I leave the cold, icy world behind and 40 or so hours later arrive in Durban, South Africa, Ballito to be exact. A small beach town in southwestern South .Africa. The sun isn’t shining but the temperature is warm and there is comfort in the knowledge that the sun will soon be kissing my lily white skin. 

So this is where my journey begins, meeting up with an old friend and excited to be traveling again!

Durban 

The first couple of days are spent walking the beach, enjoying the scenery and learning about the local cuisine. Must say I was happy to learn that bunny chow doesn’t actually use bunnies!

After a few days of acclimatizing and exploring the local area it’s off to discover a new part of the country!

Oh the places we’ve been and the sights we’ve seen, memories to last a lifetime.  We find ourselves back in beautiful Victoria after six months of traveling the world.  What a fantastic journey we have been on.

Planes, trains, boats and bikes are but a few modes of transportation that we have sampled along the way. We’ve also walked over 2300 km or from Victoria to Winnipeg!

The time away has given us both time to pause and reflect a lot about our life’s journey and what the next chapter will bring.   I’m so glad I got to do this with my best friend. The memories and laughter that we shared will forever bond us together no matter where our paths lead from here.

Cheers and thanks for stopping in!

Paris

Ah the romantic city of Paris.  A time to be full of joie de vivre!   The usual tourist attractions beckon us but as usual we take great pleasure in wandering the streets and savouring the sights we stumble across.

Our very last day we took the train out to Palais de Versailles, a place I have wanted to visit each time I’ve been in Paris and now finally the opportunity.  It’s a wow place with so much to see that we couldn’t take it all in (yeah, another I want to go back to place). Once again though, as with Rome the crowds of people make it hard to truly enjoy….so if you ever get that way go really early before the tour groups and hoards of people.

We spend our final days of our journey here in Paris.  We weren’t supposed to be heading home quite this soon but somehow it just felt time.  We’ve been away a long time and home is calling.  The rest will have to wait for another trip!

It was hard to decide which of the fabulous Greek Islands to go to but in the end Crete won out. We had looked at trying to get a cruise but the timing wasn’t working out so we’d just have to find an Island and enjoy.  We found a great hotel in  the Agia Marina area where the breakfast and dinner were included.  A big Greek buffet with different specialities nightly….what can I say.

We relaxed with daily long walks on the beach, long lunches with lots of Retsina, Ouzo and another Greek speciality called Raki which seemed to be delivered to our table free of charge after each meal….potent stuff.  Not normally much of a drinker but I was catching on pretty good here.

We took in the sights of Haniá aka Chania, which is a lovely city with a great old town built around  the Venetian port.  There are narrow shopping streets to browse and lots of waterfront restaurants surrounding the harbour.  Sit and relax, watch the world go by and enjoy the tasty food on offer.  Did I mention how much I love Greek food??

One activity that we didn’t do that we probably should have was the Samaria Gorge, a National park with one of the longest ravines in Europe.  Hiking boots as well as runners had been sent home after Nepal, so perhaps we’ll save that for the next time.

The main treat we found in Athens is of course the Acropolis.  It stands high on a hill over looking the city and nothing in the books prepared us for the this majestic, ancient wonder.  Yes it was another big climb up but that made it all the more amazing.

Another  impressive sight was Ancient Agora. It was a bright, beautiful warm day which made exploring all the more enjoyable. So many people had walked these paths before us, gazing in awe at the sights before us.

When we could walk no more we stopped at an outdoor cafe for some long awaited Greek food and a glass or two (ok a bottle) of Retsina.  So good was the meal, we actually went back a second time…..will miss that place!

Other than the ancient ruins and a quick harbour peak we didn’t see much else of Athens. The city didn’t wow us as other cities had and on Sunday everything seemed to be closed other than the tourist areas.  No matter we were off soon enough.

With the weather as our guide, we change plans from southern Italy to Greece. This allows us a quick stop in Roma. Now there is a lot to see in Rome and we know that there’s no way to cover it in 24 hours but we do our best.

While we wait to check into our room we sit in a small cafe and savour the food and wine. Not seeing much at this point but you could say exploring the senses.

After that we swing into full gear, cameras ready and off we go.  The sights are there in full splendor,  images I’ve seen hundreds of times only now the hoards of people that are also flocked here make the experience quite different from the Roman holiday planned.

We cross over into Italy by train making our way to Florence or Firenze as they say here.  I love the train, the gentle motion as you glide by  the towns and villages, the breathtaking sea views in the distance.

We spend a few days here,  taking in the sights as I fight a nasty cold. My first one of the trip though and it’s not going to keep me down too much.

There is lots to see in this Tuscan city and the surrounding area is lovely. Pity we don’t have the time savour the area a little longer, but that seems to hold true wherever we go. I feel another trip in the not too distant future.

We quickly learn here that anything you want to see requires long lines, advance tickets or both. We instead enjoy wandering around the city, enjoying the sights and markets.

Pisa

The weather here hasn’t been our friend but we decide to take a chance and head to Pisa….heard there was some cool tower there. It’s pouring rain as we board the train but magically disappears as we pull out of Florence.

Pisa is another picturesque walled city, not big but large enough to have a long walking street with interesting shops and restaurants.

We set off down the street, admiring the shops and sights and wind our way along until we turn a corner and that’s when my jaw dropped.  Such a sight to see!

Cannes is a lovely town on the beautiful French Riviera. Home to the famous Cannes Film Festival which will take place in a few weeks.  The rich and famous will come to play and I’m sure this place will triple in size.

I was surprised to see that not only were there expensive hotels and the usual high prices stores, but also regular apartment buildings and shops as well.

We stay in a charming boutique hotel with a wonderful staff that serves not only breakfast but a 3 hour all-inclusive happy hour from 6 to 9 with drinks and snacks.  We’re on the top floor that’s either a hike up the stairs (good for all those croissants I’ve been eating) or a ride up in the most interesting elevator I’ve ever been in.

We hit the boardwalk and take in the sights. The marina is full of large, luxurious yachts, such fun to look at! What a long stretch that even after 10km we aren’t finished, but our bellies are demanding food so we head back to one of the many delightful but expensive restaurants.

We had  heard about a lovely island just 20 minutes away so we decide despite the cloudy day to take the ferry over.
St Marguerite’s is a about an 8 km island, no cars, just pathways, old fort and lush forests. A little rain did nothing to dampen the beauty of this place.

Monaco

Several train stops from Cannes is Monaco and we decide it would   great to spend the day in Monte Carlo.

Not sure but the yachts maybe a little bigger here, maybe.

They are preparing for the grand prix in a few weeks, and signs of the upcoming event are everywhere.

This area is going to be hopping in a few weeks and as much fun it might be to check out the rich and famous, I’m just as happy to be moving on.  In the meantime this is a beautiful place and we take in as many of the sights as we can.

Did we gamble at all?? Yes but didn’t lose enough to have to cut short our trip, nor win enough to extend it.

The train is an awesome way to travel but Lisbon is at least a 11 hour trip to Madrid so instead we fly ahead to our next destination of Marseille.

We don’t have a long stay here, but we make the most of the day and a half exploring all we can.  So much to see here, we know we really needed more time but that holds true for most places.

For our last supper here we head to the vieux port which is close to our hotel. Its touristy and as usual typically over priced but we find a restaurant, sit, savour our wine and enjoy our $70 dinner of hamburgers.

Tomorrow we catch the train for another new adventure!

We pull ourselves away from the beach and make our plans to head to Portugal, since the train is a very long night ride we decide to book a flight instead.  Being last minute folks who usually make decisions on where to go a day before we travel  can be tough at times.  This time we’ve still got to get from Torremolinos to Madrid for our flight and as we knew it would be, traveling over Easter is a bit tricky.  We manage, thanks to a very helpful ticket agent to find our way in time for our flight. Lucky we left early as Madrid has 4 terminals and although it has a great system you still have to catch a shuttle from one to the other. I just love how there is a metro from the train station to terminal 4 even if we’re going to terminal 2.

So here we are in Lisbon and although not the immediate wow we’ve experienced so far it does grow on us as we make our way around. The weather is a little cloudy and rainy, probably adding to the slower warm up process. By late afternoon though we’re in full swing having discovered some of the many wonders this city holds. I must admit that I didn’t know much about Portugal prior to this visit but have come away with a new appreciation for a beautiful city.

Sintra

One of our favourite discoveries is a town about 20 minutes west of Lisbon, a UNESCO heritage site called Sintra. This is romantic, historical and well worth the trip. We walked to the top a of Castelo dos Mouros, 420 metres up but with all the twists and turns, it felt a lot further. Beautiful village, amazing views from the top and a fantastic work out.  This place is a definitely high on the things to see in Portugal list.