By fall, we were ready for new experiences. I had heard of the beauty of Slovenia and Croatia. I looked for a small group tour and and liked the Rick Steves Tour itinerary. I prefer small group trips, but decided to give his tour a try even though the group size could be as much as 26 people.  The size was not a problem because his tours attract people who are real travelers and conform to his rules.  This was a great trip. Slovenia:  Ljubljana I like to be sure that I arrive in plenty of time for a tour, therefore, we … Continue reading 32. Slovenia and Croatia – 2014

It was time to pick a get-a-way for Winter, 2014. My dear friends, Ajit and Laurie had recently visited Sri Lanka (Ceylon), his birth place, and they highly recommended it. Sri Lanka is a small island in the Indian Ocean. Therefore, we originally thought that 2 or 3-week trip would be adequate, but it soon became apparent that if I wanted to see all the principal sights and have down time, the trip needed to be extended to 30 days.  Even with the extended time, we had to eliminate the far North and East of the country. We hired Varini De … Continue reading 37. Sri Lanka – 2014

Rome, Hadrian’s Villa and Villa d’Este Rome, Hadrian’s Villa and Villa d’Este were the third leg of the Athens to Rome trip.  Rome is well known; therefore, I will only mention a few outstanding experiences.  Rome Many monuments and churches in Rome are amazing, but it was Titus’ Arch which really got to me.   The arch depicts the defeat of the country of Judah and the bringing to Rome the artifacts (Menorah and Shofar) of the Temple in Jerusalem. The items were being carried by the Hebrew slaves, who also built the monument.  I had seen representations of that relief before … Continue reading 36. Athens to Rome III- 2013

Windstar Athens to Rome:  After our wonderful time in Greece, we boarded the Windstar boat to begin our week long cruise.  I will write about the stops at Monemvasia, Gythion, Mt. Elba and Vulcano Island. Monemvasia, Greece Monemvasia is a town in Peloponnesia, which belongs to Greece.  Peloponnesia is the ancient home of the Spartans, the warriors that fought Thebes.  Spartans settled Monemvasia, south of Sparta, in the late sixth century when they fled the Barbarian invasions. They built their houses along the sea below a towering mountain.  This is what is now the old town.  They also built fortifications, houses and a church … Continue reading 35. Athens to Rome II – 2013

Five months traveling in Central America was wonderful, but by fall that year I was ready for another adventure, this time Athens and Rome book marked with a Windstar cruise between these cities. I am reporting on this trip in three posts: 1. Athens and Greek Islands 2. Windstar cruise and 3. Rome/Hadrian’s Villa/Villa d’Este Athens and Greek Islands Athens From our hotel, Electra Palace Hotel, we were only a 10-minute walk from the Acropolis and could even see the it glowing from our balcony!!!!   There were many wonderful things to do in Athens, but I will only mention my … Continue reading 34. Athens to Rome I – 2013

Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala: After a brief trip to the U.S. to regroup, we headed back to Central America for another seven weeks.  During this part of the trip, we visited 10 exciting archaeological sites, and 9 magnificent Spanish colonial cities, as well as focused on Mayan culture. We also had awesome beach time. Mexico We spent the first week at the Mayan Riviera, in a small (26 room) jungle resort right on the beach. Lovely sitting in the beach cabana, looking at the clear water and gentle waves. I participated in yoga classes, walked the beach and swam. It was … Continue reading 33. Central America Part 3 – 2013

 Windstar Cruise & the Panama Canal: We timed the Costa Rica section of the five month adventure, to end in time for the Windstar Cruise through the Panama Canal. Windstar is a lovely sail/motor boat. Although the sails are unfurled as we set sail, the boat actually uses motor power almost exclusively. One evening we took zodiacs around the ship as the sun was setting on the sails. Although we had a number of stops, I am only writing about our Panama Canal crossing part of the cruise. But before I get to the crossing, I will tell you … Continue reading 32. Central America part 2 – 2013

After devoting ourselves to our non-profit responsibilities; Jane Austen Society (JASNA) and the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York (GSMT), I felt that I needed a real break from volunteer work.  Our solution: travel for five months in Central America in order to have a clean break. Part I: Costa Rica Costa Rica is a perfect place for an eco-vacation.  There are many national parks and private reserves that are havens for birds and animals.  It is illegal to cut down primary forests or make pets of wild animals.  English is widely spoken in tourist areas, tap water … Continue reading 31. Central America part 1 – 2013

Cuba is only 45 minutes by plane from Miami, but such a different culture. I was excited to join the Galapagos Travels approved Cuban humanitarian mission. In order to fullfill the mission, each participant brought about $50 over-the-counter pharmaceuticals for the St. Vincent de Paul old age home for women.   Once in Cuba, we met some of the nursing nuns at the home and learned that they help  everyone, not just Christians.  Bringing the pharmaceuticals did not seem like a big deal to us, but it meant the world to them. We were to fly from NYC to Miami, to meet our … Continue reading 30. Cuba – 2012

 It might sound a bit crazy to fly to the middle of the Pacific Ocean to see a few statues.  But it was awesome. We stayed at the Aloha Noi B&B (above) run by our guides, Ramon and his wife Josie. Ramon was born on the Island and the B&B is the house he grew up in. Josie was born in the U.S. to an Islander dad and an American mother. The big attractions of Easter Island are the 900 or so Moai including those that were carved but were never taken to a pedestal. What are Moai? They are statues … Continue reading 29. Easter Island – 2011

In February 2011 (a good time to escape cold NYC) I had Galapagos Travels arrange a trip to Easter Island starting with a bit of time in Chile. This post will focus primarily on our time in Torres del Paine. We began in Santiago, Chile, where it was in the low 90s and sunny. Our hotel was located in the old part of town and was central for touring on foot. This allowed us to walk along the main square, enjoy the beautiful buildings, the day, and the ice cream.  In addition to walking on our own, we had arranged for a … Continue reading 28. Chile – 2011

Madagascar, the land of lemurs and baobab trees, wasn’t even on my short list of places to visit. However, an email arrived in my inbox from Galapagos Travel announcing a trip to this fascinating country.  When I read the itinerary, and realized that unlike most packaged tours, this itinerary provided 3 and 4 nights at most locations and the 3½ weeks would allow us an opportunity to see quite a bit of the country, I couldn’t resist.  I had gone to Galapagos (January, 2004) and to Antarctica (January 07) with Galapagos Travel.  I trusted them and signed us up. Madagascar is … Continue reading 27. Madagascar – 2010

I spent a few wonderful days in Iceland in 2004. I returned to Iceland in 2010 and I will combine the trips in this post. I don’t usually repeat destinations, because there are so many new places to visit, but there was a special reason to return to Iceland – the Northern lights. I heard quite a bit about Northern Lights when I visited Finland and considered returning there in winter.  However, after a bit of research, I realized that Iceland is a great deal warmer (but not warm) in winter than Finland. It is also not in total darkness, which … Continue reading 26. Iceland – 2004 & 2010

The Amazon, that great river and jungle in South America, was next on my list.  The travel choices were an Amazon River cruise, a group tour with a company like Oversees Adventure Travel (OAT) or to create my own itinerary (with the help of a tour company).  The cruise sounded inviting, but I realized that I would only see the area near the river.  A group tour is usually limited as to time and only gets surface deep in an area. I decided to go inland and have an in-depth experience. In order to accomplish this, I researched and found a company called Explorama, … Continue reading 25. The Amazon – 2009

The Dordogne region in Southern France is heavenly! I had gotten spoiled having a guide/driver on earlier trips, and decided to try to also see the Dordogne region that way. But Europe is more expensive than Morocco or SE Asia. Therefore, it made sense to share costs by inviting our friends, Barbara and Harvey Hellering, to join us on this trip. We had traveled with them before and knew that we would enjoy another trip together. We hired Connie Wilson, an American living in France, to arrange the trip and to drive the 4 of us for 10 days in May, 2008.   … Continue reading 24. Dordogne, France – 2008