High School Graduation

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Kristen

We just celebrated the high school graduation of daughter number 2. It was a grand affair here in Germany. Several days of parties, lots of well wishes and hugs all around. As we prepared for the festivities, I thought about … Continue reading →

Falling in Love with Paris

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Kristen

On our last visit to Paris we promised we had to come back to enjoy the city the way it is advertised in the United States: without children. Now, we had a most enjoyable visit with the kids in February; … Continue reading →

Monet’s Garden

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Kristen

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite Sunday afternoon outings was a visit to the Huntington Library and Gardens. Huntington Library and Gardens I was so enamored with this place that I even wrote an essay in … Continue reading →

Trying to move on from WWII

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Kristen

For 3 days, we explored the Normandy beaches and tried to carve a space within our minds to understand the impact of war and living in a fragile state of peace. During our Normandy visit, museums consistently strove to highlight … Continue reading →

DDay invasion and Normandy

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Kristen

Preparing for a visit to Normandy involves a lot of prep work. Because many visitors typically come to Normandy around the DDay invasion date (June 6) securing lodging has to be done as far in advance as possible. Most guide … Continue reading →

Normandy France

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Kristen

It really could have been the longest day, but it passed in a moment. The drive to the beaches of Normandy France looked to be around 11 hours so we opted to break it up by stopping our first night … 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.