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Puglia

    Europe Travel

    Adoro la Puglia – I love Puglia, Italy’s “Segreta”.

    Puglia, a little secret – at least it was to me. Having traveled to the big five of Italy; Rome, Milan, Florence, Venice and Naples, I kinda thought I had “done” Italy. We were researching Bologna, and then I stumbled upon Puglia. And now Adora la Puglia – I love Puglia, Italy’s “Segreta”.

    Puglia in SE Italy on the Adriatic

    Our five days in the Puglia region was a whirlwind. I thought it would be plenty of time. Re-examining I wish we had ten days, even though we made it work. Interestingly, visiting in February had the advantage of almost no tourists but the disadvantage of many shops and restaurants closed for the month. Evidently this is when many business people take a vacation. It was not a hardship for us, we found plenty to see and do and really loved how quiet and uncrowded it was. We had beautiful weather which we were very grateful for.

    Bellisima

    In the course of our five days we hit nine cities and villages. Most places we just wandered aimlessly through the streets, astonished at the history, architecture and beauty. In a few other places we hired a guide to give us more in depth knowledge. And everywhere we ate the incredible food, and drank the incredible wine.

    Sassi di Matera

    Below is a list of the nine places we visited over our five day visit. For your planning purposes I would recommend you look beyond these nine, as there are other places we did not get to. But for this blog post, this is what we did – Adora la Puglia – I love Puglia, Italy’s “Segreta”.

    A Note – you can do this tour by train, but I really recommend a car. It is a law to have an International Drivers License in Italy so plan ahead. During our visit we used an app called Easy Park to help us find and pay for parking in every city we went to. Italians drive like crazy people. Take it slow and safe and they will go around you.

    Alberobello

    This beautiful little town is what first attracted us to the Puglia region. After seeing a photo of the iconic Trulli architecture of Alberobello we were smitten. We spent our five days in a historic Trulli turned Airbnb, and used Alberobello as our Puglia base. Alberobello is a UNESCO World Heritage village and has grown in popularity for visitors and group tours over the past few years.

    Our historic Airbnb
    Our Airbnb, part of an old farm

    Trulli

    What is a Trulli? In the 17th and 18th century Alberobello was overseen by a feudal lord. In his effort to avoid taxes, he had all the peasants live in the Trulli – a stone house with a conical roof that were built without mortar. The lack of mortar made the structures “temporary” and thus no taxes. At the time, the area was a vast forest (Alberobello means beautiful tree) and the peasants were clearing the trees. Until the late 1700’s Alberobello was not a designated town.

    Beautiful Alberobello
    Spring is in the air
    Alberobello Aia Piccola
    Looking towards Rione Monti

    Aia Piccola

    Today, throughout the region for miles around Alberobello you will see historic Trulli dotting the landscape, including the Airbnb we stayed in. But within the historic center of Alberobello there are two distinct areas of tightly compacted Trulli. We did a private walking tour with a local through both areas. Our guide Guido showed us the smaller Aia Piccola which is still home to many locals. It is a small neighborhood of friendly people. We went inside one home to see how people once lived.

    Rione Monti
    Cats of Alberobello

    Rione Monti

    The larger more touristic area is Rione Monti. This neighborhood is positioned on a hill and provides perfect photo opportunities. This is also where the shops and restaurants are. Many shops are local products including popular wood and ceramic works as well as jewelry and clothing. I purchased a beautiful scarf, a small Trulli shaped olive oil decanter and a charm for my bracelet. On our first day we discovered two delicious local specialties; Orecchiette with turnip tops and Braciole, a delicious slow roasted rolled beef.

    Beef Braciole at the tiny but delicious My Grandmothers Pantry

    Monopoli & Polignano a Mare

    After our morning walking tour of Alberobello and a quick lunch, we headed out towards the coast and the two larger cities; Monopoli and Polignano a Mare.

    Monopoli

    An ancient fortified city, Monopoli was founded in 500 BC by the Greeks. Similar to much of this southern part of Italy, Monopoli passed through the hands of the Romans, Goths, Byzantines and Normans. Today it is a beautiful seaside city with a gorgeous Basilica of the Madonna della Madia, sparkling turquoise water dotted with quaint fishing boats and lots of restaurants and shops for visitors. In the summer it is a popular beach destination.

    Monopoli
    Basillica of the Madonna della Madia
    Monopoli
    So picturesque

    Polignano a Mare

    Another seaside town perched ontop of limestone cliffs with beautiful views of the Adriatic. A rich ancient history beginning in the 4th century, Polignano was likely originally named Neopolis by the Greeks, while some historians say Julius Caesar founded it as a hub along the Via Traiana, one of several ancient Roman roads in the region. Today Polignano a Mare celebrates itself as a modern city popular with tourists all year long. A statue of native son Domenico Modugno, best known for the song Volare, is a popular tourist photo spot.

    Next time I’d love a hotel room with this view
    Domenico Modugno

    Ostuni, Cisterno, Martina Franca and Locorotondo

    On day three we set out early to explore four ancient hilltop villages all within about an hour or less from Alberobello.

    Ostuni

    We actually arrived in Ostuni so early nothing was really open yet. But we parked the car and took a long walk around the “white city” – referred to for it’s white walls and buildings. Ostuni is very popular with visitors and the population explodes in the summer. On the morning we were there we seriously had the place to ourselves. It was wonderful to just wander and peek into the various alleys and stairways. The original settlement here can be dated back to the stone age.

    Hidden treasures in Ostuni
    One of many artful doors in Ostuni
    Ostuni Citadel

    Cisternino

    We really enjoyed the hilltop village of Cisternino, with views across the valley to neighboring Martina Franca. The village was just coming awake on our arrival. We enjoyed an espresso before wandering the streets, taking in the view from the panorama vista and visiting some local cathedrals.

    The original town is said to have been destroyed by the Goths, and it was rebuilt as a monastery by the Basillian Monks in the Middle Ages. Today it’s dense interior gives it a maze feel and offers visitors to enjoy a treasure hunt as they wander.

    Cisternino high on the hill
    A wonderful view

    Martina Franca

    Named for Saint Martin and founded in the 10th century, Martina Franca is famous for its olive oil production and its Baroque architecture. It’s another good place to take a slow stroll within its gated walls, or wander outside the gates where commerce continues and locals sit and watch the world go by.

    One of the Baroque gates of Martina Franca
    The main square in Martina Franca

    Locorotondo

    One of my favorites of this day was our final stop in Locorotondo. Another very small hill top village, with the name meaning “round place”. The village was a unfortified walled city from about 1000 AD, founded by Benedictine monks. Today it is a tourist mecca for its beauty and architecture.

    Locorotondo

    We had a late lunch/early dinner here in Locorotondo, and it was one of the best meals we had anywhere in Italy. We just stumbled into Osteria Il Rosoni, one of the few restaurants that were open. It was a great discovery. We drank the local Verdante wine and ate several local specialties. It was a great way to end day three.

    One of the best meals we had in Italy at xx
    Lamb Shank

    Sassi di Matera

    Day four we headed out from Alberobello about an hour and 15 min drive to Matera. I had seen photos of this place and I knew it had a unique history but was not prepared for how amazing it was. We spent the entire day in this town and if I were to visit again I would spend a night or two in this remarkable UNESCO site.

    Looking across the ravine to Matera
    Astonishing history

    You definitely should start your visit on the Murgia side, across the ravine, to get a good look back at this astonishing cave city. What you are looking at is a prehistoric troglodyte village, thought to be among the first human settlements of what is today Italy. The oldest Neolithic pottery found dates to 7500 BC. It is truly one of the oldest inhabited settlements in the world.

    Today’s city is built on top of the original caves, but many cave dwellings still exist and are occupied in their updated form. In the 1950’s it was considered the “shame of Italy” because the inhabitants were so poor. The government relocated them to a new area. But eventually in the 1990’s the potential for tourism and commerce started to be noticed, and today it is really one of the most remarkable places in the world. Read the Smithsonian story about it here.

    Ancient but living
    A fascinating way of life
    Such a great day

    We enjoyed a really delicious meal in Sassi di Matera at Il Terazzino within a cave. Great food and service too. It was a favorite day and I am so glad we visited this remarkable place.

    Eating in a cave
    Melon and Prosciutto so delicious

    Lecce

    Our time in Pugla flew by, and on our last day we were tired, but decided to make the hour and half drive south to Lecce. We figured it was unlikely we would ever return to this area, so we didn’t want to waste a day. The drive was on a good freeway much of the way and we arrived with plenty of time to find parking and then search out the tour we had booked ahead.

    Symbol of Lecce
    Roman Coliseum

    Lecce has a fascinating history. Most of the architecture is Baroque dating back to the 12th and 13th century. But legend dates the original city to the 5th BC. Below the current town only recently (early 1920’s) was discovered an entire coliseum, and nearby an entire Roman theatre. Both areas are still to be full excavated but will eventually be opened to tourists.

    Roman Theatre

    Lecce has several stunning cathedrals, including the recently restored Basilica de Santa Croce. You should also visit the city’s Bell Tower, popular with tourists and you can climb to the top. The walls of the original city, dating back 2000 years, can still be seen in several places around what is often referred to as the “Florence of the South”.

    Lecce hidden gems
    Lecce

    Back to Alberobello

    We made the drive back to Alberobello, where we wanted to enjoy this little gem after dark on our final night. We had an outstanding dinnner at 100Metricubi, a unique menu of local octopus, bean mash (a local favorite) and of course, wine.

    Alberobello at night
    Beautiful scene Alberobello
    Our final meal was amazing
    Primativa our favorite

    I do not take lightly how astonishing my travel life is. It can be exhausting and sometimes it’s a lot of work for the planning and execution. However, the result is a treasure chest of memories of people, places and experiences that have forever changed me, taught me, inspired me and made me a better steward of the earth. Thank you Puglia, you were something special. Adora la Puglia – I love Puglia, Italy’s “Segreta”.

    Ciao Bella, Puglia

    Thank you for reading my post Adora la Puglia – I love Puglia, Italy’s “Segreta”. I hope you will consider adding Puglia to your travel bucket list.

    See last week’s post San Marino Hiding in Plain Sight.

    See this week’s book review Still Life by Sarah Winman here.

    We love it when you pin, share and comment on our blog posts. Grazie!

    Become a World Traveler  --  Inspire

    Eighth Annual World Travel Awards 2024

    Location: Around the World

    I absolutely love writing this blog post each year. Throughout the year I think about what experiences and places might make this list. And when it’s time to write – it’s a fun walk down memory lane as I reminisce about the previous year of travel. Maybe I can inspire you to travel to some of these places. I know for a fact several of my followers are planning visits to Australia … which was our favorite country from 2023! I hope it’s fun for you to read and enjoy the awards we bestow on our favorites and the best of the best (and a few duds too) from our year of travel; the Eighth Annual World Travel Awards 2024.

    The Acropolis on a rainy night

    We are now into our ninth year of travel as part of The Grand Adventure. What a remarkable ride it has been. Not sure exactly what the next few years will bring…but it’s already open for discussion.

    2024

    What an incredible year. We have had a wonderful year of travel; both long stays and short, independent travel and guided. Though we prefer longer stays (and we had some good ones) this year included more short stays than in the past. This resulted in the greatest number of countries ever – TWENTY FOUR! The list includes; Thailand, Singapore, Italy, San Marino, Spain, Andorra, Greece, Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Austria, Slovakia, Madagascar, USA, Armenia, France, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, United Arab Emirates.

    Wild & Wonderful Kyrgyzstan

    Destinations – 24 Countries & 2 US States

    Favorite Country – Madagascar

    The wildlife in Madagascar blew my mind

    I never imagined Madagascar would be my favorite country of this travel year. But we were astonished and enchanted by the beauty, the wildlife and the people. Madagascar had been on our bucket list for a very long time, and it was worth the wait.

    Favorite City – a tie between Athens Greece and Vienna Austria

    Athens
    Vienna

    With so many destinations it really is hard this year to choose one favorite, and these two cities charmed us. We returned to Athens after having a poor experience the first time and I am so glad we did. It is remarkable. And Vienna with its astonishing beauty is definitely one I hope to visit again.

    Favorite Town – Khiva Uzbekistan and Alberobello Italy

    Khiva Uzbekistan
    Alberobello, Italy

    For overall history, beauty and unique experiences these two lovely towns, though very different from each other, were our two favorites of the year. Khiva Uzbekistan and Alberobello Italy

    Favorite Island – Crete Greece and Honorable Mention to Sicily Italy

    Crete
    Sicily

    My husband and I discussed this category in depth and finally settled on Crete with an Honorable Mention to lovely Sicily. We had long stays on both, during off season in both, which gave us a great opportunity to experience the heart of these remarkably unique places. We would love to return.

    Most Expensive Country – Austria

    Vienna Austria

    We only visited Vienna on our six days in Austria, but Vienna is expensive. Despite staying a bit outside of the historic core, our hotel was expensive. And despite loving all the food we enjoyed, it too was very expensive. But this city is worth a visit, no matter what.

    Least Expensive Country – Thailand

    For budget travelers, Thailand is the place

    We spent a month on the island of Koh Chang, doing very little. We didn’t love our Airbnb, but it was comfortable enough and cheap. However it was so far away from anything including a supermarket or even a restaurant, we had little reason to spend any money during our month long stay.

    Accommodations

    More hotels than in past years but also several Airbnb’s, and some wonderful yurts!

    Favorite Airbnb – Crete Greece

    Restored Historic Airbnb in Crete

    We loved this big beautiful stone house with swimming pool we rented with friends in Chania on the island of Crete. A restored historic home was perfect for a group. Another smaller unit next door we might consider in the future.

    Favorite Hotel – Singapore

    Comfortable, clean and affordable Singapore Oasia Hotel

    We stayed in ALOT of hotels this year (35), it’s hard to even remember them all. But we chose the Oasia Hotel in Singapore as our favorite. In fact we just booked that same hotel again for next March. The best thing about this hotel was it was affordable, in a city that can break the bank, and the staff was great, room was comfortable and the location was excellent. I’m sure this will be our go-to for layovers in Singapore from here on.

    Best Airbnb for Service – Yerevan Armenia

    Yerevan Airbnb

    Some Airbnb’s you never hear from your hosts, while others are helpful and kind. We had several exceptional hosts this year, but we give this award to our host David in Yerevan Armenia. When we were in a car accident (see more about that below) he made sure we got to a hospital, served as our interpreter and would not accept any compensation for giving up his Sunday to assist us. It’s rare we have emergencies like this, but we are forever grateful to kind people like David.

    David never left our side at the Emergency Room

    Most Expensive Airbnb – Chania Crete

    A caveat is needed here – This Airbnb was three bedrooms with a pool and we shared the cost with two other couples. It was beautiful too and we loved our stay at $174 per night.

    We loved this place in Crete I would like to go back.

    Least Expensive Airbnb – Baku Azerbijan

    The view from our Baku Apartment

    Although it smelled of cigarette smoke, our older apartment in Baku also came with an amazing view – for only $35 a night.

    Best View – Koh Chang Thailand

    That view

    Although we had some issues with this property and the host, we gotta say the view was unparalleled.

    Most Unique Accommodations – Kyrgyzstan

    Biggest Yurt ever is where we had our meals

    Our tour through the Five Stans had us staying in hotels, home stays and yurts, and our favorite was the Almaluu Yurt Village in IssyKuhl Lake, Kyrgyzstan. Comfy and warm, the unique and historic style of nomadic housing is beautiful and functional and now I want one for my own!

    Food & Drink

    Favorite Cuisine – Sicily and Georgia

    Sicily is all about the freshest ingredients
    Kachapuri is Georgia’s national dish. So good!

    Vastly different, the cuisine of these two unique places were amazing. Sicilian food (don’t call it Italian) is fresh and full of flavor and the Sicilians are so incredibly proud of their food. In Georgia we were astonished to stumble on the unique and flavorful cuisine influenced over a thousand years by travelers along the Silk Road.

    Best Food Tour – Bologna Italy & T’bilisi Georgia

    Not the Bologna of your childhood.
    Kinkali dumplings in Georgia

    Again it’s a tie. We do a lot of food tours. The best ones include unique hidden places, tidbits of history and insider knowledge, served up with a knowledgeable and humorous guide. I highly recommend both of these tours if you visit Bologna and Tours and the City or T’bilisi with Culinary Backstreets.

    Best Cooking Class – Crete Greece and Honorable Mention Koh Chang Thailand

    The Crete class was amazing, a family affair in a beautiful new cooking space. With our friends we were welcomed by the family at Veerna’s Kitchen and enjoyed a marvelous experience. We also had a tasty and fun day with Bunny at her Napalai Thai Cooking School in Koh Chang Thailand.

    Outdoor oven at Veerna’s Cooking School, Crete
    Delicious foods at Napalai Cooking School Koh Chang Thailand

    Best Meal – Mother Wolf Las Vegas Nevada USA

    Best meal of the year, surprisingly in Las Vegas

    We spent a few days in Las Vegas in June, specifically to attend a concert of my husband’s favorite artist Elvis Costello. We were traveling with another couple, and before the concert we enjoyed one of the best meals I have ever had at beautiful restaurant called Mother Wolf. If you visit Las Vegas you must eat there.

    Most Unique Food – Tajikistan

    Qurutob – delicious

    I bet you never heard of Qurutob. I sure hadn’t. But it is the national dish of Tajikistan and it is an acquired taste; dried sour yogurt is rehydrated and mixed with a delicious selection of grilled vegetables, bread and meat. We loved it!

    Best Beer – Samarkand Uzbekistan

    Sam Craft in Samarkand Uzbekistan

    One of our free evenings in Samarkand we went looking for a micro brew pub. My husband has an internal radar for micro brew pubs. And we found Sam Craft. It was worth the search on a rainy night.

    Best Wine – T’bilisi Georgia

    I tried a lot of wine in T’bilisi. Here enjoying several on my food tour.

    I learned while in Georgia that this country is considered the earliest place where wine was made, based on 8000 year old findings of wine making. The Georgian people take this very seriously, and all the wine we had was excellent. Back in the USA we looked for and found some places to purchase delicious Georgian wine…it is now part of our wine cellar.

    Culture

    Most Authentic Cultural Experience – Kyrgyzstan

    Master Eagle Hunter Kyrgyzstan
    Yurt Making – not many artisans left. This family welcomed us into their home to learn how it’s done.

    We only had four days in Kyrgyzstan, but it was some of the most memorable days of my travels. And two authentic cultural experiences happened on the same day; spending time with a Master Eagle Hunter and a Yurt Building Family. Both these occupations are UNESCO Cultural protected ancient activities. I feel so blessed to have had this opportunity with these people.

    Most Amazing Man Made Structure – Matera Italy

    Matera Italy was mind blowing – I had never heard of this place that dates back to the Paleolithic period

    How to choose the winner when we visited Rome, Barcelona, Athens and amazing Uzbekistan? But we decided on one of the most unique places we have ever seen, an unexpected and new to us city of cave dwellings from thousands of years ago…the remarkable city of Matera. With a history of continuous occupation dating back to the Paleolithic (10th millennium BC), it is renowned for its rock-cut urban core, whose twin cliff side zones are known collectively as the Sassi. If you go to Italy – it’s a must.

    Most Incredible Natural Sight – Baobab Alley Madagascar

    Remarkable place

    I had been dreaming about seeing this place with my own eyes for years….and I was not disappointed. Nature is so amazing. Grateful that Madagascar has protected the Baobab trees.

    Best Gardens – Schonbrunn Palace Vienna Austria

    The gardens at Schonbrunn Palace

    Well the incredible mansion/ Palace (Castle?) of the Hapsburg Dynasty just outside of Vienna was astonishing in itself, but the gardens…Wow. Hands down my favorite of all the gardens we saw this year.

    Best Market – Khujand Market Tajikistan and Chorsu Market Tashkent Uzbekistan

    This is only one part (the meat part) of Chorsu Market in Tashkent Uzbekistan
    I loved this market in Khujand Tajikistan

    If you read my blog posts much you know that a good, authentic market is possibly my favorite thing to do in any place we visit. And both of these, Chorsu in Uzbekistan and Khujand Tajikistan were all about the locals finding what they need from meat to produce to cheese and even clothing and shoes. It was perfect.

    Best Museum – Azerbaijan Carpet Museum Baku Azerbaijan, Honorable Mention Belvedere Vienna Austria

    Hand tying a beautiful wool carpet
    The building is designed to look like a rolled up carpet.

    We visited dozens of museums over the past year. So it was very hard to pick even two in this category. We considered everything from the amazing Acropolis Museum in Athens to the Gangster Museum in Las Vegas. But our choice for the top two are the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum and the Belvedere Art Museum in Vienna. Though very different both house incredible works of art and are housed in magnificent architecturally unique building.

    The exterior at the Belvedere
    The Kiss by Gustav Klimt at the Belvedere

    Best Walking Tour – Chania Crete & Night tour Baku Azerbaijan

    Chania Crete
    Baku Azerbaijan

    We arrived in both Chania and Baku with not a lot of knowledge about the history (both recent and ancient) of either place. A good walking tour is always helpful in these situations. In Chania our group of six hired a guide who was born and raised in the town, was funny and informative and spoke excellent English. In Baku we did a night tour with five other “new” friends – the city absolutely sparkled at night and we learned some amazing history we would have completely missed without this excellent tour and guide.

    Best Overall Historical Site – Athens Greece

    Hadrian’s Library

    We are so glad we returned to Athens for a longer visit after having a awful one day tour off a cruise ship decades ago. This time we explored this amazing city and all it has from top to bottom. It really is a remarkable place.

    Best Performance – Spanish Riding School Vienna Austria and Honorable Mention Elvis Costello Las Vegas Nevada

    I did not realize what we were getting into when we went to the Spanish Riding School performance in Vienna but it was unlike any horse performance anywhere in the world. Astonishing. And a wonderful concert in Las Vegas with Elvis Costello deserves an honorable mention.

    I have never seen anything like the Spanish Riding School performance in Vienna
    Elvis Costello still rocking after all these years

    Best One Day Tour – Georgia

    Georgia was incredible – this is Gergeti Trinity Church

    In T’bilisi we hired a guide to take us to the Gudauri region, several hours outside the city and near the Russian border. This is a popular ski area, and also popular for tourists to hike and enjoy waterfalls and to visit the famous Gergeti Trinity Church. We lucked out with gorgeous weather on our visit…only a week later they got their first snow.

    Best Multi-Day Tour – The Five Stans Intrepid Travel

    Uzbekistan

    After postponing this trip a few times due to the PanDamit, it finally happened for us in 2024. A 28 day tour. We were hesitant if 28 days and five countries would be too much. But thankfully Intrepid Travel made this an exceptional experience with very few bumps along the way. This was our second time using Intrepid and I think they have my loyalty.

    Kazakhstan

    Best Tour Guide – Svetlana with Intrepid Travel

    With Svetlana in Kyrgyzstan

    One of the reasons Intrepid has our loyalty is they know what makes a good guide. Patient, smart, empathetic, funny and able to function on no sleep! Our guide in the Stans was Svetlana and she was absolutely remarkable.

    Nature

    Best Sunrise – Koh Chang Thailand

    Koh Chang Sunrise

    Every morning with my coffee. It was the best thing about this Airbnb.

    Best Sunset – Madagascar

    Baobab Alley at sunset

    A dream come true in Madagascar being here at sunset.

    Best Beach/Lake – Lake Ohrid North Macedonia

    On the lake enjoying a beautiful sunny day
    Hiking above Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia

    What a lovely surprise both on and off the water, Lake Ohrid in North Macedoni

    Best Hike – Zingaro Natural Reserve Sicily and Mount Rainier Washington State

    Zingaro Nature Reserve was a short drive from our Airbnb in Scopello Sicily
    My favorite place in the world, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington State USA

    We hike ALOT – around the world and at home in Washington State. Our favorites this year were very diverse, stunning and inspiring.

    Overall Natural Beauty – Madagascar

    Hidden treasure everywhere

    Madagascar blew my mind. What a place.

    Best Wildlife – Madagascar

    There just aren’t enough words to adequately describe the wildlife of Madagascar. Photos help.

    Chameleons and other reptiles where so beautiful but often camoflaged
    Lemurs of all kinds
    So beautiful
    How beautiful is that?

    Best Bird Watching – Madagascar

    We have become very interested in birds over the last few years…but even with this interest we never gave much thought to where birds sleep. Or how they sleep. In Madagascar we had the remarkable experience of doing a night walking tour and seeing birds sleeping. And lots of other amazing birds too.

    Sleeping bird, Madagascar Night Tour

    Athletic Pursuits

    Best Golf – USA

    We love summer golf

    Golfing in the summer in Washington State is a favorite past-time and we golfed once or twice a week throughout the summer.

    Best Place to Run – Sicily

    Secluded and beautiful running route in Sicily

    Though we had a lot of rain during February in Sicily we got out and ran the dirt roads on the small peninsula where our cute Airbnb was. Rarely saw a car or another human.

    Best Pool or Spa – Caldea Spa Andorra

    Well that was a fun day at Caldea Spa in Andorra

    We spent two short days in the tiny country of Andorra that straddles France and Spain. Our favorite thing we did was enjoy a full day at the famous Caldea Spa.

    Weather

    Hottest Day – Madagascar

    It was great to get out on the water on this extreme hot and dry day

    Most Humid – Thailand

    Some days the humidity was oppressive

    Coldest Day – Border Crossing between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

    Icy cold wind greeted us as we crossed the border on foot between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

    Wettest Day – Bologna Italy

    It was raining buckets but luckily Bologna’s famous porticoes kept us mostly dry

    Windiest – Athens Greece and San Marino

    We nearly blew off the mountain top of tiny San Marino
    There were people up here in shorts and tshirt…terribly unprepared and turning blue.

    Travel

    Longest Travel Day – Koh Chang Thailand to Bologna Italy

    Tiny Trat Airport

    Thirty four hours door to door – this day included a van, a ferry, three flights and a taxi. A total distance of 5971 miles. Thank goodness we have airport lounge privileges. Our longest single flight was Dubai to Seattle at 7410 miles; but a mere 18 hours door to door.

    Shortest Flight – Trat to Bangkok

    A quick flight covering 161 miles go us close to our destination of Koh Chang, but we also had to take a ferry.

    Best Airport – Changi Singapore

    Its worth it to visit Singapore just to see this airport.

    One of the best and most beautiful airports in the world – Changi Singapore

    Worst Airport – Morondava Madagascar

    This place wasn’t the smallest airport we have ever been in, but it nearly was. Departure board was a white board written in colored marker

    Miscellaneous

    Expensive But Worth It – Five Stans Tour with Intrepid Travel

    Of course a 28 day tour covering five countries isn’t going to be cheap. We had cars, planes, trains, vans, subways, all of our lodging, much of our food and the most amazing guide included in Intrepid Travels Five Stans Tour. For two people the cost was $13,530 dollars – just under $500 per day. I don’t regret it.

    Each Country was amazing. This is Kyrgyzstan
    This is Turkmenistan

    The Ouch Award – Car Crash in Yerevan Armenia

    It doesn’t look that serious. And it would not have been if we had been wearing seat belts.

    A difficult lesson was learned when we got into a taxi that did not have seat belts. It wasn’t the first time in our travels where we have encountered this. We should have refused…but we didn’t and five minutes later the crazy driver crashed. At first we thought we were okay, just shaken. But the next day Arne had some serious and frightening symptoms. A trip to the emergency room where he was diagnosed with a concussion. He did not have to stay in the hospital but he did have to lay low for the following two weeks, causing us to change our itinerary to give him time to recover before we began the Stans tour. We are very grateful it wasn’t worse. Seat belts. Always.

    Best Photo of the Year

    With 24 countries its hard to choose which photo is the best….not to mention I am obsessive about photo taking. But for 2024 we choose these – a collection of Baobab Alley Madagascar. Seeing this was a lifelong dream of mine. And it was just as amazing as I had imagined.

    Baobab Alley
    Wildflowers Baobab Alley
    Sunset at Baobab Alley

    Eighth Annual World Travel Awards 2024

    There you have it. The best of the best of My Fab Fifties Life travel of 2024. Amazing, memorable and unique experiences with new cultures and fantastic experiences around the world. What a grand adventure it is. We sure hope you will consider visiting some of these places and enjoying some of these unique experiences too – the eighth annual world travel awards 2024. Please let us know if you do visit any of our suggestions.

    High above Bovilla Reservoir in Albania. That road to get here was interesting.

    What next?

    As I post this annual awards I am on the island of Maui – the first stop of our 2025 adventure. Over the next year we will visit anywhere from 8-12 more countries. Those include the Cook Islands, Australia, Singapore, Bhutan, France, Luxembourg, USA and Canada – with others still in the works.

    Friendly and docile chameleons are my new favorite

    It takes me weeks to write this post so I hope you have enjoyed the Eighth Annual World Travel Awards 2024. My goal is to inspire you. The world is so amazing…not everyone is going to want to go to places like Kyrgyzstan. I understand that. But I hope you have learned something and perhaps are motivated to step beyond your comfort zone. We hope you will continue to follow us around the globe, comment, pin and share this post so others can follow as well. Thank you and stay fabulous. This travel blog wouldn’t be possible without all of you.

    Beautiful memorial in Novi Sad Serbia remembering the 4000 civilians murdered by the Hungarian forces during WWII

    More From the Past

    If you would like to see our Travel Awards from the past, you can click on any of these links; 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017.

    HAPPY NEW YEAR OF TRAVEL!!! We appreciate it when you comment, share and pin our blog posts – especially this one!! The Eighth Annual World Travel Awards 2024. Stay tuned! Lots of adventures ahead! Thank you.

    At Home

    Home Again Home Again Jiggety Jig

    Location: Washington State, USA

    Eight months. Yep, it’s been 8 months today since we left the USA and it is time to turn our compass towards home. I love our travel life. But I love our little Villa de Verano as well, and we love spending summer in Washington State. So, it’s time. Home Again Home Again Jiggety Jig.

    At home

    A Look Back

    This is year 8 of our Grand Adventure. What a crazy life this is, but also rich and rewarding. This past 8 months we have tackled some difficult places (Papua New Guinea), some favorite places (Brisbane, Melbourne, Tasmania) and some chilly places (Bologna, Puglia, Sicily). We have learned new things and enjoyed watching spring arrive in places like Crete.

    Papua New Guinea
    Italy

    More Blogs Coming

    I have not finished writing about our adventures in year eight. Coming up North Macedonia, Serbia, Vienna, Bratislava and Madagascar. All worth a read. But meanwhile, this week I just wanted to talk about home. The Grand Adventure is not the kind of life everyone wants, but for us it really is satisfying, particularly knowing we can always go home. Homeward bound. Home Again Home Again Jiggety Jig.

    What’s Next

    What’s next is the question we get probably more than any other question about our travels. So in brief let me share. We will be back in the USA for four months this time from Mid May to Mid September. In September we will travel for six weeks and then return to the USA for the holidays. During this six weeks we will visit three countries we dropped when we had to return home during COVID; Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Then we will do a tour once again with Intrepid Travel to the Five Stans before returning to the USA for holidays with our family.

    mount rainier
    Hiking with the family

    After our time home for the holidays (November – January)we don’t know yet, but we have some ideas. We will definitely travel and are considering the South Pacific and Australia in the winter and Europe again for spring. Our trips from now on will be shorter, possibly three to four months. We have learned over the past few months that eight months is too long, our bodies can’t take it anymore. So the continuation of the Grand Adventure will revolve around shorter adventures and longer periods at home. It’s been an evolution, and luckily we both are on the same page about this.

    Home Again Home Again Jiggety Jig

    I am amazed and grateful at how many people follow our adventures, ask questions and seem genuinely interested in this travel life. Thank you for that. While in the USA, we plan to stay put for most of the four months, with the exception of one short trip to Las Vegas to see Elvis Costello for my husband’s birthday. We really want a quieter summer without travel. Spending time with our adult children and our moms close to home. Time to get some projects done around the house (new laundry room and more). We look forward to golf, hiking, and getting back on a running schedule – I need to drop a few pounds travel has gifted me…so much great food. I’m looking forward to gardening, quilting and some redecorating. I need to continue the photo project I started last summer. I just need to be HOME. These are things that make us happy and keep us healthy. I hope to see some of you this summer.

    Summer golf

    Be sure to stay tuned for upcoming blog posts. See last week’s post About Albania – Tirana & Beyond. Thank you for your comments, shares, pins and continued interest in what we do. This life – a real Grand Adventure.

    Europe Travel  --  Food & Drink

    Tasting Sicily – Surprising and Delicious

    Unique Culture & Cuisine

    Location: Sicily, Italy

    Sorprendente! What a surprise Sicily was. I was lucky enough to spend three weeks in Sicily, the island just off the toe of Italy’s boot, during the month of February 2024. It was an interesting time of year to visit – very few tourists and many restaurants closed for the winter. But, as we always do, we found lots to do and spent time Tasting Sicily – Surprising and Delicious.

    Olives – A Staple Food Everyday

    This beautiful island is really something special. I could easily spend several months here and still not get enough of it. You probably know I love to talk about, write about and EAT local cuisines. So today let me explore with you the cuisine and culture of Sicily in the first of a two part series on Sicily. I think I can tempt your taste buds and entice you to visit this delicious island, the largest in the Mediterranean. Here we go!

    Culturally Diverse

    I loved this place, its people and its food. Every local we had the chance to talk with referred to themselves as Sicilian, not Italian. There is a very strong sense of cultural identity here, and the people embrace their unique history. You see it in the agriculture, architecture, art, history and most definitely in the food.

    This beautiful platter of traditional Sicilian foods we enjoyed in Palermo

    History

    From the day we arrived we felt the difference between Sicily and Italy. Sicily felt more like Malta to us than like Italy. It felt a bit like Morocco. It also felt like Cyprus and Greece. Memories of Tunisia came to mind as well as Spain. The language is Italian, but the dialect is different. The people look a little Arabic. It’s a melting pot of thousands of years of the island changing hands.

    Wikipedia says;

    The history of Sicily has been influenced by numerous ethnic groups. It has seen Sicily controlled by powers, including Phoenician and CarthaginianGreekRomanVandal and OstrogothByzantineArabNormanAragoneseSpanishAustriansBritish, but also experiencing important periods of independence, as under the indigenous SicaniansElymiansSicels, the greek-siceliotes.

    We came to Sicily expecting Roman history and Italian food but found so very much more. And thanks to this incredibly diverse cultural history, Sicily is singular in its identity. Although part of Italy today, it remains, Sicily.

    Cefalu port

    Embracing Locally Grown

    Every gastronomic experience we enjoyed was touted as seasonally produced, and locally sourced. Sicily produces an astonishing array of foodstuff. Local cooks and restaurants alike choose the island-grown always…and often just do without if it can’t be sourced from Sicily. Seasonal favorites like cherries or sardines figure heavily in dishes produced at particular times of the year. The locally produced list is long, and I can’t even begin to mention all the ingredients that are grown and originate on the island. But here are just some of the most delicious island produced foods we reaped;

    From the Fields

    Citrus – everywhere we looked, including in our own front yard of our Airbnb, there was citrus weighing down the branches of every tree. Winter is harvest time and the oranges and lemons are colorful, juicy and abundant.

    Lemons in the grove next to our Airbnb in Western Sicily

    Pistachio – first introduced by the Arabs, today Pistachios are considered like “gold” to several local economies, especially the city of Bronte in the province of Catania where much of this lovely nut is cultivated.

    Pistachio is part of both savory and sweet dishes throughout the island

    Artichoke – Also introduced to the island by the Arabs, we enjoyed artichokes in several dishes, which were everywhere freshly harvested in February.

    Artichokes were in season during our late winter visit

    Eggplant – another popular winter vegetable finds it’s way into so many delicious dishes. It’s one of my favorite vegetables, under-utilized back home in the USA but definitely loved in Sicily.

    Delicious Grilled Eggplant with Zuchinni and Peppers

    Capers – the small island of Salina, one of Sicily’s tiny islands, is where most of the delicious capers come from. A perfect briny compliment to so many dishes.

    Wild Fennel – I was intrigued on our hikes and walks the abundance wild fennel growing fast and furious in February. This delicious vegetable shows up in many Sicilian dishes and as a garnish too.

    Wild Fennel

    Almonds – available year around, but the spring pink blooms are a harbinger of the late summer nut.

    Wheat – the Romans brought wheat to the island, and in most homes locally-produced flour similar to semolina is used to make fresh pasta and bread. The bread here is truly amazing. Though dried pasta is available in the grocery store like in the USA, home cooks still make the pasta on Sunday. The Trapani area near where we were staying is famous for the egg less Busiati pasta, a curly long pasta made fresh with local flour, oil and water.

    Fresh ground wheat made into fine flour was what we used to make the busiati

    Couscous – surprising to us, we found couscous a favorite dish available in many restaurants and in grocery stores. The Arabs brought this dish to the island, along with a mix of raisins, pine nuts and spices that have become part of the Sicilian diet.

    Couscous with Fish is a Sicilian Favorite

    From the Sea

    Squid and Octopus – stuffed squid and several octopus dishes enticed us during our visit. There are so many seafood dishes available in restaurants as well as fish mongers sharing the daily catch, you can never go wrong with fresh seafood from the waters that surround Sicily.

    Octopus with Potato is a local favorite

    Tuna – I’ve eaten a lot of fresh tuna in my life but two memorable restaurant dishes with fresh caught tuna in early March were unbelievable.

    Simply prepared fresh tuna was one of the best I have ever eaten at a Cefalu restaurant

    Sardines – early spring is the peak of the sardines, and we ate them multiple times including in the famous Sicilian dish pasta con le sarde.

    Pasta con le Sarde might be Sicily’s most famous dish

    Salt – for centuries the west coast of Sicily has been home to salt harvesting. Similar to many places around the world we have visited, delicious salt from the sea is a staple for Sicily and also an export

    Salt Flats near Marsala

    Say Cheese

    Cheese – there are many locally produced cheeses, my favorite from the island was the abundant and creamy ricotta. But there is more than one ricotta produced on the island, as well as several hard cheeses. You can’t go wrong with any of them. Learn more about Sicilian Cheese here.

    Cannolo made with fresh Sicilian Ricotta. This one was orange flavored.

    And the Best of All…

    Olive Oil – Sicily is dotted with miles and miles of olive trees…many older than most humans. First introduced to the island by the Greeks, families produce their own years-worth supply of olive oil each fall, and larger productions of the ubiquitous liquid goes to market. You can’t cook or eat Sicilian without this golden ingredient.

    Wine – did I save the best for last? Wine of course is part of every meal and the grape varieties were crisp and delicious. The Romans brought the grapes to the island, and today vineyards produce about 160 million gallons of wine each year. Some popular new-to-me varietals included Nero de Avola, Grillo and Cattarratto.

    Grillo was one of our favorite Sicilian variatals

    Tasting Sicily – Surprising and Delicious

    One of the best things we did during our three weeks was enjoy a wonderful cooking class with Liliana at the historic farm known as Baglio Florio. Liliana’s organic farm ingredients from Adamobio helped guide us through the amazing local dishes that take their flavors from the island. During our class all the ingredients we used and ate were locally grown and produced – including the amazing wine. If you are coming to Sicily, cooking with Liliana is an absolute must. In addition to cooking classes you can take wine tours with lunch or have events at the beautiful historic farm. Check out her website and her Instagram page.

    Cooking class at historic Baglio Florio

    Caponata

    One dish that will remind any Sicilian of their childhood is caponata. Served cold or room temperature it is an absolute favorite. Both a summer and winter dish, we ate caponata as part of an aperitivo before we even knew what a local specialty it was. Liliana introduced us to it in our cooking class. Caponata is usually made with eggplant (aubergine) but the recipe can be very flexible to available ingredients. In fact since Liliana only uses ingredients from her farm, on this day we replaced the eggplant with apples. This dish is simple and easily made in advance for perfect entertaining. And absolutely delicious. Try this recipe.

    Caponata, usually made with eggplant, is a favorite for Sicilians

    Stuffed Sun dried Tomatoes

    This delicious appetizer also showed up on aperitivo trays. Sun dried tomatoes are a favorite snack plain as well. Usually dried in the summer and stored, the tomatoes can be soaked in water for a few hours to rehydrate and used multiple ways for a powerful flavor punch. Here we made a filling of bread crumbs, garlic, orange rind, mint, water. The filling was placed between two similarly sized halves of tomato then very quickly fried in olive oil. Served at room temperature, I absolutely loved this.

    Busiate Trapani (Almond Pesto)

    Our visit to Sicily was spent entirely in the western region where this regional dish is a favorite. Trapani is a port town as well as a region, and almonds are a favored local nut. This dish can also be made with pistachios, another Sicilian favorite. Busiate was a new to me pasta, the shape important to the dish. We made the pasta by hand, using a wooden skewer to roll each piece into it’s distinctive shape. The shape holds the pesto sauce perfectly. I will definitely make this locally significant dish again. Try this recipe.

    Handmade Busiate Pasta
    Almond Pesto was delicious and easy too

    Cassatelle

    Sicilian’s love the ricotta and this dessert uses the best of local ingredients. This delicious dessert is a favorite of mine because it is not too sweet. The lovely dough can be prepared easily and the filling is made from the delicious local ricotta, a hint of sugar and usually tiny chocolate chips. We fried these in a mixture of vegetable oil and olive oil. Served at room temperature they were the perfect complement to our meal with Liliana. Try this recipe.

    Ricotta stuffed Casatelle

    So much fun spending these hours at Baglio Florio and we loved all of these delicious and authentic dishes. Liliana kindly invited us to return for dinner or a wine tour but unfortunately we could not make that happen in the days before we left. You must visit Liliana and eat with her when in Sicily. You can’t possibly feel more a part of the local culture than this.

    Thank you Liliana

    Simple and Loved

    Just a couple more dishes I want to mention because these simple peasant foods have continued to be part of the daily staple of Sicilians for generations. You will find these as take and go items just about everywhere you go. Fresh, filling and inexpensive, Sicilians love these daily and delicious lunch fare.

    Pane Cunzato

    This amazing sandwich is a go to for Sicilians. The ingredients usually are cheese, tomato and anchovy but the most important ingredient is the incredible bread. It is made fresh daily and consumed in great quantities. Try this recipe.

    Pane Cunzato

    Arancini

    Another great food of Sicily is Arancini. Available all over Italy and Sicily, I have eaten arancini in many places around the world, but in Sicily I had some of the best. Made Traditionally with tomato and mozzarella, there are many other flavors as well. Often in Sicily the arancini is shaped like a pointy hat, and is a take and go meal. Learn more here.

    Arancini

    Sfincione

    Wow this dish knocked my socks off. A traditional food of Palermo, we had a delicious version from a bakery in Scopello. A cross between pizza and bruschetta, it is, once again, all about the bread. Makes a perfect light lunch or snack. You must try it when in Sicily. Learn more here.

    Sfincione on the right

    Consider Sicily

    Have you considered visiting Sicily? If not you should. There are many, many reasons to visit but the food, culture and people are hands down the best reasons. You will fall in love with all three. As a visitor you will be embraced by the locals who share their love for their island and it’s unique history through food. Go book a ticket today. Sicily is waiting to feed you.

    So delicious

    Next week I’ll share with you some of the special feelings I have about this beautiful island. I can’t sing its praises enough. Come back for more next week. Meanwhile…I’m going to go have a glass of Sicilian wine. Molto bene.

    See last week’s post Adora la Puglia – I love Puglia, Italy’s “Segreta”.

    We love it when you pin, share and comment on our blog posts. Grazie.

    Europe Travel

    San Marino – Hiding in Plain Sight

    Europe’s Hidden Jewel

    Location: San Marino

    The tiny Republic of San Marino, only 23 square miles, is hiding in plain sight. Sitting on top of Mount Titano, the country’s capital is the City of San Marino. The city/state of San Marino is landlocked and completely surrounded by Italy. From the mountain top every which way you look you see Italy…the Adriatic to the East and Umbria to the West and South. And here sits San Marino – Hiding in Plain Sight.

    San Marino

    Take it Slow

    Most visitors to San Marino come on a day trip from Florence or Bologna or even off a cruise ship. But I think you should stay the night. In fact, why not stay two? That’s what we did and we found a beautiful, quiet and relaxing city in the evening and morning hours before the visitors arrived. Granted, we were there in February, and there are not a lot of visitors in the winter. I’ve seen the photos of the summer crowds though…I recommend visiting off season.

    Puerto in the historic city
    View from Hotel Rosa

    Where to Stay

    We loved staying at Hotel Rosa, perched at the very top of the mountain. Because it was low season, it was easy to drive all the way up, where Hotel Rosa has private parking for their guests. Driving into the city during peak season can be a nightmare. Another reason to visit off season.

    Hotel Rosa is a small and comfortable boutique style hotel with wonderful views and friendly English speaking staff. A delicious breakfast is included each morning with excellent Italian espresso. A great way to start the day.

    View from our room
    Sunrise coffee and a room with a view
    Tiny but comfortable
    A very nice breakfast

    Two Days in San Marino

    We arrived mid afternoon and after checking in to Hotel Rosa we headed straight out to see the sights. Although cold, it was dry and sunny and we wanted to take advantage of the good weather and beautiful afternoon light. We spent the next several hours exploring the three tower areas, a UNESCO Heritage Site. At the first tower we purchased the Pass Ridotto ticket. For just 8 Euro each this ticket gave us access to the towers, the tower museum and three additional museums in the city. On this first day we spent as much time as we needed climbing all over the beautiful towers, admiring the 360 degree views and taking so many photos. San Marino is like something out of a children’s fairytale book. I kept expecting Rapunzel or Cinderella to join our self guided tour.

    Climbing up to the first tower
    Looking from tower two over to tower three
    You can see for miles
    Arne enjoying tower two
    Note to self – there are lots of stairs

    After much tower climbing and astonished exclamations, we headed back to our hotel to refresh. After the sunset we walked through the quiet streets, admired the well-lit Piazza della Liberta, and then settled in for a beautiful dinner with a view at La Terrazza, one of San Marino’s highest rated restaurants. We enjoyed a nice spread of prosciutto and cheese, we each had pasta and I had fish while Arne had a wonderfully prepared veal. It had been a lovely day.

    La Terazza meat and cheese
    Gnocchi was delicious
    Dinner at La Terazza
    Piazza della Liberta houses the Government building and the statue of Liberty

    Day Two

    As I usually do, I awoke very early, and watched the sunrise from our window, coffee in hand, over the medieval city. What a site it was. Eventually we headed down to breakfast and then out to see what else this tiny town had to say. We visited three museums; Coin and Stamp Museum, Pinacoteca San Francisco and the State Museum of San Marino. The town has a funny collection of macabre museums we were not interested in; one about vampires, another about monsters and curiosities and a wax museum too. Not my thing.

    Cobbled streets and paths
    Hidden treasures
    Coin and Stamp Museum
    San Francisco

    We did a little shopping, picking up some leather gloves for myself and some gifts. San Marino is a duty free zone, and prices were really good. But, no room in the suitcase so the gloves were all we got. After a bit more wandering we settled into an early dinner at Ristorante Bolognese. Here we also enjoyed a beautiful view of the late afternoon sun while munching on delicious tiny vongole (clams), ravioli and gnocchi.

    Tiny Vongole sweet and delicious
    Enjoying lunch
    Excellent ravioli

    San Marino – Hiding in Plain Sight

    We really enjoyed our visit to this tiny country. San Marino is the 5th smallest country in the world. It is the third smallest country in Europe behind Monaco and the Vatican Holy See. It has a long and interesting history dating back to the original monastic community in 301 AD. When Italy was unifying in the mid 1800’s San Marino became a haven for those who objected to unification. And through that, San Marino was able to hold it’s independency. Today it is one of the oldest constitutional republics in the world.

    San Marino – Hiding in Plain Sight

    All of that and only 23 square miles. You should come and see this little gem, San Marino – Hiding in Plain Sight.

    Thanks for reading my post San Marino – Hiding in Plain Sight. See last week’s post Two Days in Bologna Italy. Be sure to come back next week for more of our Italian adventures as we explore Puglia.

    We love it when you pin and share our blog posts. Grazie.

    Become a World Traveler  --  Inspire

    Year Eight of the Grand Adventure Begins

    Many images in today’s post from Canva

    In the beginning we didn’t know if we would do this for 6 months or six years. In the beginning we didn’t know much. But eight years later, 270,539 miles flown, 128 countries visited – well we know a lot. And yes, I do count countries, particularly now as I work to keep track of the growing number.

    It was 2016 when we launched our travel life. After three years of prep – we were anxious to get started. But as we launched, we also knew we had a lot still to learn. Honestly, we won’t ever stop learning. The magnificent cultures, ancient history, remarkable people, delicious food…it’s all been such an eye-opening experience.

    Suitcase nomad
    Our bags the day we left November 2016 – so shiny and clean. We still are using the same bags today.

    Covid cramped our style for a while, but, we actually learned a lot from the PanDamit too. We learned to be more spontaneous, flexible and adventurous. We have learned to navigate a more difficult travel environment, more expensive and more crowded. We also give more consideration to overtourism, choosing as much as possible the less traveled destinations. But here we are, Year Eight of the Grand Adventure Begins.

    How Much More?

    Year Seven in Bolivia

    We get this question a lot. We don’t exactly know the answer…but we both feel some changes will happen in year nine. Perhaps shorter trips, with more time at home between the trips…perhaps? What we do know is we have put together a very unique itinerary that will take us on the road for eight months from Asia to Europe, Oceania to Africa – hitting some major bucket list destinations. It’s time to do it again.

    One Thing Different

    There is one thing a bit different this time…we are doing more tours than ever before. Why? Because as we traverse the countries we still would like to visit, many are difficult to navigate without a guide. Like last spring in Bolivia, we have chosen to allow reputable tour companies to take us through three places this time; Papua New Guinea, Socotra (off the coast of Yemen), and Madagascar. See more about these destinations below.

    Where do we Begin?

    Papua New Guinea

    Papua New Guinea (Canva)

    Confirmed 12 days – tour

    In September we have a long grueling travel day from Seattle to LA to Manila and finally to Papua New Guinea. We will spend 12 days in PNG with a company called Indigo Safaris. We will be two of only about 400 non-natives to witness the annual Goroka Festival where more than 100 tribes of Papua New Guinea come together to celebrate their unique and colorful culture. Did you know there are 800 languages in Papua New Guinea?

    Hong Kong

    Hong Kong (Canva)

    Confirmed 7 days – Airbnb

    After PNG we will head to the big city of Hong Kong. We were meant to visit Hong Kong in 2019, but the riots there had us changing our plans. We will try again; I have booked a cooking class, some tours and we also plan to walk across the border to the tiny country of Macau.

    Philippines

    Cebu Philippines (Canva)

    Confirmed 32 days – Airbnb

    Next stop the island of Bohol in the Philippines. We have only briefly been in Manila, and we look forward to a relaxing month on Bohol where we can kick back and regroup in October after the whirlwind of September.

    Winter Down Under

    Australia

    Hobart Tasmania (Canva)

    Confirmed 4 weeks in an RV mainland and 30 days Airbnb Tasmania

    As usual we like to spend as much time as possible in perpetual summer, so all of November and all of December we will be down under. We visited Australia very early in the Grand Adventure, but there is so much more we want to see. This time we begin in Brisbane. Then we have rented an RV for one month to travel south to Melbourne at a slow pace. In early December we fly to the Australian island of Tasmania and spend all of December relaxing in Hobart where we have rented a darling historic home.

    We debated about heading from here to one or two of our past favorite countries (New Zealand and French Polynesia) but instead we will fly west. We know we will be back to those countries again some day.

    South East Asia

    Singapore

    Singapore (Canva)

    Confirmed 3 days hotel

    I love this city/country but boy is it expensive, so we will just have a quick visit to say hello again to one of the world’s most beautiful places.

    Thailand

    Koh Chang Thailand (Canva)

    Confirmed 30 days Airbnb

    Back to Thailand! Thailand was the very FIRST country we visited when we began the Grand Adventure in November 2016. It’s a beautiful country; friendly, inexpensive, and delicious. We will spend one month on the island of Koh Chang.

    Europe

    Italy

    Sicily Italy (Canva)

    Confirmed 7 days road trip Bologna to Puglio and 19 days Airbnb Sicily

    Even though it will only be February, we are headed to the amazing country of Italy for an entire month. Keeping our fingers crossed for dry and not too cold; we will visit Bologna and the country of San Marino, the Puglia region and then on to Sicily.

    Africa

    Egypt

    Egypt (Canva)

    Confirmed 3 days hotel

    We will have a brief stop back in Cairo as we transit through but we are holding a couple of days open in hopes that the new, decades in the making, Egyptian Museum will be open. But we are really going to Egypt because that is where we pick up our tour to…

    Yemen

    Socotra, Yemen (Canva)

    Confirmed 7 days private tour

    Not on many people’s bucket list, Yemen was never on mine either. But my husband has long wanted to visit the island of Socotra off the coast of Yemen ever since we read the book The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie. This is a more complicated country to visit, so we are on a private tour. We are using the company Inertia, who we have spent months working with to make this happen. Should definitely be different…and exciting.

    Back to Europe

    Greece

    Crete, Greece (Canva)

    Confirmed 18 days Airbnb

    Back to Europe we go, with our first stop the island of Crete. This is one of the Greek Islands we have not visited, and I have heard so much about it. So we will spend 18 days enjoying the Greek life (and food) once again. Here we will be joined by friends, two couples we really enjoy traveling with.

    Albania

    Albania (Canva)

    Not yet confirmed

    We are still trying to work our way through the last of the countries we had to abandon when Covid shut down our travels, and Albania is one. We have really enjoyed all of the Balkan countries we have visited over the years and it is one of our most favorite regions in the world. Inexpensive and so welcoming, we look forward to one week in Albania.

    North Macedonia

    Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia (Canva)

    Not yet confirmed

    An easy drive over the border from Albania we could just do a day-trip to North Macedonia but we really want to spend some time in the beautiful Lake Ohrid region we have heard so much about. So we will visit for four days then return to Albania for our flight out.

    Serbia

    Serbia (Canva)

    Not yet confirmed

    An easy flight to Belgrade will get us to Serbia. We only plan to be in Belgrade one day, then we will do a road trip to many of the ancient and beautiful sites in this landlocked country and former Yugoslavian state. Serbia remains a less visited part of Central Europe and I can’t wait to see it.

    Austria

    Vienna Austria (Canva)

    Not yet confirmed

    Somehow I have traveled all over Europe but have missed Vienna entirely. My husband has been there and keeps telling me I will LOVE it, so Vienna it is for four days. It’s also a great place to get a flight to our next destination.

    And Back to Africa

    Madagascar

    Madagascar (Canva)

    Confirmed 10 days tour with Fosa Travel

    From Vienna we will fly via Addis Ababa Ethiopia to the island of Madagascar. We have been blessed to visit several Indian Ocean islands, but Madagascar is a first for us. We have booked a private tour for ten days with Fosa Travel and it will be a dream come true for me to see the Lemurs and the magnificent Baobab Trees. A very big Bucket List for me.

    Back to Europe to Wrap It Up

    Spain and Andorra

    Andorra (Canva)

    Not yet confirmed

    Andorra is one of our Covid-deleted countries, and I am excited to see this tiny country that borders Spain. We will fly into Barcelona and drive to Andorra for a short four day visit before returning to Barcelona for our flight back to Seattle. We expect to arrive back in Seattle May 17th; 19 countries, 8 months and a lifetime of memories.

    Year Eight of the Grand Adventure Begins

    Year Eight here we come!

    I’ll say again, we have no intention of trying to visit every country in the world (BTW there are 195 recognized countries. United Nations recognizes 193 and there are a couple unrecognized we have visited including Taiwan). However, after this trip, we still have a few left in the bucket. So, as we think about what lies ahead, we certainly know we will never stop traveling. We know we have some rock solid favorites we would like to return to. We know we have some difficult countries left we would like to see with a guide. But we also know, particularly after the PanDamit, we should not look too far out into the future…things can change so fast. So, we will embrace year eight with bells on, and we hope you will come along for the ride. As always, we feel so grateful to all of you who faithfully read and ask questions and engage with us through our crazy travel life. Thank you.

    Note – there may be times when I can not make a deadline to have a travel post every Friday. Additionally I expect to not have easy access to WiFi. Just keep watching and I’ll get to it as soon as I can.

    See last week’s post, our final of the Hidden Gems series, Hidden Gems of the Pacific Northwest – Pampered Wilderness Millersylvania.

    See our post My Travel Wardrobe – 8 Months & 19 Countries 2023 here.

    Considering full-time or long-term travel yourself? I wrote this post last year and it may help answer some of your questions. Click here for Becoming A Traveler. We’d love to connect out in the Big World with you!

    We love it when you comment, pin and share our posts. Thank you. Away we go!