We went to Gyeongbokgung Palace on our first morning in Seoul. Gyeongbokgung Palace was built in 1395 and was the main royal palace for centuries. Unfortunately it burnt down in the 1590s and then was destroyed again in the 20th century by the Japanese. Some buildings were spared and the rest have been recently restored.
One of my favorite things about visiting this palace is that many of the visitors dress up in traditional Korean costumes known as hanboks. It’s appropriate for even non-Koreans to wear the traditional dress to the palace, but I felt like it really wasn’t our place to do so, so we skipped it. Seeing everyone else dressed up really made it a richer cultural experience though.
Tourists wearing traditional Korean costumes
There aren’t any buildings that you can enter, so we just strolled the grounds for an hour or two. It really reminded me of the Forbidden City in Beijing and I found it quite cool, although the kids were a bit less impressed.
I love seeing the palace grounds with the modern city in the background
As we were leaving, a group of guards marched passed us so we followed them outside. Once they were done with their march, people lined up for pictures. It was a neat way to end our visit.
Kinkaku-ji (The Golden Pavilion) is a Zen Buddhist temple that was originally built in 1397 and reconstructed in 1955. It is such a beautiful structure set in such a picturesque setting.
It was overcast when we visited, but still quite stunning. The weather didn’t keep the crowds away so it was also quite crowded. We only spent about an hour or two seeing it and wandering thru the gardens. Even though it was a short visit, it was still one of my highlights from our entire trip.
On our first morning in Kyoto, we took a taxi to the pedestrian streets leading up to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple complex. We had a great time popping into the shops on the walk up to the temple. Many shops had samples so we were able to try so many Japanese desserts and snacks and even bought a few souvenirs such as “cat”. We ended up buying many of the snacks we tried including these delicious matcha white chocolate cookies from the Malebranche store shown below.
After about an hour, we finally made it up to Kiyomizu-dera Temple. The Temple was founded in 778, however, the buildings were constructed in 1633. Before we walked up to the temple, we stopped by the bathrooms and discovered this really cool cemetery.
The temple structures were both bold and intricate, really fascinating just to sit and take in.
Its neat that many visitors to the temple dress up in traditional clothes. I loved seeing everyone dressed up!
It cost extra to go into one of the buildings so Chuck and the kids found a seat while I went to explore. Little did we realize that it wasn’t just the building that I had access to, but the entire rest of the complex. I ended up being gone far longer than expected, but it was such a treat to see everything. Unfortunately without working cell service, I couldn’t text them to come meet me, and by the time I was back, they were ready to move on.
We explored a little more of the complex together. Since we were set so high up, we had a great vantage point to look down on Kyoto and surrounds too.
Great view of Kyoto from the temple complex
We took a branch off the the main pedestrian street on our walk down from the temple onto what I think is Sannenzaka street. We found a great little place for lunch that had a soft tofu lunch which Kyoto is famous for. Lunch was not cheap, but was delicious!
RestaurantBeckett’s tofu lunch
Description of Beckett’s lunchMy lunch – so good!
We then spent another couple of hours checking out the shops on what I think was Sannenzaka and Ninnenzaka streets. Chuck disappeared at some point and I found a shop giving out samples of this yuzu honey drink. O.M.G. was this stuff good! I called the kids over and we tried so many flavors of their honey drinks – blueberry, mango, raspberry, and on and on. We bought some to drink then, but also containers to drink at home which we slowly rationed over the next 6 months.
Yuzu & mango honey drinks
After gorging ourselves on yummy drink samples, we found Chuck in a nearby shop eating some weird ball things. I tried one and quickly regretted my decision.
And on it went. Walking into shops, trying samples, seeing a cool pagoda or shrine, walking more, popping into another shop.
What a great sign!
We eventually found the world’s coolest Starbucks:
Starbucks
Unfortunately there was quite a line and we didn’t feel like waiting, so we decided to head back to the rental. All told, I think we were out for over 6 hours and were absolutely wrecked once we got back. Despite the long day, this was one of the (many) highlights of our time in Kyoto for me. I loved the traditional feel of the streets and even though I’m not much of a shopper, I loved exploring all the shops and what they had to offer. I was hoping we’d get a chance to come back before we left Kyoto to pick up some more souvenirs, but we never did. I’ll just have to do that next time!
Gion is the traditional geisha district and is what I picture as the quintessential historic Japanese area. Wooden buildings, paper lanterns, Shoji screen doors. It is so picturesque and charming and I wish we’d had more time to explore the tea houses, shops, temples, and shrines that are tucked into the district.
I booked our rental a few blocks from the main Gion district. We were able to walk through the area numerous times, but never went into any of the shops, restaurants, or tea houses at all. However, just walking around was such a cool experience.
Our first night, we went out and stumbled onto pedestrian only Hanamikoji street. We came upon a group of people just standing around and were trying to figure out what they were looking at, when all of a sudden a geisha and a maiko (apprentice geisha) came out of the building and were quickly whisked into a car. I was unprepared for this so my pictures came out fuzzy and had a lot of people in them. Still, I couldn’t believe our luck of seeing them in person our first night in Kyoto. Later in the trip, we were walking along the street with our rental and I saw one come out of a building not even 20′ away and quickly get into a car and leave. I’m not even sure the kids saw her as it happened so fast!
Hanami-koji street
We meandered onto Shinbashi-dori Street on another trip to Gion which is called the prettiest street in Gion. Its also home to the Tatsumi Bashi bridge which was featured in the movie Memoirs of a Geisha.
The Tatsumi Daimyojin Shrine
Here are some pictures from other streets around Gion and near our rental:
Years ago I watched the movie “Memoirs of a Geisha” and was completely taken by the scenery. The movie was partly filmed in Kyoto and the more I saw pictures of the area, the more I knew we had to visit when we went to Japan.
Planning our trip there was the hardest part of the entire planning though. Kyoto has more than 1600 temples and more than 400 shrines, so trying to figure out which 3-4 to visit was overwhelming especially since everything I read recommended different temples. This is also where I decided we’d do the bulk of our activities so weaving it all together and not exhausting us was tough. I partly succeeded, but partly failed as we didn’t see as many temples as I wanted and skipped some other things I wanted to do, and STILL ended up exhausted!
That said, Kyoto was a highlight of the trip for us!
Kyoto was the 2nd stop on our Japan trip after a busy 5 days in Tokyo. We were all worn out from our whirlwind trip there and the gray, raining travel day didn’t help.
But our moods improved when we made it to our rental. This place was so cool! The kids loved their room and all the traditional touches. Having a nice kitchen and a washing machine also made the place a great choice. And it was once again cheaper than a hotel!
Kid’s bedroom
Street our rental was on
By the time we got settled in, it was already dinner time. The kids elected to stay in for some downtime so Chuck and I went out for dinner and found this great gyoza place a couple of blocks away. I love gyoza and enjoyed trying the different fillings.
Gyoza
Chuck and I were excited to see Gion, so we wandered the streets despite it raining. We were also exhausted, but I didn’t fly the whole way to Kyoto to sit in the rental! The area is just too perfect. Its absolutely what you picture when you think of traditional Japan with the wood buildings, paper lamps, shoji screens. We even saw a geisha and a maiko (an apprentice geisha)!
We found a grocery store and bought the kids food for dinner, breakfast foods (I even found pancake mix!), and headed back to the rental for the night.
Day 2
Day 2 started with breakfast at our rental before getting a taxi to the area around Kiyomizu-dera temple. We had a great time walking around the famous streets around the temple, Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka. After walking our legs off for over 5 hours, we went back to the rental for some much needed rest.
We decided to cook dinner at our rental as none of us wanted to go out to eat. After dinner, Chuck and I went for a stroll to the famous Pontocho Alley and nearby Kiyamachi-dori Street. Once again it was raining, but it was still cool to see.
Pontocho AlleyPontocho AlleyBack side Pontocho Alley buildingsKiyamachi-doriKiyamachi-dori
Day 3
We had a relaxed morning on Day 3 before heading out for a very busy day. Our first stop was Nishiki Market. There we saw some really interesting sea creatures for sale along with the usual items. We didn’t try anything exotic, but did share a bubble tea and bought some cool gelatinous face washes for the kids.
After the market and a lunch stop at an Italian restaurant for marginal pizza and Italian food, we went to our Ninja Class where we had an absolute blast. On our walk there, we saw an Eggs ‘n Things like we ate at in Tokyo, so we stopped in after our class for some more yummy pancakes with a mountain of whipped cream.
At this point the kids were begging to go back to the room to rest, but this is when I was surprising them with a visit to the Otter Cafe. They quickly realized something was up and spent the entire walk badgering me about where we were going and taking guesses. As we got close, there was a sign and Beckett figured it out and got so excited!
Unfortunately, they were booked up, but had a window for us to visit an hour or so later at 5pm. The time meant we’d have to leave early as we had 6pm tickets for the GEAR show. We jumped at the chance though as some otter time is better than no otter time!
While waiting, we walked around the Shinkyogoku and Teramachi Shopping Streets where the cafe was located.
We had the best time with the otters! You can read more about that here.
Then we headed to the GEAR show. This is a 1 hour non-verbal show featuring street performers, wrapped in a story about robots and a doll that come to life. The show was fantastic and the kids absolutely loved it. You aren’t allowed to take photos during the performance, but I took one before the show started. Beckett loved the show so much that he did the “robot walk” for months after.
GEAR show set
After the show, we hunted around for what felt like forever trying to find a suitable dinner and ended up at another Shabu Shabu restaurant. There was a good hour wait and I felt like I was going to pass out, but eventually around 9:30pm, we finally got fed! Phew!
We were so exhausted at this point, that my entire afternoon plan of visiting a Zen garden, wandering the famous Philosopher’s Path, seeing the Silver Pavilion, and having a soft tofu dinner got completely scrapped. Instead, the kids stayed home again while Chuck and I wandered around Gion. We found an Indian restaurant for dinner that was quite good and a welcome break from Japanese food. Then we found a place where I had a delicious mango cocktail, Chuck got sake, and we shared a ginormous kakigouri (shaved ice).
My mango cocktail, Chuck’s sake, and Kakigouri (shaved ice)
And then we stumbled upon the Yasaka Shrine. It looked so cool all lit up at night and there were even food vendors selling various foods all around the shrine.
Yasaka Shrine entrance
Day 5
Day 5 had us going to beautiful Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) on the other side of town. Originally we were thinking of going to a zen meditation class in the morning before visiting the temple, but that got scrapped. I was also hoping to visit the nearby Arashiyama Bamboo Grove and maybe get a foot massage and tofu lunch in the area, but all of that got scrapped too. We also had penciled in a samurai lesson that afternoon, but didn’t bother to book that as we all needed a break from scheduled activities.
Instead, we took a taxi back into the heart of Kyoto for another shabu shabu lunch, then rested back at the rental.
Chuck booked us another visit to the otter cafe, so we headed there for another hour with the otters before checking out the Gion Matsuri Festival that was happening. Gion Matsuri is Kyoto’s biggest festival and is celebrated over a couple of weeks. The first main event, the Yamaboko Junko, is a parade that was being held the next morning when we were headed out of town. There are festivities on the 3 days leading up to the parade, where they shut down the streets, people dress up, and there is a big street party.
We saw none of that. Sure, we saw the floats parked and the streets were closed with a lot of people out, but there wasn’t much of a street party happening. So after wandering thru the streets and into Gion, we called it a night and went home to start packing up for our departure the next morning.
Float for the parade“Street Party” the night before the first big parade
Day 6
On Day 6, it was time to leave Kyoto and head for Osaka.
Kyoto was such a beautiful place filled with such history. I’m so glad we spent as much time as we did here and wish we’d gotten to see and do even more. It is definitely a place I’d love to come back to some day with more time to meander and soak it all in.
Wild mushroom soup in a bread bowl and Svyturio Baltijos beer (one of my favorite beers of all time!)
The more I researched what to do in Vilnius (and Riga and Tallinn), the more excited I got about the food. This is pretty unusual as I’m not a foodie and while I love trying local foods on my travels, it’s not one of the things I’m most excited about. I left Vilnius with it being one of my favorite food destinations in the entire world! Sure it was adorable and had many more things to love, but it’s the food that I’m still dreaming about.
We arrived around midnight from Copenhagen and promptly took a taxi to our hotel, the Grotthuss Hotel, and went to bed. After a lovely breakfast at our hotel the next morning, we headed out to explore the old town of Vilnius.
We wandered towards the Gates of Dawn and then down to the Hales Market where we explored the various food stalls and tried some of the local foods.
Gates of DawnHales MarketCepelinai – potato dumpling filled with mince. We both hated it. Very disappointing.Delicious! We got one stuffed with chicken and mushroom and just chicken.
After the market, we headed thru the old town to Cathedral Square. The old town is so cute and I instantly fell in love with it.
Around Cathedral Square, we saw the Palace of the Grand Dukes, the Vilnius Cathedral, and Gediminas Tower perched on a hill above the town. There were signs all over announcing that the Pope would be at Vilnius Cathedral a week after our visit and part of the sites were closed as they put up stands and prepared for his arrival.
Gediminas TowerVilnius CathedralInside the Vilnius Cathedral
Room off the main chapel that was jaw droppingly beautiful
One highlight at Cathedral Square is the Stebuklas Miracle Tile. In 1989, approximately 2 million people held hands from Tallinn, Estonia, thru Riga, Latvia, and ending at this spot in Vilnius to form the longest unbroken human chain in history as a protest to the Soviet government to restore their freedom. It was pretty cool seeing the tile and thinking of that day back in 1989.
Stebuklas Miracle Tile
At this point it was getting pretty late in the day, but we had an hour or two till the Palace closed so we decided to pop in to check it out. Overall it was pretty disappointing, but there were some neat artifacts such as books from (I think) the 1200s, a drinking vessel from Ivan the Terrible, and royal swords, thrones and other regalia. There were also great views of Vilnius from the top.
Book that I think is from the 1200s
At this point we were starving, so we headed to this outdoor restaurant called Etno Dvaras on the main strip for a late lunch. This is where we discovered food heaven.
I ordered a wild mushroom soup in a bread bowl and some potato pancakes with bacon, while Chuck got fried bread covered in a cheese sauce and some potato and cheese casserole. I also ordered a local beer and it was hands down one of my favorite beers I’ve ever had in my life. Chuck hates beer and he even kept stealing sips. My food was delicious, but the fried bread with cheese was mind blowing. I wish a beer pub around here served this as it was one of the best bar foods ever.
Fried bread with cheesePotato pancakes
Earlier, Chuck had noticed a street market off of Cathedral Square so we headed over to check it out. There were a ton of booths selling everything from local foods to soap to crafts. And of course dried fish. There is always a fish stand that reeks.
Gingerbread from a local stand – it reminded me of the gingerbread from Oktoberfest. Sadly it was not good.Fish. Lots of stinky fish… Walk away from the fish stand…
It was starting to get dark as we headed back to our hotel and we wandered into a local festival with live music. As we got there, hot air balloons started drifting by which was pretty cool. We sat and had a drink outside while listening to the various bands before heading back to the hotel for a quick rest.
For dinner, we headed back to Etno Dvaras and I had the best Beef Stroganoff I’ve ever had.
Beef Stroganoff
The next morning we headed to Trakai castle about 30 minutes away from old town Vilnius. We elected to take a taxi as the public transportation logistics were kind of a nightmare, plus it didn’t cost that much more to go this route.
The castle was originally built in the 14th century and was one of the main centers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The castle soon fell into disrepair, and was rebuilt in the last 100 or so years. Even though it’s technically “new”, its still a neat place to visit and a beautiful location too.
Inside the first courtyard
Chuck shooting a crossbow
Inner courtyard
After visiting the castle we stopped for lunch at a spot across the lake from the castle. We got these delicious pierogi type things in a cheese sauce, more kibinais, and some funky tumeric tea. Delicious.
Yummy lunch with a great view of the castle!
Everything was great until we decided to come back to Vilnius. We tried hailing a taxi, but there were none to be found. We found a tourist center and they said someone could be there in hours, and then that they couldn’t find anyone. This left one option – walking the couple of miles to the bus station then taking a bus back to Vilnius and then walking back from the bus station to our hotel. It sucked. A lot. BUT we made it back and once we were back to Vilnius, we decided to explore more of the town instead of resting at the hotel.
First stop was Užupis which is a neighborhood that declared itself it’s own Republic and has it’s own constitution, currency, flag, and even a president. Their ambassador is a cat. Yes, really. We only wandered around for about 5 minutes as there wasn’t much to see. Sadly, we didn’t get to see the cat.
Uzupis ConstitutionAngel of Užupis
From there, we walked to St. Anne’s Church which was opened in 1500. There is a stone out front commemorating the first public protest of the Soviet occupation as well.
From here we wandered thru the side streets of Old Town back to the main strip and sat down for some coffee and dessert and people watching.
On our way back to our hotel room, I wanted to make a 2nd stop to the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit we’d visited on our first day. I’ve never been so spiritually moved being in a church before and I wanted to go sit quietly and take it all in. It was so calming and I’m glad I went back to sit.
Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit
At this point our legs were killing us – I wish I’d taken my Garmin to see how far we walked – so we took a short rest at the hotel before trying to find a restaurant near our hotel. We found a restaurant serving Georgian food. Neither of us had a clue what Georgian food was, but it was busy and close so we gave it a shot. It was a revelation!
I got the Shkmeruli which is chicken in a garlic cream sauce served in a clay dish. And Chuck got chicken shashlik. We also got Georgian red wine and Imeruli which is a dough filled with Georgian cheese. It was all incredible. One of my favorite meals of my life actually! Of course we had to get dessert and got a delicious honey cake with fresh fruit.
Shkmeruli – chicken in a garlic cream sauceChicken Shashlik and Imeruli
The next morning we walked to the bus station and took a 4+ hour bus trip from Vilnius, Lithuania to Riga, Latvia with Lux Express. The bus was very modern and comfortable and it was a neat way to see the countryside and little towns.
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.
Another one of my top things to see in Istanbul was Hagia Sophia, known locally as Ayasofya. I knew of it but not much of the history until I taught the kids Roman History as part of the 3rd grade curriculum. It was the largest Christian Cathedral in the world for 1,000 years (until the Seville Cathedral was built), and eventually became a mosque. Eventually it was removed from use as an active mosque and became a museum.
The interior is faded and rough but the different colored marbles, gorgeous gold mosaics and all the paint must have been awe-inspiring in pristine condition. Even faded, it’s still a remarkable building and interesting piece of history.
The interior:
This is a view from the upper level. The columns don’t really pop here, but most of them are colored marble that would be insane if they were polished up.
The marble panels were brought in from places far and wide. In person, you can see the different colors, but they’re all faded a bit.
Gold mosaics from the 11th and 12th centuries:
These aren’t relics, just replicas of the period for sale in the gift shop. We agonize over buying the bowl in the middle, but didn’t pull the trigger.
The exterior:
Beckett and Mara weighing in with their impression of Hagia Sophia – Mara gave it mixed reviews and Beckett gave it 2 thumbs down
Visiting the Blue Mosque, technically known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, in Istanbul was one of the top things on my list. Our first morning in Istanbul, we visited the mosque and I was quite happy to finally be here! The mosque was built in the early 1600s and it get its unofficial name from the thousands of blue tiles in the interior.
My first reaction was “Wow!” Then I think I uttered a few more wows as I took it all in. Unfortunately my pictures don’t do it justice.
Beckett was less than impressed but personally I really enjoyed it.
The interior:
The details everwhere are pretty amazing. You can see them a bit if you click this picture to zoom in.
Outside the entrance:
The courtyard and views of the mosque from the courtyard:
When we were scoping out cool stuff to do in Turkey, photos of Pamukkale really jumped out. Pamukkale is a hillside of white travertine terraces created by hot springs depositing minerals that slowly accumulated over time.
Pamukkale is about 3 hours from where we’re staying in Fethiye. We are so not tour group people. But, since we didn’t have a car and the tours would’ve cost the same as us doing it ourselves, we booked a tour. And promptly got reminded why we never take tours. It worked out ok in the end though and saved us 6 hours of driving it ourselves plus navigating and all that.
Unfortunately, we only got about 2 hours at Pamukkale and didn’t have nearly enough time to explore the terraces and also see the ruins and swim in the hot springs. There were also a number of nuisances during the day but at least we got to see it. Most importantly, neither kid got sick on the bus trip, which is a win for us!
The travertine terraces were the highlight of our visit:
To protect the travertine, you’re only allowed to walk in them in bare feet (or socks). Shoes would’ve been nice as some surfaces are quite bumpy and hurt.
In addition to the travertine terraces, the site contains the ruins of the ancient city of Hierapolis. Hierapolis was built in the 2nd century B.C. but has largely been destroyed. The theater is still intact though and was pretty darn cool. Unfortunately that’s the only part of the ruins we had time to explore although I doubt we would’ve wandered around them too much as the kids are pretty over ruins at this point.
Also on site, there are natural hot spring pools you can bathe in. The one main pool has ancient ruins in it which you can sit on or swim around. We skipped the pools, much to Beckett’s dismay, partly due to time constraints but also because it would’ve cost us an extra $45 which seemed absurd. It looked cool though.
Logistics: We booked our tour at one of the many tour booths located in Ölüdeniz. Our trip was through Seaside Travel and I wouldn’t recommend them. The tour wasn’t awful but you can probably do better. We were crammed into a 12 passenger van in tiny seats for the 6+ hours. Plus we only had about 2 hours at the site before we were taken offsite for lunch and then taken to a onyx factory for a “tour” (i.e. try to get you to buy things) which no one cared about.
Our tour guide didn’t do a good job of explaining our itinerary and rushed through the site so fast that if you stopped to take a picture, you would have to jog to catch up. Also, the price didn’t include the hot spring pools even though it was implied that everything was included. A tour is still maybe the way to go but pick a different company. Another tip: We didn’t get lunch till around 2:30pm (even though we left at 6:30am) so pack snacks if you tend to get hungry or have kids in tow.
You ever walk around and expect Knights on horseback to storm out of a castle?
Me neither, except in Rhodes!
Rhodes Town (on the island of Rhodes) is dominated by walls and castles dating from the 1300s to 1500s, when the presence of Christian Knights was at its peak.
The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site and it really feels like you’re walking back in time. Or like you’re in Monty Python’s “Quest for the Holy Grail”, which is even better!
Castle – check!
Cobblestone streets – check!
Buildings made of stone – check!
Knights who say “Ni!” – Sadly, no
It seems like each little side street is more adorable than the last, and it’s hard to believe it’s really modern underneath the surface.
The funny part about enjoying this so much is that it wasn’t part of any master plan to visit. We had wanted to go to Athens and Santorini, and a stop in Rhodes was needed just so we could catch a ferry to Turkey.
Originally we planned to spend 4 days in Rhodes, but we extended 2 days in Santorini, which cut into our time in Rhodes. We would’ve liked to stay longer in each place, but we ran out of visa days and had to be out on the European Schengen visa zone.
We first fell in love with Rhodes when we arrived at our place inside the old city walls and strolled along the little side streets into the big squares.
Town squareEnjoying crepes on the go.
Our second day, we explored the medieval castle known as the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes. If you picture “castle” in your mind, this is it!
Courtyard inside the castle.
Uniforms representing what was worn at the time.There are several mosaics in the castle that have been relocated from other sites.
Outside of the castle is the Street of the Knights:
If you notice in the above picture, the streets are cobblestone but not in the usual way. They put the stones sharp end up instead of flat so they weren’t the most comfortable things to walk on especially in flip flops.
Unpleasant
Here are a few pictures from walking around town:
Cars now drive through the old wall gatesThere are a few outdoor spots with old mosaics preserved.
Two days in Rhodes was plenty and I really don’t know what we would’ve done with 2 more days. Not that there isn’t anything to go see and do, but after schlepping around Europe for 3 weeks, we were happy to explore the old town, the castle and just wander around. Plus, we were happier to have the 2 days in Santorini rather than here so the trade-off worked out. That said, I was sad to leave Rhodes and Greece and would love to return some day.
Visiting the the Acropolis and Parthenon was never that high on my priority list. I always figured I’d get there and it’d be cool to see, but it wasn’t a place I just HAD to visit. I definitely got more excited to see it this year as I taught the kids Ancient Greek history. And once our travel plans included Greece, we decided to spend 2 days in Athens mostly just to see the Acropolis and Parthenon.
A little refresher: the Acropolis is the name of the gigantic rock in the middle of the city. The Parthenon is only one of the buildings on top of the Acropolis but clearly the most famous. The Parthenon was started in 447BC as a temple to the Goddess Athena who was the patron of the city of Athens (hence the name). The building and most of the statues and carvings have been destroyed, largely by Christians and Muslims that took over the city in the last 2000 years. The worst damage to the structure itself came from an explosion in 1687.
There is a new museum that contains what is left of the pieces of these statues and also show models of the original Parthenon and what the statue scenes were on the front and back pediments. Both sides told a story: one of Athena winning Athens from Poseidon and the other side shows Athena’s birth from Zeus.
Model of the East pediment of Athena being born from Zeus’s headModel of the West pediment showing Athena winning Athens from Poseidon
After visiting the museum, it was time to hike up the Acropolis and check it out. You pass some ruins and this cool amphitheater on the way up. It was a neat little stop off and a great excuse to rest and catch our breath.
Once we got to the top and saw the Parthenon, I have to say I was blown away. The building is impressive even though its missing all of its statues, pediments and friezes and is largely destroyed. But one can just imagine what it must have looked like when it was completed. I so wished I could travel back in time to see it in all its glory. And to see the magnificent statue of Athena that it housed but has sadly been lost. I kept trying to imagine what it would’ve been like to be here 2400 years ago and was so in awe of the buildings.
The pediments were in the triangles at the top of the buildingThe pediments were in the triangles at the top of the building
And then there are the views of Athens from up top. You get an almost 360 degree view of the city and can even see out to the sea. Chuck and I could’ve sat there for hours just taking in the views.
Another neat building on top of the Acropolis is the Erechtheion or “Old Temple” of Athena.
The Erechtheion or “Old Temple” of Athena
Lastly, here are some pictures of the The Propylaea which was a monumental gate at the western end of the Acropolis.
I’ll admit that I hadn’t heard the greatest things about Athens, Greece. Dirty, crime-ridden, crowded and scary were just some of the adjectives I’ve heard over the years. So when we decided to go to Greece, we knew we’d fly into Athens but only allocated about 36 hours in the city. Our idea was to get in, see the Acropolis and Parthenon, and get out.
I didn’t expect to really like it there, but I did! The food, the people, the vibe of the city. It was all great. Our first morning we had breakfast at this little local cafe and tried Greek coffee and had some bizarre “omelette” that wasn’t half bad. But the best part was being surrounded by locals who were enjoying coffees and drinks, smoking and having lively conversations with their friends. It really felt like a community and where people stop what they’re doing to just hang out and be with friends.
First up of course was the Acropolis museum then a visit to the Acropolis. From there we wandered to Monastiraki which is the old flea market area full of little shops and restaurants.
And then it was time to eat! Who knew all 4 of us would LOVE Greek food?!? I was shocked both my picky kids were happy with their meals and Mara has become my little olive eater downing so many we lost count!
Why yes that is me with olives and a local beer!
The square we ate in was great for people watching AND it had a great view of the Acropolis as well.
Square with a great view!
For some reason, many of the shops around Athens (and a little bit on Rhodes too) sold big, wooden penises. Yes, I said penis. They were generally life-sized although they had mini ones and jumbos at some shops, they came in both black and natural wood and appeared to be keychains?!? I have no clue. Maybe someone from Greece can explain this to me?!? FYI, No, I did not buy one. I’m kind of kicking myself now as I think they would’ve made great Christmas presents 🙂
Get your wooden penis keychains here folks!
Only 2 Euro! Your choice of size and color!
I loved all the different views we got of the Acropolis as we walked around the city.
The next morning we walked over to The Temple of Olympian Zeus which was built in the 6th century BC. Back in the day, it was the largest temple in Greece but so little is left it’s hard to imagine what it looked like in it’s heyday.
Later that afternoon we walked to the Ancient Agora of Athens where Socrates would ask the market-goers the meaning of life! Plato even walked these streets. Aside from walking on the same ground as Socrates and Plato and seeing where Socrates spoke, we found the rest of it pretty underwhelming.
Socrates would speak just outside of this building!
Sadly, then our time was up and it was time to board our ferry to Santorini. After a stressful trip to the ferry port, we set sail through the Greek islands and waved goodbye to Athens.
We visited Notre Dame on of our meandering days in Paris. After doing all the big ticket stuff (Eiffel, Louvre, Versailles), this became a bit of a “whatever” for everyone. Especially the kids, who had already been to what felt like the same type of place several times in the last few months (Alhambra, Seville Cathedral, La Sagrada Familia).
Luckily lines were fairly short and we toured and moved on quickly!
We also visited the Treasury inside the church which houses many Holy objects.
I remember visiting Versailles when I was 13 years old. It was the first palace I’d ever seen in my life and I was blown away. I think because it was my first one, it’s always held a special place to me.
Once we decided to go to Paris, I couldn’t wait to take Chuck and the kids to Versailles. Chuck had never been and while the kids had been to a couple of castles, they’d never gone to anything like this.
We had to take the metro to the train out of Paris to Versailles. After a short walk, we arrived on the grounds.
We each grabbed headphones and were able to each have our own audio tour. I think this made it an even better experience for all of us.
The palace is stunning.
My favorite, favorite room is the famous “Hall of Mirrors”:
After the Hall of Mirrors, we continued wandering around the palace.
After we visited the palace, we checked out the ground apartments that were used by members of the royal family.
We also took a brief look at the grounds before heading back to Paris.
Our trip to the Louvre wasn’t quite as magical as I was hoping. Luckily Chuck and I have both been there before, but we’d looked forward to showing the kids some historic and important art. The kids weren’t nearly as excited about this as we were.
They did OK to start, but were really unimpressed with the “Mona Lisa”.
They found the sculptures mildly more interesting. I was in awe of it though and felt so privileged to see Michelangelo’s and many other’s work up close.
We also visited the Napoleon apartments which were dripping in luxury.
We also got to see some crown jewels:
We also wandered around the other floors and saw other art.
After many hours of wandering around, we were ready to leave, but Chuck wanted to head to the Egyptian Antiquities section. This turned out to be a huge mistake. At this point we were all exhausted and the kids were over being there. It took a bit of walking around to even get there, but at least seeing the artifacts was pretty cool.
Unfortunately, we had a big problem trying to get out of that section and getting to the exit. We walked and walked and walked but couldn’t get to the exit and at this point we were all so done and just wanted out.
Eventually we obviously made it out, but I think that last detour really cast a negativity over the day and the kids left with a pretty negative opinion on the museum.
I’m hoping that some day they’ll appreciate what they saw and feel lucky to have gone though…
The Alhambra is a palace and fortress in Granada, Spain. It was originally built in 889 and rebuilt in the mid-13th century.
We’d heard repeatedly about how famous the Alhambra was and how it was at the top of the To Do list for Spain, so we drove the 1 hour from our rental and visited it for the afternoon.
We weren’t nearly as impressed as most people. I think a large part of that was because we had just been to the Alcázar of Seville a few weeks prior. It was still neat to see so I’m glad we went.
The Alhambra consists of many different buildings and areas.
El Real Alcázar de Sevilla, the Royal Alcazar of Seville in English, is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe. It was originally founded in 913 as a Muslim fortress and has been rebuilt and expanded over time.
The outside isn’t very impressive, but we were blown away by some of the inside rooms including the courtyard above. The detail on every wall and ceiling was mind boggling. Chuck and I could’ve spent a few hours here taking it all in. Unfortunately the kids weren’t as impressed and were pretty road weary after 4 days on the road (and on our feet). They did perk up when we discovered there was a labyrinth made out of bushes in the garden. We practically had to drag them out of there as they didn’t get to explore the entire maze.
Here are some of our favorite rooms:
Up close of just one part of one wall. They were all covered in this amazing work:
The ceilings were gorgeous. Every ceiling in every room was different. Here are a few of my favorites:
The Seville Cathedral, technically La Catedral de Sevilla, is the largest Gothic cathedral and the 3rd largest cathedral in the entire world. Construction began in 1402 and ended in 1506 and at the time, it was the biggest cathedral in the world. The cathedral is also noteworthy because Christopher Columbus is buried there.
The Giralda, La Giralda, is the bell tower connected to the cathedral but was formerly the minaret of the mosque that previously stood on the site. Construction of The Giralda was completed in 1198 and was built to resemble a minaret from Marrakech, Morocco. When you visit the cathedral, you’re able to go into the bell tower and climb to the top. Luckily the climb up is via 35 ramps which are way, way better than 35 flights of stairs.
Originally we thought we’d visit the cathedral for about an hour before lunch and then pop over to Real Alcazar for the afternoon. Boy were we wrong. When they say this thing is huge, they mean huge! The main sanctuary is massive but it was exploring all the little rooms and going into the tower that took up a lot of time. We were there for a good 3 hours and still didn’t fully explore everything!
La Giralda:
The interior of the cathedral:
Christoper Columbus’s tomb:
The views from the top of La Giralda including some great views of the city of Seville and of the top of the cathedral:
Some of the other beautiful rooms in the cathedral:
Lastly, here is some of the gold treasure that is kept in the cathedral:
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
