If you didn’t start reading on Day 1, you might want to start from the beginning …

Jet lag forced me awake during the wee hours of the morning, again. At least this time the Internet worked but even if it hadn’t, I wouldn’t complain about sitting in the dark five stories above the sloshing waves in my swimming suit surrounded by tropical warm air. I checked email, typed in my journal, posted photos on Facebook, and watched the sunrise slowly light up the ocean.

When I went to bed last night mosquitoes buzzed my ears like Tom Cruise and his fly-by in Top Gun. Mosquitoes always find and torment me. I can be in a place where mosquitoes don’t even exist and get bites all over my body while everyone else stays untouched. Mikayla wanted to sleep with the large sliding door open to hear the ocean, which was nice, but meant no AC. To keep safe from the little vampires I covered my entire body in the sheet and spent the night with a constant layer of sweat covering my body.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you didn’t start reading on Day 1, you might want to start from the beginning …

Wide awake at three in the morning seemed like a great opportunity to get up and go online, but no such luck. The gateway was down. Nothing is more frustrating than choosing a hotel because it has Internet and then not having it when I want it. It’s bad enough to wake up too early knowing I’ll be tired later), but tack on not being able to get online and jet lag is that much worse.

I sat on the balcony and wrote in my journal. At about 5:00 I heard bells ringing from the monasteries up on the cliffs. Shortly after, roosters around the town started their crowing (in Greek, of course) and, finally, the sky became lighter. I woke up Mikayla and we got an early start on the long drive. Seeing the monasteries last night meant we could get in several extra hours of driving during the early morning hours and make it to Corfu in one day. Mikayla had been eager for the beach since Day 1 so she was excited. We left early and grabbed breakfast at a fruit stand down the road.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you didn’t start reading on Day 1, you might want to start from the beginning …

Our first Greek breakfast was simple but tasty. Plain yogurt with honey, deli meat, boiled eggs, and cold cereal were pretty standard everywhere we went. And when it is free with the room, I fill up.

We loaded up the car (which was squeezed against the side of the building, half on the sidewalk and half on the street) and then walked to the archeological site. I had heard there were lots of cats in this area but I didn’t remember until I saw cats…everywhere. As we walked up to the gate several kittens ran up to Mikayla and, of course, she couldn’t not spend a few minutes playing with them.

The ancient site (from about 2,500 years ago) honored the God Apollo, son of Zeus. Apollo had the job of carrying the sun in his chariot across the sky each day. He was the god of prophecy, truth, healing, and the arts. In the picture is the theater and, below it, the remains of the Temple of Apollo where ancient pilgrims conferred with the Oracle. The other ruins are what is left of the Forum (where you might have found a trouble maker by the name of Socrates) and several monuments.

Read the rest of this entry »

Several years ago I promised each of of my kids a trip (Aubree chose Italy and Curtis went to Africa). Two weeks, one-on-one with each child exploring a foreign country. It is an idea I developed with our therapist (I think his exact words were “these trips will save you thousands of dollars in therapy down the road”). My wife, Sandi, has been very supportive and patient (her trip is next and looks to be either Germany and Switzerland or Costa Rica). The problem is she only gets 2 weeks of vacation a year, which means giving up an annual trip to see family in Utah or Minnesota. So far she hasn’t wanted to do that. In two more years she’ll get 3 weeks of vacation and that should do the trick! I plan on following up the trip blogs with a summary of what I learned and the effect these trips had on my relationships with the kids. Mikayla and I had a total blast in Greece (Sept 12th – 27th) and and I will try and post a new entry each day for the next two weeks summarizing our adventures.

I would do myself a huge favor by not stressing myself out so much as I prepare. Because we do our own thing there is no tour group, no itinerary, and no personal help as we plan and travel. For months I research the how’s, what’s, and where’s. The pressure to plan the ideal trip at the lowest possible price helps drive me in the planning but also causes a fair amount of stress. If there is an upside to the stress, it helps me consider nearly anything that could possibly go wrong. My problem is I can’t seem to turn it off. Until I am in the plane and my fate is sealed, I second guess myself and try and figure out what I have forgotten to do. The night before we left I laid in bed thinking, Argh…here I go again. End the end, everything always goes just fine. Even the problems (like when Aubree and I were stranded at the train station and slept on the sidewalk in France) end up as fond memories.

Leaving early for the airport doesn’t help either because on top of worrying I forgot something, I’m tired and know I am not thinking straight. It’s actually amazing I am ever able to get out the door on these trips. Mikayla and I flew Air Canada to Toronto where customs harassed me because we didn’t have a letter from her mother and seemed to question that I was even her father.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mikayla has spoken: Greece and Turkey.

It’s a lot of work planning out these trips because we don’t do an organized thing. We do the whole thing from scratch, something I think can be compared to building your own house without a contractor. We are on our own…which is quite intimidating. But I’m getting better at it. Experiences like sleeping on the sidewalk in France and getting chased by an elephant in South Africa have helped me realize that things will work out. One way or another, things work out.

This will fulfill the promise I made to my kids several years ago, a one-on-one trip with each of them to wherever in the world they wanted to go. It has turned out to be one of the best ideas I ever had. The times spent with Aubree in Europe and Curtis in Africa are beyond words…and pictures. Two solid weeks alone with each of my kids, experiencing new things, learning new things…it’s an amazing opportunity. I am so grateful to be in a position where I can do this with them and to have a supportive wife.

So for any of you that have been to Greece or Turkey, please pass on your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions. We’ll be heading out in September!

If you didn’t start reading on Day 1, you might want to start from the beginning…

When our night sleeping in the brick oven was over and the sun came up, it cooled off a little. What is the science behind that? Today was supposed to be our day to sleep in because our train didn’t leave until noon, but it was just too hot. Taking a nice cool shower sounded too good so we got up earlier than planned and were able to spend more time walking through Venice.

We hit the shops again. I told Aubs I wanted to find a nice mask and we went to the shop we liked most. Their masks were beautiful and they were one of the only shops that didn’t have a “Thou shalt not touch” sign posted. They’d let us try them on and take pictures…so I wanted to give them our business. I found a gorgeous golden one that I think Sandi will like and will look great somewhere on the wall at home. I just needed to get it home in once piece.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you didn’t start reading on Day 1, you might want to start from the beginning…

I always look for a hotels with a free breakfast. Most of the time they don’t cost more and it saves money on food. Eat a good breakfast, snack throughout the day (jerky and trail mix from Costco works good), and you can get away with only buying one meal a day (or less). Normally it works out pretty good…but not at the Monastery.

We ate our breakfast in the peaceful courtyard but then as we were heading out were informed our room had been charged $24 ($12 each). Apparently the Expedia line that said “all our guests enjoy a free complimentary breakfast” didn’t apply to us. I pleaded my case and lost. We had a “no breakfast room,” although nothing specified that on my reservation. I asked for a full detailed receipt knowing this fight was not over. If you tell me I’m getting a free breakfast, one way or another I’m getting a free breakfast. (After I returned home I took up the fight with Expedia and was first told they would not issue a refund but after requesting to speak to a manager, my request was granted.)

Read the rest of this entry »

If you didn’t start reading on Day 1, you might want to start from the beginning…

We both woke up at 3am and couldn’t sleep. I told her about a dream I had about a 2,000 year old love tragedy between a slave and the daughter of a wealthy aristocrat that is resolved by flashbacks that result in a modern romance. She said I should write it. Maybe some day…

We got some early morning time on the Internet, Sandi helped me with the lost luggage and made some calls while I sent useless emails. The official word just that “it’s lost.” US Air has no clue, hopefully I don’t have to write a song about it.

The hotel is nice. It only cost about $75 a night and with breakfast, was a great deal. Once we figured out how to use the metro (the station was only about 4 blocks away), we could get anywhere easily. Our room has AC, thank goodness, so that gives us an escape from the heat. The breakfast is really good, plenty of food. We gorged on it to take advantage of the free food. Chocolate croissants, ham, eggs, fruit, yogurt, cereal…it was great.

The staff helped us get oriented and explained how to use the metro. It was easy once we had the quick rundown. You can buy a one or three day pass from the machines inside (they take cash and have an English option) and then ride it all you want. We could have saved a lot of walking yesterday had we understood it better…but better late then never. I filled my daypack with water, jerky, trail mix, guidebooks, the camera, and the camcorder and we we hit the streets early before it was too hot to be miserable.

Read the rest of this entry »

This is day 1 of my recent two week adventure with Aubree on her trip to Europe. I told each of my kids I’d take them on a trip (Curtis was last year to South Africa) and Aubs picked Europe, primarily Italy and Spain.

Things started out a bit rough. Our flight to Philly was delayed and it was only a sprint from one end of the airport to the other that kept us on schedule. My pounding chest reminded me that I’m a 40 year old man, something that I am in constant denial about. It doesn’t even look right on paper. But at least Aubree is young and full of energy. She ran on ahead and managed to convince them to keep the door open a few more minutes. Everyone was already seated and they sealed the door behind us. We were on our way! But…unknown to us…our luggage wasn’t.

Read the rest of this entry »

In 4 days Aubree and I are going to be dropped off in Rome. We have 12 days to find our way to Barcelona in order to catch our ride home. Here are the conditions we are traveling by:

• We will carry moderate sized backpacks with only the essentials.
• Other than the first couple of nights in Rome, we have no reservations for lodging.
• We only speak English (well, Aubree does speak bit of Spanish and I speak Afrikaans…but doubt that is going to help much).
• We have no itinerary on where we are going.
• We have limited funds.
• We want to have fun.
• Neither of us has ever been to Italy, France, or Spain and…
• We don’t know anyone there.

Considering I normally like to have things well planned (I had South Africa planned down almost to the bathroom stops), this is going to be an adventure to say the least. Aubree still isn’t exactly sure what she wants to do, so we are going to wing it I guess. The thought causes my stomach to churn a little…but I suppose one way or another we’ll survive, have fun, and learn a thing or two.