Visiting Cyprus We headed off to Cyprus in April for some non-Schengen travel after our extended stay in Bordeaux. Cyprus sounded interesting and it appeared that the weather would be nicer than the rest of Europe. We stayed in Limassol to start with, then moved to Paphos. Both towns are on the south coast overlooked by the Troodos mountains. We …
“Sólfar” (“Sun Voyager”) created by Jón Gunnar Árnason Traveling from Europe to the US has always been a long flight with no stops in between. However, Iceland is now offering an interesting twist to traveling and allows stopovers. We opted to tag a one-night stopover on our flight returning from London allowing us to break up the journey and see …
Although we have spent a significant amount of time in Provence we had never visited the region when the lavender was in bloom. The lavender fields are best viewed from late June to late July. In June the fields will start to bloom and by late July or early August it’s harvested. We were there in mid-July which was the …
Looking for a break from the Spanish coastal tourist resorts, we took a winding drive up into the hills to Ronda, some 100 km (62 miles) from Malaga. Our views were spectacular with many multi million dollar mansions dotting the hillside. On a clear day the views across the Mediterranean reach as far as Morocco. The ancient towns in the …
The town of Sintra is a short drive from Lisbon in Portugal. It is one of Europe’s finest examples of the whimsical and colorful Romanticism style of architecture. This elaborate 19th century design style was inspired by the love of art and the mysticism of ancient cultures, to create decorative and flamboyant buildings, of which the Pena Palace is the …
Whilst staying in Dubrovnik we took a day trip to the beautiful Bay of Kotor in the adjacent country of Montenegro. The city of Kotor sits at the secluded end of an extensive bay surrounded by the mountains, that descend down to the sea. This is yet another amazing UNESCO listed walled city that is worth a visit. It is …
Diocletian, born in Dalmatia, was a Roman Emperor for twenty years. He had the palace constructed in Aspalathos (modern day Split) near Salona. Diocletian had divided the Roman Empire into two regions, appointing another emperor for the Western Empire while he ruled the Eastern Empire. Salona was the capital of the Eastern Empire and as large as Rome, with around …
Dubrovnik is a beautiful city with an illustrious past. Its long history is a good reflection of the ebb and flow of empires, creation of countries, as well as the changes in global trading activities, through the ages. Formerly Greek and Roman settlements, the city of Ragusa was founded in 7th century. About this time Croats formed the town of …
We had a house sit in St Hipp., which sits at the foot of the Cevennes mountains, about 50 Km (30 miles) from the Mediterranean coast by Montpellier, France. With origins from the 13th century, the town survived multiple invasions over the centuries by being a trading and artisanal center. As a protestant center in the religious wars, it had …
Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, is both spiritual and cultural and it opens the door to a whole new set of experiences. When we planned our visit to Chiang Mai, we had wanted to visit a camp for elephants, where we could interact with them, but in a humane way. You can find many tours offerings rides, where elephants are …
