Monday morning! Our luggage was sent ahead while we transferred to the Bucharest train station. The horrible rain/hail/wind event never materialized though it was cloudier and cooler than the last 10 spectacular days. The train station was a tad run down, as was the train, but the ride was smooth as we traveled over the… Continue reading Romania II: Transylvania
Author: retirementadventureblog
Romania I: Bucharest
We crossed the Danube at Ruse, Bulgaria to enter Romania. The water was as high as ever so luckily we did not take a river cruise. Despite it being Friday afternoon and with construction we crossed easily and breezed through immigration. Freight trucks were not so lucky, some waiting on average 24 hours to cross. … Continue reading Romania I: Bucharest
Bulgaria II: Nessebar, Varna, and Ruse
The weather has been splendid, sunny and in the 70’s to 80’s in Bulgaria in September. After visiting Sofia, Rila and remarkable Plovdiv (https://retirementadventureblog.com/2024/09/27/bulgaria-i-sofia-rila-and-plovdiv/) we headed east to the Black Sea. Our 3 hour drive (nap time!) took us to Nessebar, a seaside resort. The old town sits on a peninsula jutting out from the… Continue reading Bulgaria II: Nessebar, Varna, and Ruse
Bulgaria I: Sofia, Rila, and Plovdiv
Here’s an international travel tip: Carry your electric adaptors with you and not in your checked luggage. Duh. Let’s hope the phone charge lasts. We have ‘old school’ printouts of our tickets just in case. (OK, we’re Boomers, I admit it). Oh well, what is travel if not an adventure? This trip started a little… Continue reading Bulgaria I: Sofia, Rila, and Plovdiv
On the Road to Marrakech
Our bus, the Marrakech Express, continued onward. We headed back towards the High Atlas mountains stopping occasionally for views, tea, and pee. Our elevation eventually reached 2260 meters (7400 ft) at the highest pass. This road through the mountains was originally built by the French but has recently been upgraded for which I’m grateful. The… Continue reading On the Road to Marrakech
The Sahara!
Leaving Fes on a Thursday we headed south towards Erfoud and the Sahara. A day long bus ride took us from verdant planted fields and olive groves to the pines, Atlas cedars, and snow of the Middle Atlas mountains. On the way we stopped at the village of Irfan, known as the “city of caves”,… Continue reading The Sahara!
Fez
The morning started cool with sun and clouds and only a chance of rain. We headed out to explore the medina of Fez, or, Fes. First, though, an overview of the city from a hill fortification by our local guide, Achmed. Fes is the cultural, religious, and artisan trade center of Morocco and is called… Continue reading Fez
Back in Africa: Rabat, Meknes, Volubilis
After spending a few days in Brussels and Frankfurt (the Lufthansa hub – about 1 day is all you need in each) we returned to Africa: Morocco! Our Lufthansa flight arrived 2am in Casablanca. We were met by our Odysseys Unlimited Tour rep and driven 1.5 hrs to Rabat, the capital of Morocco, on the… Continue reading Back in Africa: Rabat, Meknes, Volubilis
Mt. Kenya!
We said goodbye to 6 of our Odysseys Unlimited group with whom we had spent an amazing 2 weeks on game drives in Kenya and Tanzania. Early Thursday morning the remaining 4 of us boarded our jeep with our driver Reuben for the 4 hour drive to Nanyuki, north of Nairobi, in the shadow of… Continue reading Mt. Kenya!
Tanzania!!!
After 2 wonderful days in Amboseli National Park we headed for Tanzania. I had woken up with vertigo which I had only once before about 4 years ago. Ugh. It hit at breakfast so Greg helped me to the lobby where I waited for the dizziness to settle (and was close enough to the restroom… Continue reading Tanzania!!!