Sep 062024
 

As promised, here’s a post about our trip to Croatia and time bobbing on a boat in the Adriatic Sea.

For some years now, Croatia has been a highly recommended destination for travel thanks to the Game of Thrones being filmed there and its latest entry into the European Union. Its clear waters and fairly untainted coast line is also a popular draw for the yacht and sail boat lovers.

Since M often muses about wanting to sail the Atlantic Ocean or spend life on a boat, we have gone back and forth about a sailing holiday. Unfortunately, I have a very low tolerance for motion causing me to get ill rather quickly when getting jostled about whether in a car or on water. However, things like a fast roller coaster or a speedboat do not seem to affect me at all, so we compromised on a motor boat (yacht) for our water-based vacation.

Because we boarded the boat from Split, I decided it was a great chance to do a little bit of sightseeing if we added a day to either end of the trip.

Also, because it is easy enough to get a car ferry and driving is more convenient in some ways, we embraced a road trip!

So, from our home we drove about six hours to the southern side of Italy on the Adriatic Sea side where we caught the ferry from Bari to Dubrovnik. We stayed the night in Dubrovnik closer to the ferry port since it was a late arrival and we were tired from the long drive.

Knowing that we were coming back, we decided to get up early and head toward Split with some planned stops along the coast. So, we took the slightly longer coastal road stopping in Ston and Makarska Riviera, where we had lunch, to see a bit of the lesser known towns. Both were unique in their views, but equally interesting.

Finally, we arrived in Split where we had a hotel in the old town near the Diocletian’s Palace. It was an interesting old town area that bordered the harbor. There was a reasonable amount of activity along the shore as we people watched and took in the scene. Plus, we had to have a little Game of Thrones fun!

Then, it was a week of glorious weather on the water. Each day, we would anchor in a bay to relax and swim. Then, we would head towards a different coastal town on one of the 1200 plus islands for dinner and where we’d spend the night. It was indeed a luxurious way to spend the week.

Our friends joined us for five of the seven days, which added to the fun. There were only a couple of bumpy water moments, but we moved to calmer locations and I was well prepared with different methods of addressing these situations.

We returned back to Split, then drove the quicker highway route back to Dubrovnik, where we wandered around the fortified old town, saw the GoT stairs and then relaxed before our early ferry return ride and long drive home.

All in all, it was a lovely time. We relaxed, got sun, laughed a lot, and explored a tiny bit of a new country that wasn’t on our radar until recently. We agreed that we would likely do another boat trip, since I seem to have developed some sea legs, but we think we might try the Greek islands or somewhere different next time.

If you want to know more about the preparations I took for avoiding seasickness or where we stayed, etc., just let me know!

~T 🔥🐉♋️

Jul 012024
 

When I was younger, I really had no interest in celebrating my birthday. It seemed like an unnecessary moment of bringing attention to myself, which was something that I actively spent time on avoiding. If I was not noticed, I would not get unwanted attention from leery male eyes. If I was not noticed, I may not get moved around to a new home. If I was not noticed, I could pretend that I was just like everyone else around me rather than the one who was different – in looks, in life experiences, in what felt like everything.

There was a period of time when people actually forgot my birthday unless it was announced on social media or someone told them. Even my parents forgot it was my birthday for a few years since I lived abroad – I had to fight the urge to believe that “out of sight out of mind” wasn’t a truth. 😳 For the most part, I didn’t mind, but I admit that it hurt when those closest to me didn’t remember. As I’m not the type to tell others that it is my birthday, I let it slide. I love them all anyway (plus, they’ve redeemed themselves many times over since 🤪).

Perhaps it was when I met M or some time around then that I began to think that it was OK to celebrate and let others celebrate me.

In fact, I almost always remember everyone else’s birthdays. For many years, I would make an effort to reach out, send cards or gifts to almost everyone I could to let them know that I cherished their life and presence in this world. I’ve never taken for granted that people cross my life path for a reason and that I appreciate them as there are plenty in my early days of life whom I cannot recall or never really knew well enough to make note of their days of birth.

These days, though, I save my messages and gifts for a select few. I no longer have a need to stay connected to everyone. Part of me got a little jaded by those who never return the acknowledgement unless told to – thus I NEVER reply to people who post well wishes on social media after it is made known to them…I think it’s a copout and too easy since they wouldn’t have said anything otherwise. I know, it probably sounds terribly selfish, but welcome to the “I’m in my 40’s and don’t care” era!

Anyway, back to MY birthday – obviously. 😬🫢

As long as we have been together, M has always made my birthday special. Whether it has been in small acts or big ones, he knows how to make me feel worthy of celebrating my existence in this world.

This year was no different! It seems I forgot to share and post about last year, so I have been reprimanded sufficiently to make sure that I get on here all the joy and fun that I had in saying “cheers” to year 48!

We kicked it off with a “small” BBQ party with friends at our home. My BFF and godson were here to help celebrate and my local friends really outdid themselves in making me feel extra special (seems I don’t have photos at the moment of that event…).

Then, M and I spent a fabulous 4 days and nights in Paris where we did some sightseeing, saw Le Crazy Horse cabaret show, went shopping, and most importantly, got a lot of rest after a busy month or so. While Paris has not generally been my favorite place to go, I got a better appreciation for the city this time. It was nice to wander around and take in the different neighborhoods (arrondisements). So, here are some photos. I look forward to visiting the French capital again soon.

Here’s to another amazing year of this grand ol’ life of mine!

~T 🔥🐉♋️

Nov 062023
 

Ladies’ trip with the fabulous A.N. in Palma Majorca (Mallorca) is a wrap with wonderful memories, lots of laughs, much chit-chat, and as an overall amazing experience.

First, about Palma – the Spanish capital of the Balearic island of Mallorca (Majorca in English spelling). It’s an interesting city with a mix of flavors in architect and dishes that come from European and Moorish influences. Even good ol’ Gaudi has had his hand on some of the sights. It’s a smallish town that can be walked around in about an hour, but there’s enough to entertain for a short holiday whether a sightseeing history buff or one in need of some retail therapy.

A and I were keen to catch up and decided a little trip might be just the ideal opportunity to do just that with a bit of travel as well. The four days flew by really and we had a great time seeing Palma, taking the train and tram through the mountains to the northwest side where Soller (soyer) and the port are located, doing a bit of pampering at the Hammam and eating some delicious food – some local and some not.

Overall, I would go back again as we did skip going into some of the attractions as we weren’t so into hopping on or off, but if I never went back I wouldn’t feel as if I missed anything major either. It might be a nice little Spanish getaway for a long weekend and worth exploring the other side of the island another time, but … I’m glad I went and I enjoyed it fully, but don’t necessarily need to go again. 🤪

Here’s a link to all the photos and videos, if you’re interested: https://photos.app.goo.gl/cUtNU7iSA7382PTM6

~T 🔥🐉♋️

Feb 102022
 

Now that we are somewhat settled in our house, and public conversations are starting to return to logic with an acceptance that the “C” is not actually going to kill off the human race, we decided it was time to take a holiday.

It was a shock to realize that I had not been on a plane since arriving in Europe 15 months ago. I never would have imagined that I could go so long without air travel; however, thanks to the freedom of movement in the EU, I haven’t been completely one-country-bound. Plus, I admit to having some fear around flying with security measures tightened, people milling about, wearing masks for extended lengths of time, etc. etc. It is not so much that I had any fear around getting sick, but that people’s fear of it would cause an air of extra stress that I didn’t feel the need to expose myself to unnecessarily.

M had said after a few solo flights that everything was really straightforward and easy, so I figured I could test it out for myself. Malta is a short flight from Rome and part of the EU, so it was a good test trip for seeing the process of air travel at the moment.

As promised, it was easy peasy lemon squeezy. Aside from a few extra online forms, which I can manage comfortably, it was actually smoother and less stressful than pre-C days. The only challenging aspect was the early rise to drive to the airport, park the car, and wait for boarding – both directions. So, my travel bug has been nudged again thanks to our little weekend away.

In any case, let me share in pictures our trip to Malta. We were there for three nights and had one full day touring around with one of M’s old friends, who is Maltese. The sun was shining and there was a lovely vibe all around the place. Although it is a bit run down, we really enjoyed the energy of the country.

We said that we would visit again, but – to be fair – we often say this about places. Next time, we might stay in another area of the island that is a bit more modern, though Valletta is an interesting historical center and beautiful. However, there are so many places to explore now that I cannot say when our next visit will be…. With that said, if you ever have a chance to go to Malta, I highly recommend it – when the sun is shining!

~T 😀

Jul 292021
 

As I mentioned in my last post, we took a road trip to break up our drive back from Paris in June. Since I really haven’t seen much of France, it was the perfect chance to stop into, drive through, and explore just a few of the many amazing small villages and lesser known cities on the eastern part of the country.

My favorite stop was Dijon. It was a college town, which seems to be my wont in terms of vibe, layout, and people.

On the other hand, Grenoble is also a college town, but was rather grungy for my liking. It reminded me of my image of what Berlin is like, though it’s just my imagination as I have yet to make an experienced judgment.

The drive through the French Alps, where Annecy is located, was absolutely beautiful. I hope that we can go in the winter for some skiing and see the area with snow as well.

So, just a short post as I’ve already put up pictures on Instagram, but I’m definitely enjoying my European life!

~T 😀

Jan 182021
 

We had a number of different variation of how my “old man” would ring in the new decade at half a century years old. However, none of those came to fruition thanks to the changes in COVID-19 (shame it was 20, huh?).

Even as it was, we were technically in violation of lockdown rules when we snuck over the border to get to Monaco.

More images on Instagram @footnersinfrance

Since it was a big birthday, we splashed out to tick off one of M’s bucket list items – to stay in the Hotel de Paris Monte Carlo.

Hotel de Paris Monte Carlo behind on the right with the Monte Carlo Casino on the left

It was a lovely area to walk around and enjoy the festive spirit of Christmas as well as a birthday.

I’ll let the rest be told in images:

We are hoping to make another visit, as it’s about 2.5 hours from where we are now, when the weather is nicer. Though, the budget will be smaller, so perhaps a little less fancy. 😛

~T 😀

Aug 092019
 

It had been a while since Mom and I had taken a mother-daughter trip, so with life starting to return to normal, we made plans to reinstate them. With lots of options, we decided on Mongolia.

Many people gave us quizzical looks respectively whenever we mentioned where we were going as it is not a common travel destination – yet. However, this sort of made the journey even more exciting.

We booked an 8-day tour with Amicus Travel Mongolia focusing on being able to see Mongolia’s annual Naadam Festival towards the end of it.

Our tour started in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city, with just one night in a hotel before meeting the rest of our group and a driver, who took us all to the airport in the morning. Then, we were left to our own devices to figure out where to check-in and catch the morning flight to Murun (Moron as spelled on our boarding passes – was that a hint?!). Luckily, there were five of us together, so we figured it out. It was a short flight and then we met our tour guide and driver for the first three days of the tour.

A rather long and bumpy car ride took us toward Lake Khuvsgol in the northern part of the country which shares the waterway with Russia. It was a beautiful area with green mountains, herds of animals, untouched lands and fresh air. Actually, just the scenery reminded me of Trillium Lake at home in Oregon, but the Blue Pearl lake is called such for a reason. The water was rather chilly, but it was gorgeous to see.

We spent two chillier nights in the Ger camps, experiencing how the local nomads might live in these homes. It was a bit like ‘glamping’, only less glamorous.

During this time, we visited a reindeer herd and explored the area with a visit to a couple of local families’ homes.

After a couple of days of this area, we then headed back to Ulaanbaatar for another night in a different Ger camp outside of the city area and compared the differences in herded animals as well as culture of the people.

We also experienced a bit of the spiritual side of the country in visiting temples both in and out of the city.

Of course, the highlight was seeing the festival with all its competitions from ankle-bone throwing to archery to horse racing to wrestling and the opening ceremony.

We toured the city and saw highlights as a close to the tour.

On the whole we enjoyed the trip. It was fun to see a completely different and fairly unknown country. While the history is rich with stories of Genghis (Chinggis) Khan, there is little known about its current status in the world.

With that said, I do not need to visit it again anytime soon. I might be interested to see its development in another 20-30 years since it is indeed a developing nation. Also, much of the tour was spent in a car getting from locations, which is not as fun. It reminded me a bit of the tour I took in Turkey.

As for recommending it, I’m not sure. I think if one has an interest in Mongolia or seeing a still fairly untouched country, then it is worth it. However, don’t expect the food to wow you or to be overly impressed with the tourism industry.

Click on the pic to see all trip pics!

Still, I’m glad I got to do another trip with my mama and to revive the travel bug in me! Now, the real question is, where to go next…? 😛

~T 😀

Sep 232018
 

The downside of going back to work and working for a business rather than an academic institution is that vacation days are limited. Add to that other life challenges, makes for a bit of a difficulty in taking summer holidays.

However, I’m not at all complaining as life is a far cry (positively) from what it was just over a year ago – still trying to work out how to update on that….

Anyway, we were finally able to manage a trip away from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo life over a long weekend.

Both of us needed the bit of rest that the beautiful blue waters and sun of Okinawa provided us.

Most of our time was spent on the beaches as we tried out most of the popular ones thanks to being able to drive around the main island. The weather was absolutely perfect and so here are the photos that say it all!

~T 😀

Apr 032017
 

In Japan, the best seasons are the fall and spring. These are the times of the year when you can be outside and enjoy all that the flora can offer around town. Or, many people take special trips around this time. 

The spring offers views of the famous cherry blossoms where you can see people sitting under trees having picnics or drinking parties. This is known as hanami – looking at flowers. While there are many flowers to look at, THE flower is sakura or cherry blossoms

My hope this year was to get the timing right for the sakura, but due to the lingering cooler temperatures, they aren’t quite in full bloom yet. 

As today is my last full day of my visit, I made sure to take some photos where I could. 


Here are some from the weekend as well. 



Will keep these handy as I return to the beige desert sands – though the warmth will be nice. 😉

~T 😀

Mar 312017
 

Our last half-day in Kyoto was a cold and wet one. We put on our Oregonian minds and endured the rain drops enough to do the short walk along the Philosophers’ Path (哲学の道哲学の道) where we reminisced about the old days when J and I created our own pronunciation of philosophize to philoSOPHisize because we had trouble saying it correctly. Now, it will never be said properly…. 🤣😂

The Path leads to the Silver Pavilion (銀閣寺) which is J’s favorite place. I think I had a new appreciation for it this time around, perhaps because the rain enhanced the “silver-ness” of the place.

Normally, it is meant to be a place of calm and zen. When I visited the first time as an exchange student I remember being told it was a place for contemplation and to be respectful to other visitors by keeping  as quiet as possible. Well…the tourists of today no longer have received this message or perhaps do not care. We had a few moments with some of the other Asian country tourists, but worked hard not to let it ruin our mood and enjoyment of what the historical space offers. 😍

Overall, it was a lovely way to end our visit, though it was not quite a long enough trip. Next time, we will try to make it a longer one especially since I also did not have the chance to catch up with friends there….😪😓

~T 😀

 

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