This spectacular park has an east and a west location. The entry fee is good for a week so we visited the west today. We will visit the east on another day.
The cloud formations added to the amazing cactus and I bet sunrise and sunset is amazing to see.
We were fortunate enough to stay at the Loews resort the week of Christmas. The grounds were beautiful and well-maintained. A short trail led to this amazing natural waterfall (yes, in the desert). Apparently when the resort was built in 1984 it was a priority to leave intact all the saguaro cactus in their original locations and so the resort built around all the natural fauna.
The service and food were great and Carli and I visited the gym daily and even attended a group fitness class – the instructor was excellent. We also took advantage of a tennis class. Prosecco and Pickleball on Friday night was a hit!
A large Koi pond was next to the check-in desk and food to feed the fish was provided. The koi know exactly when someone shows up to feed them and wait patiently for the food to be tossed.
As usual, Pete received a lot of attention wherever we went and Pete was quick to uncover where he would receive treats and directed his daily walks on the routes that were guaranteed for treats!
Greece has been on my bucket list for years and I finally made it happen this year. I spent 15 days in four islands and Athens. I was mesmerized by the beauty, the great food, the generous, hospitable people, clean streets, many cats and great shopping. I am not a shopper by nature, but I was surprised to learn how many things are made in Greece. I flew from Portland direct to LHR in 9.5 hours and then an additional 3.5 hours to Athens.
Once I landed in Athens at 2 a.m. I stayed at a hotel near the airport so that I could catch a morning flight to Naxos. Naxos boasts an airport that is literally one room, which was a great foreshadow to how small and quaint this island would be. We stayed in a wonderful hotel which was located right on the beach. The rooms were spotless and well-appointed, the staff was extremely attentive and the authentic breakfast made me never want to leave!
One day I took the bus to Naxos Town and visited the Gates of Apollo, shopped in the beautiful alleys and winding streets and had a wonderful terrace, sea-facing lunch. Naxos Town was a bustling little area that had a wonderful harbor and lots of interesting shops. I really loved Naxos!
After four nights in Naxos I took the ferry to Paros. The ferry is a bit unorganized and seemingly always late, but it is a relatively easy way to commute island to island. Paros was another great island with cute, whitewashed towns with winding alleys, interesting shops and good food. Paros Town had a walking promenade lined with mainly restaurants and shops, which was a great to stroll once the hot day moved to the cooler evening.
We ventured to the beach with a $20 taxi ride and then took a fishing boat/ferry to the town of Naoussa, which was where I had one of the best lunches of my trip! The tomato caper salad was to die for! Again this walk-worthy town was beautiful with upscale shops and alleys that allowed you to meander in the mid-day sun.
An easy daytrip from Paros is the island of Antiparos. Arriving by boat is the only way to get there and there is rumor that Tom Hanks has a house on the island. I loved this island, too. We had a leisurely lunch on the water and walked around for the afternoon. Next time, I might be tempted to stay here instead of Paros.
After three nights, we hopped on the ferry to Santorini. All the pictures you might have seen of this beautiful island are TRUE. After arriving at the ferry port, it is an uphill climb on this island. We stayed in Imerovigli and it was amazing. The view of our hotel was breathtaking and honestly the views from just about anywhere are stunning. We also did a sunset cruise and although it was a bit disorganized, it was great to get close to the caldera and be on the open water. Our best dinner of the trip was in Santorini. It was comprised of tasty food, wonderful hospitality and a dash of showmanship!
I then flew to Athens for my last three nights. I stayed in Plaka at a wonderful apartment. I did not expect to love Athens as much as I did. After all, I expected an old, dirty city with crowds and little charm. But what I found was the exact opposite! Athens is CLEAN, has beautiful gardens, great food, shopping and of course, history! I could see myself living in this city for six months and really exploring it.
Greece far exceeded my expectations. Greece is easy to navigate and English is spoken everywhere, which makes traveling easier. But by far, Greece is about great food, wonderful people and amazing scenery. I have many destinations on my travel list, but Greece might be a place I visit again, very soon!
Cold nights and semi-warm days is Palm Springs in December. This trip was the fifth December trip to Palm Springs and I was able to get out and hike, which was great. Managed four hikes including the Coachella Valley Preserve, which although in the middle of nowhere, was fascinating. It sits on the San Andreas fault line and the water that seeps through the earth creates enough water for these palm trees to grow in the middle of the sandy desert.
I spent the week on the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington. On top of no crowds, the scenery was stunning. 28 miles of white, sandy beaches coupled with some easy hikes to North Head Lighthouse, Cape Disappointment and Oysterville and a horse ride on the beach. It was a relaxing, beautiful week!
I had the good fortune to be in Albuquerque for work during the Balloon Fiesta. It was a beautiful event. The colorful balloons going up in the air with the blue sky as a backdrop was amazing. It doesn’t look like it in the pictures, but there were thousands of people on the field and it was pretty cool that you could talk to the balloonists and see everything up close.
I was lucky enough to spend two weeks in the U. S. Virgin Islands, which included St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John and Virgin Gorda (in the British Virgin Islands). Part of the trip was a homecoming, while three of the islands were brand new to me. All four islands were new to my family. From Oregon, getting to the Virgin Islands is no easy affair and takes about 13 hours (similar to going to Europe for us).
We started our trip with a week in St. Croix. I lived in St. Croix until 1989 and had not been back for 27 years. I was excited to see what has changed, as well as, whether my memory served me well with the fond memories I carried with me for the last 27 years. We stayed in a glorious little hotel right on the beach. Literally, we rolled out of our cottage and right onto the beach. It also happens to be one of the best beaches on the island. Cottages by the Sea was the perfect place for us to be on the quieter side of the island for pure relaxation.
While on St. Croix we visited my old home, which sadly now is an AT&T data farm. Difficult to understand why 13 acres of pristine waterfront property should be used for a data farm, but such is life. The only remaining fixture from the original property was a sugar mill that I had spent hours playing in.
We also went to Buck Island and snorkeled the underwater trail in this incredibly beautiful national park. The sailing trip out there is easy and Turtle Beach is incredibly beautiful. And of course, the underwater trails hosts hundreds of fish and breathtaking coral.
After a week in St. Croix we flew to St. Thomas, a very easy 30 minute plane ride. St. Thomas is much more busy and touristy compared to St. Croix. Also, instead of the intimate, cozy hotel we stayed at in St. Croix, we were at a much larger, busier resort. It was perched on a breathtaking cliff overlooking the St. Thomas harbor with four pools, a nice beach, tennis courts and many restaurants. After the quaint place we stayed, it felt like Disneyland.
We took a ferry to St. John which has some of the most amazing beaches and a tiny downtown area. Only 4,000 residents inhabit this amazing island.
Our final day was spent on Virgin Gorda. We took a 1.5 hour ferry to this little gem of an island to visit The Baths and Devil’s Bay.
Our final night…
This is a trip to be remembered for a very long time.
I was lucky enough to travel to Spain for two weeks! Spain has always been on my travel list, so it was great to finally see it. A nice bonus was that I got to use my Spanish skills, which although were a little rusty, worked just fine for our trip.
We flew into Madrid and figured out the metro system very quickly. We stayed in the Bibao area of Madrid in an Airbnb apartment. This was my first time using Airbnb, so I did not really know what to expect. Overall we used three different Airbnb apartments on our trip and for the most part it worked out great. I figured traveling with the family would be easier in a full apartment rather than a hotel room, especially since Spain’s hotels do not have two double beds in their rooms (but rather only two twin beds). A word of warning when using Airbnb…the pictures make the rooms look much larger than what they are. Also, read the comments carefully so that you can piece together the “true” details of the accommodation.
In Madrid, the metro system was easy to navigate to all the “must-see” sights. The weather was a heatwave at about 20 degrees hotter than usual, so we used the subway a lot more than usual. On our first full day, we meandered over to Puerta del Sol and the Royal Palace. The Royal Palace gave insight to the opulent lifestyle of this national palace.
There really is something magical about the meandering cobblestone streets that were built hundreds of years ago. We also visited (and ate) at the Mercado de San Miguel. There are many art museums to choose from so we went to the Thyssen because of its smaller but impressive collection. On day two we went to Retiro Park, which is a beautiful respite of green space from the very busy city. We also walked the Gran Via and were amazed by all the hustle and bustle; Madrid is a lively (and very clean) city!
We rented a car from Madrid to Barcelona, which was a five hour drive, but much more economical than taking the train or airplane for four people. Barcelona’s metro was not as easy to navigate and so we took a taxi (a definite splurge) to our apartment in the El Born neighborhood. During our time there, we went to Ramblas, La Boqueria Market, Cathedral of Barcelona, Santa Caterina Market, Church of Santa Maria del Mar, Casa Batilo, Palau Guell, the Barceloneta and Block of Discord. It is so interesting to see how Gaudi has influenced the architecture of the city. Barcelona’s must-see attractions are much more close together, so it was easier to walk everywhere instead of navigating the metro.
We then flew to Mallorca. (I definitely would not recommend Ryanair!) I was expecting a quaint, undeveloped island but Mallorca is definitely not that. There were lots of tourists and tourist-related activities. We stayed in C’an Picafort which was primarily a family area. We visited three different beaches in some wonderful hidden coves. We also visited Soller, which is situated high in the mountainous side of the island.
Spain is a beautiful place. The people were very friendly and we had a great time discovering these three areas. The vibrant Spanish lifestyle was very apparent as people seemed to hang out, eat late and then walk the streets late into the night. We managed to find some traditional Spanish fare (versus the touristic menus) and definitely recommend the Menu del Dia to sample the wonderful food. Olives, olive oil, jamon and wine reign in this region! I am sure my kids will remember their Spanish experience for years to come. And ultimately the lesson I always walk away with when I travel is that the world really is a pretty small place where we are more alike than different and location certainly does influence building materials, food and lifestyle.
seniyegroff 