Our Many Travels

I've never been good at keeping a journal so it's not surprising that I haven't been good at keeping this blog up to date either. But for record keeping purposes and maybe entertainment (for some one out there) I will try to update the last 7-8 months of our travels.

In May 2009 we spent Memorial Day weekend in Berlin. We had a great time taking the kids to the zoo, visiting Checkpoint Charlie, the Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, strolling down Unter den Linden (main avenue) and touring the Egyptian museum (I'm still looking for my pictures from this trip so I'll update those later). I also found out that I would need to have my gall bladder removed and scheduled surgery for June, two weeks before our Mediterranean Cruise. I had some complications after surgery and we were a little nervous we wouldn't make our vacation. Long story short, we made it down to Venice to join our friends for our cruise. We took our cruise with MSC Crociere, an Italian cruise line that was very kid friendly. We enjoyed stops in Bari, Italy, Olympia, Greece, Izmir & Istanbul, Turkey, and Dubrovnik, Croatia. Our friends, the Binghams were delightful company and it worked out especially well since our children are the same ages. We took full advantage of the complimentary childcare for the older kids during some of our excursions (so easy with only one kid to pack around) and enjoyed many delicious meals and buffets. It was a perfect way to recuperate after my surgery ordeal.

Getting ready to board the ship (Ayla, Keanna, Owen & Evie)

Bari, Italy

Hanging outside the local Cathedral

Our next stop was Olympia, Greece. We rented cars so that we could drive to the nearby ruins of Ancient Olympia, where the first Olympics were held. The ruins were neat to see but we were surrounded by hundreds of other tourists on a very hot day trying to do the same thing. Definitely not our favorite spot of the trip but the history was interesting. We even held our own Olympics for the kids to participate in.

Track and Field Events

I believe these were the columns that were part of the Gymnasium

Shot Put

Posing for a family picture

A column that has been reconstructed

Our next stop was Izmir, Turkey which is about an hour drive from Ephesus. Unfortunately, Evie did not sleep well the night before so we slept in a bit and didn't have enough time to drive out to the sights in Ephesus. We decided to take a taxi to some of the sights in Izmir which included the Agora (ruins of an old palace), Fortress ruins that overlooked the city, and the local Bazaar or marketplace. We have been to Mexico and the Caribbean where you get hounded in the markets to buy any and everything but this was an experience unlike any other. I knew I wanted to buy some Turkish hand painted pottery and that was it but I was not quite prepared for the aggressive sales tactics. It was pretty uncomfortable bargaining for the pieces I wanted and having to say no to everything else they were trying to get us to buy. I walked out with my two bowls and did not care to enter any other shops, now knowing what was waiting behind their storefronts. It was very interesting to say the least. Also, the driving there is completely insane- I thought our taxi driver was going to run someone over before our day was done.

Overlooking the port of Izmir from the Fortress (that's our ship)

A very hot day at the Agora

Our next stop was Istanbul. I absolutely loved this city and would go back in a heartbeat. There was so much to see and do. We visited the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar. All of the sights were incredible and pictures really do not do them justice. There is so much history in this city. The food is also very good- we enjoyed a delicious lunch of lamb kebabs and saffron rice. Turkey is definitely the most foreign feeling place that I have been to date.

The Blue Mosque

Interior of the Blue Mosque


Topkapi Palace

Hagia Sofia

Interior of Hagia Sofia

Our final stop was Dubrovnik, Croatia. This city is on what is called the Dalmatian Coast and has beautiful beaches. We walked to the Old City and walked around the wall which gave us a great view of the coast and surrounding town. Rand and Justin wanted to take a dip in the Mediterranean and found a cliff to jump from while the girls had lunch. We really enjoyed this charming city and would love to go back and see more of the surrounding islands and beaches.

Fortress overlooking the sea

Views from atop of the wall


Inside the city walls

Very nice resort on the coast

Our last dinner in our cozy dining booth

The kids being crazy on the very windy deck

One last night and a beautiful sunset