Author Archives: brianfjohnston

Chamonix, France; Day 2

Our accommodations here in Chamonix are appropriately befitting a ski town. There is a large ski locker room in the basement whose flooring is thick rubber mats to cushion the blows of hard ski boots. The interior walls are all knotty pine and threadbare carpet. There is an indoor pool and a pair of saunas.Continue reading “Chamonix, France; Day 2”

Geneva, Switzerland

Today was primarily a travel day as we said goodbye to Italy and hello to a new country. We left Venice by boat (of course) and met up with the first of our three trains today. The trip from the Venice – Santa Lucia train station to the Venice-Mestre station was pretty quick. Enough soContinue reading “Geneva, Switzerland”

Venice, Italy; Day 2

We awoke today to a sky which couldn’t seem to make up its mind whether it would offer rain or sun. The radar wasn’t much help. We thought we’d run out for breakfast, but we were slow to get our shoes on and a light shower drove us to cook at home. After making breakfastContinue reading “Venice, Italy; Day 2”

Bologna, Italy

As much as the parents wanted to visit the crypts of Donatelli and Michelangelo, the kids seemed to be in need of a different type of Adventure. We have seen a lot of cathedrals and statues in Europe so far and have several more on our list to see in the next few weeks. InContinue reading “Bologna, Italy”

San Gimignano, Italy; Day 7

We said arrivederci to 2 Adventurers today. Grandpa Ed and Grandma Loesje have been away from home for 6 weeks and were ready to return to California. Brian drove them to the Florence Airport to send them to Amsterdam and then onto America tomorrow. The Florence Airport is quite different from the Florence rail stationContinue reading “San Gimignano, Italy; Day 7”

San Gimignano, Italy; Day 5

We went to Italian cooking school today in Montaione. It is another remarkable hilltop Tuscan town with buildings from the 12th century. It was remarkable today, however, for the notable lack of individuals that we encountered. We saw no tourists besides ourselves and no locals roaming the streets. We found this strange but decided thatContinue reading “San Gimignano, Italy; Day 5”

San Gimignano, Italy; Day 1

We all enjoyed Rome much more than we had anticipated. We stayed in the Trastevere neighborhood and found a local park that the kids insisted on visiting nearly all 5 days that we were there. The restaurants served delicious food which made us feel better about the slightly inflated prices. And the sites that weContinue reading “San Gimignano, Italy; Day 1”

Rome, Italy; Day 4

We found ourselves travelling to another country today. This country is, according to our helpful guide, the wealthiest country in the world but also the smallest. It lies entirely within the city of Rome and has been here since the 5th century (but only recognized with sovereignty in the 20th century). Of course, we areContinue reading “Rome, Italy; Day 4”

Rome, Italy; Day 2

We are finding that Rome is a very walkable city and didn’t find ourselves lost even once. It helps to have 5G coverage and internet mapping because the old part of the city has zero right angles and thousands of ways to get confused and turned around. For those of you that have visited thisContinue reading “Rome, Italy; Day 2”

Rota, Spain; Day 24

We had a few short drive Adventures today seeing some new areas of Andalucía. We dropped Tiffany off at the Chipiona post office to send a package to Cincinnati to Sister/Aunt/Grandma Tracy. The kids and Brian went back to the nice park to ride their zip line and to wait for Tiffany to return. WhenContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 24”

Rota, Spain; Day 22

Our hosts provided us with a helpful guide regarding the beachside apartment here in Rota. We have used several of the suggestions for places to visit and local markets to shop. Today, we walked over to the Mindundi Frutas store for two large bags of fruit and vegetables. Everything looked good and appeared fresh. OurContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 22”

Rota, Spain; Day 20

We enjoyed the afternoon at the park and then Brian cooked a chicken dinner for these Adventurers. The kids enjoyed their time at this park which sits only three blocks away from the apartment. If the zip-line cable wasn’t damaged then it might even be better than the park they found at Chipiona on Friday.Continue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 20”

Rota, Spain; Day 16

We spent most of the day in another coastal town in the Western Andulisia part of Spain called Chipiona. It lies about 10 km (6 miles) north of Rota. Our destination was the lighthouse which is the tallest in Spain. We were geared up to climb the 350 spiraling stairs. Before we got there theContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 16”

Rota, Spain; Day 14

We took a trip into the “big city” of Cádiz to visit the main cathedral and to see some of the other historic sites of this ancient port. Our trip into Cádiz gave us a chance for an up close view of the magnificent bridge that we can clearly see from Rota. This is theContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 14”

Rota, Spain; Day 8

Brian took two of the Adventurers out to the grocery store. They stopped at the panadería for a few sweet treats. Suaram chose the piece of chocolate cake on the right and CreeperPuppy chose the cupcake on the left. Everyone appreciated getting to go for a walk and earning these calories. Tiffany cooked this eveningContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 8”

Rota, Spain; Day 5

Today was Easter Sunday which is a major holy holiday here in Spain (and in the rest of the Christian world). Again we saw many folks congregating on the beach enjoying the 22°C (72°F) temperatures. The children awoke earlier than usual looking for signs of the Easter Bunny. They had been disappointed that a leprechaunContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 5”

Rota, Spain; Day 4

Suaram, CreeperKitty and CreeperPuppy were happy to be out for breakfast together at a charming local café. The kids proficiency with Spanish has allowed them to easily order their favorite European breakfast. Dad chose Croissant Con Jamón instead of Chocolate. This weekend in Rota it seems everyone in Spain was taking advantage of the threeContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 4”

Dispatch from Isolation Ward, Day 2

I am still showing as virus-free (hooray) and will be isolating with the COVID positive boys. They have been fever-free since yesterday and have been spending an inordinate amount of time on their tablets. One dividend from this will be that they will each submit a daily post for your reading pleasure. I hope youContinue reading “Dispatch from Isolation Ward, Day 2”

Barcelona, Spain; Day 1

We departed the Portuguese capital of Lisbon this morning for Spain.  Both countries are, of course, European Union nations and share currencies, open market trading bloc objectives, and other diplomatic advantages. One of these advantages struck us soon after arriving in Barcelona.  The process to proceed from the plane to our taxi outside was simple,Continue reading “Barcelona, Spain; Day 1”

Lisbon, Portugal; Day 4

We wanted to see some more of this lovely area and rode on the train West to see the town of Sintra. The National Palace of Pena and an old Moorish Castle could be found there about 20 km (12+ miles) away from the center of Lisbon. To get there we took the Lisbon MetroContinue reading “Lisbon, Portugal; Day 4”

Lisbon, Portugal; Day 2

This is our first day in a European capital during our World Tour and it is beautiful here. Admittedly we did little research on Lisbon prior to arriving since we added it last minute – so we had limited expectations. What we have found so far is a medium-sized port city with a vibrant caféContinue reading “Lisbon, Portugal; Day 2”

Marrakech, Morocco; Day 4

The 5 Adventurers had another day of commerce, cuisine and cultural assimilation in the Old Medina. Brian was determined to purchase a few items which caught his eye during earlier trips through the narrow alleyways of this neighborhood. He left shortly after breakfast to have time to wander the shops, try on items and notContinue reading “Marrakech, Morocco; Day 4”

Marrakech, Morocco; Day 2

Today we enjoyed a wonderful lunch on the Jemaa El Fnaa square – the largest in the Medina. Two of us had traditional Moroccan dishes (Tagine Chicken & Lamb Couscous). The others had bolognese and cheeseburgers (not shown because, why bother?). The Jemaa El Fnaa is the famous Marrakech square which features snake charmers, musicians,Continue reading “Marrakech, Morocco; Day 2”

Hurghada, Egypt; Day 7

Our last day in the coastal town of Hurghada saw our family looking for Covid-PCR test results and one last trip into the blue waters of the Red Sea. Well, perhaps not all of us got into the Red Sea today. Especially not like this. This is the floating couch that serves a similar roleContinue reading “Hurghada, Egypt; Day 7”

Hurghada, Egypt; Day 5

We enjoyed another resort day and found ways to create fun wherever we went. While Brian spent time in the gym exercising and strengthening his back (better every day!), the kids schooled Mom in the proper ways to use a tennis court. All it takes is one wobbly inflated kickball worth 175 arcade tickets, anContinue reading “Hurghada, Egypt; Day 5”

Hurghada, Egypt; Day 3

One of our fine Adventurers took in a little too much sun yesterday. She forgot sunscreen and sat on the sunny side during lunch which was so delightful it lasted most of the afternoon. A day mostly inside was on her wishlist. Another of our Adventurers had a shoe stolen by the Nile earlier inContinue reading “Hurghada, Egypt; Day 3”

Luxor, Egypt; Day 3

Luxor and Paris share some common traits. Both have famous obelisks, revered places of worship, Egyptian antiquities and major rivers dividing them into banks. In Luxor, the banks are East and West. Today we explored the great sites on the East Bank. Our first stop was to visit a DHL shipping office where we offloadedContinue reading “Luxor, Egypt; Day 3”

Luxor, Egypt; Day 1

We awoke this morning in a felucca in the River Nile. We slept poorly as the wind blowing for several days abated for 4 hours but began anew at 2am and persisted strongly thereafter. We knew that the temperature would dip to 52° Fahrenheit (11°C) but the wind made for a very frigid night. CozyContinue reading “Luxor, Egypt; Day 1”

Aswan, Egypt; Day 2

Our morning got off to a rough start as we woke to an Adventurer with ‘tummy troubles’. We’ve avoided them so far which is surprising since we haven’t been able to drink the tap water since early December. Some liquids and small nibbles did little to improve the situation so we reluctantly split the groupContinue reading “Aswan, Egypt; Day 2”

Cairo/Giza, Egypt; Day 5

On our fifth day here, it was finally the day for the Great Pyramids, the Sphinx and a ride on some camels. We also spent some time at the Cairo Bazaar and with a scent master. Many Adventures for us today! We started at the Great Pyramids which sit right outside our B&B.  We tookContinue reading “Cairo/Giza, Egypt; Day 5”

Cairo/Giza, Egypt; Day 4

Brian and Tiffany celebrated the 14th anniversary of their wedding today. We decided to visit the Mena House which sits on the other side of the Great Pyramids from our Sphinx-side B&B. The Mena House was an old hunting lodge built in the 19th century and has been the Giza accommodations for royalty, heads-of-state, andContinue reading “Cairo/Giza, Egypt; Day 4”

Cairo/Giza, Egypt; Day 2

On our first full day here in Egypt we hired a guide and visited a number of holy sites in Cairo.  We completed the day on the rooftop of our B&B in Giza watching the famous Sound & Light Show at the Sphinx. Our first stop in the morning was to see the Hanging ChurchContinue reading “Cairo/Giza, Egypt; Day 2”

Cairo/Giza, Egypt; Day 1

We left the UAE this afternoon for the Egyptian leg of the World Tour. We arrived late into Cairo and then had a white knuckled ride through some hairy traffic in a cramped four door sedan. Horn blasting all the way. Five of us plus the driver made for some squished Adventurers. Our complimentary transportContinue reading “Cairo/Giza, Egypt; Day 1”

Dubai, UAE; Day 6

We spent the day at Expo2020 and had a wonderful time trying to see the world in one day. This event was originally scheduled to start in October 2020 but was Covid-delayed. This expo is essentially a world’s fair with representatives from 188 countries putting together dedicated pavilions and exhibits showing off their country andContinue reading “Dubai, UAE; Day 6”

Dubai, UAE; Day 4

Today’s Adventure was all about the kids so they picked Aquaventure. This is a place on the tip of the Jumeirah Palm next to the Atlantis Resort and is an oversized, world’s largest, waterpark. Not surprisingly it boasts tons of waterslides, lazy rivers, splash zones and beach frontage. One of the more unique rides takesContinue reading “Dubai, UAE; Day 4”

Dubai, UAE; Day 2

On our first full day in Dubai, Mom went off to get a haircut and the kids & Dad went exploring. We are staying in the Dubai Marina area which sits in the ‘shadow’ of the Palm Jumeirah. There are many tall buildings throughout Dubai and a number of them are residences and hotels. ThereContinue reading “Dubai, UAE; Day 2”

Nairobi, Kenya Part 3; Day 1

This is our last stop in Kenya before leaving on Saturday. Today was also our last day on Safari. We had committed ourselves to trying to see the Big 5 (elephant, water buffalo, lion, leopard, rhinoceros) while we were here and we had one more animal to see. We left the AA Lodge in AmboseliContinue reading “Nairobi, Kenya Part 3; Day 1”

Amboseli, Kenya; Day 1

We have embarked on our second land safari.  This time we are going into the Amboseli National Park which sits at the foot of Mount Kilamanjaro. We have hired our prior guide Jacktone to pick us up from our Nairobi hotel and to take us to our bush camp and lead our game drives. TodayContinue reading “Amboseli, Kenya; Day 1”

Diani Beach, Kenya; Day 13

It came upon us both slowly and quickly; Diani departure day. We have wanted to move on from this house since we arrived but we have also been surprised that February 20th (our last full day here) has arrived so soon. Our expectation was that we would have a mix of some school days andContinue reading “Diani Beach, Kenya; Day 13”