La Sagrada Familia

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Kristen

We had heard it a thousand times…you HAVE to see La Sagrada Familia. And I didn’t intend to miss it, I just didn’t think I wanted to take the kids to see it with me. Tim and I woke early … Continue reading →

Searching for sun in Barcelona

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Kristen

After a long and grey winter in southern Germany, a Spring Break filled with sun and warmer temps was definitely our goal. We booked a flight with a new airline, Vueling, and flew from Munich to Barcelona in just 1.5 … Continue reading →

There’s always room for more pottery

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Kristen

When we first moved to Germany one of my first kamikaze day trips was to Boleslawiec Poland, a tiny town that churns out volumes of the irresistible blue and white pottery full of dots and stripes. Boleslawiec is a good … Continue reading →

Wine Tasting in Regensburg

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Kristen

As we say in the Rietkerk house, “We haven’t met a red wine we don’t like.” But, you can’t be considered a true wine aficionado until you have been properly educated. As part of the Hohenfels Wine Club, my goal … Continue reading →

Frohe Ostern!

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Kristen

After a long winter’s sleep, Bavaria comes alive. First with the crazy antics of Fasching or Carnivale, Germans are roused from their slumber with costumes and parades. Then, it’s time to get serious. In the Christian calendar, the 40 days … Continue reading →

French Gothic style

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Kristen

Since Notre Dame cathedral was packed with tourists during the weekend, we opted to visit her sister cathedral, another gothic beauty, on our way home. 2 hours outside of Paris and conveniently located just off the autobahn, Notre-Dame de Reims … 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.