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It’s a bittersweet time as we end our year away in London, a city dear to our hearts. High: Seeing friends in Bath and London; and enjoying two West End shows (Phantom of the Opera and Back to the Future!) Low: The heat! It was more than 30 degrees Celsius for most of our time Read more

Selections from the second part of our three months in Italy! We really enjoyed our time in Pistoia. Read more

We took a train trip during a weeklong break – up to Basel, then night train to Berlin, and then visited my former host family in Hamburg. Read more

We are spending three months in Tuscany so we are breaking from format a bit. Here are the photo highlights from the first half. Read more

High: Rome was so impressive – we learned so much at the Colosseum, and then we also enjoyed a food tour through the Centro Storico and Trastavere. Low: The crowds in Florence were starting to build at the end of March. We still had a wonderful time but it can be daunting! Surprise: The restaurant Read more

High: Delicious tapas, and impressive museums in Madrid. Low: The rain in Spain…we’re not sure if it mainly stays in the plain, but it definitely stayed where we were for pretty much every day of our month there. Surprise: We stayed in a house made out of a cave in Andalusia. A peacock, two chickens Read more

High: Beautiful scenery in Sintra and we learned a lot about the history there. Low: Hard to think of one, other than getting used to cooler temperatures after the tropical feel in Brazil! Surprise: We tried a fair amount of Pasteis de nata, custard egg tarts – we had never heard of those before. And Read more

High: Excellent food and great neighborhood feel in Buenos Aires. Low: Currency is hard to come by! We attempted 5 Western Unions before finally getting some cash. Surprise: Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay – we hadn´t initially planned this, but it was a nice day trip from Buenos Aires. Read more

High: Incredible scenery in Torres del Paine and Perito Moreno; excellent food as well! Low: The number of stray dogs is a bit concerning – it does seem that the community takes care of some, especially in El Calafate. Surprise: Valparaiso! We had planned some time in Santiago to rest, and ended up taking a Read more

High: Sydney NYE, what else! And seeing some friends we hadn´t seen in a long time. Low: Hard to pick anything, we had such a lovely Christmas and New Year’s here. Surprise: fun cable cars at Scenic World near Katoomba. Read more

High: Caves on the North Island; seeing marine wildlife such as whales, dolphins and seals on the South Island. Low: Choice of food could be wider. Lost count of how many steak pies we ate!  We also learned that sandfly bites will itch for a very long time. Surprise: Lots and lots of sheep! Also Read more

High: The Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsundays are pretty amazing. The people are also so friendly. Low: One of us (Susan) getting sick again. The Australian healthcare system came through but it definitely put a damper on things for a few weeks. Surprise:  The temperate rainforest in Tasmania. Much cooler than the rest of Read more

High: It’s really great to experience a different culture with some additional time as compared to a normal “vacation”; a guided visit of a temple and shrine in Kyoto; and the calm in lesser-visited areas. Low:  Would love to sample some of the items in food halls but if it’s not close to where you’re Read more

High: Hard to pick one! Maybe the snorkeling with manta rays at night near Kona; swimming with the dolphins at the Hilton Waikoloa; or appreciating history at Pearl Harbor. Low: Getting sick at the beginning of our stay. Hazard of modern travel! Surprise: Hawaii beaches are open to the public by law. We had a Read more

High: Great stay in Victoria – perfect weather, and the Butchart Gardens did not disappoint. Low: Hard to cite one, this was pretty excellent! Surprise: Not so much a surprise but amused to see the Rambo references around town as it was filmed in Hope, BC. Read more

High: Lovely hikes in Yosemite; great food and fun in San Francisco ; Powell’s Bookstore in Portland Low: Pervasive drug addiction and homelessness crisis in West Coast cities Surprise: Two beautiful drives: one was the last section between San Francisco and Yosemite at sunset; and the other, a calm drive between Portland, OR and Port Read more

From a simple idea to a goal, from a goal to a plan, from a plan to D-1… here we are! Read more