Summary: A fine hike to a monastery dating from the 16th century that is partially restored after the Nazis destroyed it in 1943, followed by a visit to a tiny church in a remote cave and a natural spring. We enjoyed some great gyros, a partially restored Roman theatre, and spent the day in MountContinue reading “Greece: A monastery on the slopes of Mount Olympus”
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Greece: Neapolis. Philippi, Thessaloniki, and the Via Egnatia
Summary: Our exploration of the sites where Paul first visited Europe brought the Acts narratives to life. We felt the sea breeze and watched seagulls at the port of Neapolis (now Kavala). We felt the water of the river where Paul baptized Lydia. We touched the stones of the Via Egnatia that Paul had walkedContinue reading “Greece: Neapolis. Philippi, Thessaloniki, and the Via Egnatia”
Greece: Veria (aka Berea) and Vergina
TL;DR: We traveled to Berea (called Veria in modern Greek) where Paul visited in Acts 17:10. Close by was the underground museum of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great. We then continued into Thessaloniki, and we slept adjacent to the Via Egnatia (Egnatian Way), the ancient Roman Road. Berea Our journey continued northward towardContinue reading “Greece: Veria (aka Berea) and Vergina”
Greece: Meteora, and a bit of Thermopylae
TL;DR: An inspiring day visiting monasteries perched atop mountain peaks and surrounded by vertical cliffs. Their remoteness has helped their preservation through the centuries. On the way, we stopped by Leonidas’s statue at the site of the Battle of Thermopylae, the heroic fight between 300 Spartans and the Persian Army, as depicted in the movie,Continue reading “Greece: Meteora, and a bit of Thermopylae”
Greece: Delphi plus plus
TL;DR: The Delphi Inscription helps date Paul’s time in Corinth at the end of AD51 during Gallio’s proconsulship. We got to see it in the Delphi museum where there are many other archaeological pieces close to the site of the remnants of Apollo’s Temple complex. Delphi was originally founded where Oracles would give predictions havingContinue reading “Greece: Delphi plus plus”
Greece: Athens Part 1
TL;DR: We had a fantastic 19 hours in Athens as we transitioned from solo travel to joining our group. The combination of a fine self-guided walking tour, a comfortable hotel with a bird’s eye view of the Acropolis, and a scrumptious meal sitting on a bustling street in the shadow of an old church. WeContinue reading “Greece: Athens Part 1”
Greece: Hydra Island
TL;DR We spent our first two days in Greece staying on Hydra, sampling Greek food, wandering around an old car-free port, and hiking into its dry rugged interior for amazing views. Hydra Hydra (pronounced EE-dra, with a silent “H”) is less than two hours by ferry from Athens’s port, Piraeus. We wanted to spend aContinue reading “Greece: Hydra Island”
Greece: A Prelude in DC
As our flight to Athens was via Dulles airport, we made the most of the stop and checked out Washington DC for a couple of days, visiting the Museum of the Bible, catching a show, and and walking around the monuments. The museum was a great way to set the tone for following in Paul’sContinue reading “Greece: A Prelude in DC”
Hadrian’s Wall Path: Summary and Reflections
This post is about our walk along Hadrian’s Wall Path. It might be helpful if you are planning a similar trip. Janet and I walked the path westerly over eight days in September 2024 using Macs Adventures to define the itinerary and make the bookings. Below is a summary of the walking. There is aContinue reading “Hadrian’s Wall Path: Summary and Reflections”
HWP: Epilogue
I thought we’d finished yesterday, but it doesn’t really sink in until the following morning when you don’t have to put on hiking gear nor get your bag ready for pick up by the magical luggage carrier that you never meet. The legs no longer ache as much, so perhaps they are now ready forContinue reading “HWP: Epilogue”
HWP Day 8: Carlisle to Bowness-on-Solway
Today was the final leg of our trek across England following Hadrian’s Wall. It did not disappoint, remaining consistent with some of the highlights from previous days while adding a few fun and interesting variations. At 16.7 miles, it was our longest day and it hurt less than others, suggesting we found our trail legs,Continue reading “HWP Day 8: Carlisle to Bowness-on-Solway”
HWP Day 2: Newcastle to Heddon-on-Wall / Wylam
The lack of wall on today’s stretch is replaced by a journey through time. The Romans started building the wall in 122 and they left Britannia in about 410 when Barbarians were attacking Rome. The church in Heddon dates from 650. Newcastle castle goes back to 1080. The friars at last night’s restaurant established theirContinue reading “HWP Day 2: Newcastle to Heddon-on-Wall / Wylam”
Introduction to Hadrian’s Wall Path and Our Plan to Walk It
At the beginning of this year, Janet and I were hungry to complete another multiday hike in England, but it’s difficult to choose as there are many options. There are fifteen national trails, but this list does not include either England’s Coast to Coast or Scotland. Trailblazer and Cicerone publish many walking trail guidebooks. SeveralContinue reading “Introduction to Hadrian’s Wall Path and Our Plan to Walk It”
Three Nights in Colorado’s Gore Range
Samuel and I were hungry for an adventurous backpacking trip. It had been a couple of years since we had completed Arkansas’s Eagle Rock Loop and three years since the epic Collegiate Loop on the Colorado and Continental Divide Trails. Samuel had spent his first year in college living in Golden, on the Western outskirtsContinue reading “Three Nights in Colorado’s Gore Range”
Hiking the Solamere Trail in Park City, Utah
As we were in Park City for a wedding, a hike was in order. One family member had some sore chest muscles which is a symptom of altitude sickness (AMS) which suggested the Blood Lakes Trail at over 10,000 ft was unwise. The Solamere Trail, just north of the St Regis, seemed appropriate at 2.6Continue reading “Hiking the Solamere Trail in Park City, Utah”
Golden’s Clear Creek Canyon Park
During our trip to help Samuel prepare his apartment for his second year at the Colorado School of Mines, we’ve finally been able to do some exploring! Earlier in the week we’d visited our friend Martin in Breckenridge who took us up a chair lift for a very cool hike, and yesterday, we used aContinue reading “Golden’s Clear Creek Canyon Park”
Tennessee – Summary and Reflection
Visiting Tennessee was on our list-to-visit as it’s a potential move-to destination. Bailey visited with some of her friends earlier in 2024 and her inspiration was the foundation for much of Janet’s planning. Bailey made a PowerPoint showing us an itinerary to give us an idea what we could do. Janet got everyone to identifyContinue reading “Tennessee – Summary and Reflection”
TN Day 0 – Driving to Gatlinburg
Who had suggested getting up at 2 am? It had made sense the night before with a 1000 mile drive ahead of us, but the logic was absent when the alarm went off. Everyone arose fairly readily so I guess we were all eager to get going, with Janet and Kylie taking the first drivingContinue reading “TN Day 0 – Driving to Gatlinburg”
Two Weeks in New Zealand
It’s time to reflect and ruminate on what we’ve done, both to help us remember this trip and to improve how we do other trips or even return. Planning a visit to New Zealand is especially challenging as there is a lot to see which is spread over two islands. Some people in internet groupsContinue reading “Two Weeks in New Zealand”
NZ Day 13: Getting Home
This was not a day of interesting activities, but it’s a useful reference for the journey from NZ to TX. For a 3:40pm international departure from Auckland, we left just after 9am. The drive was a little over 2 hours, and we had extra time to get fuel. The traffic on the other side ofContinue reading “NZ Day 13: Getting Home”
The Adventures of the Cajunlimeys 