They say they best way to have a boat is to know someone who owns a boat. We took advantage of that during our Oregon trip by taking my brother Dave’s boat out a couple times.
When we stayed on the Oregon coast, we took the boat out onto the Siletz River to do some crabbing. Mara didn’t want to go but Beckett did and had a blast. Dave showed Beckett how to bait the crab cages with raw chicken and then Beckett threw them overboard.
We set out 3 crab cages and then tooled around for a bit. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time just riding around the river and out towards the ocean. We even saw a ton of sea lions basking and swimming around.
After letting the crab cages sit for a while, Beckett pulled them up and we checked our loot. We caught a lot of crabs, but sadly they were all too small so we released them back into the water.
Beckett then helped drive the boat back to the dock which he loved!
A few days later, we all took the boat out to Detroit Lake about an hour away. It was gorgeous there. The kids were able to knee board for a bit because the water was so calm…
…at least for the first 30 minutes! And then it got really choppy so we motored into some inlets where it was a lot calmer. Here we were able to get onto shore for a bit and the kids could play around.
On the way back, the kids were able to take turns being pulled behind the boat in an inner tube and even Chuck took a turn!
Kicker Rock is one of the better-known dive sites in the Galapagos, and we were so eager to get to diving that we scheduled this dive for the first day of the trip. It’s one of the prime spots for hammerheads, and you occasionally get good sightings of big fish as well.
We checked in for equipment fitting the night before, then met the boat at 7:30 am for a ride out that was about 45 minutes. We had a brief skills test in a shallow area on the way, then it was go time!
As it turns out, we were a little disappointed with what we saw on the dives. We caught a couple glimpses of hammerheads, one good Galapagos shark, but that was it for the big stuff. Some days there are lots of sharks, and they even had a sunfish show up recently, but it just wasn’t our lucky day. That said, we got to swim into a giant “bait ball” with thousands of fish, a very unique experience.
This video has the best highlights, including reef shark, Galapagos shark, sea turtle, spotted eagle ray, and the bait ball.
Skirting the outside of the giant bait ballInside the bait ballGalapagos sharkSea TurtleHello from Chuck
After the diving we went to a little bay and had lunch on the boat, then got to explore on the beach for a bit. Tracked down an iguana and saw lots of cool wildlife, with a guide there to explain some of what we were seeing.
Nice spot for lunch!Tracking down an iguana.
The other notable part of our diving here was running into new friends from Australia, Laith and Katie, whom we ran into about 10 other times throughout the week. We envied their trip, as after the Galapagos, they were headed to Peru to hike the Inca trail to Machu Picchu!
We booked directly with Wreck Bay diving for $160 pp. The boat was reasonably nice and shady and we got a pretty solid meal after the dives. Definitely worth considering them if you go.
San Crístobal Island was the first stop of 3 islands on our Galapagos tour. Just looking out from our room near the harbor, you could see sea lions, crabs, pelicans, marine iguanas, and more.
The afternoon of arrival, we just laid low and checked in at the dive shop. Next day was diving at Kicker Rock, and the final day there was spent on an island tour.
2 full days is plenty for the island. Everything that you can see is easy to get to, so you wouldn’t really have much to do if you stayed longer.
View from our roomSea Lions are everywhereAnd they take over.The Sally Lightfoot Crabs are very cool.Big ol’ marine iguana just hanging out.Cool Opuntia (cactus tree)Typical street in town
On our last day there, we did our own island tour that took us to the Galapaguera de Cerro Colorado Tortoise reserve and breeding center, plus down to Puerto Chino beach.
First tortoise we sawMore tortoisesA few young ones.
Puerto Chino beach reminded us a little bit of Kua Bay in Hawaii. We were both homesick a little bit.
Puerto Chino beach
We struck out on finding blue-footed boobies here, so our taxi driver took us back to a spot near town where we found them, plus a cool view of the town.
Blue-footed Boobies!Pelican flew in and landed.View of town from area near Playa MannGreat rainbow to finish the day.
We stayed at Hotel La Zayapa, which worked out very well. Fantastic location, nice views from the room and very clean. Nothing fancy about it, but a solid mid-range choice.
Kirsten saw a blog post this summer where someone had done a jetpack experience in the ocean, so she said “get me some of that!”
Unfortunately she didn’t get quite that, as I booked her onto something called the Jetovator, which is ridden kind of like a jet ski, but still turned out to be quite fun. She took the plunge at Glorietta Bay in Coronado.
The Jetovator is attached via a hose to a jet ski trailing her in the water. The guide controls the thrust power, while Kirsten managed all the controls.
She found it to be fun, but tiring and her legs were pretty shot after about a half hour of doing this.
For my birthday, Kirsten booked me into a jetpack experience at Mission Bay. The setup was similar in that I got some on-land training, then headed into the water, with my pack being powered by a water hose attached to a jet ski.
I had a great time doing the jetpack. One thing not shown in the pictures was when I got to “submarine”. I just tilted the jetpack forward and dove under the water like a dolphin, leaning back up 2-3 seconds later.
Between the two, it seems as though the jetpack was easier and it’s what we’d recommend if you’re looking for a water adventure!
For Beckett’s 8th birthday, he wanted a little adventure. Kirsten found a Trapeze deal on Groupon that cost about $70 for 2 people to have an introductory lesson. Mara doesn’t dig heights, so Beckett and I gave it a shot.
They start with a 10 minute safety and commands briefing, then do a brief on-ground lesson on how to leave the platform, then off we go to the real thing!
Beckett’s Lesson
He was quite fearless in climbing the little ladder that took him up to the platform (about 20 feet high), and didn’t show any reservations when it was time to take off, either.
First off, we just learned to swing properly and dismount. Beckett did great!
The next time around, he hooked his legs up over the bar and swung upside down.
Chuck’s Lesson
My experience started the same as Beckett, with the on-ground lesson, basic swinging, and learning to swing by my legs.
After mastering that, I got the chance to swing and be caught by someone on the other trapeze. I’d have never guessed when we showed up that I could do that within the hour, but it worked the first time!
Nailed it!
This was really a thrill to do. It looked really difficult and I was proud to be able to do something like this quickly. All the other adults did it, as well, so I had no special talent. But it looks hard, and I was really stoked to complete the catch. I felt sore in odd spots for a couple days, but otherwise had no ill effects. So if you get the chance, give it a shot!
Sadly for us, the fun had to end sometime, and Dubrovnik was the final planned stop on our world tour. But what a great place to wrap it up!
Dubrovnik is yet another walled city, but much larger and cooler than any we’d come across. The walls are really thick and high, and the city contained within is really, really big.
To enter the city, you cross a drawbridge and moat.
This is the “main drag” you walk down after entering through the gate.
Here are a few shots of the side alleys
While it was cool to walk in the streets of the city, it was even better to walk on top of the walls. They’re probably 30-40 feet high in most places, giving great views of everything.
View of the main street from top of the wall
About half the wall is up against ocean, so we got some beautiful views.
You can hang out and swim off the rocks below.
There are also lots of fortifications, cannons, and other nooks and crannies that were fun to see and duck into.
The last part of the wall tour is inland and sits a big higher, giving nice elevated views.
My mom and her sister had been here about 6 months before and sent us on a quest for a bar that served incredibly good hot chocolate. Found it!
On our last day, Beckett, Mara and I went kayaking, then did a little swim. Despite being living near the sea for months, this was the first time we’d been in the ocean in nearly a year. Made me miss Kona!
Unfortunately, that’s a wrap! Through the miracles of flight cancellations and delays, we did get a single-day visit to Frankfurt, Germany on the way home, but no post on that.
At the time we decided on Turkey as the place we’d spend a month, Kotor, Montenegro was the other main location in the running. The country of Montenegro, is brand spankin’ new, and just a few months older than Beckett. (It was part of the former Yugoslavia.)
As part of our final fling before returning to the US, we spent 4 nights here. It’s another neat walled city, but the twist is that it’s walls go right up a mountain.
There’s not a whole lot to do here, besides walk the city, climb alongside the walls, and enjoy the scenery. But all those things are spectacular. It really is a beautiful area. Just not too exciting.
Main gate into the city
The old town is dotted with squares that hold restaurantsNot the stairway to heaven. Just a cool stairway.
On our second day, Mara, Beckett and I hiked up to the top of the mountain. They enjoyed it for about 10 minutes or so, then things went South. Nice views from up there, but the colors were a little flat since the day was overcast.
Hmm, I wonder why they have this sign?Oh, that’s why they have the sign!The enthusiasm on their faces is inspiringSigh. . .up we go again!
Finally, we got to the top and had some cool views of the bay and town
Beckett gives it 2 thumbs down
The next day, we got a few nice shots when the sun came out.
Why did the Ullans go to Albania? To get to Kotor! (of course!)
Near the end of our time in Turkey, Kirsten had hoped to get us over to Kotor, Montenegro, which is one of the locations we’d considered spending a month or two.
Eventually she found a $50 flight to Tirana, which is about 4-5 hours from Kotor by car. I said, um. . . ok, and then had to look up Albania on a map.
We decided to spend a night in Tirana before heading to Kotor, just for the heck of it. Metro Tirana holds about 750K of Albania’s 3 million citizens. They were slow to develop due to a heavy communist history, but are now emerging.
We stayed right in the heart of Tirana, and it had some merits, with coffee shops, restaurants, and a few other interesting shops. But really, apart from being cheap ($1o for 5 crepes, a soda, and a water), there’s no reason to ever TRY to go to Tirana.
That said, here’s some of what we came across.
Yum – Albania Fried Chicken!
We came across this communist-era concrete pyramid.
And since everyone else was climbing it, we let the kids have a go.
We could buy bras from street carts. (but didn’t)We found a cool little French bakery and stopped for snacks and tea.Communist-era construction spruced up with colorful shades
Dinner at this Italian restaurant was really pleasantBeckett found souvenir boxing gloves, which he bought for his pet otter.We also had to do some “real” boxingSnackeria? Yes, please!
We can now add paragliding to the list of activities we didn’t know we wanted to do until presented with the opportunity. Turns out that where we’re staying in Turkey (Fethiye/Calis Beach) is about a half hour away from Ölüdeniz, which is famous for both its turquoise blue waters and fantastic paragliding.
We weren’t 100% sure if we’d do it, but once we got to Ölüdeniz and saw everyone coming down, we knew we had to do it. Since we couldn’t leave the kids on their own, only Kirsten went on the first day.
She had a great time, which made me want to go, and then Beckett REALLY started begging us to go. He’s been relentless for the past two weeks, and we finally gave in and said yes. So a couple days ago, we all went over there again so Beckett and I could get our turn.
All the companies have offices down by the beach and you just show up and sign up with whomever you want. Most of them have flights 4 or 5 times a day. Then all the people doing it will hop into a van with their pilots and take a 30 minute drive up Babadağ mountain, the top of which is about 6,500 feet.
They have 3 launch areas at the top, and the winds dictate which one you use. It’s basically a big slope filled with paver stones. You’re not actually jumping off a cliff, but instead just catch air and get lifted off the slope.
We continue to be surprised how fearless Beckett is in certain situations, such as with the zipline, and now the paragliding. It’s kind of odd, because he gets freaked out by other things, such as strange dogs, even when they’re not hassling him. The drive up made him a little nervous due to the steep hillside, but once we got to the top it was all systems go!
Just Chillin’
If the weather is good, you’re out of the van and into the air in about 3 minutes.
Unfortunately, Kirsten’s flight got delayed by clouds, so she was up there for 3 hours! Right before sunset the clouds broke just long enough for her to take off.
And here was Kirsten’s reward for the long delay – a beautiful sunset from the sky!
Finally, just one shot from my flight. I didn’t pay for pictures, so just did a selfie while hoping not to drop my camera.
OK, all the photos of us aside, the views up there were amazing. The ride is so smooth and gentle that you just enjoy the feeling of soaring like a bird.
Ölüdeniz is the little town in the foreground.This is the mountain we launch from.
Even if you don’t go paragliding, the views of everyone landing are really cool, too.
At times, you can see a couple dozen paragliders in the air.
All good things must come to an end, but landings are part of the fun. There’s a little strip of grass along the beach where all the gliders come in. Our company had the flights go between two buildings to land close to their shop.
Beckett on final approachKirsten coming in
Finally, an action video of Beckett’s launch, Kirsten and Beckett’s flights, and Beckett’s landing.
We’d recommend this to almost anyone. It’s easy to be a bit nervous about doing it, but once in the air, all worries are forgotten. The views are incredible and all three of us agree that it’s one of the coolest things we’ve ever done.
TIPS
The cost here runs from 150 to 220 TL (about $70 to $105 US), which includes transportation, admission to the mountain, and your ride. Prices are probably higher in peak season. Kirsten used ReAction and Beckett and I used Gravity, which was a bit cheaper.
Photos and videos are extra, and they generally will end up costing you $30 to $50. Yes, it’s a lot, but the photos are an incredible souvenir.
We didn’t make any reservations, and that was ok for May. In Summer, you’d probably want to, especially if you have a large group.
Subtle enough? We’d heard of the sapphire-blue waters, cute white villages, and breathtaking cliffs along the crescent of the caldera, and it all lived up to the promise (and then some!) Easily one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever been.
On our first day, we just laid low and poked around Fira a bit. Though Fira is the hub of the island, it’s still really small and only takes a few minutes to walk around.
We were blown away with both the views and all the cute houses, walkways, and almost everything else. It really does ooze charm and romance!
First impression: holy crap, this is gorgeous!!The volcano rising from the sea in the middle of the caldera
Sunset our first day was really killer!
Fira is gorgeous with the afternoon sun!
On our second day, we hiked a couple miles to the nearby villages of Firostefani and Imerovigli. Beautiful views of buildings and ocean. We loved it so much we decided to add 2 extra days to our trip.
Most of the walk was along a path like this.Looking back towards Firostefani in the foreground and Fira down belowCool little stone houses like this are all around.
Mara wanted to pose and I’m not sure if Beckett is mocking or playing along.More ocean awesomenessLooking up at Imerovigli
After some rest back at the room, we took the bus out to Oia at the Northern tip, which is famous for it’s sunsets. There were a few clouds on the horizon, so it wasn’t as spectactular as the day before (though still very nice!), but the village is really cute and worth a visit just to look around.
Cool view of the moon after sunset
On our last day, we rented ATVs and went around the Southern part of the island. They were in kind of rough shape and it felt like we were taking our lives into our hands at times, but we all had fun and saw some cool stuff!
Loving their trip around the island
A view of Fira, Firostefani, and Imerovigli from the South.
I had been wishing for a break from Greek food, and while we were driving along, we found a Mexican place (amusing name – Senor Zorba). After a little more exploring, we doubled back and ate there for lunch. Good food and a great view!
Red sand beach
Cool house we saw while exploring EmporioDonkeys really are used by the locals, not just for tourism and rides up the cliffs.
Some of these paths are pretty narrow!
Yep, narrow!
Finally, that’s not a sunset, it’s a moonrise over a nearby island, just a few hours before we left.
A final note – if you go to Santorini, I heavily recommend Costa Marina Villas. The rooms are really cool, a short walk from the Fira town square and Marina provided us with such a friendly, helpful experience. She helped us with several recommendations, printed out travel documents for us, and even arranged a little room for us after we’d checked out where we could rest while waiting for the ferry. If you contact her through their website, you can get a better deal than from the booking engines.
Well, it’s certainly been a full day. We moved out of our Almunecar house this morning and drove down to Southern Spain so we could hop over to Gibraltar. There’s not a ton of things to do, but we went to the top of the rock, moseyed around town, and got our fill of British food and cider.
We parked in Spain and walked across the border because the exits from Gibraltar back up as much as 2 or 3 hours at times. As it turns out, there was no wait either way, so we’d have been fine driving.
When you cross into Gibraltar, you have to go through a rudimentary passport control. Even though we were going from EU/Schengen into UK, they didn’t stamp our passports or even look closely. Really just a passing glance at our passports and off we went.
The first thing you get to do is cross the airport runway. Yep, due to the big rock, the only place they can land planes is right next to the border, so you get to walk across.
You have to wait at a red light when planes are taking off or landing.Had to get a picture on the runway
After getting across the runway, we caught a bus into the middle of town, where you catch the cable car to the top of the rock. For a 5 minute ride, the price was pretty steep – about $50 US for the four of us round-trip.
This view is your reward at the top.
We got to see a plane take off while we were up there.
You can see across to Africa (Morocco) pretty well. You actually can see that from down below, but the view is better at the top.
That’s Africa in the distance coming in from the left
A few minutes later, it got quite cloudy!
And oh yeah, THEY GOTS MONKEYS!!!!
This guy was quite the celebrity
After about an hour up on top, it was time to head back down and wander around.
No big happenings after that, just eating and various spottings of British stuff!
Now that we’re only 5 days away from leaving, I suppose we’d better get around to actually talking about where we’re staying. We’d originally been planning on staying in town near the ocean, but never found a place that was the right fit. So, we smoked the budget a bit and ended up in a villa. Boo hoo, I know!
It’s set midway up a hill in a canyon just around the corner from Almunecar, in a “development” called Cotobro. The owner of the house lives in a much smaller house beneath ours. He’s been really great, though it’s a bit weird having the owner onsite.
Because we’re set back in a canyon somewhat, our hours of daylight are somewhat limited, with sunrise around 8:30, and the sun going behind the hill around 5 pm. That would be great in the summer, but in the winter it means it’s usually too cold to hang out outside after that time.
This is our view on a nice dayAnd this was our view much of February, when the weather sucked!
We’ve got a balcony upstairs and a pool on the main level. The pool was just there for show, as the weather was way too chilly for us to go in. The kids did take a quick dip our first week. Quick as in a few seconds in, then fleeing the pool while screaming!
There are several entrances into the house, but we mostly use the door that opens on to the kitchen
Down the hall to the left is where Kirsten’s office / school room
Past that room is our family room. It’s a nice, big room with a TV and fireplace. Too bad our channel selection was terrible!
Upstairs, there are 3 bedrooms. The master had a European queen, which is smaller than a US queen. So it was kinda cozy!
Beckett’s room in an unusually clean stateMara’s room looking like the filth pit it usually is. We could have tidied up, but it seems better to remember it as it was!The kids’ bathroom was pretty sweet!
Since everything in this area is on a hill, there’s a steep driveway heading down to our house.
There’s also a cool stairway leading down to the ocean. Unfortunately, you first have to go UP that big driveway before going down all those stairs. So we’ve done the stairs exactly once.
There’s a cool little map of the community at the bottom of the hill.
The plus side of having a late sunrise is getting to enjoy it more often than when it’s at a ridiculous hour.
Wait for it. . .Wait for it. . .There it is!
Overall, this worked out to be a really nice place for us. Location wasn’t ideal, but it was gorgeous and spacious. When we’re together 24/7, having some space to spead out is essential!
This week marks 8 years since my friend Chris Ertel passed. He’s one of the primary reasons for taking the leap to travel and I wanted to celebrate him and share his story with you.
When I started pondering selling the house and traveling, I wasn’t really sure I could pull the trigger and do it. I’d had a very traditional career path to that point, with business classes and accounting work in college, finance jobs afterward, an MBA degree, then rising through the ranks at AOL before becoming a CFO.
So why did I veer off?
One of the things that stuck with me was a conversation I had with Chris a few years before. Chris was originally my boss’s boss, but had moved to another department at AOL. We were good friends – not best friends, but still someone I was very close to. Great guy, too. Kind of the goofy uncle that was only a few years older than you.
One day, Chris comes into the office and says he bought a motorcycle. This seemed a bit adventurous for Chris, but he explained that his neighbor had bought one and persuaded Chris to get one as well. He told Chris that “you could die next week with that money in your pocket”. So Chris bought the bike.
And the next year, Chris died suddenly. Just a few weeks short of his 40th birthday. It was devastating to all of us that were close to him.
So in early 2011, when I had to go to part time and take some financial hit to make this work, I remembered that conversation with Chris. I’ve thought of it (and told about it) what feels like countless times since then.
I’ve also seen several friends fight cancer or have other terrible things happen out of the blue.
And with that, the question became “How could I NOT do this?” Fast forward 3 years, and Hawaii led to Thailand, then on to Spain. I’m thankful to Chris for lending me the courage and perspective to go for it.
I love you and thank you Chris. You are an inspiration and remembered fondly.
After our 2 days in Marrakech, we flew back into Seville airport and stayed for 2 nights to check out the city.
Unfortunately, it started off in the house of pain, as we left the airport at midnight for our 20 minute drive to our hostel, The Grand Luxe Hostel, which was downtown, near the cathedral.
Did I say 20 minute drive? Oops, make that a 2-hour drive! Seville is notorious for confusing streets, and once we missed one turn (which was almost inevitable, given their poor signage), we were hosed. Finally, around 2 am, I flagged a taxi and had him lead us to the hotel. I felt good that even though we were less than a half mile away, he had to call and ask for directions, and it took about 7-8 minutes of twists and turns to finally get there.
To add insult to injury, there’s no parking at the hostel, so I had to drive up and park the car about a block from where I flagged the taxi.
After that, everything was great and we had a really fun 2 days in Seville. The buildings are all so gorgeous downtown and they’ve been maintained and restored well. Hard to explain, but the city just “has it”. We remarked a few times that we’d have loved to spend our Spain time living here.
Apart from seeing the cathedral and visiting the Real Alcazar, we just wandered around, ate, and chilled. Here are some of the photos we took along the way.
Our hostel was just down to the left from those umbrellas sitting outside. (The view is from the tower at the Cathedral.Looks like a movie set of SpainFountain outside the cathedral
They had a bunch of horse-drawn buggies queued up in many spots around the city, so we decided to give our legs a rest and go for a ride.
I guess horses have the right of way
We took a spin through a park near the Plaza de Espana. Very, very cool!
While walking around Seville, you could almost close your eyes and take a picture of something cool. For example, all these narrow streets.
We walked over to the Metropol Parasol, supposedly the largest wood building in the world. Looks like a giant waffle fry! Very interesting, but quite different than anything else in Seville.
While wandering through the shops, we found a taste of America. Literally!
We made it out of here with only a purchase of Goldfish crackers. Everything else was 2-3x US prices.
A few more random shots of cool stuff
Finally, got a gorgeous sky while having dinner outside.
Within the medina (old city) in Marrakech, Jamaa el Fna Square (hereafter, “the square”) is at the heart of the action. This is what you picture when you think of Marrakech and is what you see in movies and TV shows.
It’s a huge open area, ringed by restaurants and shops. During the day, it’s populated by snake charmers, henna ladies, monkey wranglers, and orange juice salesmen. We didn’t take any pictures of the monkeys because it was really appalling how they were chained by the neck and dragged around.
We’d heard a lot about how aggressive the entertainers were and it was fairly true, but not a big deal if you’re prepared. When you take your pictures with the snake people or others, whatever you offer, they’ll try to get 5 to 10x as much. You just say no and ask if they want what you’re offering or nothing. Then they’ll just back off, take it, and move on.
To some extent, they can sense who’s uncomfortable and will probably pressure you more if you are. At the end of the day, you have the power because you have the money. It’s not like you have any contract to give them a certain amount. I gave the snake guys about 20 dirham ($2.50), but it’s not like there’s a posted price. Just seemed reasonable to me.
In the late afternoon, the cobras and monkeys clear out, restaurant stalls set up, and the crowds build. We visited the square several times during our 2 days in Marrakech and have stitched together a photo tour to give you an idea of what’s going on.
Here’s the snake charmers. There were about 3 little setups like this in the square. The guy standing up makes the noise you associate with snake charmers, but it’s really just to draw a crowd. It has nothing to do with “charming” the cobra.
Step right up and see the cobra!Beckett was fascinated by the cobras, but didn’t want to get too close. They’ll let you sit really close if you want to.UNLEASH THE FURY!
And who doesn’t want to wear a fez?
Here’s a glimpse of more of the daytime action at the square:
Lots of stands selling fresh squeezed OJ
Around 4ish, a huge cluster of pop-up restaurants start to assemble in the middle of the square.
They assemble and take down these stalls every day.
Night falls, the crowds pick up, and the restaurants are in full swing.
As you walk through the restaurant stalls, each place has one or two wranglers that shove a menu in your face and try to get you to eat there. Mostly you just walk by them, but it’s annoying when you actually want to read the posted menus and they won’t leave you alone for 2 seconds.
We stopped and got kebabs, tagine, bread, couscous, and fritters for about $17 total.
We also had a separate stop for some mint tea and dessert.
A few more random pictures of the action:
Finally, here are a couple videos where I pan around the square.
While we enjoy some sightseeing while we travel, we enjoy activities and adventures even more. So once we booked our tickets to Morocco, I started looking for fun things to do while there. I came across some highly-recommended ATV tours, and since riding ATVs was on Kirsten’s bucket list, we decided to go for it.
The company picked us up near our hotel and drove us about 40 minutes out to their center in the desert. We started off by driving a bit over an hour, winding through palm groves and the occasional little village.
Taking a break about halfway through our tour
Apparently being a shepherd is still an actual occupation. We passed several shepherds tending their flock and moving them around for grazing.
On our way back, we took a break at a little Berber settlement where we had tea and pastries.
I got to / had to pour the tea for our table. You start the pour low, then lift the pot higher as you get the aim settled correctly.
Beckett and Mara also got a chance to drive the ATVs with our guide helping them.
This was Beckett’s favorite part.
A boy passed by with his donkey, and our guide got him to let Beckett take a little ride.
Hey, camels! Gotta take a picture with the camels, right?
We got back to the base and saw the camel tour finishing up. Looks fun, but uncomfortable.
Overall, we had a blast on the tour. Just riding the ATVs was fun, but it was also really cool to see the countryside and how people live out there. It’s a view we’d have never gotten in the Medina.
We used a company called Dunes & Desert and the cost was 55 Euros per driver, 15 E for each kid. The total tour lasted 2 1/2 hours or so.
Before heading to the airport for our flight down to Marrakech, we decided to make a quick pit stop at Italica, which is one of the more significant Roman ruins in the area.
They had an amphitheatre about half the size of the Colosseum in Rome and a little town adjacent to it. Most of the walls for everything are gone, but some of the roads, foundations, and mosaic floors still remain.
Overall, it was kinda neat, but not really a “must-see” attraction. As a fan of the movie Gladiator, I enjoyed getting a chance to see what one of these arenas was like.
So first up, the amphitheatre
Of course there had to be a battle between Becksimus and Chuckimus!
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!
The center of the arena held equipment, combatants, and animals. I’m guessing there was a wood covering for it that’s no longer there now. Tunnels led from 2 different sides of this pit out to the ends of the arena.
These passageways run underneath the stands
Here’s the foundation for one of the housing areas
Last Friday we got to attend our first real fiesta in Spain. It was celebrating Día de Andalucía, which celebrates the day Andalucía voted to become an autonomous community of Spain. I’d figured that was a long time ago, but in fact it took place in 1980.
Overall, it pretty much had a 4th of July feel to it minus the fireworks.
There was a flag-raising celebration around noon, which we missed, and then a fiesta all afternoon at a park in the heart of town. It was a beautiful afternoon with clear skies and temps in the upper 60s, so we were all comfortable. We finally got to wear shorts which was so nice – we all miss wearing shorts!
The fiesta was pretty basic – some flamenco dancing, music, beverage and food sales, and activities for the kids. And believe it or not, adults could actually order a beer without having a wristband. Those crazy Spaniards.
We hung out for a few hours, then visited the big castle in town, then finished the day with a playground and pizza. Throughout the day, we were bumping into and hanging out with our new friends, Heidi and Alan Wagoner, who moved from North Carolina to Almunecar about a year and a half ago. (They’ve written a lot about their adventures here at WagonersAbroad.com.)
A cool little building near the entrance of the parkThe park is at the base of El Castillo de San Miguel which was first fortified 2,000 years ago
Of course there has to be some flamenco!
They had this cool inflatable soccer arena for the kids which was free! Yes, free!
They were also making a HUGE paella. They added ingredients and cooked it over a fire for an hour or two, then served it up. 3 Euros for a plate – had to give it a try!
The park also has some Roman ruins fenced off. This was a fish salting facility back in the day.
There were also old folks playing bocce at the park which is pretty typical here.
There was also this dog which had nothing to do with the fiesta but we loved his little wheelchair contraption. He was a total cutie too!
We just finished spending 3 days in Barcelona and loved it!
After taking an early-Saturday flight in from Malaga, we wandered up La Rambla (a big pedestrian/shopping street), then went to the FC Barcelona football game that night.
Sunday was pretty chill, as we went up to Guell Park, then just wandered and ate.
On Monday, we went to La Sagrada Familia, the church designed by Antoni Gaudi. It was really spectacular and much different from “normal” churches. We took an elevator to the top and got a great view of the city. After that, it was more wandering and eating, then early to bed to catch our 6:15 am flight back home on Tuesday.
We covered the football game and La Sagrada Familia in separate posts:
It’s really hard to call Barcelona anything but a Grand European city. We spent a lot of time strolling and eating, which really is the way to enjoy a city like this. There was so much detail in the architecture, public spaces, and food options, that it would be a shame to rush just to see the A-list attractions.
After being in Spain for about a month, one thing about going to Barcelona threw me for a loop initially – most of the signs aren’t in Spanish. What are they in, you ask? Well, they’re in Catalan. Barcelona is part of Catalonia, an autonomous community within Spain’s borders, and they’ve got their own language. Many signs also have Spanish listed below, and from what I could tell, many people speak both. But Catalonian independence is a hot issue, which may come to a vote in 2014. Didn’t directly affect anything for us, but it was interesting to observe.
The kids were both reluctant to go, since we’ve spent a lot of time on the road in the last few months. But they ended up having a good time at the football game, feeding pigeons, and snacking around the city. Kirsten and I loved the look and feel of the city, all the little bars and cafes, and the overall vibe. We’d love to get back for a few days without the kids someday.
Pretty sweet looking Post OfficeDon’t trust the smile on that lobster’s face!Lots of street performers around.
Next 4 pictures are from Park Guell. It was kind of interesting, but not really worth the cost of getting in (about 28E / US$40 for the family).
Front view of the most popular section of Guell Park.Great view of the city and ocean from the top of the park.Interesting stone work. The walkway behind is also kind of cool, but the pictures didn’t turn out.
The big boulevards like La Rambla had plenty of cool buildings:
Mara at the Cathedral, not the same as La Sagrada Familia.
Another Gaudi building, Casa BatloNothing famous about this, just interestingA little play at Plaza Catalunya
The side streets also had plenty of interesting stuff to see.
Must be laundry dayNothing like a light snack!
Mara and Beckett got to do one of their favorite things – chase pigeons!
Mara and Beckett act out “Where’s Waldo?”
We also found breakfast at a place called Milk Bar, which had insanely good French toast, topped with berries and Greek Yogurt.
Finally, who doesn’t like a city where you can get Happy Pills?!
Logistics: We stayed at Som Nit Born which had basic, but clean family rooms and was located near the Gothic Quarter and other sites.
For a few years now, Kirsten had a bucket list item of attending a big-time European soccer match. So once we made plans to come to Spain, we started working out how to knock this off.
Barcelona was already on our list to visit while in Spain, and FC Barcelona is one of the top teams in the world and regarded by many as one of the great teams of all time, so we decided to schedule our trip there to coincide with a game.
Camp Nou is the stadium for FCB and it’s big, holding about 99,000, the vast majority of which are season tickets. Lucky for us, they were playing a terrible team the week we were going, so were able to find 4 seats together after some searching. 4 seats together in the 3rd of 4 levels ran us 43 Euros each.
First impression as we walked in – WOW. What an incredibly beautiful pitch (field)!! Seems weird to fawn over some grass, but it was immaculate and spectacular!
Beckett and I are wearing the FCB jerseys we bought in Chiang Mai before leaving. They’ve got to be authentic, right?!
There were about 75,000 in attendance for the game, making it about 75% full. People sang team cheers and songs at times, but it was fairly quiet most of the time.
It was also much different than a US sporting event in that it was all about the game. No music during dead balls, no halftime entertainment, no contests, no smoke and pyros during the player introductions. The food was very basic – just a few sandwiches, hot dogs, and popcorn, but no “culinary experience”. What a concept, eh?
The game itself was great – Barca scored in the 2nd minute and went on to win 6-0. Messi had a couple goals and Neymar had a rocket for the 6th goal. While it wasn’t the intense and rowdy experience one often associates with European soccer, it was still a fantastic experience and definitely gave us a better appreciation of the game.
Surprisingly, this was about as crazy or rowdy as it got, with flag waving and cheering.Pregame handshakesFree kickGoalkeeper is in trouble here but the pass across didn’t connectThe goalkeeper came way out and Messi chipped the shot over his head and into the netGOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!Layin’ out for a save6-0 is about as good as it gets!Lots of fun merchandise outside the gates.
