it forward to allow time with our grandkids in DC before school started.  In Scotland, we had temperatures up to 80 degrees, too warm for the hiking we envisioned.  During our brief stay in Amsterdam, the temperatures also reached the 90’s, part of a heat wave in Europe.

Here in Sardinia, our weather can be described as hot, humid, and hazy.  Hot as in up to mid 90’s.  Humid as needing frequent clothes changes and showers. Hazy as in obscuring what would otherwise be beautiful photos including the surrounding mountains. Starting the day after we leave, temperatures drop by ten degrees. Not just my opinion but the unusual conditions were confirmed by the hotel receptionist.

Our difficulties in our arrival did not help our mood.  Instead of arriving Saturday at 6:30pm, we arrived on Monday at 1:10am with no luggage. Our rental car was canceled due to the delay. We spent Monday trying to arrange a new rental vehicle to take us from Cagliari to three intermediate stops and a drop off at Olbia.  It was either that or attempt to cancel the trip. Tuesday, we had to shop for a change of clothes.  Doing laundry in the shower at night wasn't enough.  Our luggage had not arrived; now our fourth day wearing the same clothes. Wednesday, we drove back to Cagliari to get our luggage which had finally arrived! Now, will we stay within our baggage allowance when coming home?

For our last night in Sardinia, I had booked a B&B near the Olbia airport. We dropped off our rental SUV at the airport and took a taxi to the B&B arriving two hours before official check-in.  We hadn't eaten lunch yet and planned to just drop off our luggage and then go find a restaurant.  The B&B host demanded a charge just to store our luggage for two hours.  Cheap bastard.  We had paid for breakfast the following morning but would be leaving too early to stay and eat.  No refund for that. 

We toted our luggage to a restaurant two blocks away and while eating lunch tried to reserve online a taxi ride for the next morning.  We discovered that taxis don't come to this neighborhood!  As soon as we listed our pick-up location, the taxi service became 'unavailable'.  We asked at our restaurant host, also at a local pharmacy, and were told that only buses did pickups in this area, and there were no direct buses to the airport.  There we were, on a warm day (not as warm as previous days) towing our luggage along the sidewalk, walking in the direction of a bus stop, when a taxi happened by.  Observing the situation, he slowed to inquire if we needed a ride.  Back to the airport, at the information counter, a clerk there was able to get us a reservation with a taxi driver she knew personally.  Four trips back and forth at 20 Euros per trip for less than a 3-mile distance.    

Sardinia has beautiful scenery, but it’s towns mainly reflect a modest economy.  Most villages are not scenic.  Well-worn older buildings, newer cinder block buildings with little paint or other finish.  And no parking!  The city streets are from an age centuries ago, one-lane cobblestone.  Three times we have given up on exploring villages when we couldn’t find a place to park.

Very little on this trip has come easily.

Orosei and Olbia

Very clear water.  The waterfall has worn itself into a crevice in the cliff face.

Smaller boats tied up to a wharf.  The larger yachts are on floating docks or moored out. Porto Rotondo, a very wealthy area, part of Costa Smeralda.  High end fashions and nice restaurants.

Cala di Volpe coast, an extension of the Costa Smeralda.

 In southern Sardinia, we had an area not overrun with tourists. Oh, there are tourists, but they are overwhelmingly Europeans, for whom this is a regular visitation. Yesterday, we drove north along the east coast; very rugged and dramatic. We came across one village built at altitude on a mountainside where we would have liked to stop, but the ancient dwellings were so precariously close set that we could not find a parking space.

Why build a village in such a place?  In other locations near to the coast, it was for defensive purposes to protect against Moorish slavers seeking women and children as household slaves for North Africa and men who could be chained to the oars in their galleys. But those villages had defensive walls and watchtowers. Here, it may be only to seek a slightly cooler climate at altitude.

Looking back on the narrow road we just drove, constant curves and frequent transmission shifts.

The road here from the south twisted through steep rocky inclines where the guard rail was re-assuring. Three hours to go a hundred miles. We are now at Orosei, where the coast starts to smooth out and there are many beaches to visit.  The Gulf of Orosei, surrounded by mountains, is directly south of us.  Because of the mountains, its beaches, cliffs, and caves are mainly accessible only by sea, from Orosei or further north.  A boat tour of the area takes 8+ hours, unless you launch from Cala Gonone. The land route to Cala Gonone is a narrow road carved into the granite slope with 180-degree hairpin curves. Once to the town, we discovered that no parking was available; cars were parked along the road for at least a half mile leading into the town. It was Sunday, and these were locals who had come to enjoy the beach town.

Cala Gonone. A beautiful seaside village with excellent access to the Gulf of Orosei.  Very popular, but to get to it you had to drive on narrow switchback roads down a mountain slope or come in by boat.  The entire Gulf of Orosei is surrounded by mountains.

Looking south from Cala Osala.

This is a typical Sardinian Mountain:  naked steep granite outcroppings.  The highest are up to 6000' high.

We experienced haze the entire time at Sardinia.  Locals said it was unusual but didn't know the source.  It started to clear up on our last day there.  

Courtyard of a very nice mountain hotel where we had lunch. Pool and art gallery were also part of it.  Nearby was a unique waterfall.  Below the waterfall was a clear pool and a small stream that led to a small lake where kayaks could be rented.

On another day, we headed inland to visit the village of Orgosolo.  We found the village at altitude on a steep slope.  Again, no parking was available. Instead, it was a maze of narrow streets clogged by parked vehicles, one-way signs and blind alleys where parking spaces are likely inherited.  We elected to keep driving.  For lunch, we stopped at a lovely hotel complex in a park-like atmosphere, with a swimming pool, an art & crafts center, and an excellent restaurant. The food here is delicious; my favorite being the seafood pasta.

Nearby was a waterfall which had worn its way into the granite face of a cliff.  A pool at its foot was perfectly clear.  A small lake downstream offered kayaking.  We are still in the dry summer season, so the waterfall and lake were not at their best.  The mountaintops here are almost naked granite due to their impervious steep surfaces and dry climate.  Beautiful to look at, but offering little hiking, or trekking as it is referred to here.  During our visit, a haze filtered distant views, spoiling what otherwise would be dramatic photos.  The haze dissipated on our last day in Sardinia.

One day we went to a recommended nature park on the coast featuring forest walks and five small beaches.  It was too warm for trekking, and we have had enough lifetime sun on our bodies that we try to limit time on an open beach anymore. (I have an appointment with my dermatologist soon.)

Another day (we spent a week at this hotel), we drove north to Porto Rotondo as recommended by our hotel personnel.  This area, NE coast, is known as the Costa Smeralda, or Emerald Coast.  It was developed into a retreat for the very wealthy starting 60 years ago by a mega-wealthy group of investors headed by the Aga Khan.  It is a yachting center with many attractive features: beautiful beaches nearby, offshore islands, calm seas, Corsica and the Tuscan coast.  Million-dollar yachts crowd the harbors.  Expensive homes and condos fill the hillsides.  High-end shopping and restaurants are close at hand.  This was far different than most Sardinian locations.  We just gawked, snapped photos, and had a nice meal.

Entrance to our hotel at Orosei.  Obviously, a very old building which has been repurposed.  The main building served as reception, rooms, and breakfast location.  Dawn and I stayed in an annex two blocks away which had a restaurant on the top floor.  Our SUV was parked in a public lot about four blocks away.  The hotel did have a golf cart to shuttle us and our baggage to our vehicle.

People and culture

We have been staying at a rural B&B for the past three days. Here they are called “agriturismo” and are very common, although, this B&B, I believe, is far above average.  It is a farm and orchard with a restaurant and ten rooms to rent. Each room has its own parking spot, entrance, and covered patio. The restaurant is impressive. One sitting at 8pm each night, reservation only and sold out during our time there. The menu is extensive but with a featured daily selection. A starter, first course, second course, and desert with many side dishes included and many drink options. The food is wonderful.  Not just the B&B people, but others from the area show up for dinner, served outside on a large open deck with distant views. We are the only people for whom English is their first language. Surrounding conversation is overwhelmingly in Italian, although on this island there is a local dialect used sometimes.

Dinner restaurant at our Agriturismo NE of Cagliari.  Every night it was sold out. Excellent food and drink.

The B&B is hosted by a family, and their sons are servers at the restaurant. Mother and grandmother are the bosses.  Everyone has a high opinion of this family.  We talked to two German couples staying here. One couple said they have been coming here for 15 years.  The other couple comes for extended stays; their current visit is planned until November.  The dinner atmosphere is like a large family gathering.  We have been treated extremely well; they have assisted with our missing luggage and laundry needs.

Since we can only guess at the menu, we have been coached on selections. I never knew that pasta and zucchini together could taste so good.  Fresh healthy food must be part of longevity.  Sardinia is known as a location where people frequently live past 100 y.o.  Once we mentioned my lactose intolerance, it was taken care of.  Local goats and sheep provide options to dairy products from cows.  Fresh fruit, figs and plums, from their orchard are included with every breakfast.

The only drawback to this location is that internet is only available when we are outside on our porch. fortunately, there are no bugs, and the weather is warm, so sitting out on the porch in evening time is comfortable.  After heading back to Cagliari to pick up our luggage, the next day we drive north 160 km. (100 miles) to our next stop.

The beach at Villasimius.  Problem was that we had no clothes other than what we had put on three days ago for our flight from Glasgow.  Fortunately, we found a small store here where we could get some shorts and tops; we didn't want to go back to the congestion of Cagliari for shopping.  There are many nice beaches on Sardinia.

 I am still amazed at the technology we have at our disposal nowadays.  Back in the 1970’s, when Dawn and I visited the Pioneer Inn at Lahaina, Maui, reservations were completed by mail.  When we visited a friend then in southern Mexico at Morelia, correspondence was done by mail.  Now we can communicate anywhere in the world, almost instantaneously, by email.  GPS is here to guide us.  Google brings us an amazing knowledge base and can even translate languages.

We don’t quite have that self-driving car yet.  In fact, GPS occasionally provides mistaken guidance, and Google can have an out-of-date data source.  One day on this trip, GPS told us to “turn left” at a point which would have had us hit a guardrail then go down an embankment.  The actual turn was almost a kilometer distant.  Our electronic signal can be weak or missing, but compared to what we had back then, we are in heaven. I like to have an overall actual map for initial orientation, and I still read street signs and look for prominent structures for confirmation of position.

Vacation Hell

Saturday, Sept. 9, we left our hotel in Glasgow too early to get a full breakfast.  At the airport there was already a long line of people checking in.  As soon as our bags were checked (mandatory), we discovered that the flight was delayed by 2+ hours; meaning that we would miss all our connections.  Arriving at Schiphol, NL, we learned that the delay was for many KLM flights and hundreds of people.  Luggage would not be released; queues for help were 4+ hours long; and we had no idea of our new schedule.  We needed to get a hotel room, but so did hundreds of other people prior to our arrival. After a couple of false leads, we found a hotel room on the far side of Amsterdam.

Dinner at The Seafood Bar in Amsterdam.  We shared it.

Our new flight schedule was for Sunday evening, flying Alitalia to Milan and Cagliari.  I attempted to notify our car rental company and hotel of the delay: no real people, just websites.  We spent a pleasant day in Amsterdam, walking to the Ann Franke house, shopping, and a tasty meal outdoors canal-side. Taking the bus to Schiphol, we struggled (no signs) to find where to get our new flight tickets.

Lunch canal side in Amsterdam.  Very warm weather and all the boats were out cruising.

The Ann Franke House was mobbed.  We didn't think it appropriate to take selfie (look at me!) photos there.  It is a symbol of solemn reflection for the horrors of the Holocaust.  We never take selfies, but many people had a different outlook. 

Arriving in Cagliari at 00:10 (11 Sept.), we learned that our luggage was lost!  We flagged a taxi from the airport to the center of old Cagliari on the waterfront.  Our taxi driver let us off on a main street about six blocks away (due to the maze of narrow alleys we had to navigate) and we GPSed our way to the final destination, arriving at 01:05.  We had been given self-entry instructions and stumbled off to bed in what turned out to be the wrong apartment.

Next morning, we needed to get breakfast and check out by 10:00.  The recommended breakfast location only served coffee and pastries, which I cannot eat. We bought buns, meat, and fruit at a hole-in-the-wall grocery for our meal. Email informed me that our rental car had been canceled due to our late arrival (my message was not received). Now we needed to find a new rental car.

Near the cruise ship terminal were three car rentals; none had any cars for us. We got a taxi to our original rental location: they had no cars! We had arrived at Cagliari but would be flying out from Olbia, at the north end of the island. No train or flight connects the two ends of the island. Do we need to cancel all our accommodations, flights, and head for home? Desperation time. We checked Priceline, Sixt, Booking.com all with no cars available.

We decided to return to the airport where airlines and car rentals are available. Several car rental companies had booths there. Dawn stood in one line while I inquired at another. They had one car available; did I hear her right? I wanted to jump over the counter and hug her. The car is a diesel Jeep Renegade six-speed manual.  Very fuel efficient but needing to be constantly shifted due to the narrow torque band and the constantly changing road contours. 

But where is our luggage? It has been four days since we saw it last.  Today we went to a local store to buy clothes, so that we can wash what we have been wearing.  Locals call then 'China stores'; stacks of merchandise piled high with very narrow aisles.  Mainly cheap things, unsold elsewhere in XXL and S sizes, but at good prices.  I found a pair of shorts and a T-shirt in M size.  Dawn found some shorts and tops.

That evening we received an e-mail notifying us that our luggage had arrived.  They would deliver the suitcases, but we only had one day left at this location.  The luggage would probably arrive after we were gone, so Dawn and I drove back to the Cagliari airport to get our luggage.

Scotland, friendly and attractive

The UK is full of housing tracts like this near major cities.  They are all identical!

These monuments are massive, 100 feet tall, based on mythological beasts. Called the Kelpies, they are located at Falkirk.  What attracted us were the walking paths.  Blackberries were in full season, and we could pick and eat as we walked.

Central Edinburgh.  Too many other tourists for us.  The castle site is impressive, but too crowded, reservation only, to enter.

Our visit to Scotland has been a pleasure in many ways.  The many mountains and lakes, the well-tended fields, the mild climate, the welcoming people, brilliant sunsets; all very attractive.  At Doune, Aiden explained how to take the train into Edinburgh. At Isle of Skye, Jonathan warned us about the roads and expedited forwarding misplaced supplies we had forgotten. At Loch Ness, Jane included us in a party at their B&B, and at Oban, Mike offered to do our laundry.  Great people.  Jonathan is from Zimbabwe. Jane, in charge of a wonderful B&B, married Jim only one year ago but has seen little of him since his job keeps him away. Mike has wonderful stories of his years in SE Asia and is dealing with spinal cancer.

Scenic valley in Trossachs NP, scenery like this is fairly common.

Pretty sunset as seen from our B&B on Isle of Skye.

Typical scenery on Isle of Skye.  It was actually a bit too warm and sunny for good hiking.

Isle of Skye is a true island, and much of it looks like this.  Amazing how many homes serve as B&Bs here.

A lighthouse was within walking distance from our B&B on the peninsula.  As you can see, few trees on the open ground.

Urquhart Castle ruins on the shore of Loch Ness.  Not much to look at but a popular location for tourists.

We took a chairlift up a mountain to the base of a ski/mt. bike resort.  It was crazy steep and rough for the bikes.  No beginners here.

Doune Castle.  We went past this Castle on our daily walks.  It was used as a filming location in Outlander and Game of Thrones.

I do not think we will ever enjoy the driving here. Narrow (or single lane) roads, high speeds, huge lorries and busses, driving on the left side, limited parking.  On Isle of Skye the choice was to either hit the pothole or swerve off the pavement.  Two other parties staying at our B&B each lost a tire which is an expensive proposition at this relatively remote location. We drove forty miles to a ferry crossing only to discover that advance reservations were required.  We had to retrace those forty miles and use a longer route over the Skye bridge.  We rented a SUV with good ground clearance and big tires which helped to avoid tire problems.

Castle at Oban.  We did not tour it; "if you have seen one castle, you have seen them all" Kidding.

Castle Stalker at Appin.  This was the view every morning from the window as we ate breakfast.

It was unusually warm (up to 80 degrees) during our visit to Scotland, and we looked for shaded hiking paths.  Unfortunately, Dawn picked up a tick on one of these walks.

Uncrowded lane for a relaxing walk.  We try to walk every day.

One morning at Appin, when we looked out our window this beautiful yacht was anchored in Loch Linnhe, which is directly connected to the ocean and subject to tides.

Can it get any prettier?  500-year-old pub just down the street from us to enjoy dinner.

Imagine driving 100 miles on a narrow two-lane road in a constant line of vehicles at high speed: that is what we did today.  Very nerve wracking.

Surprisingly, our September weather has been mid 60’s to upper 70’s with mainly sunny skies. We note solar panels on roofs and lush growth that would not occur if the climate were harsh. We also have noted substantial construction activity of new homes both in the urban areas and the countryside. We are told that Covid encouraged many to move away from England’s major cities. The B&Bs are numerous; most close on October 1; encouraged by the tax law details.

We toured Stirling Castle which was the site of a Christmas concern for Rod Stewart, Dawn’s favorite singer. Mainly, we have been hiking trails.  The good is that ripe blackberries are plentiful along the trails. Not so good is that we discovered a tick trying to lodge itself behind Dawn’s ear. 

Reflecting back on Canary Islands, Spain, France, England

 Overall, a satisfying trip.  We went to the Azores and Madeira on earlier trips because we suspected that they had more to offer.  We were correct; the Canary Islands, while interesting, were not as attractive to us. More of a bleak volcanic landscape with little rain to promote vegetation.  Our cruise ship was satisfactory and allowed us a quick overview of all the islands.

Spain has much to offer.  A first world country with great cities and an excellent train system.  You do not want to drive in the larger cities. Our problem was with the success of Spanish tourism, crowds of tourists at every location. We did not come to stand in line and see scenes dominated by other tourists. Perhaps October to March would be a better time to visit.

Morocco was only a brief visit; enough for an impression influenced by our guide’s knowledge (a 4-year course in tourism, including languages, history, economics, culture, and mythology of Morocco). We were impressed by the inequality. Palace of the king; estates of Saudi princes, then the lower status of women and the lower education standard for the rural poor versus free university education for the wealthy.

France was the high point for us. Great landscapes and scenic villages. Most other tourists were Europeans, many French. Certainly, we were not alone at these tourist sights, but fellow tourists were in reasonable numbers. The weather was mild, and the driving was easy.

Northern England towns and villages were not as attractive.  The beauty is in the landscape of mountains, lakes, and forests. The people were friendly and helpful, but there was a sense of hard economic times with some wear and ‘making do’.  The driving was difficult, not just due to narrow roads, but the expensive and congested parking. We had our most comfortable accommodation in Cockermouth, not just a room but an apartment you could spread out and relax in.

We learned a lot about how people live in various new (for us) locations. I tried to make it a relaxing trip, but I think we defeated ourselves, each day trying to fill our schedule with new excursions. Now, we go home, and I need to finish the details for our next trip.

Lake District, England

 Getting here was a long day: drive 130 miles to Bordeaux, 2 1/2 hour on an aircraft, an hour getting our car rental, then slow miles at rush hour coming out of Manchester while driving an unfamiliar car on the wrong side of a unfamiliar road to drive the 137 miles to Cockermouth. And I was sick due to my lactose exposure at our previous night’s dinner. Today at lunch when I explained my lactose intolerance (no dairy please), The server’s reply was, “There should be no problem because our bread is gluten-free.” Then I had to explain that gluten has nothing to do with lactose.  Perhaps the previous meal was prepared using the same mistake.

Still getting to know Cockermouth.  Today, I went to six barbers/salon trying to get a haircut.  Three closed and three fully booked.  Perhaps, I’ll try again during the week. Glorious weather; low 60’s and sunny; many folks outside wearing their shorts. We drove to Loweswater to take a hike.  The roads here are extremely narrow and winding. Dawn handled the driving well but was emotionally exhausted by it. Reminded us of a drive we took in Ireland where we finished an entire bottle of wine at the bar once we got safely back to our hotel.  The hike was also disappointing; instead of a trail, much of the route consisted of walking along those same narrow roads.

We did a complete circuit around Buttermere lake, about four miles.

More of Buttermere.  The large yellow patches on the mountain side are a plant called, "broom".  A nice Scottish lady, a fellow hiker, explained it to us and then sang a song about the broom flower.  We fortunately are there while it was in bloom.

More recently, we have taken very enjoyable hikes at Buttermere (4 miles) and Derwent Water (5 miles).  At Buttermere, we went completely around the lake and then stopped at the lakeside hotel for a late lunch. At Derwent Water, we walked much of the route (out and back) along the west shore in an ancient forest of huge mature trees creating a complete covering deflecting rain from occasional dark clouds.  At other times, we were under blue skies with fleecy white puffs of cloud.

Derwent Water; this is a bigger lake.  We hiked about 1/3 of the distance around and then retraced back, a total of about five miles.

More Derwent Water.  The English Lake District is full of lakes and low mountains.  Many hiking trails are present but, unless you are hiking a shoreline, most consist of large altitude changes as you go up and down mountains.  (We are too old for that.)

Cockermouth has little of the charm that the French and Spanish villages had.  It is in a less affluent part of England where many past factory jobs are gone. Many second-hand stores. It does include the ruins of a large castle about 800 years old. There are more sheep than people.in this region.  Lamb is on every menu. The people are friendly; people in general love to be asked about themselves and the area they live in. Finally, we are back in English-speaking lands.

Dawn on the path around Buttermere.

In the southern part of the Lake District things are more well-kept with more attractive architecture.  But that area is also closer to large cities and has a greater concentration of tourists. We spent our last night in England at the Holiday Inn, Manchester Airport. A beautiful hotel (best breakfast of the trip and we have had some great breakfasts) which is integrated into the Airport complex where you can walk to any of their three terminals in elevated enclosed passageways.

We stopped at a boat museum at Windermere, toward the south edge of the Lake District, on our way south to Manchester.  The legacy of boating on this lake extends back many centuries.

When making this reservation back in March, I made a mistake and booked two rooms instead of one (only time this has ever happened).  At the time, I quickly contacted the hotel to correct my mistake, but they claimed that no change could be made because the reservation was nonrefundable.  Checking into the hotel, I confirmed that we were still paying for two rooms.  The desk agent was sympathetic, but the manager was adamant.  In a trip of this length, the cost of one night at a hotel is a minor glitch.

That evening, Dawn and I took our daily walk using the terminal complex for exercise and to learn where we needed to be the following morning.  Returning to our hotel, we came upon an old man (older than us) towing his suitcases through the passageway.  He appeared rather tired; admitted that he had a bad day; but declined our offer of help with the suitcases.  He explained that he was supposed to have flown out that day to New York to visit his son, but, due to passport issues, he now was rescheduled for the following day and needed to get a hotel for the evening.

Bam! Dawn and I had the same thought.  We escorted him to our hotel; I went ahead while Dawn showed him the way.  When he arrived at our hotel, I presented him with the keycard for our second room.  We escorted him to his room and explained that he just needed to provide his room number to enjoy a free breakfast!  I am sure that he was dumbfounded.  What a great chance for us to "pay it forward".  What a story he has to tell his son!  And Dawn and I slept better knowing that a good outcome resulted from our situation.

The Dordogne River valley

 We are now staying at a B&B in Sarlat la Caneda in the Dordogne River valley. To get here, you need to rent a car and drive some back roads, not a major center of tourism. You may easily get distracted and stop at other picturesque villages, such as Perigueux, on your way here. We did.  

We thought this quite unusual. Located at Perigueux.

Most tourists here are French. The surroundings are storybook, tall limestone cliffs, picturesque villages in yellow-tan stone, castles and chateaus scattered through the heavily forested slopes, and a pleasant winding River, carrying kayaks and canoes, flowing through the center of it all.  The area is also notable for the prehistoric cave paintings found here. Its beauty has made the area a popular location for the filming of movies.

The village of La Roque Gageac sited under the cliffs of the Dordogne River valley with the river itself nearby.

Beynac Chateau and its village below.

The beautiful green valley of the Dordogne River.  Many scenic villages and history here: from cave paintings by Cro-Magnon's to the castles of the medieval era.

Our first night here, we found a small restaurant open where we were the first customers (those early-dining Americans), and we had the chef all to ourselves. Our chef, Julian, has studied for four years in Paris and prepared plates of tapas (small plates of items to be shared) that were sumptuous.  Monday was a national holiday here, the end of WWII in Europe. We visited the village of Domme atop a rocky plateau overlooking the valley and then hiked a park located in a similar circumstance with trees and trails on a 500’ high plateau with views of the river valley and multiple castles.

Today we did laundry at a local laundromat in the morning and then toured the chateau previously owned by Josephine Baker this afternoon. You should Wikipedia her name, she led an amazing life. This evening, we did a partial exploration of the medieval old town section of Sarlat. Tomorrow, we plan to visit more of the ancient and fascinating villages.

I love those ancient, hand-laid stone buildings.

Putting a new timber beam roof on an old stone building, most likely a tile roof.  some of the old buildings have hand-laid stone times, very heavy stuff.

Isn't that pretty?  Dawn and I very much prefer to look at the old architecture than the inside of museums.

Part of traveling is the people you meet. On our cruise we met ‘Nancy’ who stated that she had been on cruises for the past 4 1/2 months and has visited in total 174 countries in her overall travels. I can’t even do the math on that one.  She was traveling by herself and had limited mobility.  She had a private van and driver to escort her on tours. Better than sitting at home if you can afford it.

In Madrid we had a tour guide for an evening of Spanish food at local restaurants. She was originally from Koln, Germany, but had lived in England for five years, one year in the US in Oregon, Santiago, Chile, for college classes, and now in Spain for five years. Her husband is from Argentina. Very knowledgeable.

A young server we met here was originally from Spain but also had lived in Germany (divorced parents).  He plans to stay here until the end of Summer, improving his French language skills, then back to school. He is considering changing his major from engineering to tourism. His command of English is a given.

Central Sarlat la Caneda.  Tourists, but not crowded. We had several nice dinners in this village (and one bad one).

Our hostess here is Claudine, born and raised here; she speaks limited English. Very ready to discuss topics with us but Google Translate is always at hand. Her husband, Patrick, speaks no English. Another couple staying here at the B&B were from Germany. She spoke only German, he (originally from Netherlands) speaks multiple languages and has traveled widely. We were able to trade commentary on many subjects with him.

This is the chateau of Josephine Baker. She was a young Black girl from St. Louis who moved to France in the 1920s and found fame and fortune.  Amazing story; check it out on Wikipedia. 

Tomorrow will be a long travel day, drive-fly-drive to Cockermouth, England, and our next adventure. 

Leaving Sevilla

 We have been riding trains (7) which run at or close to full capacity.  Crowds of passengers on the loading platforms, people on the train with hacking coughing, if we haven’t been exposed to Covid, or worse, I will be surprised.  Also, dense crowds milling in the narrow alleys, “calle” of the old city neighborhoods we have visited.  Here in Sevilla, temperatures have reached the mid-90s the past few days. Amazing to consider how many man-years these historic structures required for construction with the crude equipment they had.  But slave labor is cheap.

Roman aquaduct at Segovia.  No mortar was used between the blocks of stone, but they were carefully shaped; how did they do it!

On our way to Tarifa, we stopped at Jerez de la Frontera.  The city looked rather drab at first look, but then we found the central old town area. Of course, there was a celebration going on.  We love those pedestrian-only streets.  It was a nice lunch stop.

A rental car “coche de aquiler” was used for the next leg of our trip with our immediate destination being Tarifa on the south coast.  Tarifa, located adjacent to the strait of Gibraltar, has an ancient history itself.  The narrow, crooked lanes of the fortress interior are now shops and restaurants for the tourists here.  Very enjoyable that the crowds of larger cities are not present here. Also, there is a wide sand beach which stretches for miles; I counted almost fifty kite surfers on their hydrofoil boards playing in the ocean off that beach.

Tarifa has a beach that is miles long, what you see is only a moderate section.

Today we go to Tangier, Morocco, for a day tour, taking the ferry between the two continents, Europe and Africa. We have a guide and a van for a tour of the finer points of Tangier and a village to the west.  He loves his country, apparently ruled by a king who is making improvements for the people.  But still, women are far from being equal in this world and the economic disparity between the favored and the poor is tremendous.  In rural areas, formal education ends at primary school, age 13. For the favored, university is free.  We saw the huge estates of the wealthy; hiring servants here is very economical.  We visited a souk where we were encouraged to buy any of a world of items, but none would fit in our luggage.  We had a traditional Moroccan meal; not very memorable, hacking bits of lamb off a large bone.

Morocco as seen from Tarifa, Spain.  You can see a ship traversing the strait.  Further to the right of this photo, the buildings of coastal towns were also visible.

Coastal resort in Morocco.  Magnificent estates for the rich, not so much for everyone else.

Driving onward, we stopped for lunch in Rhonda, a town in the mountains built on the edge of a cliff.  That cliff has been a godsend for their tourism; otherwise, the town is fairly typical. 

Ronda showing its cliff-edge location.  A tourist magnet in a remote mountain location. 

Turning in our rental car at Granada, we were ready for our reservation to visit the palace at the Alhambra.  At 1pm, we were part of a large crowd herded through the many rooms.  The details are amazing in their complexity, but the crowds are distracting. I took only a limited number of photos because many scenes were dominated by the crowds of people. The surrounding gardens were somewhat better.

The main Alhambra complex from a distance.  They say the Moorish style was to have simple exterior lines and ornate interior features.

Looking south to the Sierra Nevada mountains south of Granada.  They have ski resorts there. 

The following day was free, no pre-planned activities. We took a taxi to the high point in the city with great views, then we walked the narrow back streets downhill on our way back to our hotel. At an Arabic “souk” of closely spaced small shops, Dawn bought a skirt. Later that day, we headed out in a new direction until all our surroundings were unfamiliar to us; then we consulted GPS and plotted a route back to the hotel, stopping for ice cream along the way.  The neighborhoods are attractive with their park-like plazas, many small specialty stores, and restaurants/ tapa bars.

Now we are in Bordeaux, France.