I’ll let you in if you say Pretty Please…

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Kristen

Courtesy of her grandmother, our daughter Lindsey has a subscription to the New Yorker magazine. For many years, I’ve been jealous of her ability to not only read the articles but also fully understand them. Try as I might, the … Continue reading →

We must have been fish at one time

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Kristen

Any who knows a Rietkerk knows they love water. So it was especially entertaining to have both a backyard pool and the ocean at our disposal for the vacation. Upon our arrival to Oahu the only thing on our minds … Continue reading →

2 Waterfall Hikes

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Kristen

Waimano Waterfall following Manana Trail To get up close to the “real” Oahu, you have to leave Waikiki and the sandy beaches and go where the locals live. This trail begins at the end of a residential street. Those of … Continue reading →

5 Oahu walks in 5 days

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Kristen

Some people go on vacation to get away from it all; Tim and I found Oahu to be one place on earth where we could get lost and see some really cool sights along the way. We planned 4 walks … Continue reading →

I gave birth to a sea turtle, and other strange happenings

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Kristen

Tim’s mom stayed true to her word. She promised that this trip had no agenda, there was no mandatory family photo op, no scheduled luau with matching Hilo Hattie outfits, and absolutely no assigned cooking and cleaning schedule. But what … Continue reading →

I long for salt air in my hair

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Kristen

After a year of being stateside the familiar urge to travel to lands yet undiscovered hit us hard. Thankfully, there was the promise of a family reunion of sorts in June on the island of Oahu. Tim’s parents invited the … Continue reading →

Greece Trip Itinerary

Tim’s completion of a year-long chaplaincy residency is the perfect time to celebrate. While Ireland still makes the top of our “Must Visit List”, the draw of sunshine, water and an oracle or two made Greece our destination for 2018. After a visit to the library to check out every Greece and Turkey travel book in San Diego County, we settled on this 2 week itinerary:

Depart LAX for Mykonos (via Athens) ………stay Mykonos for 2 days with an excursion to the island of Delos….

Next stop is Santorini, the island famous for it’s blue-domed houses and deep blue waters. We’ll stay here for 3 days

Then, on to Rhodes, which once boasted the historical Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World. The monument may no longer be standing but the island is chock full cobblestone streets and fortified old towns.

From Rhodes, we’ll head over to Marmaris, Turkey. The primary draw for visiting Turkey is to get up to Ephesus but we found that taking a ferry to the southern end of the country offers a great deal on seaside resorts with rock bottom prices–so we’ll indulge in the island life for a bit. We plan to hire a private guide to tour Ephesus on one of our days in Turkey.

Finally, we’ll fly north to Athens and spend 3 days touring the crumbling landmarks of that ancient city. The Acropolis, Agora and lots of temple ruins should satisfy the inner goddess in me.