02.17.20

As we approach the one year anniversary of leaving the US last February 17, I asked Kathleen to share her best memories and experiences. To keep this fair (and brief), she came up with her top FIVE and I did the same. They are in no particular order and most of them have been addressed in greater detail in my Travel Younger blog.

1. Climbing down the hill at Cabo da Roca, Portugal (August 2018, Travel Younger Vol I)

While Kathleen and I were still in our “can we do this?” research mode, we spent six weeks exploring Spain and Portugal. Just north of Lisbon is Cabo da Roca, which is the furthest west point of Portugal as well as the continent of Europe AND of the Eurasian land mass. It was a beautiful location with a huge lighthouse and great view. From the top of the hill you could see down to the beach below, which appeared to be quite the climb, as the people at the bottom were the size of ants. Like a couple of crazy people, we decided to hike down the next day, and it was breathtaking. However the hike was a bit more treacherous than expected and we forgot to take extra water. Kathleen was dealing with some dehydration and a lovely couple from Poland offered us a bottle of theirs as we headed up. The hill was quite steep, and Kathleen froze with fear. She was literally holding on to the roots of plants on the side of a small mountain and could not move up or down. I guided her moves one step at a time, she practiced her breathing and eventually we got to a safe place where we could stand upright and return to safety. Kathleen admits it was one of the scariest moments in her life, but she proved her strength in getting back to the top, but will probably never do it again!

2. A two-hour massage in Budapest- for $20

Not all experiences are life threatening or momentous. Sometimes they are the smaller things, the finer things of life. Kathleen tried to get massages at many of our stops since traveling can be hard on the body, plus they are so much cheaper than in the US. You win some, you lose some, but when she left her two-hour massage with a grin from ear to ear and only spent $20, it was a moment she relished for a long time.

3. Santorini Island, Greece (date: 12.29.19)

You’ve seen pictures of Santorini and we took lots of them, but the beauty of Santorini is impossible to collect. The former volcano has a caldera that is hard to believe with colors that are majestic. Combined with buildings that are built almost totally vertical into the hill and you have the picture of Magic. Add to that the pristine December day which was unseasonably warm, and Santorini, after only two days, left an indelible mark.

 

 

4. The Transfagarasan Highway, Romania (date: 08.15.19)

We rented several scooters and small cycles during our travels, but Romania, with majestic hills and spectacular roads with hairpin turns, required a bigger bike. We rented a BMW 750, which was larger than normal, but on the Transfagarasan Highway it was a blessing. Of the hundreds of amazing roads I have ridden on a bike, this beat them all. Miles and miles of twisty turns, panoramic views and little traffic, made for a fantastic day, and we even got a hotel room on the fly and played more the following day. This was a special day for both of us.

5. The Acropolis, Athens

We heard mixed reviews about Athens and were not expecting to enjoy it as much as we did. Kathleen loved all of it…from the unique little shops, great pastries, and amazing history throughout the city, to the Acropolis, where the Parthenon sits and is breathtaking. But for her it was much more; she also fell in love with the colorful graffiti artwork that covered the city. The hike up the Acropolis was reasonable, and the monuments and temples were in amazing condition, undergoing constant renovations since 1975.  Considering the stone and pillars are over 2000 years old, they look amazing. We were all taught Roman and Greek mythology in school and have probably seen many movies, so it’s not hard to fire up the imagination and see Zeus and Athena and Apollo and Aphrodite playing up there!

So many memories!

Norm’s list:

1. Las Fallas, Valencia, Spain (date: 03.10.19)

Valencia was our very first leg of this one-year old journey, and it started out with a bang! We were awoken at 0800 on the first Sunday morning of our arrival by the sound of what appeared to be bombing! It turned out to be fireworks and the beginning of an annual event in Valencia called Las Fallas– the Fires. It celebrates their patron, St. Joseph, and the end of winter and is one month long and filled with noise! Daily fireworks downtown at 3:00, plus kids of all ages throwing firecrackers in the street make for an auditory overload. But that was overcome by the Ninotes, which are very large (up to 70’ high) statues and artwork with caricatures of people and animals and musical instruments and you name it! The creativity of the Ninotes is a competition with over 300 of them on every corner which culminates on the last night by burning them. Yup, in the street with people everywhere, they are ignited with firecrackers then erupt into flame which the fire department keeps under control. We had no idea of this event but over one million people come into town during the month, so as noisy and irritating as it was, it left an indelible mark.

I wrote an article for Boomer Café so please enjoy.

2. The rainstorm in Croatia

In Zagreb, Croatia, we rented another BMW and headed west to the coast, about 3.5 hours away. The day started nice, got overcast by hour one, then on hour two the clouds came in, the thunder erupted, the lightning flashed, and the heavens poured upon us! Again, SO GOOD to have a big, stable bike, and as soon as the rain began we saw a farmhouse with an overhang, so we pulled into their drive, got under that roof and waited. It was August, but it was cold, and it took a long time before the rain let up. The lovely older couple that lived there kindly invited us in for some coffee to warm us, but they spoke no English and I had a meager memory of German, so that was our half-assed attempt at communicating. Again, Kathleen was amazing, kept her cool in the rain, and we made it to the coast, which was worth the trouble.

3. Romania: roads and food and people

We didn’t intend to visit Romania but decided to head to Eastern Europe to avoid the holiday crowds and expenses. We stayed in Brasov for about three weeks, had a nice BMW for about 10 of those days, and enjoyed the hell out of the twisty roads and being able to bypass traffic that was sitting still. Add in the food, which was amazing every time we enjoyed it, and polished off with the people who were genuinely friendly and kind and hospitable. We became friends with our AirBNB hosts who invited us to their home for a BBQ and a two-hour horse and buggy ride through the hills. It felt like a movie and we both left Romania (along with three or four other locations where we stayed) with great memories.

4. The Palermo, Sicily ferry to Tunis, Tunisia (date: 12.07.19)

As we arrived at the port on foot, cars were driving in to be loaded on the ferry, and boy, were they loaded! Many Tunisians come to Italy and bring back everything including some kitchen sinks! The ferry ride was packed with people and families sleeping everywhere- including outside our room. The traveling Muslims held their group prayers throughout the day and the ride was beautiful the entire way. When we finally disembarked it was our first time in Africa and in an Arab country and this was a total shock to both of us. Again, the people there were wonderful, curious about us as we were about them, and making efforts to communicate. No doubt, that ferry ride was a “never forget” experience.

I don’t get excited by too many things, nor let things get me down very often, but the experiences above sometimes brought out the child in me. This past year has been one of adventure and change and pushing ourselves outside our comfort zones. The world is vast and so different everywhere, yet people are mostly the same. Can’t wait for more of the same and more different and to share it with all of you.

Meanwhile, here’s my #5

5. Marina Bay Sands hotel, Singapore (date: 01.03.20)

I remember seeing this hotel in a video and was blown away by it. The Marina Bay Sands is iconic since the roof is shaped like a boat and connects three individual towers. The roof has an infinity pool on floor 55 with an observation deck that is impressive. The entire structure and complex houses shopping areas and a convention center and amongst all the other beautiful buildings in Singapore, I think this is the coolest. Taking the elevator to the top floor was combined with wonder and curiosity of what it would look like and it did not disappoint! The view of the harbor was surreal, and we got an overview of all the amazing buildings in Singapore. And to have this happen on New Year’s Day, 2020, made it even more special.

With 21 countries and 93,150 km (58,800 miles for you Westerners!) behind us, those are our collective Top 10 memories and experiences of 2019; hope you enjoyed reliving them with us. If you’d like to learn about how this journey started and follow 51 prior journal entries, Traveling the World Six Weeks at a Time, Volume I, is available on Amazon.