The adventure is not quite over, but we landed at LAX on October 22nd and finally completed our circle around the globe. We left from this same airport on January 13th of this year to start a journey that took us through 29 countries, and all seven continents. Phil and Meredith were nice enough to make the trip to LA and welcome us back to the west coast. Fish tacos and craft beer rounded out our evening as we got caught with up the San Diegans. Now that we are …

Our return to the new world went pretty smooth, Canadian customs and immigration took no time at all and they didn’t even stamp our passports. It actually took longer waiting at Hertz for our car than it did to make our way through the airport. The drive to Detroit was also quite pleasant, we were treated to some nice fall colors which looked great in the warm afternoon sun. It was also great to be back in a car and be able to sing along with the music. We had …

We have met many Dutch travelers over the past year, and after hearing their stories we were happy to discover that the cheapest way back to America is through Holland. A little wrinkle is that we will land in Toronto, not the US, but close enough.
We spent our last overseas weekend hanging out in a beautiful city. Between the tree lined canals, countless old churches, row houses, cafes, and the start of the fall foliage it was impossible not to be charmed by the city. We went on the …

The train arrived at the station in Marrakech, we said goodbye to the Libyans we met on the way, and wandered off into the night to find our hotel. The next morning we had a chance to explore the city and another busy medina. Compared to Fez, the old city of Marrakech is a little more active and a little more manageable. It’s not as big, the streets are a bit wider, and there are several large open squares – the largest hosts an enormous collection of street cafes that …

After the traditional ferry crossing to Morocco and a two hour time change, we landed in Tangier. We stayed here just for a day before jumping on the train to Fez. We walked our feet off around the old medina and kasbah. We walked towards the new town and dipped our toes in the Mediterranean and took in views of Spanish coast from the other side. The time change, skipping breakfast, and the trouble locating the rental car return had thrown our eating schedule off, so at four o’clock or …

After a marathon of ferries, we still had trips on a train and city bus to reach our final destination. We found a farmhouse outside the city of Perugia that is now a hostel. The place is super nice and has great views of the rolling hills. They have decided to maintain a little of the farm atmosphere, complete with a few horses, geese, ducks, chickens, a dog, and of course you can’t keep the farm cats away. These cats were huge, we wondered if one of them was half …

For the last five days, we got to catch up with a friend who volunteered for the Peace Corps and was placed in Albania. The high speed ferry from Corfu only takes thirty minutes and Lesley met us on the other side for lunch. The town where we landed, Sarande, is quite touristy, including a promenade along the water. After lunch and a 40 minute bus ride (20 kilometers) to Ksamil, we settled into her apartment and walked around town shopping for dinner. We were excited that we could cook …

Our trip from Zagreb to Corfu involved a slight detour to a third country, Hungary. After a seven-hour train ride to Budapest, we had a few hours to figure out how to get to the airport. Fortunately a train goes there from the station downtown, unfortunately it leaves from the other train station. So, we had to get some cash, figure out the trolley system to get across town, and get on another train. We got to the airport right before they closed the check-in counter, and got through security …

Our trip to Dubrovnik was a little longer than expected because the plane left Istanbul took off almost two hours late so we missed our connecting flight in Zagreb. Zagreb’s International airport is quite small, but still has room for two European outdoor cafes. We played a travel game and had some Croatian beer and wine.
We got into Dubrovnik at night so we had new fantastic views waiting for us in the morning. To get an idea of the old walled city, we spent the morning making a complete …

What a difference a plane ride makes. Obviously, but we were now in Europe. Istanbul does a good job of looking and feeling like Europe. We were greeted with efficient public transportation, cute streets full of cafes, real coffee, and public green spaces. Despite the fact that we didn’t get to our hostel until 8pm, we were still able to enjoy the hustle and bustle of evening activity. This may have been enhanced with the evening Ramadan activities, but it was great to see people having a good time.
Istanbul also …