2009 Greece

April 2009, Spring Break. We spent 10 days exploring Athens and Santorini. The weather was just warming up to be pleasantly perfect. Athens was our first stop. We were soon delighted to find a mixture of ancient, old, recent, and very new -- all mixed together.

ATHENS

Here I am, on the rooftop patio/restaurant of our hotel, the Athens Gate Hotel. After our long flight, a glass of wine was a good way to unwind. The hotel was in a perfect location - just on the edge of the Plaka, the old town area, which is situated just below the Acropolis.

Our hotel room overlooked the Temple of Zeus, a Roman installation -- quite a view!

The Temple of Zeus. Notice the more elaborate capitols on the columns -- this is the Corinthian style of column.

A typical Athens street.

Sign in the Plaka district. I loved the image and the color, but have no clue what the sign reads.

We came across a square where many students and locals just hung out. We found this "drunken dog." Note the other interesting juxtaposition of the girl behind the dog who's head is framed by the arch, like a halo.

The Psirri neighborhood -- a cool outdoor hangout.

Pastry shop - baked pastries with cheese filling - yum!

SANTORINI

Sitting at the edge of the world... Santorini is a crescent shaped island, the remnants of an old volcano. There are a few towns along the top rim, and various settlements on the outer sides. There's even a couple of sandy beaches, with black volcanic sand. But the views are the best from the top of the rim. This is a view from Imerovigli.

This is a view from our hotel - in Oia. Many cave dwellings are built into the side of the volcano that date back hundreds of years or more. Some have crumbled from earthquakes, but new or rebuilt dwellings have cropped up. Most of the buildings have the white-washed exteriors, which is so well-known on Santorini.

A view through the town of Fira. Fira is the largest town on Santorini. Many cruise ships dock below, and visitors can either catch a taxi up to the top, or you can ride a donkey up a steep path. It doesn't sound too appealing to me...

Another way of getting around Santorini, is by water taxi.

A beachside restaurant sign. I like the dolphins!

Pristine, well-kept family chapels are all over Santorini. This one is in Oia.

This is our spot - Alexander's, in Oia, in a cave room. We met a couple of American teachers who were under contract teaching Westerners in Lebanon, (who tried to persuade me to sign up). We had a riotous time that night, eating and drinking -- maybe they had to let loose after their contained life in the Middle East?

2010 Maui Furlough Week

Furlough week - due to the state budget cuts, we will not be working and not get paid. What to do? Go to Maui!!! A fellow teacher and furloughed worker, Chris, has volunteered to be my travel partner on this trip. The goal - rest, relaxation, and some fun!

Here's the view from Ka'anapali Beach, just outside of our hotel, the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel. The sun sets just over the end of the island of Lana'i. Fabulous views.

Black Rock, on Ka'anapali Beach. Moloka'i is in the distance.

Sunset viewing

And when the sun fades away, the sky turns purple and then inky blue, where the stars and planets emerge. We sit out every night, looking for shooting stars.

Bright and early, here I am on the balcony of my room, ready for the day!

At this time of year, Maui is less crowded. We found mainly two types of visitors -- older folks and young honeymooners. A young woman arranged fallen plumeria flowers on the lawn, and then took photos to keep this image forever.

SIGHTSEEING ON MAUI

Driving towards Lahaina, we stop at a Japanese Buddhist temple.

A 12' high bronze statue of Buddha, it's one of the largest outside of Asia.

Nearby the temple is this lonely cemetary. Many headstones are made of simple stones carved with Japanese characters.

Iao Needle, created from the extinct volcano on Maui. This was the site of a fierce battle between King Kamehameha and the Maui army, resulting in the unification of the Hawaiian Islands, in 1790.

Paia Beach, known for world championship windsurfing. This side of the island has the wind, and it's perfect for windsurfers, kite-surfers, and surfers. Four ladies are watching the windsurfers race across the waves.

Here they are - ripping across the waves.

THE JUNGLE ON THE WAY TO HONOLUA BAY

Enormous vines caught our attention, and we had to stop. Just the sheer size of the trees, the vines, and the lush jungle drew us in.

This turned out to be the path to Honalua Bay, accessible only on foot. Apparently it's popular with surfers and snorkelers.

We found vines that Tarzan could swing on!

Honalua Bay, at the north coast of Maui.

Snorkelers in the crystal clear waters of Honalua Bay.

THE ROAD TO HANA

We took the alternative route to Hana, going upcountry, and circling around Haleakala volcano. Upcountry is lush and green, with views overlooking the entire island.

We're here in Ulupakalua - this is cowboy (paniolo) country, with cattle ranches all around. Some great characters hangin' around the general store.

Makawao corner

Roadsign in Makawao, upcountry.

Once we got past the southern tip of Maui, the countryside changed dramatically. The south end of Maui is a huge lava field. Vegetation is slowly returning, but through a brutal landscape. This is the only road that will take us to Hana, a 2-lane road, paved for a stretch, and then it turns to a gravel unpaved road. Many bumps along the way!

The few trees along this route look pretty dry and desolate!

Most of the eastern side of the island is rocky.

But surfers still have their favorite spots.

The countryside gets greener as we get closer to Hana.

An old homestead in Hana.

Fabulous waterfalls everywhere along the road.

End of an enjoyable trip

2010 London Again

Back in London! We are on the last leg of our trip, after traveling for 5 weeks. By now, we've seen 8 countries, driven through 7 of them. Glad to not be driving in London (it's the wrong side of the road...)!

One of the first days, I decided to do the tourist thing, and hopped aboard the double-decker tour bus. It's a good way to get to see the main attractions and a general layout of the city, if you don't have a lot of time, and too tired to walk (as I was). It felt good to just be a tourist. This is a view of St. Paul's Cathedral from the bus.

Cool seal for the City of London

Security near #10 Downing Street, the prime minister's home. Are they eyeballing someone suspicious?

Detail of Westminster Abbey - the grand church near the Houses of Parliament.

Of course, that's Big Ben!

View of the north side of the Thames. I love the "egg" building, owned by the Swiss RE insurance company.

Here I am, waiting at the Underground!

THE WEDDING

We had a wedding to attend - a good friend of Kevin's was getting married at the Cannizaro House, in Wimbledon. We arrived a couple of days early and discovered a huge park behind the hotel. There, was the Cannizaro Music Festival, playing various acts throughout the week. The final show was a music tribute to ABBA, the 80's Swedish pop group, but unfortunately, that show was on the evening of the wedding. Guess I'll have to watch Mama Mia, again.

The Cannizaro House was completely booked with guests (including us) attending the wedding, and was reserved solely for the wedding activities.

This was the wedding of Frode and Emily. Shown here is Emily escorted by her father. Invited to the wedding were guests from 31 nations, and the wedding had an international theme. The bride, part Japanese, and the groom, Norwegian, looked quite striking in their native clothing. The entire family of the groom wore their Norwegian finery, as well as the bride's Japanese relatives fully decked out in traditional kimonos.

Blessings from various faiths were given, from Jewish, Christian, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, and Athiest presenters.

The wedding started at 2:30pm and we left the party at 9:30pm, when the dancing was about to start. (And the cake had not yet been cut!) We had heard that the bulk of the guests left at 4:30am, and the last to leave at 6am! The bartender told us he couldn't take it anymore, and left at 4:30, telling the stragglers to help themselves to the bar. It sounded like a nice party and lots of fun, but after 7 hours, I was ready to kick off my shoes and change out of my formal attire. Such party poopers we were...

Flying back to the US in the morning, and looking forward to heading home. It's been a great trip, enjoyed almost every moment of it (except for being sick), and look forward to seeing more in the future.

(look for future blog posts of previous trips I've taken -- yes, confusing, but there will be more!)