Our time in this charming place is winding down, but our love affair with Sicily remains. Already we are dreaming of returning here in the future and with an even longer stay. I am just so glad that sweet Cody was able to spend a wonderful week with us here. We packed her days with …
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Thieves’ Confession
Stan and I walk a lot. The exercise is good, but more than that, walking gives us joy and makes us feel energized, especially when we can walk in forests or on country roads. On most days, the air is light, pure, and free – it smells like a baby, as if it was just …
Parking in Italy
As usual, it’s one thing or another. There is no free parking in Italy. Honestly, even restaurants have parking pay stations. And just finding an open spot on the street or in a parking lot is a chore as well. I have been told that people add an extra hour to their trip plans to account for locating a parking spot. What an amazing …
Palermo
What a beautiful city! People say it is tired, run down, and suffers from cheap, unimaginative building design that took place in the period between 1950 and the mid-1980s. I agree that the city is still a bit rough around the edges, but Stan and I were surprised to see that its heart is rich, historic, and absolutely beautiful. With newly designated pedestrian streets, new museums, and classic restaurants and shops, it’s becoming a top tourist …
Why I love this place
I’m not sure Stan is, but I am enamored with this place. When I wake in the morning, the sky is huge. It is blue and bordered by mountains and the sea. Farmlands of grapes, olives, and stone houses set off the landscape. I cannot help myself from saying, “Oh, how I like this place!” Late at night, we go to our upstairs terrace to witness a stage full of twinkling stars. …
We like Sicily!
On an overnight train from Nice to Venice, Stan and I and a young French man discussed how lucky some of us are to have inherent advantages in life just because of when and where our mothers gave birth to us. One born in Canada, for example, might have a head start over a baby born in Ethiopia. In our case, Stan and I were musing how lucky we are to …
They’re Taking Me to Marrakech
Just saying the city’s name instantly launches that song in your head, and it keeps going on and on, like a loop recording. You know the one; I hope you enjoy hearing it for the next few days. The city is magic, eclectic, steeped in pure spicy Moroccan culture, and it is like two worlds …
Casablanca & Rabat, Colorful Cities
Morocco is nice. Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport is a long, long way from Casablanca and even farther from our beachside Airbnb near Mohammedia. But our place is a great place to relax. Temperatures by the beach are warm but not too hot, the pool in our apartment complex is fantastic, and the beach is …
Middle East: Jordan, Bethelem, and Jerusalem
Yes, we went there; we did! Borders reopened in June this year, but tourists only began making the journey in September. Tourism, which is a key economic source for these countries, has been nil since the war began. There were only sparse crowds at any of the points we visited. Our first guide said we were …
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And now, Amman, Jordan
We arrived at our hotel in old town Amman late in the afternoon. We were greeted graciously and happily. Later, Stan returned to the lobby to pay our bill. The owner, a professor at a university here, was there to greet him. They chatted and have become friends. I have yet to meet him, but he …