08.xx.20

Kathleen and I were reminiscing about some of the amazing and memorable EXPERIENCES we have had since we met and started traveling in January 2018, even before we began the real journey 13 months later in February 2019. That triggered a conversation about the difference between a place that is/ was AMAZING vs. one that was MEMORABLE. Some places are BOTH, but there were only a few experiences that either choked me up or brought a tear or had me staring in wonder—those are AMAZING—and they are infrequent.

We agreed that some experiences hit BOTH marks, some just one, so we listed the ones that fit in either category. Since right now NO ONE (including us) is traveling, it’s fun reflecting, reminiscing and living vicariously through our own memories and of others.

While we watch the world carry on and virus numbers go up and down, see airplane flights offered, then canceled, and wonder “WHEN will the madness end?” please enjoy! (To keep this brief, some of the experiences from both of us have been combined)

Norm’s Amazing List:

1. Transfagarasan Highway, Romania: 90 km (56 miles) of the most jaw dropping scenery I have ever seen. It reaches an elevation of 6700 ft (2042 meters), then enters a VERY dark 2900 foot long tunnel with very little light to see. The scope and panorama was a scene I will never forget.
2. La Sagrada Familia (Anton Gaudi cathedral, Barcelona): This was man made, but surely God inspired, as Anton Gaudi started construction in 1882 and it’s ALMOST done! Imagine spirals and colors and staircases from an MC Escher picture, and that is what it is like. Add gargoyles, Biblical figurines and mind blowing stained glass and you have MAYBE a hint of this place.
3. Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore: We landed at 0300 New Year’s Day (2020) and wandered the streets with high rise buildings and architecture that took my breath away. The city was CLEAN, almost deserted, so it felt personal. The hotel itself (the one with the “boat” on top), was magnificent in its’ opulence, and from the roof, the boats in the harbor looked like toys.
4. Ponta da Piedade cliffs in Lagos, Portugal: We hit Spain and Portugal in Aug-Sept 2018 when we were figuring out if we COULD make the move overseas. The cliffs in Lagos, and knowing we could visit them any time, made that possibility all pretty enticing. The town itself was (and is) a contender for places we might want to LIVE for a spell, too.
5. Monaco, very man-made, very amazing. On a motorbike, mid-January, the town was VERY quiet and like a vacant movie set. The streets, buildings, everything, was PRISTINE and felt SOOO fake. The Land of Royalty, Grand Prix street races, casinos visited by multi-gazillionaires–and James Bond– HAD to be surreal—and amazing.
6. Las Fallas event, Valencia, Spain: The beginning of spring in this city and the noisiest 30 days I ever experienced! Daily fireworks and constant turmoil. You can read more about it in blog #10 from March 2019.
7. Sicily, Italy: Our second stay in Italy, in an amazing place with the waves crashing across the street. Add in the farmer’s market with fresh salmon several days a week, fantastic and cheap wine every night, and a very walkable town with restaurants and coffee shops galore. Plus the visited cities of Ragusa, Taormina, and Agrigento and even the crazy driving town of Palermo, yup, all amazing.
8. Getting BACK from Southeast Asia via Cambodia, Bangkok, Singapore, Taipei to Los Angeles. Five major flights over four days, with each one in jeopardy of being cancelled! We COULD have been stranded in Bangkok or Singapore but made it back to the US, then MEXICO, as the ONLY passengers on a Delta flight from Ohio to Cancun, Mexico. Scary AND amazing!
9. The Amalfi Coast, Italy: We were passengers on the road while someone drove, so I could focus on the views instead of the road. We spent two days there in Positano and Sorrento and were awed by HOW those buildings were constructed on the vertical cliff faces. It wasn’t beach weather, but the water was incredible, and yup, amazing all the way!
10. Hungary was Amazing since my Mother was born there and during her whole life she asked me to join her to visit her hometown and Budapest. Hearing Hungarian spoken around me brought a tear—and a regret—for not taking her up on her invite. Even so, the town, the buildings, and the bridges were spectacular.

Kat’s Amazing List:

1. Santorini, Greece
2. The Amalfi Coast, Italy
3. Angkor Wat, Cambodia
4. KRKA Falls, Croatia: An experience that immerses you in water as you wander along walkways, over streams and eventually come into open areas with a panorama of waterfalls. A nature’s paradise that we were lucky enough to swim in, which has since been discontinued.
5. The Acropolis, Greece: From the bottom looking up to the top looking down, everything within eyesight talks your breath away. The history, beauty and magnificence of the size of the columns and statues are must see.
6. Tivoli, Italy Gardens
7. Lagos, PT, cliffs
8. Sicily towns on the hillside
9. Valley of the Temples, Sicily

10 Cave Bar, Menorca: Imagine a bar where you enter into a cave, walk down stairs and exit within the cliff hundreds of feet above the rampaging ocean. THAT is the Cave Bar, an iconic location that made Menorca even more amazing.

Norm’s Memorable List:

1. The island of Menorca, Spain, was memorable in several places, including coves with crystal water, rock faces and clothing optional beaches. We stayed there 10 days in Sept, 2018, and concluded we COULD make the move overseas.
2. Sintra Castle, Portugal, north of Lisbon. We loved all of Portugal and this castle, right out of a Disney “land” was trippy. Very colorful, lots of history and we were able to get there on a scooter, bypassing all the traffic sitting in long lines. Sweet. This helped us visualize how amazing it would be to LIVE over there!
3. Santorini Island, Greece. Take a look at blog #69 to understand why…
4. Villas Gregoriana, d’Este and Adriana, Tivoli, Italy. I wrote an article on Tivoli called “The Land of Three Temples” and each of these was unique, very historic and beautiful beyond words.
5. Getting caught in torrential downpour on a BMW 750 in Croatia on our way to Rijeka and waiting it out under the carport of an old Romanian couple’s home. Not cool, but very cool!
6. Monkeys in Angkor Wat, Cambodia, which just added to the experience of the history that was before us to be climbed upon. This was our last major visit before returning to the US and barely staying ahead of COVID.
7. Auschwitz Concentration Camp, Poland. Memorable because my Mom spent three years there and to walk the grounds and see the torture in person was emotionally shattering.
8. Belgrade, Serbia was a quick visit and even though the city seems a bit mired in the past, it was very cool as we walked along the Danube river, stayed in a houseboat AirBNB, wandered over to (another) amazing castle, and had food which made my mouth water!
9. We wanted to add Africa as another continent to our list and the Palermo (IT) ferry to Tunisia did the trick. It was an overnight surreal Twilight Zone experience with people sleeping everywhere, including outside our hotel room! The trip was memorable, as was our 10 days in Tunis, which we loved in so many ways.
10. Besalu Castle, Spain. I had a very surreal and spiritual experience as I FELT pain and suffering of people who lived—and died—there, and sat in the street and cried for five minutes without understanding why. The city, just outside of Barcelona, was the first castle/ city I ever visited and it was uber cool.

Kat’s Memorable List:

1. Amazing two hour Thai massage for only $20: From the moment I walked in, the serenity, the people, the aroma all drew me in and I learned to love affordable massages taught by those that have been offering these services for decades and more! All for a fraction of the cost in America.
2. Opening the shutters and viewing the La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona (our AirBNB room)
3. Motorcycle ride on the French Rivera. Imagine being in a movie set in the fifties, just cruising along the French Riviera on a bike, looking at islands and the water below you. Memorable? Hell yes!
4. The Ferry Ride experience from Sicily to Africa
5. Cabo de Roca (PT), climb down the mountain. This is the western most point of Portugal and Europe and the cliff went down to an inviting beach we just had to get to. But, danger encroached as the steepness was more than we expected, with us having to crawl up the side of the hill grasping roots, plus we did not have enough water and the exhaustion took its toll. But it did have a happy ending and a memorable experience.
6. Cambodia fish pedicure. We’ve always wanted to try this one, but never had the chance, and were not prepared to be tickled to laughter by tiny fish! After we adjusted to the sensation we were happy for the experience that cost us all of $4 apiece.
7. Deserted beach in Thailand Everyone needs to spend 14 days in a almost vacate beach bungalow and even though it was NOT an island, it was like our own private paradise with pano views, amazing seashells, jellyfish and we will never forget, the most aggressive sand fleas ever!
8. Transfagarasan highway, Romania
9. The infinity pool and gym overlooking Bangkok. How often do you stand over the city of Bangkok from the top of a 42 story building watching the city lights and traffic below you? All while standing in an infinity pool. It didn’t hurt that it was $394 per month rather than a night!
10. Auschwitz

What will the next 10 experiences bring?? Within Central and South America and Mexico itself, a lot of new adventures call. Who knows when they can begin? We can only hope sooner than later.