Tag: travel

Intriguing South Georgia Island🐧

On By Cathy NoiceIn Cathy NoiceLeave a comment

I have been intrigued by South Georgia Island since reading about Sir Ernest Shackleton and the voyage of his ship the Endurance. It is such a remote place I assumed I would never actually see the island; nevertheless, set foot on it. I am happy to report that the island is far beyond my wildest imaginings. It is the convergence of history, topography and an unfathomable array of animals. I traveled there with my brother, Rick, in February of 2026 on the ship Hondius.  We first traveled to the Falkland Islands and our second destination was to South Georgia Island. South Georgia, like the Falklands, is in a permanent state of dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom. The Argentines say it’s theirs and the UK actually has a very small group of people who operate a research station there. There are a handful of people who winter through on the island and there are about twenty folks who live there in the summer operating a museum, post office and store.

Exploring the stunning landscapes of South Georgia Island by zodiac, where adventure awaits.

Getting on the island is no small task. There is no airport or dock. The only way to arrive is by zodiac (a twenty foot inflatable boat with a motor and hard deck with seating on the pontoons that surround it) after all the passengers have been checked for any potential contamination. Boots and all outer wear must be inspected before anyone can arrive on land. This is to maintain the delicate environment for the various wildlife that come through South Georgia to mate, give birth and molt.

The first thing that is so utterly striking about the island is not only its size (it’s much larger than I imagined in my head) but its beautiful topography. While the Falklands were flat rolling hills, South Georgia is one long line of mountain peaks, many covered with glaciers. It’s quite the contrast to the Falklands. Outside of seven defunct whaling stations around the south side of the island, there is no infrastructure outside of the research station and museum complex in Grytviken. Most of the whaling stations contain asbestos and you are not allowed to enter the buildings. There are two mountain ranges here, the Allardyce Range and the Salvesen Range with 183 named peaks. The highest of which is Mount Paget at 9,629 feet. Even more remarkable is that there are 160 glaciers here that cover 50% of the land. Everywhere you turn you see another craggy peak covered in a glacier. It’s simply breathtaking although inhospitable. Shackleton found that out when he had to traverse the uncharted mountains to get to the Stromness whaling station in May of 1916 after his ship was crushed by ice flows and the majority of his crew were stranded on Elephant island. It’s a beautiful but dangerous land.

We took zodiacs several times to make landfall and enjoy the multitude of penguins who come here annually. The largest and second largest colony of King penguins come here for their rookery in the summer. Here they give birth to their young, raise them for several months and then experience a catastrophic molt which involves losing all their feathers and takes a month for their new feathers to come it. So, when we visited the two different colonies most of the penguins are just standing in place as they wait for their feathers to come in. Such patience.

The second largest King penguin colony in the world is on Salisbury Plain on South Georgia where there are over 150,000 mated pairs. We arrived by zodiac and the penguins and fur seals were EVERYWHERE. As we arrived on land, we took off our flotation devices and many curious seal pups and juvenile penguins started coming right up to us.  We had been instructed to stay 15 feet away from any animal, I’m here to tell you that is virtually impossible. Rick and I soon learned how to run the gauntlet along the path that was set out by our guides. The seals are much more curious and the older seals are much more brazen at coming up. There were several times where we each put up our hands and backed away from an intruding adolescent seal. We traipsed through lots of mud, forged creeks but finally arrived at the heart of the colony. It’s amazing to see penguins as far as the eye can see all the way up the side of a valley. They all looked like a well-dressed standing room only crowd waiting for a show. 95% are standing up packed in next to each other. It was quite the experience. On our way back to the zodiacs, Rick almost went over backwards trying to back away from a more aggressive seal. Luckily, he didn’t fall because it would have been a mess to get cleaned up.

The next day was a zodiac observation ride along the largest King penguin colony at St. Andrew’s Bay. Here over a half million penguins congregate annually. The zodiacs ran parallel with the coast so that we could observe thousands of penguins milling along the water’s edge, diving into the water or standing like sentinels up the various valleys and up to the side of a hill as I previously mentioned It’s overwhelming to see so many live beings in one area of the world congregating peacefully. The fur seals and elephant seals are there as well. Rick got some great footage of two male elephant seals having what is essentially a shouting match with one eventually sulking away.

We went ashore at Grytviken and enjoyed the museum and a tour there. Rick and I ran the gauntlet of fur seals to get to the grave of Ernest Shackleton. I’ve learned that walking with purpose is the way to keep the curious seals at bay.  They seem to back off if you don’t look tentative. There is also the replica of the James Cairn which is the lifeboat that Shackleton took from Elephant Island to South Georgia. When you see the size of the boat and have already experienced some of the big swells on the South Atlantic and Antarctic seas, it’s an amazing feat that 6 men survived the trip. There is also the defunct whaling station there and the knowledge that when it was first started in 1904, they didn’t have to leave the bay to be able to kill over 100 whales. The fact that so many whales were hunted until practical extinction is mind blowing.

Our final day was a stop at Cooper Bay and a colony of Macaroni penguins. These are adorable penguins that have crests on top of their heads with bright yellow plumes and dark red beaks. After five days in South Georgia, we set sail for the Orkney Islands and the home of Chin Strap penguins.  I had no idea that there so many different kinds of penguins but each is unique and they are incredible fun to watch either swim or waddle on land. The fur seals are fun as well when they are together in a swimming hole as they frolic together in the water. For me, South Georgia has been such a fulfilling stop between the history of whaling, the storied end to Shackleton’s ill- fated journey across Antarctica, a stunning landscape of dark craggy mountains with endless glaciers to a potpourris of penguins, sea birds and seals. There is some spell binding experience at every turn and I hope to venture back some day.

The Falklands: More Than I imagined 🇫🇰

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My brother Rick and I traveled to the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) in January of 2026 aboard an expedition cruise on the Dutch ship “Hondius”. We boarded in Ushuaia, Argentina and spent a day and a half sailing to the Falkland Islands. This was my first expedition trip and I must say, it has a lot of advantages to being on a much larger ship.  There are only 162 passengers and 70 crew on board. The reason for the smaller ship is that there are restrictions in the Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica.  No more than 100 people can make landfall at the same time. Thus, immediately upon boarding we were assigned to the Red Group or the Blue Group. When the Red Group went on shore, the Blue Group would cruise the coast line in zodiacs. Large cruise ships don’t go to the Falklands or South Georgia It’s much more intimate. In fact, the only other cruise ships we saw were in Stanley (the capital of the Falkland Islands), where there is a dock available.

My brother Rick and I on a zodiac headed for shore in the Falkland Islands.

Preparing to go on shore via the zodiac is no small ordeal. We had to clean all of our outer gear like rain jacket, rain pants, muck boots and gloves to make sure it was free of any foreign objects such as crumbs, seeds, and dirt. We used brushes and paper clips to clean out the tread on the bottom of the boots. All of these preparations are to keep from contaminating the environment. Once we were all suited up in the mandatory rain jacket, waterproof pants and muck boots, we had to put our life preserver on top of it all. A hat was next, sunglasses, trekking poles and waterproof back pack. I felt like I was suiting up for Mars. Once suited up and our group had been called, we headed to where they load the zodiacs. They took our room key to make sure they had everyone accounted for before leaving the ship. There was an attendant on the inside of the ship and then the zodiac arrived next to the door outside the ship. The driver and attendant helped each rider over the pontoon to sit on the edge of the zodiac. The first few times we got onto the zodiac was quite intimidating because the ocean swell was relatively high (maybe 2 feet) and it’s a timing thing to get on the zodiac. We all had to wear water-proof gear because of riding in an open zodiac. You have to assume that you will get wet and we did.

Our first day in the Falklands, we took a zodiac and landed on the beach at Carcass Island (gruesome name). Upon landing we were greeted by hundreds of Magellanic penguins. They have eyes that are encircled with white. Gentoo penguins were also present and  are about the same size but have a less distinctive white spot behind their eyes. It is incredible to see hundreds of penguins milling around the beach or running into the water with their hapless saunter. We were told to always keep our distance of 15 feet from any animal we encountered. Rick and I also spied black-brow albatross which are elegant birds when they are soaring in the sky but are quite clumsy on land. Apparently 70% of the world population of these albatrosses are located in the Falklands. We hiked across the island to a pick-up point for the zodiacs which was about 4 miles away. I was really struck by the fact that there are no trees on the island, just rolling grass covered hills and white sandy beaches. It reminded me of Northern California.

The afternoon of the first day was spent at Saunders Beach. Here there are Rockhopper penguins that look like they have a bad toupee with black and white hair making a crown. They are rather squat in height and hop everywhere so it’s absolutely adorable. There was also a slew of King penguins which are the tallest penguins and they have neon orange on their beaks, back of the head and on their chest. Some of the King penguins were still caring for eggs on top of their feet. There was also a giant rookery for black-browed albatross who mate for life and return each year to the same nest. The higher the nest, the longer the mated couple have been together. There were hundreds of chicks sitting on top of the nests waiting for their parents to come back with food. It’s amazing to walk amongst the circle of life with these beautiful creatures.

The last day was spent in Stanley, Falkland Islands. This is the largest village on the 700 plus islands that make up the Falklands. The Falklands have a population of 3,600 and 3,000 of the residents live in Stanley. If you live here, you hold several jobs at once since the population is so small. The Falklands are a British overseas territory so only English or Falkland pounds are taken as currency. Everyone speaks with a British accent; they drive on the left-hand side of the road and it’s the largest Land Rover market per capita in the world. It’s strange to feel like you are in a small village outside of London but you are in reality 8,000 miles away near the end of the world. The relationship between the Falklands and the Argentines is difficult. Argentina will only let resupply ships in once a month and the only flights you can take to Stanley are through the military or Montevideo, Uruguay or Santiago, Chile. When we were in Ushuaia, the Argentinians still claim that the Malvinas are part of their territory extending to the Antarctic although there are no Argentines living there.

The Falklands (Malvinas) is a desolate oasis at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean with a rich history, varied wildlife and resilient residents who love their heritage. I would guess that about the only way you can visit is by water or airplane and a lot of planning.  

Patagonia Surprised Me: The Little Cultural Differences I Didn’t Expect👀

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My brother, Rick and I traveled through the Chilean and Argentinian portions of Patagonia for three weeks. I love travel because I get to learn about different cultures and it never fails to surprise me. I have traveled to Colombia, Peru, Brazil and Venezuela before and I have to admit that I had assumed that Chile and Argentina were going to be pretty similar to those countries since they are all part of the same continent. I was incorrect.

My blue tongue from eating Calafate berries

Here are some of the surprises and differences:

·      Pronunciation. There are several words and terms that are unique in their pronunciation. WIFI is pronounced as wee-fee (it sounds adorable). An IPA beer is pronounced as EE-pah (short and sweet). It took me a few minutes to figure out that locals in Chile and Argentina refer to a boat tour as “navigation”. This confused me for a bit until I clarified what “navigation” meant. I briefly thought it meant we would be on a sailboat (we weren’t). All of the various guides we had on this trip referred to wilderness as wild-erness. The folks from Argentina pronounce the double L in Spanish as “sh” instead of “y”. This one pronunciation threw off my Spanish while traveling in Argentina. There are a ton of Spanish words like silla (chair), llama (called), llave (key), calle (road), lluvia (rain), pollo (chicken) and ella (she) with the double L. I am relatively fluent in Spanish but this change in pronunciation absolutely threw me off.

·      Traffic. We took a tour in downtown Santiago and there are crosswalk signals on a lot of streets. What is crazy is that when the signal turns to “Walk” there is a small green stick figure walking slowly at the beginning of the signal but then they slowly start walking faster until it’s sprinting. It’s pretty funny to see it go from standing, to walking, to jogging to sprinting. Road signs in Argentina are covered with stickers. It’s almost like graffiti everywhere and it’s a wonder that you can even read the signs like how many kilometers to El Calafate.

·      Bathrooms. In every national park I went to in Chile, there is either no toilet paper or there is a communal toilet paper outside the stalls. I did not realize this the first time I used the bathroom and another woman on my tour instinctively knew to hand me some over the stall wall. I got into the practice of always carrying a few spare squares before heading into the stall. There is also the practice of not throwing any toilet paper into the toilet due to their sewer systems. It took me a few days to break the habit of throwing paper into the toilet but into a small garbage can. Every hotel room we had in Argentina had a bidet in the bathroom (even a hostel we stayed at).  I also never saw a pit toilet in any of the National Parks. Regardless of how remote something was (say a 90-minute ride on gravel road) there was a full bathroom with a flush toilet available.

·      Drinks. When we traveled to hiking excursions in Patagonia, there frequently was a guide and driver for the vehicle. They have this communal habit of sharing a Yerba Mate. The driver drives and the guide (seated next to them) is constantly refilling hot water into the Mate vessel and they pass the drink with a single metal straw back and forth. Rick tried a few times to order ice tea. We had one waiter in Puerto Varas that was providing the best service and when Rick asked if they had ice tea he said “yes”. Luckily, I enquired further in Spanish. The waiter had suggested a hot tea with ice cream (not ice) on top. Luckily, we figured that out and Rick ordered Coke Zero which had been available all across Patagonia. I always order “aqua con gas” or sparkling water as it assures me that it’s not tap water which they say can be hard for foreigners to digest.

·      Food. I believe that every guide we had in Chile or Argentina introduced (or reintroduced) Calafate berries to us. There are bushes all over Patagonia with Calafate berries. The guide would point it out and invariably asked us to have a few. It’s pretty funny because it turns your tongue blue and the berries are tasty and a little sour. Rick loves lamb and he came to the right place. There were countless restaurants and events where lamb was served in addition to beef and Guanaco. Guanaco are a mix between llamas and camels and are ubiquitous across Patagonia. Both the Guanaco and Calafate berries can’t be domesticated which I found amazing since so many places sell guanaco empanadas or Calafate jam. Porotos en escabeche is frequently served with bread (not butter). It’s beans in vinegar and herbs and used to put on your bread.

·      Music. I remember traveling to Lisbon last year and there being English Christmas songs being piped into all the streets in town. In isolated Patagonia in both Chile and Argentina, we heard old American songs like the Beatles, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson and even Pink Floyd in restaurants and tour vehicles. It’s disconcerting to hear songs from fifty years ago playing all the time. I rarely heard any music in Spanish.

I really enjoy discovering new cultural experiences. I noticed a sign on the wall that said “Zorro” with a picture of a fox. I did not realize that the name for Zorro came from Spanish and not by the television/movie from years ago. The native people and Spanish conquistadors came long before an American tourist like me.

Torres del Paine in Chilean Patagonia🏔️

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My brother Rick and I are on a multiple week journey through Patagonia, starting off in Santiago, then onto the lakes region and ending our time in Chile in Torres del Paine (Blue Towers) National Park. This is the area of Patagonia that I imagined in my head before coming here. Sharp edged rocks soaring towards the heavens with pristine glaciers. It absolutely did not disappoint although it took three days for the weather to permit a stunning view of what are called “The Horns”.

We flew into the tiny airport of Puerto Natales. The airport is so small that there are no jet bridges and you exit from the front and back of the airplane directly onto the tarmac. It isn’t possible for more than one plane to be on the tarmac so they must turn around the same plane before the next plane can arrive. One gate, one baggage claim and no services other than a small booth selling sodas; just check-in and bathrooms. We knew that our transfer to Patagonia Camp (our next destination) would be delayed but luckily Max from Patagonia Camp met us and put us in a taxi to the small town of Puerto Natales where we grabbed some lunch. From there our transport picked us up along with some American folks coming from Argentina and headed to the same location. It’s a 90-minute drive on a very dusty, potholed road to get from Puerto Natales to Patagonia Camp. After about 30 minutes there was no more pavement; most of the roads while we were in Torres del Paine National Park were gravel and barely two lanes. It’s intimidating watching buses and large vans coming from the opposite direction but our driver was fortunately unflappable.

Torres del Paine National Park along the Miradores Trail with “The Horns” on the left

We arrived at Patagonia Camp at about 6 PM and were immediately ushered into an orientation about the property. They took our luggage to our yurt as we sat in the reception area where we were greeted with a welcome drink and appetizers. From there we went onto a different meeting room to select our excursions for the next three days. This is the first time I have stayed at an all-inclusive resort and both Rick and I felt like it had a White Lotus vibe (an HBO show) where everyone on the staff is so friendly and eager to make you comfortable. We had a lake front yurt with a hot tub. When I think “yurt”, I think of a tent in the middle of the dessert and a shared bathroom. That was not even close to the luxury of Patagonia Camp. The yurts are framed with wood and covered with tarp but also have a plastic top at the peak which gives a clear view of the starlit skies. There is a private bath off the side of the yurt which is a wooden structure. It’s really quite remarkable with natural formed wooden tables, comfortable beds and a fridge stocked with food and drinks. All we had to do was call the front desk to have the hot tub uncovered. The best aspect of the camp was the terrific food. The desserts and appetizers were works of art and there were new choices at each meal. The restaurant and bar had a beautiful view of Lago Toro and the spires of Torres del Paine in the distance.

Our first hike was the next day and we went for a hike within the National Park then to a rock outcropping that had cave paintings on the Aonikenk Trail. The trail is in puma (mountain lion) country and children under the age of fifteen are not allowed to hike since they are the main target of pumas. That’s a scary piece of information! You also have to hike with a guide in case you run into a puma. We did not have any puma encounters. We were able to see the handprints and figures on the rock from 11,000 BC. It rained, it was windy (gusts to 40 miles an hour) and the spires of the Torres del Paine were obscured for most of the day.

The next day my brother was able to check off a bucket list item for him; doing the 12-hour trip of hiking to the base of the horns in Torres del Paine. He hiked with the folks that we picked up on our transport from Puerto Natales on our arrival date which were two guys in their 60’s and their twenty something daughters from Michigan. It was a tough hike through windy canyons, intermittent frozen rain and a boulder field with many bottle necks. It is the most popular hike in the national park and that Saturday during high season there were several hundred hikers on the trail. He never saw the horns due to the low hanging fog but he was happy to complete the hike. I didn’t accompany him on this adventure.

Our final excursion was on our last full day at Patagonia Camp and it was amazing. We took the Miradores (viewpoint trail) which had an overview of the Salto Grande (Big Jump Falls) and a spectacular view of the Los Cuernos (The Horns), Paine Grande (the highest peak) Cerro Almirante Nieto, Valle del Frances and the turquoise Lake Nordenskjold in the foreground. The view is spectacular; after days of waiting to see the craggy tops, the shades of blue between the lakes, rivers, skies and rock along with shades of gray from the glaciers and granite is spectacular Perhaps it was the anticipation of hoping to see the elusive mountain tops but it was worth every minute of effort to see this spellbinding sight. One of our companions on the hike kept saying,” It’s not AI, it’s real”. It was appropriate because the colors were so vivid it felt like it must have been airbrushed or a simulation.

I can’t say enough about Patagonia Camp and its impeccable staff. The drivers, the servers, the housekeepers and guides were all terrific. On our last excursion, there were 8 of us, all in our 50’s and 60’s and the music on the van sound system was all obscure songs from the eighties from the Police to Talking Heads to Billie Joel. It’s hard not to believe that it was selected especially for us. If you ever venture to Patagonia, be sure to stay at this incredible oasis.

Exploring Santiago Chile 🇨🇱

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I traveled to Chile in January of 2026. This is my first time in this country although I have been in other parts of South America including Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, and Brazil. My brother, Rick and I arrived after a red eye from Miami. I was struck by how many foreigners were coming into Chile when we went through immigration and the area for Chilean Nationals stood empty. I assume it’s that everyone is arriving to escape the cold wet short days of the Northern Hemisphere. It was quite the shock to the system to go from 40-degree rain of the Pacific Northwest where the sunsets at 4 PM to 90 degrees, arid dry and sunset at 8:30 PM. I had to keep looking at my watch to reassure myself that yes, we should probably eat dinner before going to bed.

The Gran Torre (tallest building in South America) with the snow capped Andean range in the distance in Santiago Chile.

 Santiago is somewhat like Los Angeles. It’s a sprawling city that sits in a bowl between the glacier covered Andes to the east and the coastal mountains to the west. This causes, similar to LA, the smog to sit in the bottom of the bowl so it was pretty hazy most of the time. We dropped our bags off at the hotel we were staying at and headed to an obscure park in an Uber.

I find that using Uber is a godsend because I don’t need to know how to pronounce the address and I am reassured by the map on the app that we are headed to the correct location. I have been hunting trolls by Thomas Dambo for a little over a year. Dambo is an artist who uses only sustainable or used products to create is somewhat enormous wooden and sometimes metal structures called Trolls. There are over 100 trolls worldwide but only one troll in South America. The only troll in South America called Ulle is located in a Parque de la Familia in Santiago. So, my brother and I headed to this park in an Uber to locate this structure which is locally called “The Wooden Man.” Once we were dropped off at the park, we walked about a half mile to see Ulle sitting by the water’s edge. It was fun to discover an elusive troll. It’s like looking for Easter eggs. We ordered another Uber, and the driver asked us how long we had been in Santiago and we said a few hours. He was perplexed why were wandering this obscure park on the outskirts of Santiago just hours after landing. We explained that we were looking for the troll. He, like everyone else we met, did not know about the troll.

We next went to the Gran Torre Santiago which is the tallest building in South America which stands 984 feet tall or 62 stories. We happened to be there two days after some unseasonable rain had passed through so the peaks of the Andean Mountains were snow covered. It was a spectacular view of the mountains, and you could see a 360 view of the expanse of the enormous city which has 40% of the country’s population. We ate lunch at the top at Sky Costanera which had excellent food. By the time we exited Gran Torre it was 3 PM and the traffic was bumper to bumper. We almost got hit by a bus trying to get to our Uber. I doubt the driver spoke English, but she said, “Mucho Taco.” I thought that talking about food seemed odd, so I immediately looked up the expression and apparently, it’s one of the many slang words specific to Chile which means “a lot of traffic.” I enjoyed using this expression going forward with each subsequent ride we got in Chile.

Our last day in Santiago we spent traveling around the center of the city at the old central market which had hundreds of fish and produce purveyors. We walked through the narrow aisles as folks came along to shop. A lot of the buildings in Santiago has a French influence. This stems from the fact that the French helped Santiago achieve independence from Spain in the 1810.

The last place we toured was San Cristobal Hill. It’s a hill in the center of Santiago which is 2,831 feet tall. We took a funicular up the hill and then toured around the top. The Sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception on San Cristobal Hill is a principal place of worship for Catholics in Santiago. There is an enormous amphitheater and alter outside where mass is also held. At the very top of the hill is the Statue of Virgin Mary which is 45 feet tall. The top of the hill has been a shrine for indigenous people well before the Spanish ever arrived. On the way back down San Cristobal we took a cable car with a terrific aerial view of the city.

Most amenities have been quite modern. Outside of some tipping, we have been able to use touchless credit card transactions for our trip. We haven’t been handed a menu but instead scan a QR code which is helpful for getting it in the correct language. It’s been quite the adventure so far between looking for obscure trolls to rising to new heights. It’s a terrific gateway to the southern end of South America.

🥰Beguiling Venice

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I traveled to Venice at the end of 2024. I expected it to be interesting but I was beguiled. It is a world apart from anything else I have ever experienced. I arrived by plane and took a shuttle out to the main island of Lido di Venzia. I wasn’t in another vehicle for the rest of my stay. I’ve been to islands where there are no cars, Mackinaw Island in Michigan comes to mind, but there are golf carts and bicycles.  In Venice the only way to get around is by boat or on foot.  After a few days I realized that there is a peace that comes from not having to dodge taxis like I did in Rome. There is a quiet outside of the multitude of travelers dragging their luggage on the cobblestone streets. 

Gondolas in Venice

Here are some the things that made Venice beguiling:

The Republic of Venice. Venice was founded in 687 as a Byzantine Territory and was a republic for over 1,100 years. There was no “Italy” (which was unified in 1861). Venice was ruled by 120 Doges over a 1,000.  Doges were elected by the aristocracy and ruled for life.  Each Doge lived in the Doge’s Palace which is right off St. Mark’s Square along the waterfront (but isn’t most of Venice waterfront?). I toured the palace and was struck by how the Doge lived in the same building as the courts, the parliamentary rooms and the prison. Eventually, they moved the prison across a canal which then created the “Bridge of Sighs” which is where the convicted prisoner would get one last glimpse of the outside world before being imprisoned. Apparently within the Palace and in other spots on the island there are Bocche dei Leone (Mouths of the Lion) where any citizen could slip a piece of paper into the mouth to denounce another citizen for illegal activity. It’s sort of a suggestion box on who to arrest. I found this to be fascinating. 

It’s Swampland. The islands are built on wood pilings from trees in nearby Croatia (which at one point was part of the Republic).  They are buried deep into the clay beneath the water and then topped with stone, brick and mortar. The bricks are made from nearby clay and the bricks themselves are smaller than bricks I’m familiar with in the US. It’s all an engineering marvel although I did get a little freakout when the floor of the Doge’s Palace actually moved. It was like walking on the Golden Gate Bridge, there is some give and flex to the larger buildings in Venice. There is also high tide and low time every six hours so the landscape and docks and boats are constantly rising and falling. The crazy thing is that it’s all very shallow and there are special channels made for the larger boats to go from one island to the next. So, it’s all really just floating. 

The Labyrinth. The main island of Lido di Venzia is one massive labyrinth. If I did not have cell coverage and Google maps, I’m pretty sure I would still be lost down some nameless dark tunnel. As I’ve said, there is no getting around the island except on foot or by boat.  If you are on foot there are at least five canals to traverse to get to any destination. It’s disorienting because most of the streets are sunless alleys and you can’t see any reference points (in NYC I think of the Empire State Building as a reference point).  I rarely knew if I was headed east or west and I know that although I walked to Saint Mark’s Square four different times from my apartment, I never went the same way twice and was lost or off track each time. It was so comforting to see the same cannoli or mask shop to know that at least I had been there before.  I also gave myself lots of time to arrive at a destination because I had to factor in getting lost. Regardless, being lost really makes me be present and pay attention to all available information.

Islands. There are 118 islands that make up Venice.  Some are abandoned and small, some are privately owned and two of the most interesting are Murano and Burano. Murano is where they make handcrafted glass works. I saw a very interesting glass demonstration where a master glassworker made a glass horse in under two minutes. It was amazing to watch this artisan effortlessly create this masterpiece in minutes standing feet away from an 1800 F degree oven that runs 365 days a year. All he used was a big pair of black scissors and snipped, tugged and gently pulled forth a masterpiece.

Burano was a multitude of colorful buildings and a tower that is leaning precariously. Burano is a fishing village and the fisherman painted their houses different bright colors so that they could find their way home (adorable, no?).  There is also the art of making intricate lace works that many of the women of the island are masters at. I saw table cloths that were so intricate it would take two women four months to create. Lace making is a dying art as the lace making school closed down in 1970. There are seven different types of lace styles and most women only knew one or two so it would take several women to complete even a small work of lace depending on the types needed. Truly beautiful works of art. 

I ate on the island of Burano and I had the best risotto of my life there. I found food in all of Italy to be perfectly seasoned and impeccably prepared. Risotto is only creamy if you take time and care to develop the rice over a long period of stirring, the risotto I had was creamy (without cream) and perfectly seasoned. 

I am so fortunate that I was able to visit Venice during beautiful weather.  It was sunny each day and the highs were in the mid 40’s. Every time I went over the enormous Rialto Bridge (which spans the main waterway Grand Canal) the steps were not wet. It’s almost always crowded with tourists (like me) taking photos and stopping on the steps which makes navigating the steps more difficult.  I can’t imagine if they were slick from rain. The fabulous weather also had the added benefit of beautiful pictures. Every corner and turn from the immense St. Mark’s Square to the tiny canals threading ancient buildings is photo worthy. I was absolutely beguiled

🇬🇷10 Things to Know about Greece

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I took my first trip to Greece at Christmas time in 2024. I had just been to Lisbon and Rome for a week each and some of these observations are a comparison to those two cities. After leaving an immersive trip to Rome, I didn’t have high expectations of Athens but Athens did not disappoint. I flew into the Athens airport and then took an Uber/Taxi to my place in the Monastiraki neighborhood of Athens. The cab could not drop me off at the door since it was on a pedestrian thoroughfare.  It was a wide and very busy pedestrian thoroughfare the Saturday before Christmas and it was bustling. So, there I was with my carry-on suitcase and backpack, completely lost and confused for about 15 minutes until I found the entrance to my flat. It was in the front of a small store, next to an arcade and ice cream shop. I cannot tell you how relieved I was when I finally dropped my bags and got my bearings. I can cope with being lost but when I have my luggage, it’s especially disconcerting when surrounded by foreign sounds and smells of a totally new city.

The Theater at Delphi

Here are 10 things you should know about Greece:

Language.  The language is very hard. I was on a tour to Delphi and we had lunch with our tour guides.  I was showing them my Duolingo app and the Greek alphabet. The sounds and letters are completely the opposite of English (and other Romance languages).  So P’s are like R’s, X’s are like Ch, and so on.  At one point I ridiculously said “Greek is Greek to me”. One of the guides said she could teach the alphabet in one day…I humbly disagree. On the upside, most folks in the service world speak English so my brief vain attempt to learn Greek came to a quick halt.

Coffee. I saw several large coffee urns while walking the pedestrian thoroughfares of Athens.  They had strong bitter coffee inside. In my opinion it could only be drunk with at least a few teaspoons of sugar. Think about percolated coffee that’s been sitting all day.  That’s Greek coffee. You’ve been warned.

Cats. There are cats everywhere in Athens, Delphi and everywhere in between. Most seem pretty healthy and on the heavier side so I don’t think they are without food.  It’s so random you will see one sitting atop an ancient stone in the acropolis or walking down the street of a ski town high in the snow covered mountains of Arachova. There will be cats.

Church Bells.  I was half a block from the Agia Irini Church. I could not make sense of when the bells of that church would ring. Sometimes it was 6:53 AM or 2:25 PM or 10:36 AM.  It made absolutely no sense to me.  Too early for a service and never, I mean never on the hour. The church bells befuddled me.

Stores. There are hundreds of stands and souvenir shops in the area I w staying which is adjacent to the ancient shopping area called Plaka. Every time I looked at a souvenir or pair of earrings, the vendor would tell me it was 50% off.  Never a price, just that it was 50% off. The street vendors in particular would only take cash or paypal. So, if you want souvenirs in Athens, you are in luck, they are 50% off. 

Guards.  The changing of the guard in front of the Parliament Building is a free and unusual event that happens every hour on the hour. The costumes alone are worth the trip. They wear a red hat, and white billowy skirt and sleeves, and a huge pom pom on the end of their shoes all while holding a rifle. The exaggerated steps and movements are captivating. Check out the changing of the guards.

History. This place is deep in history.  The National Archeological Museum has items dating back to the Mycenaean Period (1750-1050 BC). Statues from 750 BC in remarkable shape for being close to 3,000 years old.  I thought Rome was old but Athens is an ancient city and with remarkably well-preserved artifacts including a bronze statue of a jockey on a horse that is still intact and the centerpiece of the museum.

Mythology. I knew about Poseidon and Zeus and Apollo but there seem to be hundreds of Gods and even more myths with each and everyone.  It’s fascinating with stories of how the Milky Way started by the jealous goddess Hera (wife of Zeus) sprayed milk across the sky. It was truly fascinating.

Get out of town. I took a tour to Delphi and it was terrific to get out of town and into the countryside for the day. The pace and crowds of the city are left behind and there were red rock caves, snowcapped peaks and endless orchards of olive trees.  Greece is not just Athens. Get out of town.

Ruins. Go to the ruins whether it’s the Acropolis or Delphi or Temple of Poseidon. There are way too many uneven steps and many without handrails, but it’s completely worth the journey to see where Athens started as the oldest city in Europe. The statues in the Acropolis Museum are a testament to the ancient Greek artisans who made them up to 4,000 years ago. It’s amazing to see what humans can accomplish.

When I planned this 7-week trip to Europe, I thought about starting in Athens. I’m glad I didn’t. Lisbon was a great starting point since it’s much easier to maneuver with everything focused on the waterfront. Athens is built around the Acropolis high on the hill top and the language is complex. It’s definitely worth the visit, I’m glad I was able to ease into it instead of it being my starting point. 

🏛️Rome: Zebras, Lasagna and Popes

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I went on a tour of Rome in December of 2024. I normally travel on my own staying at rented apartments and figuring it out as I go.  I went on a Road Scholar tour for seven days in the Eternal City and it was educational and well-paced. When I first landed at the Rome airport, I needed to freshen up.  I was really impressed with the bathrooms. They were super modern. When you entered there was a lit number indicating how many unisex stalls were available.  Each stall that is available has a green light indicating it’s free, you wave your hand and the door slides open to a private stall with toilet and sink. You wave your hand to close and then again to lock it.  All of it was touchless and hands-free. Simply amazing.

We all stayed at the Hotel Dei Mellini which was a small hotel along the Tiber River near the shopping district of Prati.  There were loads of restaurants and mostly high-end shops. For most communal dinners we could walk to a local restaurant and we were invariably the first group there at 7 PM. The restaurant would be full by the time we left at 9 PM.  Our group totaled twenty folks all over 60 from various parts of the United States.  Our fearless leader, Bruna, did a great job of keeping track of us all as we navigated the ancient streets of Rome. The term we all learned almost immediately was finding “Zebras” or the marked crosswalks. Bruna explained that if there was a Zebra and no traffic light that we (the pedestrians) had the right of way. She frequently, and bravely, walked out into traffic several times stopping motorcycles and taxis to let us cross a street on a zebra crosswalk. I soon learned that to get around I had to be acutely aware of where the “Zebras” were to find the best way to my destination.  There is no telling where a Zebra might be placed, sometimes it’s in the middle of the block, sometimes I had to travel a block out of my way in order to find a Zebra to get to my destination.  When in Rome on foot, follow the Zebras.


Teatro di Marcello  with three layers of lasagna from across 2000 years, one built on top of the other.

Our first day in Rome was spent at the Capitoline Museum which sits atop “Capitoline Hill”. The palazzo in front of the museum was designed by Michelangelo in 1536. It contains a treasure trove of sculptures countless busts of the over 80 emperors who ruled Rome. There is a bronze sculpture of a she-wolf nursing twins Romulus and Remus which is the origin story of Rome. There several versions of the story but Romulus is the victor and he founds Rome in 753 BC. In addition, there is an equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius from 173 AD and parts of the Colossus of Constantine including the head and a foot (the foot alone was 6 feet long) of Roman emperor Constantine the Great. The real secret to the Capitoline Museum is the vantage point to see all of the Roman Forum which is centuries of various ruins dating back to Julius Caesar and the 7th century BC. The Pantheon is a marvel of a structure that was built in 609 AD on a site that was a temple during the reign of Augustus (27 BC- 14 AD). It is an engineering masterpiece and stands today as it did in 609 AD with it’s large circular dome and 30 ft. oculus or hole in the center of the Rotunda. So, when it rains, the water falls through the oculus and down to the floor where drains sweep the water away.  It’s simply amazing.

We went to the Colosseum and Roman Forum the next day. The Colosseum was originally named the Flavian Amphitheater for the emperors of the Flavian dynasty who ruled 69 – 81 AD and built the Colosseum. It held 50,000 to 80,000 spectators.  Our guide said that 10,000 exotic animals from Africa and 5,000 gladiators and slaves were killed here for sport in a 90-day period. They have recreated one of the trap doors from which an animal would be transported up to the arena. It has endured a fire and an earthquake in 1349. It has been torn apart and picked over to build other structures in Rome. There are thousands of pot marks that were left behind from iron clamps that held the stones together. As we walked through the Forum, we kept hearing about recycling and how one marble pillar from one structure was recycled into another structure some 3 centuries later. Limestone from the Colosseum was used in a church 200 years later. When we walked through the Forum, through the Arches and various structures left behind from years of emperors, popes and dictators, we walked on black basalt.  As we stood below the Arch of Titus, there are the original black rocks that Julius Caesar walked upon some two thousand years ago. In the middle of this bustling city just yards from the Colosseum. Rome is deep in history.

Our guides were constantly talking about recycling and the Teatro di Marcello which is a great example of lasagna or layering. It started construction under Julius Caesar in 17 BC. First it was a theater until the 4th century, then it was used as a fortress in the Middle Ages, then in the 16th century it was a residence for Orsini which was built on top of the original ruins, by the 19th century apartments were built above the lower floors. You can plainly see from the side that there are 3 distinct layers from 2000 years of existence for various purposes. Some very impressive lasagna!

Vatican City is the city state that sits in the center of Rome. It houses the pope, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Throughout our travels there are countless buildings, monuments and statues marked clearly with whichever pope had paid for the monument.  Since there have been over 280 popes, there are A LOT of monuments and A LOT of lavish, opulent works of art and they are housed in the Vatican Museum and the rest of Vatican City.  We were fortunate to receive a one-hour class on the Sistine Chapel before entering this remarkable space whose ceiling and final judgement were painted by a captive Michelangelo.  The figures appear 3D in this hallowed space. St. Peter’s Basilica is the largest church in the world and I would bet that 30% of it is covered in gold. The guide told us as we entered this cavernous space that if it looks gold, it is gold. I was most overwhelmed by the Vatican Museum which is basically the opulent attic for 2000 years of popes acquiring or demanding various works of priceless art. One of the hallways we walked down was three football fields long covered from floor to ceiling with artwork and tapestries. 

I found Rome to be chaotic, energetic and wondrous. The history of dictators, emperors and popes all ruling this city along the Tiber River. It went from 2 million people to 20,000 people between the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.  Those that are still here are vibrant, resilient, welcoming people. All roads lead to Rome and I’m so glad I was able to experience its deep history, wondrous art and irresistible food. 

🏖️The Mysterious Driftwood Beach

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I visited Jekyll Island, Georgia this past February and found it to be a mysterious and inspiring place along the Golden Isles of the Georgia barrier islands.  It has quite the history and an incredible Driftwood Beach which should be on everyone’s bucket list.  I was on my maiden voyage with my RV, Abeona, and we were on our way home from Florida. We camped for a week at the campground on the northern end of the island. 

Sunrise at Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia

I didn’t have a tow vehicle or a bike with me on the trip, so being within walking distance of the beach was a high priority (I didn’t want to pack up everything to go see the sunrise). The Jekyll Island Campground is the only campground on the island and I had no idea that it was just a mile from Driftwood Beach when I booked the campsite.  Imagine my surprise when I found that the beach was an easy walk each morning to photograph the sunrise. Serendipity. 

After arriving at my campsite, I decided to venture out to the beach during the daylight so that there wouldn’t be any surprises when I walked to the beach in the morning for sunrise. Arriving at around 4 PM on a Saturday afternoon after the mile walk to Driftwood Beach, I was astonished by how many cars were there and therefore, people on the beach.  This is not an umbrella and beach towel type of beach.  This is a photographer’s (re Instagram) Mecca. It also happened to be high tide. 

Driftwood Beach is a maritime forest that has been slowly overtaken by the sea.  There are hundreds of trees standing, fallen, eroded and sometime petrified, covered in barnacles on the beach. They are all driftwood, just most are full size trees as driftwood. Some stand as sentinels at attention with no branches, others are on their sides with their root structure solidified in an intricate web. Some look like they are trees on stilts with roots that grew long and straight in order to stay above the salt water.  It is mesmerizing to walk along the several hundred yards of what looks like a waste land of gray figures strewn haphazardly along the beach. 

The trees of Driftwood Beach stay on the beach because it’s very shallow for hundreds of yards off shore.  The waves are never high enough to pull them out.  In fact, when I first arrived, I thought I was in a bay because the water was so tranquil. Due to the shallowness, the trees over the last century have stayed where they have fallen. 

Jekyll island is a state owned and maintained island.  This means there aren’t any big resorts or towers along the beach. There were plenty of photographers each sunrise.  This was quite the contrast from when I recently stayed at a North Carolina barrier island of Ocracoke, where I was the sole person on the beach at sunrise.  Each morning at Driftwood Beach there was a minimum of twenty photographers each time I went out. Most with chairs and tripods, patiently waiting for that perfect shot as the sun slipped above the horizon. 

The real key to sunrise on Driftwood Beach is to know where the tide is and whether or not there will be clouds.  Some clouds are magical; when it’s fogged in, not so much.  If the water was high enough there were pools around some of the fallen trees making for a terrific reflection or you could capture the sun “caught” amongst the branches of the trees.  I had a ton of fun wandering up and down the beach looking for the magical combination of sun, tree, waves and cloud.  

It all seems so mysterious.  Like you are walking amongst fallen statues after some catastrophe. Like some civilization left these corpses behind.  The shape, the beauty and the serendipity of light, water and wood was amazing. 

🇩🇰 7 Surprises I found in Denmark

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I recently returned from a 6 week trip to the UK, Ireland and Denmark.  Denmark was the last stop on my trip and I found it to be quite surprising.  I stayed at a flat in Copenhagen and really lucked out with the location.  It was only a block from Torvehallerne (a huge market open 7 days a week), the metro and train station. This made it a terrific jumping off point for traveling around Copenhagen, the countryside and made finding provisions quite easy. 

The author and her friend Alison on the canal in Copenhagen.

Here are the 7 surprises I found in Denmark:

  • Bikes, bikes and more bikes. I have never seen so many bikes ever.  When I got of the metro from the airport, I could not believe the massive amount of bikes parked at the metro station.  There had to be upwards of 1,000 bikes within a one block radius. As I walked to the flat, I saw bikes leaned up against every building and, to at least my untrained eye, they looked to not secured in anyway. Most of the bikes were basic black with a large basket up front. Copenhagen has the most cyclists per capita, and the city with the most cyclists with 62% of the population using bikes for the daily commute.  There are 6 bikes for every car in Denmark. 
  • Hej.  I studied Scottish and Irish before arriving in each country.  The thing is, while the signs might be written in Irish in Dublin, I never heard anyone speaking Irish.  On the other hand, in Denmark, people greet you will “Hi” which is how “Hej” sounds to me (Hej means Hello in Danish).  So I mistakenly thought that it was obvious I didn’t speak Danish but frequently, it was followed by something in Danish that I didn’t understand (although I did try to learn some Danish before arriving). The signs, the products, the menus are all in Danish although there is frequently a translation.  Everyone flawlessly (I mean without skipping a beat and in perfect English) would transition from Danish to English and then back with another person.  
  • Baby strollers.  They have taken baby stroller to new heights here.  Babies are cocooned in a padded cover, head covered and swaddled lying flat on a carriage with four sturdy wheels. In the US strollers are valued for being convertible and able to move from stroller to car easily.  When you don’t have a car (see number 1) you might as well have a Rolls-Royce for a stroller. Mom’s get 12 months of maternity leave (yes, 12 months) so why not make sure you can stroll with your baby in comfort.
  • Green energy.  As we took a canal tour of Copenhagen, we saw the very modern building called, Amager Bakke which is a combined heat and power waste-to-energy plant.  It’s shaped like a hill (ironic since Denmark is so flat) and while it’s converting waste to energy, you can dry ski down the slope, go hiking or climb a climbing wall.  Denmark has committed to being net zero on carbon emissions by 2025.  I have to say that for as close as we got to the plant, I didn’t smell anything and, probably due to so many bikes, I don’t remember smelling exhaust the whole time I was there.
  • Metro and trains.  Getting a train or metro ticket in Copenhagen was easy and simple.  There were kiosks at every stop and it was easy to buy a single or multi use ticket in English as well as Danish.  The trains themselves are immaculate and most that I traveled on, showed each stop of a lit board and let you know where you were on your journey. Every train had at least a half a car devoted to bikes and and baby strollers (see 1 and 3).  There was one point where I saw a man leave a stroller on the train and go sit down with his back to the stroller (through a doorway and about 10 feet from the stroller).  I could not believe that the man sat with his back to his baby and anyone could have taken the stroller off at any given stop.  I will say  I saw a least one mother stand next to their stroller while en route. 
  • Driving.  My dear friend Alison who is an American expat and has lived in Denmark for over 20 years. She picked me up at the train station with her car.  The first thing is that every road has pedestrian side walk on each side of it, has a bike path (one in each direction with bike traffic lights) and a two lane car lane.  This is found in the city of Copenhagen and out in the hinter land. Walking, biking and driving, are all equally welcome. The crazy part was that cars would park in the car lane in the middle of the street so as not to block the bike lane.  It almost feels like the bike is number one, followed by pedestrians and then, last on the list, is the car.  There is not right turn on red because of the bikers.  
  • Food.  I had wonderful food while in Denmark.  The highlight was probably the humble Danish which, as it turns out, they call “winderbrød” or Viennese bread.  So some Austrias who settled in Denmark, made the beloved pastry.  As opposed to what is called “danish” in the US, the flakey croissant like crust is amazing and the creamy rich center is divine. I also had a smorgasbord which is just an open face sandwich and they had many hearty breads on which they make the smorrebrød on.  There is also something called Flødeboller which is a chocolate covered marshmallow puff although the marshmallow part is light and delicate. The food was amazing.

I should mention the architecture and the all the color buildings along the canals, but you most likely already think of that with Copenhagen, I think that in the combination of electric transportation, their focus on green energy and the use of bikes, it’s amazing how quiet an pollution free it feels in Denmark.  That must be why it’s the one of the happiest places on Earth.