greondastravels

We survived our 5 hour ferry trip which turned into a 6 hour ferry trip and arrived at Adamas port on the island of Milos where we stayed for 5 nights. We had breakie, a very good bougatsa, and coffees and waited for our ferry.

On our first night, we had a celebratory drink and dinner to discuss what our itinerary was going to be for the following 4 days. TD Julie had it all worked out!😀

We found a coffee spot at the end of our street, and seeing it was named Gregory’s , it became our go to for coffees! On our first day, Julie had organized a day sailing around the island on a catamaran. We sat with our feline friend waiting to board our “Cat”.

There were 20 of us onboard with Kris, our skipper, Gorgia, our hostess , and Alex , the “in charge man “, which he did particularly well with the drinks later on!😂.

Our first stop was a breakie and swim stop at Kleftiko Beach. Too cold for us to swim but the scenery was amazing with the white volcanic rocks and caves created by the waves and winds. It was boat central with many other cruises doing the same as us. The name means “bandit lair” as pirates historically used the rocky mazes and secret caves to hide their ships and loot.

We continued to sail on marveling at the scenic coastline. Next stop we decided to jump in the crystal clear water and have a swim. It was magical.

Whilst Alex and Gorgia were cooking up a storm for lunch and providing us with beers and wine, we sailed past Tsigrado Beach, regarded as one of the most beautiful sea shores in Greece, but bloody difficult to access. If you enlarge the photo you can spot the narrow ladder which you have tackle to get down to the beach. We were happy to see it from the water.

We continued on sailing, eating and drinking with a couple more stops for a swim. The coastline was amazing with clear turquoise water and the cliff rock formations making for heaps of photo ops!

We then sailed to the island of Polyaigos, the biggest uninhabited island of the Mediterranean, to have a swim in the magical Blue Lagoon. The water was such an amazing colour, the photos do not do it justice.

Then it was time to head back home. It was an amazing day, weather was great, not too choppy, and we all enjoyed ourselves. Thanks Julie!

Next morning Rhonda awoke with a head cold, so decided it was going to be an easy day! We caught the bus to Pollonia, a 20 minute 2 euro trip. It is the islands 2nd biggest settlement and is a fishing village. It had the usual white washed houses set around a pretty harbour.

We visited the family owned Kostantakis Cave Winery for a wine tasting and it was rather nice.

Next morning we went for a walk before breakie for coffee, at Gregory’s of course, and the morning sun on the village made for some nice photos.

We decided to head off to Mandrakia, classed as the most beautiful fishing village on Milos. It probably would have been except it was raining! Julie wished to have lunch at a rather famous restaurant called Medousa. You could not make a reservation so we queued for 45 minutes…in the rain….to make sure we could get a spot. Our lunch was rather lovely. We had a medousa salad and grilled tuna, enjoying the sea view through the rain and the plastic coverings! Greg went out to check out the sun dried octopus hanging in the rain.

Finally the rain stopped so we headed off to do a short hike to Sarakiniko Beach. The beach has a lunar type landscape and is a photographers dream. Don’t worry we won’t post the 60 odd photos we took!😂

The rock formations feature smooth white rocks with plenty of horizontal layers. The area is named after the Saracen pirates who once used the area for hideouts due to the many caves.

It was a truly extraordinary vista of chalk white rock formations and the contrast with the blue sea made it an amazing sight. We will probably never see anything like it again. Magical.

Back home we decided to have a few sundowners, so sussed out a few bars.

We did another morning walk, this time up to the church at the top of the village. That was of course after our Gregory’s coffee stop.

We caught another bus and first stop was a hike down the cliff to Klima. It was a goat track, our first of many treks today!

We then arrived at Klima, famous for its rows of colorful 2 storey boat houses called syrmata, built right on the waters edge. Ground floors are used to store fishing boats while the upper levels are the living quarters. Great photo ops again and so pretty!

Then we hiked BACK UP THE HILL passing by a cute little church built into the hillside, finally arriving at Tripiti, a small village with views of the sea. It was a sleepy hollow when we arrived, probably siesta time, but luckily we found one bar open to re hydrate.

Then it was another hike to Plaka, which is famous for its sunset viewing. Plaka is perched on the top of a large rock overlooking the Gulf of Milos. No cars can enter the village due to its narrow streets.

We decided to have an early dinner to try to get a decent position to view the sunset. It was quite comical sitting having dinner and watching the array of “ the beautiful Instagrammers and Influencers” parading in their finery to get those shots to post. Us girls decided that we really should have frocked up for the event!😂 Dinner was delicious. We shared a beef and aubergine with tomato and a plate of grilled vegetables washed down with a couple of glasses of rose wine. Then Gregory decided he needed dessert, so a pistachio ice cream was in order. Note the quote on the wafer.😂

Then it was time to try get a position to watch the sun set. It was a great day.

We think we have done Milos proud. Thanks Julie for your itinerary. Today we head off to Folegandros for 3 nights, hopefully to rest up a bit.

Remember too to click on each photo as we have noticed some are being condensed or shrunk to fit into the blog. Sorry!

So it’s bye for now

Love Rhonda and Greg.

Xxx

We arrived in Paros on a late ferry and needed to collect our hire car, which needed up being problematical. 🤦‍♀️ GPS sent us down a very wrong narrow street which resulted in us smashing a side mirror on a parked car. After several minutes of tense negotiation, it was decided to settle with a half and half cost.

We finally arrived at our home for the next 5 nights and it has been delightful, very comfortable with sea and Mountain views.

We did an early morning walk to clear the head after after our drama with the car and found our local beach, a 8 minute walk with 2 tavernas which we thought would be good for a sundowner.

We were then in the car for our first venture out on the island of Paros. First stop was Kostos, a quaint village with a small population of only 200 , and 3 churches, and off the beaten tourist path and we loved it.

Next stop was Lefkes, and it is the village where you begin the Byzantine Path hike…..which we did. Lefkes was the original capital of Paros, built deliberately inland in the 17th century as a protected enclave from piracy. It worked cause we didn’t see any pirates! It was, yes, another white washed village with narrow cobbled alleyways….just the norm!😂

We fueled up with coffee and donuts to begin our hike. The Pathway is the oldest trail in Paros and goes from Lefkes to another village called Prodromos and is about 3 and a half kms one way, but of course for us it was 7 kms because we had to do the return journey. The trail is sometimes paved with marble stones but mostly it was a rocky dirt trail going up and down constantly.

By the time we had returned to our starting point, thirsty, hungry and very dusty, but satisfied that we had achieved our goal, we headed off to Piso Livadi for a well deserved lunch. The calamari and sea bass were both sensational and we ate at a lovely restaurant on the waterfront. It was a great way to finish off a tiring but lovely day.

The next day was declared to be a rest day after our strenuous hike the day before so we drove down to the port area called Parikia, it was a lot busier with both people and traffic than Tinos ever was.

One of the main attractions is the Church of 100 doors ( the Greek name is too long to write😂) It is said to only have 99 visible doors ( we didn’t try to count them) and the legend says that the hundredth door will only reveal itself when the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul becomes an Orthodox Church again. The interior was amazing with frescoes and paintings.We were intrigued by rows of metal plaques throughout the church with legs, arms, eyes, babies, etc etc. They are called “tamata” and are offered to the Virgin Mary as a prayer request or thank you for a miracle that has occurred.

We wandered around and came across the Church of Agios Konstantinos in the old town and built in the 17th century. Nearby was the Frankish Castle of Paros built in the 12th century by the Venetians using marble from ancient Greek temples, that’s re cycling for you!

After all our wandering it was time to get out of the busy port area. We found a nice spot on the water to sit and hydrate with a nice couple of ice cold beers.

That night Greg cooked up a storm on the bbq at home. The grilled sea bass was sensational.

The following day we set off for a visit to Antiparos, a small island less than 2 kms from Paros Island, an 8 minute, one euro fifty ferry trip away. It said to be laid back , charming and full of character. Well it certainly was when we first arrived at 10:15. We wandered the narrow alleyways again with the usual white washed houses and bougainvilleas. (Sorry but there are more photos!!!)

The Church of Agros Nikolaos was built in 1703 and was originally inside the Antiparos Venetian Castle along with 5 other churches. Ramparts of the original wall are visible but that’s about all.

After we had wandered, we stopped for a beer and a bite of lunch. By this time hundreds were charging off the ferries so it was time for us to leave. Tom Hanks apparently lives on the island during the summer months. We did try to find him but failed miserably! 🙄

We changed into our bathers when we got home and went first to check out a church on a headland next to our little home. We then stopped off for a quick dip at a nice quiet beach for a refreshing dip, although some found it a little cold…..not us.😂

Next day we headed off first to Naousa, and it’s classed as “ the most stylish and developed village “on the island. Of course we had to check it out. We wandered the very picturesque old port area with loads of fishing boats with their fresh catch of the day displayed.

It is known as party central , and we understand why by the number of tavernas in town. We were very happy we visited in the morning!👍 There were, of course, the usual white washed houses and churches tucked around every corner.

As it was our last day on Paros we decided we should have a swim and do lunch so we made our way to Kolymbithres beach, famous for its smooth granite like rock formations, and it’s crystal clear turquoise water. First we needed lunch so we headed to a beachside taverna. The grilled calamari and octopus were both delicious and fueled us up for a swim.

Then into the magnificent water. It was sensational, so clear and in such a spectacular setting. The best swim so far.

So that’s the update from Paros. Tomorrow it’s an early start for a VERY LOOOOOOONG ferry trip to the island of Milos for another 5 night stay. The weather has been great. Usually mid to high 20’s and around 20 overnight, just perfect.

So it’s yia sou from us.

Lots of love

Greg and Rhonda.

We have just spent 5 nights on our first Greek island, the lovely Tinos. It is famous for its dove cotes, mountain villages, one particular pilgrimage church and much more but more about those later.

Our accommodation here was very comfortable, if not a tad windy , but Tinos is famous for its winds! We have great views of the town centre called Chora and the port with its ferry activity.

We hired a car here on Tinos to travel to some of the mountain villages. Our first day we did just that and our first stop was the village of Agapi, one of the oldest villages on the island. It’s a traditional mountain village with the usual white buildings and very pretty.

Next stop was Volax, another gorgeous village surrounded by stunning rock formations that create a lunar type landscape.The old blue doors that you find throughout the village are inscribed with verses from Greek poets and are unique to Volax.

Of course by this time it was coffee time so found a nice to sit and ponder for a while.

Moving on, we stopped next at Palatados, yep, another mountain village. The Cathedral of St John stands in the centre and was built in 1901 however it was not open for us to see the marble interior.

Throughout this area of Tinos there are between 600 and 1000 Dove cotes which are unique to the island. The breeding of doves was introduced by the Venetians between 1204 and 1715. Initially the right to breed pigeons was reserved for the Venetians nobility and the more intricate the structure , the more superior the status of the owner.

By this time our stomachs were crying out for food so we stopped at Dio Choria. Not only did we have a great lunch, we had a great view to go with it. The moussaka and the pastichio were delicious.

Also poked our noses into the cute little Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, one of the hundreds of thousands of churches you see as you drive around the island but don’t worry you will not suffer with photos of every single one.

We then took 25 minutes to wind our way slowly down 4 kilometers to the port area of Tinos called Chora.Tinos is famous for the Church of Panagis Evangelistria. The church holds a famous Icon of the Virgin Mary and no we did not queue up to kiss it. Thousands of Orthodox Christians visit the church each year as a a pilgrimage. Many of these pilgrims crawl on their knees around 800 meters uphill from the port and then up the steps, via a red carpet to kiss the Icon and pay homage to the Virgin Mary. As you can probably guess, we did not do that either!

Even though we didn’t crawl, we were still tired out so needed refreshment.

Then we headed back to our abode to watch the sunset. Rather spectacular!

Next day was a bit of a rest day. Drove for a coffee in the morning and found another road on the other side of the port for a different view.

We decided we should check out one of the beaches so we drove to Agios Romanos and had a swim. It was a sandy beach and the water was exceptionally clear.

Next day was Sunday so of course we needed to find a Brunettis. We tried the Orange Cake ( doesn’t sound very Greek but apparently it’s famous on the island) and a piece of galaktoboureko, a custard filled pastry. Oth were rather good and the coffee wasn’t bad either.

Then it was back in the car for another trip around d some more mountain villages. First stop was Kardiani, known as one of the most beautiful villages on the island and built on the slopes of Mount Pateles.

White marble is prevent in the village’s architecture and we wandered the cobblestone alleyways, went up and down narrow flights of stairs and past the white washed houses.The Church of Panagiotis Kioura had a quaint 18th century fishy fountain and throughout the village there were photo displays of by gone times. We loved it, not touristy at all.

Our next stop was Isternia, another village known for its marble. In 1834 there were over 1000 residents in the village due to the marble quarries but today only about 150 people reside there. Another nice quiet spot to wander.

Onward to Pyrgos, the largest village on the island, and considered to be the most picturesque. Again its claim to fame is its marble. Maybe because it was Sunday and there were many people out and about doing lunch, it didn’t do much for us, we preferred the quieter other villages. The main square had a huge plane tree giving shade to the hordes of people having lunch! We wandered again through the cobbled streets with the bougainvilleas against the white washed walls making for lots of photo ops! Hope you are not sick already of white villages cause there will be lots more to come!

y this stage we were hu grey so we ventured down to the sea port of Pyrgos, a gorgeous little fishing village called Panormos. It was bombed in 1941 but 3 years later it was the first area of the Cyclades to be officially liberated.

Found a great spot for lunch. Even though the wine was not so great…..the food was fabulous. We started with a tomato and cucumber salad, followed by shrimp saganaki and blue whiting. Delicious!

Yesterday was our last day here on Tinos. We headed off to check out another beach although we decided not to have a swim, as we were headed out to lunch afterwards and nothing worse than sitting in wet bathers!

Back to Chora for lunch. The saganaki and the grilled peppers were great, especially as they were washed down with a couple of beers.

Later today we leave our island of Tinos and head to Paros for 5 nights.Beware probably more photos of white washed houses!😂

Yia Sou from Tinos

Until next time

Love Greg and Rhonda

xxxx

y

On our last night In Albania, we had a group dinner to say goodbye.

Then it was on a plane from Tirana to Athens!

We met Jude and Julie to begin our 3 week Greek adventure. Our hotel was in a great position in the centre of the city and more importantly had a roof top bar with a view of the Acropolis and also a view from our room.

We had an early dinner then began to wander the city.We saw the Metropoloitan Cathedral of Athens. Construction began in 1842 and was completed 20 years later. Marble was used from 72 demolished churches to build the walls. The little Metropolis Church sits right next to the Cathedral. It dates back to the 12th Century and built from Greek and Roman marble blocks.

We continued to wander and came across Hadrians Gate, built in AD 131. It spans an ancient road leading towards the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

We then came across Parliament House or the Old Royal Palace which overlooks the Monument to the Unknown Soldier, where the changing of the guards take place . The guards are known as Evzones and stand on guard 24/7. They are chosen for their stamina, strong character and height of above 6ft 1 inch. Maybe Greg could apply. Their kilts have 400 pleats representing 400 years of Ottoman occupation. They must be pretty smelly standing there in the heat day in day out!

After that it was definitely time for a drink so back to our hotel to the rooftop bar for some night shots! It was rather spectacular.

Up early next morning for breakie. The bougatsa (cream / custard filled phylo pie) and the spanakopita were both delicious and fueled us up for the day that was ahead.

Greg of course wanted to check out the Varvakios Central Market. The fish, the meat and the vegetables all looked very fresh and quite colorful.

We then came across Hadrians Library, or what’s left of it! It was built by Roman Emperor Hadrian in AD 132.

It was quite warm, and we were feeling a little thirsty, so it was time to find the oldest distillery and bar in Athens. Brettos began operating in 1909 in the heart of the Plaka district. It was a great place to rehydrate in the colorful surroundings of spirit bottles and barrels.

By now we were in the Plaka area, the oldest and most historic neighborhood of Athens and filled with shops, restaurants and cobbled streets. We managed to find the oldest part of the Plaka, called Anafiotika, no tourist shops, only houses where the locals live, and situated right at the foot of the Acropolis. It was gorgeous.

We found a great spot for lunch, the stuffed eggplant and stuffed tomato and capsicum were delicious. All washed down with a very large cold beer.

We decided to return to our hotel for a rest before our climb to the Acropolis at 6pm.

Acropolis means “ high city” and we joined thousands of other tourists wandering the ancient monuments in the heat, including the Parthenon, Erechtheior, and the Temple of Athen Nike.

On the way down we caught glimpses of the huge extent of the city surroundings and also the Temple of Hephaestus, the best preserved Greek Doric Temple. In our opinion it was better than the Parthenon!😂

We enjoyed Athens. It was very busy, loads of people and traffic. Do we need to return at some stage, no we don’t think so but it is a tick off the bucket list.

It was then time to head to our first Island, the island of Tinos. Luckily it wasn’t too busy on the ferry and of course we had business class seats, no sitting with riff raff for us!

We arrived safely at Tinos and more about that later. We would like to thank Julie for her input in this blog! Thanks Julie, it saved us 20 minutes.😂

So Yia sou from Tinos

Lots of love

Greg and Rhonda

xxxxx

Well dinner was nice last night but more about that later.

After we had left the Fortress in the morning we were back on the bus for a short drive to the small village of Dhoksat for a traditional homemade lunch at a private family home. Before eating we were taken around his vineyard and then he showed us his bee hives. Lunch was absolutely sensational, all cooked by his wife, with everything just delicious but in particular, the eggplant parmigana. Yummo!

After such a huge lunch we decided on a very light dinner. A couple of drinks and a snack from the local bakery. And by the way it was still extremely hot. Around 38 degrees but we did have a shower of rain and suddenly a gorgeous rainbow appeared.

Next day we left Gjirokaster to head to Saranda for the night. First stop was the Blue Eye, a karstic spring with supposedly stunning clear aqua marine water. Well we were a little unimpressed as were most of our fellow travellers. 😂

Then we continued on to the UNESCO listed Butrint, one of the “greatest archeological sites in the Balkans”………but according to Greg a pile of rocks.

The site dates back to the Neolithic age and the site was occupied and fought over until the Ottoman period when it was abandoned. Excavations more recently have revealed a Roman Theatre, a Roman Bath house and Baptistery, which we were told had the most amazing mosaic floor which had been covered over 2 weeks previously! Buggar! But the tour guide promised us mosaics in the church. Well, a little disappointing we must say.

We then continued to the shores of the Mediterranean for our night stop at Saranda. It was supposed to be the Albanias answer to the French Riviera, however we didn’t quite see it that way.

We went and had a sundowner at one of the local bars and enjoyed the sunset, however we knew we were in a very tourist location because the price went up!😂

We went out to dinner, which was lovely, however one of these items caused both of us to be quite u well for a couple of days! Thank God for Imodium! 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️😬

So woke up the next morning feeling absolutely shit. Our trip for the day was a very winding road heading up to the Llogora National Park supposedly one of the most scenic drives in Europe. Once the tour guide saw me, she said…..front seat Rhonda. On the way we stopped at Ali Pasha Fortress, a castle on a small peninsular within Palermo Bay.

After the fortress we stopped at Himara for coffee ( hydrolytes for Rhonda) . We think this would have been a much better place to stay than the busy Saranda.

Then we continued onto the National Park for our nights stay. Rhonda slept the afternoon away and enjoyed a piece of dry toast for dinner. Delicious!

Woke up feeling a little better so back on the bus, but still in the front seat….just in case!😂 Our first stop was another pile of rocks, Apollonia , founded in 585BC and dedicated to the God Apollo. The city achieved fame and wealth before joining the Roman Empire and becoming Caesar’s stronghold.

Greg was happy to see some mosaics on the floor of a Roman villa. Then we continued onto the gorgeous town of Berat, known as the town of a thousand windows, with its white Ottoman era houses.

We first visited the Fortress on the hilltop. We went inside the Holy Trinity Church, a 14th century church with amazing icons inside.

Our hotel in Berat was gorgeous overlooking the Ottoman houses. We liked the town, it was not touristy at all, just had a problem finding a bar for a drink that would take credit card.

We had dinner at the hotel that night and went for a wander in the morning as we had a late checkout.

Loved Berat, Rhonda’s favorite spot of the tour.

Today is the last day of the tour. We came straight to Kruja, a hillside town about an hour out of Tirana. The views of the Fortress are impressive however the Bazaar area is agin tourist central, not our cup of tea!

So that’s it from Albania.

We have come to a few conclusions here. Bus trips are definitely not us and we need to do our own thing! Tomorrow we have an early wake up call to take us to Tirana Airport for our flight to Athens and the next part of the journey begins. So Rhonda can tick Albania off her bucket list and Greg says never again!😂

So until next time

Lots of love

Greg and Rhonda.

Well we know now that Bus Tours are definitely not our preferred way to travel. So busy with one night stops, no time to smell the roses or do the washing, but still time for a few drinks.

We left Tirana and travelled to Lake Ohrid. Our first stop was at the Bektashi World. Centre, an Islamic Sect that evolved in the 13th century during the Ottoman Empire. The tombs held the remains of religious leaders. The main mosque had beautiful marbles mosaics on the walls and dome. It amazed us how 4 religions can exist in one country with no hostility, Islam, Muslim, Christianity and Eastern Orthodox.

We then continued onto Lake Ohrid and had lunch which consisted of vegetarian meatballs and salad.

Then we continued onto our overnight stop at a small village called Tushemisht, right on the lake.The lake is apparently one of the oldest lakes in the world and situated in the Driloni National Park.

We wandered around and then had a lovely dinner of grilled vegetables and lake fish called belvica.

Next day we’re were heading to Korca. First stop was Voskopoja, a town founded in the 16th century. Once an urban settlement , it was famous for its beautiful churches adorned with frescoes. Originally 26 churches were built between 1630 and 1780. The road was the trade route from Venice to Constantinople . Today only 5 remain due to war, earthquakes and erosion however the original frescoes we saw in 3 of them were beautiful. The first was the Church of the Holy Virgin and it was the largest and built in 1694.

Second stop was the Church of St Nicholas and again many of the frescoes have stood the test of time.

The 3rd was the Church of the Archangels built around 1696. They were all incredible and you all know how we love frescoes.

We then had lunch a small local taverna. We shared a salad because we didn’t have much local cash and they didn’t take credit card! We have now learned to ask if they take credit card before we order!

We then arrived in Korca which sits at the foot of the Morova Mountains. We saw the. Athedral, quite a modern structure and then wandered into the Bazaar Area, had a taste of raki and decided to stay for dinner.

Dinner was delicious,, Rhonda had pork with plums and Greg’s meatballs, which in his words did not resemble meatballs what so ever, but the wine was lovely!

The following day we were heading to Gjirokaster, a place Rhonda had been looking forward to seeing. It was a very winding road through the Southern Highlands and the lunch stop was at a gin/brewey/restaurant so of course we had to try the local gin!

After lunch it was more winding roads driving through the White Mountains via the Keleyra Gorge and driving very close to the Greece border.

Then we arrived in Gjirokaster, known as “The Grey Pearl of Albania” due to its stone roofs Ottoman houses and its hill top fortress. Checked into the hotel and then out for a drink. Well shock horror , it was tourist central, quite a disappointment!

We were having 2 nights here, surprise surprise. Time to do some washing! The following morning we walked up to the fortress, first constructed in the 12th century. It has 5 towers and is one of the biggest fortresses in the Balkans. The Ottomans expanded it in the 14th century and in the Communist era it was used as a prison for political prisoners until 1968.

There is a bit more to come for this part but it’s dinner time and we need food! More tomorrow hopefully!

Bye for now

Lots of love

Greg and Rhonda

xxxx

We have found our way to Tirana and we can tell you that it’s been bloody hot! We still managed to be out and about, and tried the food , beer and wine.

It didn’t start well when our taxi driver dropped us off in the middle of the city and pointed us in the direction of the hotel. Eventually after searching for a while, we found it and we were told that we didn’t have a booking for us that night! You can all imagine Gregory’s mood!🤦‍♀️😬. It was sorted out relatively quickly so we dumped our bags and headed off for a well deserved lunch and drinks….in the 40 degree heat! We tried an agulua salad and stuffed aubergine. It was bloody delicious and really cheap!

Our hotel was in the Old Bazaar area, quite colorful, and resonable! We wandered around the afternoon quite close to the hotel, had a few drinks, a delicious SEA BASS dinner and were in bed early due to our very early flight with our 4 am wake up call.

We were up early the next morning to have our coffee fix and found a great little cafe called Noor. We were told that Albania has a coffee culture and Noor proved it correct.It was a day of wandering around Tirana. We found the remains of the Tirana Castle. Only some walls remain now but now it is a small pedestrian lane way full of trendy bars and cafes.

We wandered past a rather unusual sculpture called “The Cloud”, we wandered through the fish market, and lastly the Namazgah Mosque.

We wandered on….in the heat…..🥵 to The Pyramid of Tirana, built originally as a museum but now a convention centre and no we did not walk up those steps, too bloody hot! By that stage we needed a coffee so wandered through the trendy Blloku district and found a “nearly Brunettis” coffee place, and a lot of healer too!

We crossed the Lana River and Greg had a rest on one of the ladies laps on the bridge. By this time we were rather thirsty and rather hot so needed a refreshment. We went to the rather eclectic Bar called Kometiti, a bar/museum for a well earned aperol and GnT. Then headed back to our morning place, Noor , for an early dinner, a calabrese salad and a Caesar wrap.

We noticed when walking around the city there is some very interesting a modern architecture. The Skanderberg Building is built to the likeness of the head of Albanias National hero, Gjergi Kastrioti Skanderberg. Quite unusual, and another has the map of Albania protruding out on its facade.

That evening we met our group for the first time for drinks. Out of 15 people, we are the only Aussies. The remainder are Scottish and English. On that first night the jury was out as to how the group would come together but we had already made our first impressions which have ended up being what we initially thought!😂

Day 1 of the tour, bloody hot again, and we started with a tour of Et’Hem Bey Mosque., situated on the main square, Skanderbeg Square and built at the end of the 18th century and spared from destruction by the Communist Party when 10000 people protested and it became the onset of the fall of communism in Albania. There are beautiful frescoes in the interior.

Then onto Bunk Art 2, an underground Cold War nuclear bunker now converted to a history museum. It was built between 1981 and 1986 under the dictator Enver Hoxha as a secret shelter for the Ministry of Internal Affairs Officials. There were 175,000 bunkers built across Albania in the Communist era. There was an interesting sculpture in one room with the following quote..” we built socialism by holding a pick axe in one hand and a rifle in the other”.

We then hopped on our tour bus and went into the hills surrounding Tirana for a rustic lunch at a family guesthouse. It would have been a lot more pleasant if it wasn’t so hot. Then we made our way to the Dajti Express Cable car to admire the views of Tirana below however with the heat haze and smoke coming from fires still burning, we did not get much of a view. At the guesthouse there happened to be a pink flamingo, the symbol of the ongoing protests held in Tirana each evening against the impending resort that Ivana Trump and her husband wish to build. Rhonda didn’t get a chance to join the protest but had the photo taken with the flamingo instead!😂

We headed back to the hotel for a rest then time for a final drink and dinner in Tirana. As they say in Tirana…” if you haven’t eaten a salad in Tirana, then you haven’t been to Tirana”. Well we’ve eaten plenty of salads so we have certainly been to Tirana. The stuffed aubergines and peppers and the grilled vegetables have been absolute delicious and so very cheap.

So that is Tirana in a nutshell. Sorry it’s been a while since we did a post being this being on a tour does not give much time for relaxing! Will try to give another update soon!

So bye for now until the next time

lots of love

Greg and Rhonda

After an un eventful flight from Melbourne to Singapore, then Singapore to Zurich we had a safe landing. The only difficult part was getting through immigration at Zurich Airport with the new rules that apply now to anyone entering the Schengen countries for the first time. After one and a half hours of waiting in a very long queue, we finally saw daylight and also our Swiss son Claudio, who very kindly came to pick us up.

We stayed with Jean Pierre at Richterswil, about 30 kms from Zurich overlooking the beautiful Lake Zurich.

We caught up with Claudio, Sandra and the boys, Lio and Mailo for lunch. Lunch was at Luegeten, a beautiful place overlooking Lake Zurich. We had a speciality of the house…..riesen-pastetli…..Swiss meatballs with mushrooms in a huge vol u vent. It was delicious.

The next day we went out with Claudio and JP to Burgunstock Mountain, which has a 5 star resort and hotel overlooking Lake Lucerne. We walked to the Hotel Villa Honegg , a beautiful rather classy 5 star hotel for lunch.

Our lunch was delicious. We started with a beer to quench the thirst, then Rhonda had lake pike fish on a bed of risotto with broccolini and Greg had chicken with rosemary gnocchi. The setting was delightful with the views of the lake and the lovely hotel which was built in 1907.

Claudio decided that we should take a different track back to the car. It was a route march, going up and up and up. Rhonda was not happy. She decided she should have had a glass of water for lunch. But in saying that the scenery was lovely and once the track flattened out it was very enjoyable!

We didn’t realize how big Lake Lucerne was with its 4 arms winding around tiny villages making for spectacular views at each bend.

That night we had a lovely bbq at JP’s with Claudio and Sandra and the boys.

Claudio decided we hadn’t walked enough so the following day, along with Sandra and the boys we went to Stoos. Stoos has a funicular which is the steepest funicular railway in the world featuring a “ jaw dropping maximum gradient of 110%” It was pretty cool.

Once the funicular reached the top, we took a ski lift further up the mountain. It was great seeing and listening to the Swiss cows with their bells ringing.

Once we got to the top, Claudio decided we should walk down to have lunch. In his words, it’s downhill and should take 45 minutes. Well, it was certainly downhill, quite steep and rocky and took us one and a half hours!😂

The Mountain views were spectacular and it took our minds off the rather difficult path……at times!

At least we only had ourselves to carry. Sandra carried little Mailo the whole way and a lot of the time Claudio had Lio on his shoulders, except when Lio wanted to run fast fast fast down the hill!😂

Thank you Claudio and Sandra and JP for giving us such a great time. It was wonderful to catch up with everyone and meet little Mailo for the first time.❤️

Last night we stayed at a hotel at Zurich airport as we had a very early flight to Albania. We arrived in Tirana , have settled into our hotel for 3 nights with our tour beginning tomorrow evening. Gregory has already had some issues with things!Things can’t only get better!🤦‍♀️🤞😂 Details later.

So that’s it for the first blog. More to come. By the way the weather is bloody hot here, 38 degrees today!

lots of love

Greg and Rhonda

xxx

It’s goodbye to Sunrise Beach and also goodbye to sunshine and warm weather! Not looking forward to that at all. Tomorrow we head for home, 2 nights on the road, Nambucca Heads and Yass.

We spent a lovely 3 days with Jude, talking rubbish, drinking wine and of course going to have pizza. We were so busy we forgot to take a photo of the 3 of us….sorry Jude…..but we did take photos of the pizza!

We are still having morning coffee at 10 and GnTs at 11. That will cease when we get home, except for the coffee!

This past week the weather has been sensational, blue skies, no wind , full sun and low 20’s. According to the locals this is how it usually is, not the showers , grey skies and strong winds that we have been having. Our morning beach walks have been great!

We did our last National Park Trek. It was a stunning day even though we didn’t see any whales!

Our sunsets have still been spectacular and sorry, but the photos still come!Greg cannot help himself!

So that’s it from sunny Queensland. We will return in 3 weeks when we arrive in Switzerland for the beginning of our shortened Europe trip this year. We will be home just in time to wash the shorts and t shirts and re pack the bags!

Time to go and pack the car! See you all soon in cold old Melbourne.

lots of love

Greg and Rhonda

We have just spent a fun filled 9 days with our dear friends Janet and Michael. There were lots of laughs, lots of food, lots of drinks, and heaps of great times.Hope you guys are not tooooo cold back in Melbourne.

By the way before we get into the frivolities of the week, we are still having magnificent sunsets.

The first day that Janet and Michael arrived, we made them do the obligatory walk along the beach in the afternoon.

As you can probably tell, by the hair, it’s was a tad windy and unfortunately that blasted wind lasted for quite a few days!

Of course Friday night was the usual pizza night at Somedays with pre dinner drinks at our now favorite bar, the Village Bicycle Bar.

We decided to go for a Sunday arvo drive to the small village of Pomona, to have a beverage at the old pub built in 1913. The floor we thought was the original 1913 floor ( we watched it move as people walked around) and some of the locals were “interesting” , but we had a lot laughs and the beer was good!

We treated ourselves to a lunch at Bistro C on Hastings Street, and of course had to order the famous egg washed calamari. The girls had a fabulous scallop entree to start and dessert consisted of express martinis. Of course lunch was washed down with a couple bottles of wine. Yummy!

During the stay there was a “cook off” between Greg and Michael. Greg’s attempt was mixed grill on the bbq with chips and greens.

Michael’s turn was a chicken chasseur with mashed spuds and steamed broccoli.

Janet and I decided it was a draw!!!!

We ventured our for coffees numerous times and the occasional ice cream.

Of course we had to introduce Janet and Michael to a couple of local breweries. We went to Land and Sea, and Heads of Noosa and also the Doonan Pub.

Whilst we went out for a number of walks, around the local streets and along the beach, we tackled the National Park one morning. Un fortunately didn’t spot any whales.

We introduced Janet and Michael to “elevenses” , which is drinks on the balcony at 11am. They certainly got into the swing rather quickly!😁

We bid farewell to our guests with a farewell sunset drink. It was a lot of fun and we hope we didn’t tire you guys out too much.

So now it’s back to the 2 of us…….until tomorrow when Jude comes back up for a few nights.

So maybe one more post before we return home. Next Friday is departure day from sunny Sunrise Beach with 2 nights on the road before hitting cold old Wantirna. Can’t say we are looking forward to that.

Lots of love

Greg and Rhonda.