We are still working on some of the finer points of travelling. For example, we spent about 8 hours getting from Kalambaka back to Athens for a flight that we had booked to meet up with my Dad and Cindy in Dubrovnik. If I had done a little more digging, I would have seen that there are flights from Thessaloniki, which would have taken only an hour or so by train. Regardless, we arrived in Croatia.
Read MoreMeteora is one of the most incredible things I've ever seen in my life. In my opinion, it's just as cool as the Acropolis, made more amazing by the fact that far, far less tourists visit this destination, since it's a bit out of the way.
Meteora is a formation of massive monolithic columns, topped with monasteries built as early as the 14th century. It made me think of my brother Justin and my sister-in-law Tania constantly, since he's a geologist and she is a structural engineer--the perfect combination.
The pictures below don't do this UNESCO World Heritage site justice.
Read MoreAfter an incredible stay in Istanbul, Samantha and I headed west a bit to Athens. We figured this would make a great stop before meeting my Dad and Cindy in Croatia at the end of the month, and we were right. I had never been to Greece before, while Sam had but only for one rainy day back in college so it really felt like we were both exploring it for our first time. Athens is a really beautiful city so full of history and culture, which made for days full of museums and walking tours through the ancient city.
We stayed in a great little apartment right below the Acropolis...
Read MoreAfter all our time in the bush, we really enjoyed being back in a city, even if it was on the dirtier side, as far as cities go. Of course, that last bit is my observation, not Chuck’s.
We visited the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Sultan Ahmed Mosque, and of course, Hagia Sophia, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Two of my favorites were the Basilica Cistern—a large and ancient cistern beneath the city of Istanbul, and Dolmabahce Palace—which served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1887 and 1909 to 1922. I also loved the colorful spices and sweets at the Grand Bazaar. We took a cruise down the Bosphorus River, which connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara and divides Istanbul into a “European side” and an “Asian side,” which for some reason really fascinated me.
Read MoreSpending a few nights at Sable Sands was one of the most special parts of our trip so far. While we really enjoyed our time in Victoria Falls, it was a bit touristy for my taste. We wanted to get out into the bush and away from the people, and Sable Sands provided just that.
Sable Sands is a safari lodge that is comfortable but rustic. Each hut has it's own wood-burning stove outside to serve as a water heater, white mosquito netting draped over the bed, a thatched roof, and a gorgeous view over the watering hole in the wide-open valley. As we arrived, monkeys were tramping around the edge of the hole having a drink before moving on to let the next parade of animals have their turn.
Read MoreOne day of our trip in Victoria Falls was spent crossing the border into Botswana to go to Chobe National Park. The first half of the day was spent in an open-air truck (think: typical safari vehicle) and the second half was a water safari in a boat.
We got very lucky and saw lions up close! Almost too close for comfort! Check it out!
Read MoreWe left Cape Town on Saturday, May 6th to fly to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, where we decided to do a safari. The Zimbabwe infrastructure isn’t great (for example, ATMs are almost always out of cash), so we elected to go with a pre-built package with all of the cool stuff scheduled in and paid for so we didn’t have to worry or plan as much.
Read MoreSorry for being so behind on this blog, Samantha and I have been super busy these past few weeks, and were mostly out of internet range. Yesterday we arrived in Istanbul after a long day of travelling, and are really looking forward to this next chapter in the trip. That being said i wanted to recap our last weeks in Africa.
Read MoreI'm not really sure what I expected shark cage diving to be like when Chuck booked our excursion in Gansbaai. I wasn't afraid, though my hair stylist in Port Elizabeth spoke at length about how I should be. I suppose I thought it would be a similar experience to the wildlife viewing we'd done so far--sort of a drive by, take a few pictures and leave, kind of thing.
Not exactly.
Read MoreThe day after Addo Elephant Park, we took another recommendation of our wonderful AirBnB hostess and went to Kragga Kamma Game Reserve, just outside of Port Elizabeth. The reserve had a self-drive option that went around the park, with a stop in the middle of the drive at a cafe overlooking the cheetah enclosure. Unlike Addo, predators in this park are kept separate from their prey.
Read MoreOne of the absolute coolest things to do in Port Elizabeth is to go to Addo Elephant Park.
Addo is the third biggest national park in South Africa, and was our first chance to see wildlife in a more natural setting. Unlike game reserves, the animals at Addo aren't separated into cages to keep, say, the lions from eating the elephants. Tours were available, but we opted to do a self-drive. At the advice of our AirBnB hosts, we packed a picnic lunch and snacked all day while we drove around for about six hours.
Read MoreIt's hard to take a bad photo on South Africa's Garden Route. As our guide at the Villeria game reserve told us, the fynbos biome is one of the most biologically diverse regions in the world. As we drove from Betty's Bay to Hermanus to Cape Agulhas to Knysna, we passed through deserts, jungles, plains, and jagged coastal mountains.
At times, I felt like I was back in Nebraska. We saw some center pivots, and lots of pastures with cattle grazing in them. But then, I'd see a giant ostrich roaming around and snap back to reality.
Hermanus used to be a major fishing village. Now, it's a tourist destination. We spent lots of time hiking along the cliff trails, which was gorgeous. But I have to say, a major highlight for me was watching Out of Africa with Meryl Streep, which was a video option in our AirBnb. As we drove along from Hermanus to Knysna, "I had a farm....in Africa..." kept echoing in my head.
Read MoreLast Friday Chuck and I headed to the town of Franschhoek, nestled between the jagged peaks east of Cape Town. This small town overflows with excellent wineries.
Our AirBNB was a cozy cottage behind the main house on a historic grape farm estate. The owner, Paulette, has lived in the house her entire life. She and her husband have known each other since grade school. The front door of the cottage was divided into two sections—top and bottom. Part of me expected a horse to shove the top half open and neigh for attention at any moment.
Read MoreThank goodness Chuck had time to send everyone an update! We've been very busy and are still a bit behind on posting photos and videos, but here are some to start.
As you know, we spent our 10 or so days in Cape Town. Here are just a few snaps from the window of our first AirBnb, as well as a nice day spent in Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.
Read MoreWe have been off to a slow start on this blog, and for that I'd like to apologize. I've very much been in vacation mode and not necessarily world traveler mode. As we are getting ready to leave our first destination it is sinking in more and more that we have barely begun this journey. Cape Town has been the perfect kick off for Samantha and I. Similar enough in culture where we don't feel like complete tourists (read most everyone speaks English), but after 30+ hours of travel it also feels very far from home.
We have been obsessing over the food, and have had some truly unbelievable meals. If you're ever in the area La Mouette and La Boheme are musts. That being said, we haven't had a bad meal yet. We've spent a considerable amount of time just walking the different neighborhoods and everywhere we have stopped has been a real treat. The craft beer scene is young but seems to be thriving, and its been really fun to see styles like "West Coast IPA" and "American Pale Ale" on the menus.
Read MoreSamantha and Charles Parsons went a little overboard when planning their honeymoon. Instead of a few short weeks of travel, they opted for a year-long adventure around the world! Follow along as they leave their home in Denver, Colorado in the United States to travel the globe.
Just click on the logo of the store you want to shop at, and every purchase you make at that retailer will get the Parsons team around 4% - 8% of the cost of your order!
It costs you nothing!
Charles & Samantha Parsons
parsonsworldonline@gmail.com
