The day began hopefully as our hot sir balloon ride was rescheduled from yesterday to today. We awoke very early and were picked up by the balloon company at 4:15 am. Upon arrival at their offices we signed in then saw they had a breakfast spread. It was quite a crowd awaiting flights. And we …
Cave Day
We had a delicious breakfast at the hotel after which we were picked up by our local guide company for a full day's tour of all the sites. We began at the Paşabağlar archaeology site. There were "fairy chimneys" galore. I'll let you look at the pictures to decide what you'd say they resembled. Ha! …
Istanbul!
We headed to the airport in an Uber, arriving in plenty of time. I had checked in online so I had an boarding pass but Jayne and Josie used a kiosk to print out theirs. Off to security and the gate. Got Josie a snack to tide her over in case she couldn't stay awake …
Istanbul day 2
After a wonderful night's sleep in comfy beds, rather than airplane seats, we all awoke refreshed. Today's plan started with a drive to the Bebek area on the European side of the Bosporus. Once the cars were left in the hands of the valet (parking is quite a challenge here) we walked a short way …
Turkey and Greece!
Faithful readers will know that I promised my grandchildren a trip of their choice anywhere in the world for their tenth birthday. Silas chose Italy, the story of which you can read in this blog. Now it's Josephine's turn! While she turned 10 a year ago, she couldn't decide where she wished to travel. After …
Epilogue
Back home and reflecting on this adventure. What a journey it’s been! Not what I expected after hiking the Primitivo seven years ago. Yes, I’m older but I felt stronger than before. Ah, the hubris will get you every time! Some aspects were fabulous, others not so much. But all rolled together it was a …
Lisboa – Day 3
Sunday, our last full day in Portugal. There was one last thing I wanted to see while here and that was Sintra. It’s about 40 minutes outside of Lisbon so you have to make distinct plans. I began the booking search as soon as we arrived here on Thursday evening and was almost out of …
Lisboa – Day 2
This day we got up for an early start. We had heard that there was really big flea market in the city on Tuesdays and Saturdays, so as this was Saturday, we were in luck. It’s the Feira da Ladra, Lisbon’s oldest flea market, dating from the 12th century! We went outside and managed to …
Lisboa – Day 1
Thursday evening we settled in to our new abode for the remainder of our time in Portugal. Fortunately there’s a small Pingo Doce, the local grocery, very nearby, so we could easily obtain supplies. We got off to a leisurely start on Friday. We decided to head up to Castelo São Jorge, or as it’s …
Muxía Onward
We stayed two days in Muxía to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and relax at the end of the hike. When Mandy and Karma joined me I had been sneezing and sniffling a bit. I didn’t think much about it. But as we were settling in to the bunk room we heard much more “cold” sounds. …
Redpath At Ease 