Jim, Cameron and Ana

2006

A reminder that time goes quickly and there’s no better time to embark on another adventure together. \240Let’s go!

Ready to go from the 747 bubble

FRA -> LCA

Shotgun seat

Finally arrived and ready to rest

Cameron’s running routine means he has an opportunity to explore the area and scope out places for lunch. We made our way to The Harbour area which has a lot of eating and shopping options. A father and son sitting next to us couldn’t help but overhear we weren’t local and asked what part of the states we were from. Great conversation and they shared some local recommendations on places to explore on the island. A little dicey with the UN zone but he assured us we’d get a warning before anyone shoots us. Comforting. Our plan today is to safely explore Limmisol and parts a bit north.

Another perk of traveling with older kids is charging them with planning some of our excursions. Cameron was on point today. After lunch we drove into the mountains to visit the Adonis Baths and waterfalls. It’s clear that Adonis (god of love) spent his time entertaining the ladies and not building or maintaining the roads leading to his oasis. 😂 A rough mountain road coupled with driving on the left side gave us all a thrill as we ascended the mountain. Once we arrived we walked through several statues to arrive at the fresh bath and waterfall.

Cameron and I ventured into the chilly water. Brandon and Jim did their best Adonis impressions from the side.

Family complete- I kept my hands to my sides.

Zeus, a subtle man

As far as we can tell we are likely the only Americans in the area. Plenty of Brits who strangely did not host any 4th of July celebrations. We found a nice restaurant and enjoyed the evening. We like that while Cyprus is filled with visitors, it is by no way crowded. It’s relaxed and welcoming.

Happy Birthday USA

Dinner at Sail

Cheers to a successful day.

After lunch things got more interesting as we made our way to the Abandoned City. This is the part of Famagusta that was left to waste away after the Turks conquered the northern part of the island in 1974. Nothing has been touched since 1974. It felt more like a movie set than real life.

The link below is a good summary of the events that led to the current situation. You wonder if this area will ever be restored.

https://youtu.be/vdkQWgZLrYA?si=gaxl9oNqp-OUi-bJ

We made our way to the designated exit and through passport control on the Turkish and Greek sides of the country. A stern bunch. We had to show what we had purchased and they searched our car. Officer: \240open your trunk. Jim: I dont know how. I’m guessing they were happy to send us on our way.

The boys found this to be a good depiction of the day:

POV: you take a wrong turn in Northern Cyprus

Two hours back to Paphos. Dinner near the hotel and we were all ready to sleep. A memorable day for sure. Next up, Tomb of the Kings.

After our tomb gazing we proceeded to find a suitable spot by the sea for lunch. \240We watched a water polo tournament and were quite impressed with the boys competing in open water.

Cameron and I set off to do some parasailing while Jim and Brandon opted out. \240We had to trust the guys manning the boat knew what they were doing and up we went, accompanied by our fellow sailor from Latvia.

Knowing we had an early wake up call we headed back to the hotel, packed up and set out for our last dinner on Cyprus and enjoyed one last beautiful sunset…and dessert!

Thank you, Cyprus. \240You’re lovely and we hope to return some day. \240On to Rhodes…

Early morning road trip complete

Breakfast of champs

The European airports love to put you on a shuttle bus and drive you to the plane. \240Brandon learned the term “hold on to your hat” the hard way as his blew off while boarding the plane. \240Thankfully, a fellow traveler found it in her heart to run and grab it before it became too dangerous to retrieve. Shout out to the heroes.

Did anyone lose a hat?

Beautiful morning

From there we stopped at a local olive oil store where they make their award winning oils. We each got a little spoon and tasted 8 or 9 different types of oils and learned about the benefits of the very natural production. They were proud the many international awards they have won in various competitions. We each had our favorites and collected a few bottles to bring home.

Next stop was the vineyard. We had some time to explore the grounds then had a tasting of local Greek wines.

Our last stop was the bee museum and honey factory. Again lots of samples tested off tiny little tasting sticks and our guides took us through the history of bees on the island and production process. Again we had to pick up a few jars of our favorite flavors.

🐝 A sweet end to the day 🐝

Bees lurk everywhere

We dropped off some laundry in town with the hope it will be fresh when we pick it up later today. We all agreed dinner and hanging out at the hotel for the night was what we all needed. When the sun starts to go down all of the Instagram influencers do as well. Jim and I have decided we should quit our jobs and travel the world as influencers. Below are some of Jim’s audition submissions.

Good night, Rhodes

A touch rubbery, Jim’s take, I enjoy when you chew cheese and it squeaks.

After lunch Jim and Brandon opted for an indoor afternoon and Cameron and I made our way to the beach. The umbrella to shade the strong sun and beach rocks to secure our towels from blowing away were key to an enjoyable afternoon. \240The wind certainly helped it feel cooler, although you just might lose anything not weighted down.

I love the beach. What I don’t love is walking across treacherous rocks to enter and exit the water. Cameron was much smoother on his entry and exit than I was to say the least. He described my technique as similar to a baby giraffe learning to walk. Not sure that’s what I was going for. But it was worth it. He and I floated around and bobbed in the waves for about 45 mins. Happy to have the time and enjoyed every minute.

We made our way to Old Town to collect our fresh bag of laundry and grab a quick drink before dinner.

Ronda was a hidden gem along the sea. We enjoyed dinner and some good people watching. Boys want to head back later today and jump off the diving platform if we get a chance. We will likely get the chance.

Thanks for planning, Brandon. Well done.

Being in Rhodes has been a fun. Jim and I visited Rhodes in 2000 on the Caremark Presodent’s Club trip. To return 24 years later and enjoy with our boys who we didn’t yet know during our initial visit has been special. Fond memories and making more several years later.

Today is another adventure. We just boarded a ferry to Marmaris,Turkey. We figured since we could see Turkey from our hotel window, we should check it out when we are in the neighborhood. More to come…

From there we navigated our way via taxi to the scooter rental store Jim had communicated with the day prior. They transported us all via the back of scooters to another location where we completed the rental process. Not a real surprise, the rules were a little loose (we may or may not have rounded Brandon’s age up to 18) and it was a cash only operation.

Cutest little guy was helping his cousin at the shop. Gave us our helmets and helped fill the scooters with gas.

They kept my passport as a deposit and reminded us the scooters carried no insurance. 😎 Off we went….🛵 After slight brush with a wall, Brandon picked up the art of scooting but as Jim noted, I don’t think we need to worry about him joining a motorcycle gang. He was the ever so cautious rider which is a good thing.

Cameron plotted out course. We rode about 5 miles to the town of Icmeler where we found a place to park and made our way toward the sea.

It hasn’t cooled off at all so we were happy to find a restaurant to recharge and have lunch. Pier 15 turned out to be a great place to spend a couple hours. Fun atmosphere, music and beach vibe. The manager chatted with us and shared he’s there 6 months a year but lives the rest of the time in eastern Turkey, a 20 hour drive. We inquired about getting beach chairs after lunch which he said were included since we ate at the restaurant. Perfect set up!

I ordered a cider which ended up being this strawberry soda thing - wouldn’t recommend but kicked back most of it.

We settled in our chairs and Cameron and I decided to hit the water while Jim and Brandon lounged in the shade.

Our feet had recovered from the rocky beach incident the day prior only to be met with sand that felt like walking through a layer of fire and then on to the rocks entering the water. Pretty sure Cameron and I left a layer of skin along the way but it made us move quickly into the water. We hung out along the edge of the swimming area taking in the mountain scenery and several boats coming in and out of the area.

We bid our friend at the restaurant farewell and made our way back to the scoots and back to Marmaris.

We made our way back on the ferry to Rhodes, did a bit more shopping and grabbed a quick dinner before heading back to the hotel for the night. Stopped to take in one last Greek sunset.

Thanks, Rhodes. You are still lovely and we would welcome the opportunity to return.

On to Rome…

As we were packing up I realized I was missing my work cellphone. I guess the good part is I haven’t thought much about work. The bad part, I had no idea what I’d done with my phone. Could lead to a potential hassle if not located. We put technology and a couple tech savvy kids to the test and realized my phone was sitting somewhere at the Athens airport.

Given we were connecting back through Athens that meant a possibility of getting it back. Better than sitting in Larnaca. I wasn’t super hopeful but as we made our way to the terminal we located it was last seen at the Aegean Airlines lounge. We had stopped there on Sunday. I explained my situation to the agent at the desk. She asked a few questions then went to a wall of lockers.

I knew it was mine based on the case and the 10 year old model. 😂 She charged it up and about 30 minutes later I went backed, logged into the phone and confirmed my name. Mystery solved. Phone returned. Have to say, it restored my faith in humanity. Sorry for the phone it missed the Rhodes leg of our trip. \240Thanks to my Aegean Aiines friend.

Ok, everyone have everything? \240We are off to Rome. We landed and met our driver to bring us to our apartment for the next couple of day. Great location. With a good arm and decent aim you could throw a coin from our window into the Trevi Fountain. We got settled and had a quick dinner close by.

This part of our trip will certainly be faster paced and crowded. But we are ready for it. Temps in the mid 90s means frequent breaks and large bottles of water. 🥵☀️🇮🇹

Cameron summed up well - it’s a big tour for the smallest country in the world. Meanwhile Brandon doubts Michelangelo truly painted that whole thing by himself. 🤷🏼‍♂️

We found a lunch spot in Vatican City following our tour. Our waiter was a bit abrupt and was annoyed with about everything we asked, but he warmed up as we went along. We chuckled through our meal and you can’t beat a plate of authentic homemade pasta.

We cooled off for a bit back at the apartment and then walked over to Piazza Navona for dinner. Overlooked St Agnes church and enjoyed the cooler air as the sun was setting. The fans with light mist at most of the restaurants certainly helps.

Gelato stop on the way back and called it a night.

The Metro is not running at 100% as it is undergoing refurbishment in advance of next year’s Jubilee celebration. That means getting around is a little more challenging. We grabbed a taxi to get to Stadio Olympico for the Coldplay concert. There aren’t a lot of restaurant options nearby but we were able to find one and grab a quick dinner before the show.

The rest of the evening was spent enjoying Chris Martin and Coldplay. Great show. Great environment.

The show ended about 1130PM and the lack of transportation options meant we set off with several other concert goers to make our way back to the center of Rome.

The boys walked ahead and covered the full 2.3 miles back on foot. I will leave you with the image of Jim and me hopping on a rented electric scooter and riding that the last mile back to our apartment. A true test of trust. 😂🛴

We made our way to the Colosseum and met with our tour group. Rabel was our guide and he weaved us through the crowds quite effectively greeting several of his colleagues along the way. Three hours of more ancient Roman history than we could absorb we made our way on to the Colosseum stage doing our best to imagine the shows of the time.

Cameron humored us for a re-create of his initial visit in 2006. Many things have changed in 18 years, and many have remained the same including the grandure of the Colosseum and Cameron’s hearty smile.

By the end we felt like a winning team from The Amazing Race. Tired bodies officially waving the white flag on our official tours.

We stumbled into a nearby restaurant to enjoy the misting fans, cold drinks and our last big plates of homemade pasta. Rabel walked us across the street and recommended the spot. Brandon was pretty sure he was goingto plop down at the table with us but we bid him farewell and he and his little maroon umbrella disappeared into the crowd.

And I guess we are a scooter family now? \240We doubled up (Jim/Brandon) and (Syd/Cameron) and traveled back to the apartment via electric scooters. As Cameron and I located and started our scooter session I looked up and say Jim and Brandon wizzing by….meet you back in the hood!

Team Cam and Mom

We got back, packed up a bit and then the boys and I ventured out one last time to take in the Spain vs England Euro Final. Cam stopped for a quick wish along the way 🪙⛲️

The boys found a great spot via the scooters while I opted to travel on foot. 😀. It was fun to watch the game with local fans. As we made our way back to the apartment we heard and saw several Spanish fans celebrating in the streets. \240We heard the celebration well into the night and did our best to catch a few hours of sleep before our early pick up for the airport.

We gradually make our way home starting today. Connecting through Vienna this morning en route to London. May be the first day in the last 13 that we feel a chill.

Grazie and Ciao, Roma! 🇮🇹

We arrived to the hotel about 330PM. After dropping our bags we made our way to a nearby pub for a quick pint before heading to dinner at one of our favorite spots. While we are winding down this trip, it’s fun to reflect on our travels over the years during an evening like this.

Today we will spend the morning around town then head to the Tinker’s later this afternoon.

We grabbed a quick lunch at a pub then made our way to Waterloo station to board our train to Oxted.

It’s always a great evening catching up with the Tinkers, enjoying a meal outside and reminiscing about years of friendship dating back to our early days living in Chicago.

Our boys have all enjoyed a friendship as the years have passed and it’s fun to watch the 4 of them catching up as well. Great way to end our 2 weeks.

We made our way back to the hotel late night after a final tube ride for this time around. Back over the pond Wednesday.