This is one stunningly beautiful place in the Balkans. It’s bordered by Serbia and Bosnia, and Kosovo to the east. Kotor was founded in the 5th century. The old city was built in 12th to m14th centuries. The protected walls lead up the the fortress of Saint Ivan. Kotor is on the World Heritage list.
Perast is a tiny village about a 30 minute ride from Kotor. It’s right on the water and a great place to grab lunch. There is some fishing here, but not a lot more to do.
Monemvasia is a beautiful medieval walled city. Its ancient documented history dates back the 8th century. However, it had some settlements above it that date to a much earlier time. These are evidenced by the ruins atop the cliffs above the walled city. Monemvasia is home to only 1,300 people. Its absolutely charming and while it is almost an island, it is not, as it is connected to the mainland by a narrow 200 meter causeway.
Olympia is the birthplace of the Olympics. There are several acres of excavated artifacts and ruins in the park to be explored. It is an active dig from an archaeological perspective.
The Ionian islands are much more lush when compared to the Cyclades. They are considerably more mountainous. The people here are as friendly and welcoming as everywhere else in Greece. It’s a great place for a 2 week sailing charter. It has beautiful beaches, fabulous waters, delicious food, awesome wine, and great sunsets. It has just about everything one requires for a magical time.
And that’s it from here. Not sure where I am headed next but I hope to file an entry from there, possibly Montenegro or Croatia. Thanks for viewing and checking in.
Paros is located in the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea. It’s a bit larger than Milos or Sifnos. It is home to some 14,000 residents. It’s about 150 km south of Athens and mainland Greece. The two main towns are Parika and Naoussa. They are both full of traditional taverns, great restaurants, sophisticated bars, and lots of shopping. They both enjoy a vibrant night-life. Cars are critical to mobility and rentals are prevalent.
Sifnos is known mostly for its gastronomy. I decided to visit my old friend Marko who lives here. He was gracious enough to allow me to stay in his villa here. It’s nice to have some wealthy friends who live in nice places. I arrived here via ferry from Milos. The little harbor is known as Kamares. Although the island is home to only 2,250 residents, it boasts more than 300 churches. That’s like one church for every 7.5 people. Who needs that many churches? Highly recommend a visit if you are ever in the area. Not just amazing food here, but great beaches and nightlife.
Soon I am off to Paros and Antiparos. I hope to make another entry then. Thanks for taking some time to look at these. Hope you enjoyed.
The North Shore of Maui is vastly different from the major tourist destinations of Wailea or Kaanapali. There are no major hotels, only a few very small ones. There are several great restaurants in the area. What the North Shore is best known for are giant waves. The largest waves in the world are often recorded as happening here, and Peahi (better known as Jaws) is it. The largest of these monsters arise only in the winter months. The genesis of these waves is the severe Pacific winter storms in the northern hemisphere. These storms which may be a few thousand miles away create giant swells. This area of Maui is also a nice part to spend time on if you are looking for a more local experience. There are some nice little towns on this side of the island, Kula, Makawao, and Pukalani to name a few. There is a lot of agriculture upcountry too. I also visited Haleakala National Park during sunrise at Maui’s highest point atop of the extinct volcano.
So that’s going to be it from Maui this time. Until I write and publish again, stay safe and enjoy some time away somewhere.
I decided after several weeks on Maui that I needed to decompress a bit.
A beautiful, logical, and logistically easy option was Lana’i. Although this place is cost prohibitive to many, my sponsor was very generous with me, so off I went, bound for the Four Seasons Hotel at Manele Bay. I spent the night before at the Lahaina Hotel, which was located only 3 blocks from the ferry to Lana’i. The next morning I had an early breakfast and then walked to the ferry. The ferry is usually a very pleasant 45 minute cruise, and this time it didn’t disappoint. Because it is winter I was able to spot whales along the way to Lana’i. Hard to say how many because how do you know if it’s the same whale breaching, or another one? I was greeted at the Lana’i harbor by a representative from the hotel and she transported me to reception (Only a 5 minute drive).
The Island is home to only about 3,000 people. 98 percent of the entire island was acquired from Castle & Cooke in 2012 by Larry Ellison, the then CEO of Oracle Corporation (not to mention the fifth wealthiest human on the planet). Ellison’s vision is to create a sustainable and carbon neutral island. He is well on the way, with much of the energy being from solar and wind. As part of this effort to sustainability, Ellison has created two 20,000 square-foot computer monitored hydroponic farms/greenhouses, with plans for four more.
While the tempo here is much dialed down from Maui, there are enough things to do so as to preclude any moments of boredom. Beach stuff, golf, hiking, snorkeling, biking, and tide pooling, just to name a few. There also is the little town of Lana’i City where most of the residents live. This town is located about 20-25 minutes by car up the hill to the middle of the island at an elevation of 1,650 feet. It has some shopping, but is otherwise pretty quiet. Other than the Four Seasons Resort at Manele Bay and the Sensei Resort up near Lana’i City (also managed by Four Seasons), no other hotels exist on Lana’i. These are both relatively small properties in terms of guest accommodations. Between the two properties there are less than 300 rooms and suites.
I’m hanging here as long as my expense account last. At that point I will ferry back to Maui. Be well until then.
It’s been a while, but I am back out there. Started back with a pretty easy trip to Hawaii. Thought it would be a good place to spend time until this Covid thing finally blows over. I purchased a one-way ticket so I had a lot of flexibility. Because of all the unknowns posed by Covid, I decided to book only my first hotel. That way if the trip was scuttled I wouldn’t lose too much in the way of reservation deposits. There was availability all over the islands I chose to visit. I witnessed lots and rainbows, but never any rain. The temperatures at the beach was about 80 degrees fahrenheit. From the little beach town of Paia on the north shore, I drive my Mini Cooper rental to Hana. Although the trip is only 39 miles, it takes between 2.5 and 3 hours (with no stopping for views or problems). Due to the many one lane bridges, cars must stop many times and yield to oncoming traffic. It’s also I good idea to check for road closures before you depart. If the road to Hana closes you must turn around, no other options. One other important recommendation I would make is to stay in Hana at least 2 or 3 nights. The drive is so beautiful one feels compelled to stop many times along the way. A leisurely drive with just 4 or 5 stops can easily take upwards of 5 hours one way. Close to and in Hana are white, black, and red sand beaches. There are some great hikes and plenty of scenic opportunities.
Once in Hana I checked into my hotel in Hana. The population of Hana is only 1,526 people as of 2020 census. There is only one hotel. Formerly known as Travasa, and before that the Hana Hotel, it is now owned and operated by Hyatt. As you can imagine the hotel is quite small. However, it has a good restaurant and spa. There are other nice amenities to enjoy as well. So, not only is it “the” place to stay, it’s the only place to stay.
Take a short but dangerous hike from the hotel property to the Red Sand Beach. The bay is also known as Kaihalulu Bay. This is only one of a few red sand beaches in the world. The bay is shielded by the otherwise very rough ocean by a reef.
As I travel around this island and possibly others, I will keep on posting. So stay tuned.
This is my final spot to spend a few days. The tiny municipality and small coastal village is known for its natural beauty and its literary and musical residents. Among its more well known residents is Richard Branson, the Virgin Records mogul, and Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fame. With its tiny population of 620 it is quiet and very manageable. It’s easy to see the appeal because of the stunning topography, foliage, and stone structures. The only negative that is easily identified is the roads. They are so narrow and winding that if you miss your turn, it won’t be easy to turn around. It could take several miles to make the correction. That’s a small price to pay to be able to spend some time here.
Mallorca is located approximately 160 miles south of Barcelona, Spain in the Balearic Sea. Traveling to Mallora I plan to split my time in two locations. The first being the area in the northern portion on the island, Pollenca. This installment is about Pollenca and its nearby environs. Mallorca is vastly different from my last location in Italy. The obvious differences being the food, the attitude of the spaniards, and the fact that there are rules of the road and they are pretty much obeyed. This island is extremely clean, litter free, and unlike a lot of places in Europe, they recycle. The typography is also quite stunning. There are plenty of amazing beaches, as well as mountains rising 4,700 feet above sea level.
24 hours was the perfect length of time to spend in Napoli. During those action packed 24 hours I enjoyed 2 pizzas, a fabulous seafood dinner, some great coffee, the gritty essence of the Napoli Streets, and the Herculaneum UNESCO site. Basically, the Herculaneum is similar to its sister city Pompeii, only smaller and less visited. Being just 14 KM from Napoli it’s also a more practical option when pressed for time. Herculaneum was buried in 20 meters of hot ash (approximately 60 feet) at the same time as Pompeii in AD 79 with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The original city dates back to the 6th to the 4th centuries BC. Many of the structures including the wooden portions such as roofs, beams, and doors were all well preserved because the pyroclastic material that covered the city carbonized and thereby preserved nearly everything. Even other organic materials like food were preserved. As of today it is estimated that 75% of the city still remains buried. Unfortunately, the modern Italian cities of Ercolano and Portico lie above on the site, thus precluding any excavation.
Recent multidisciplinary research on the lethal effects of the pyroclastic surges during the eruption showed that in the vicinity of Pompeii and Herculaneum, heat was the main cause of death of people previously thought to have died from suffocation caused by the ash. This study showed that exposure to these surges, measuring at least 250 degrees celsius (482 degrees fahrenheit) even at at distance of 10-15 kilometers from the volcano vent was sufficient enough to cause instant death.
