Yesterday, we drove to Ka‘u, the southwestern district of the Big Island, home of the real southernmost point of the United States, contrary to what they think in Key West. The drive along Highway 11, the Hawaii Belt Road, descended 4,000 feet from Volcano to sea level. Our first stop was the black sand beach … Continue reading
Although the lava flow that wiped out the coastal portion of the Chain of Craters Road occurred in 1986, the lava field at the end of the road where we took all our pictures dates to 2003. Lava flows across this area year after year. So, we were amazed to find plant life poking up … Continue reading
In the Florida Keys, the locals call the road that connects the mainland to the islands the “18 Mile Stretch.” Here in Hawaii, we traveled another Stretch, the “Chain of Craters Road,” that starts at the top of the Kīlauea Caldera and follows the lava flow 18 miles downhill to the sea. The first part … Continue reading
The house we’re staying in is about 2 miles from the Kīlauea Caldera in the Volcano National Park. The volcano has erupted as recently as 1982! Here’s an aerial photograph to give you a little perspective on how close we are (the blue dot is us): The Hawaiian Islands are volcanic islands. As fissures have … Continue reading
We flew from Los Angeles to the big island of Hawaii today, with a short layover in Honolulu. We’re now near the little village of Volcano, about 25 miles southwest of Hilo, staying at Hale Mauka (Hawaiian for “mountain house”), our home exchange. Our home exchange partners, Rob and Diana, moved to the big island … Continue reading
Hola from LA! We flew into LAX yesterday and are visiting our dear friend, Debbie Yates, in Culver City, California, en route to Hawaii for our 30th anniversary. It’s been a beautiful day here in Southern California: clear skies and about 72° outside, so we took advantage of the weather and the fact that today … Continue reading
This past weekend, on Dale’s birthday, we flew up to Madison, Wisconsin, for a wedding: Jim and Von Gern’s son, Tyson, was getting married to his long-time girlfriend, Kristina. After arriving in Madison to 103° heat, we checked into the hotel and went to the Gern’s for a wedding party where we were able to … Continue reading
We had a great trip and now we’re back home. I’ve already posted the map for our travels in Turkey; now, here’s a map showing our travels in Greece in relation to Crete (the blue dot is on Hania in Crete). On mainland Greece, we traveled 534 miles in our rental car, flying into and … Continue reading
Our hike up to the Acropolis left us hungry and thirsty, so we headed back down to the touristy restaurant row area near the Roman ruins for an early dinner. We’ve noticed during our travels through Greece, especially here in Athens, that many of the shops are shuttered and closed, though the restaurants and tavernas … Continue reading
The Acropolis is a limestone bluff standing 300 feet above the surrounding city of Athens. It has supposedly been occupied since 5000 B.C., but really came into its own around 1500 B.C. during Mycenaean times when a cyclopean wall was built around it to fortify the top where there was a palace and a temple … Continue reading
We flew to Athens Saturday afternoon and checked into the Hotel Attalos, right in the heart of the city. On the roof of our hotel there was a bar with an excellent view of the Acropolis. The structure you see on the top of the Acropolis is the Parthenon (the flag in the foreground is … Continue reading
We like to mix up the days with sightseeing, relaxation and exercise, as the destination allows. After two days of hanging out on the beach at Mátala, it was time for some exertion, lest we turn into beach bums. One of the things that we had on our “to do” list for this trip was … Continue reading
We left Mátala on Thursday and drove back to the northern coast to Hania (a/k/a Chania or Xania), the second largest city in Crete. Hania gets major billing in the guidebooks as a great place to visit, but that says more about the guidebooks than it does about Hania. While the old harbor of Hania … Continue reading
We spent another afternoon at the beach in Mátala after our time at Phaistos and Kelly, Deanna and I swam out to a ledge and climbed up to visit the Roman tombs, there on the right in the picture below. Afterwards, Kelly swam farther out and climbed up on the outcropping in the middle of … Continue reading
It has been a real challenge driving in Greece; especially in Crete where my iPhone GPS app has had a tendency to prefer dirt roads over paved ones, so we haven’t been able to rely on it like we did in Turkey or England. For the most part, the roads and highways in Greece are … Continue reading
After Knossos, we drove south to see the other side of the island and stopped at a remote beach town called Mátala. It was the type of place we had hoped to find in Crete, so we decided to stay two nights. Mátala was immortalized in the song, “Carey,” by Joni Mitchell in her 1971 … Continue reading
Well, we were finally able to get to the Minoan ruins at Knossos yesterday. Unfortunately, because we had to make the hour and a half drive to the ruins from Rethymnon back through Heraklion, we weren’t able to beat the tour buses to the site and it was quite busy by the time we got … Continue reading
Yesterday was a double big day here in Greece: Father’s Day and national elections. We hiked up to a restaurant on top of the hill overlooking town for a celebratory Father’s Day dinner. After the sun set, we headed back to the hotel. As we walked down the street, the Greek national election returns were … Continue reading
After getting up early to beat the crowds to Knossos, the most impressive of the Minoan ruins in Crete, we were disappointed yet again by the site being closed. The excuse this time was the national election that has been so breathlessly anticipated by the financial press. Greece, including Crete, is a beautiful country; unfortunately, … Continue reading
We picked up Deanna, Kelly’s college roommate, at the Athens airport yesterday and then this morning the four of us flew out of that same airport for Heraklion in Crete. Deanna will be joining us for the rest of our travels in Greece, then she and Kelly will fly to Barcelona together while Dale and … Continue reading
Delphi was first inhabited in Mycanean times around 1500 B.C., but it started to flourish as a spiritual center in the 8th century B.C. when priests from Knossos in Crete brought the cult of Apollo to the site. Entering the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi, we walked up the Sacred Way, winding our way through … Continue reading
After touring ancient Olympia yesterday, we drove for five hours to Delphi on the Greek mainland. The ancient Greeks considered Delphi to be the center of the world. It’s easy to see how they could have come to that conclusion, high atop the mountains. Here’s the view from our hotel room at the Hotel Acropole. … Continue reading
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World no longer exist, except for a pyramid or two in Egypt. On this trip, we’ve seen where two of the seven previously stood: the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus; and the Statute of Zeus in Olympia. All that remains of the Temple of Artemis is a lone, reerected … Continue reading
Today, we visited the ancient sanctuary of Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games. The first known game, part of the Festival of Zeus, took place in 776 B.C. and had only one event: an approximately 200 meter long foot race. Other events, like wrestling and chariot racing, were added over time and the games … Continue reading
Epidavros was a healing center that flourished in the Peloponnese for 1,000 years, beginning in the 5th century B.C. In ancient times, it was known for its cult, dedicated to the Healing God, Asklepios (note the staff and serpent, the symbol for health organizations, even in modern day). Today, however, Epidavros is known primarily for … Continue reading
The Road Less Traveled 