Our Journey Around the World, So Far

A Gap-Year Redux

These are the posts about our travels and our family experiences during our trip around the world, and where we were when we wrote them. (Or, in some cases, where the story took place, if they were posted later…) This list may not be completely up-to-date, the most current posts are on the top right side bar.

Before Leaving: During our countdown to leaving we began blogging about what we were doing. Our countdown posts are:
Homeschooling on the Road
Acceleration of Time
Schengen Strategies
Business of the Road
Itinerary. A Reflection in Mercury
Tying Up Loose Ends; A Ball of Knots
The Gauntlet of Goodbye

France: Paris, 2 nights: As we left home we landed in Paris, were we dragged our luggage through the subways:
What a Drag…
Photos of Paris

France: Chandon in the Meribel Valley: 3 Weeks: Our first real stop was in the Alps. John wanted to ski, and we figured with all the extra stuff to carry we should do that first. Several of our friends from home came and stayed with us (we rented a big house) to ski and see us off on our journey.
Meribel Landing
Fog in the Valley
Staring at Trees; A Day of Downtime in Meribel
Eating Savoie
Redundancy in Awe
Au Revoir Russell, Goodbye Gear
Goodbye Chandon, Chalet Nikita
Photo gallery: Les Trois Vallees & Meribel
Photo gallery: Chandon, France
Photo gallery: Les Allues, France
Photo gallery: Meribel and La Chaudanne, France
Photo gallery: Moutiers, France
Video of Skiing in Val Thorens
Video of Chandon and the Three Valleys

France: Rhone Valley Castle: 1 Week: While John continued skiing, the girls and I explored the Rhone area around Seysell and over to Annecy. We were joined by Britt, friend of Hannah’s part way through the week.
River Through Time
Photo gallery: Chateau la Peyrousse
Photo gallery: Annecy

France: Lyon: 4 Nights: We continued to Lyon without John.
Lost in Language
Wandering Lyon, Photos From France’s Second City
Photo gallery: Lyon: St Jean de Baptiste Cathedral
Photo gallery: Lyon: Roman Theater and Ruins
Photo gallery: Lyon: Parc de la Tete d’Or
Photo gallery: Lyon: Fourviere
Photo gallery: Lyon: Traboules
Photo gallery: Lyon: France’s Second City

Switzerland: Geneva: 6 Nights: We met up with John and Britt left us to fly home in Geneva.
The Weight of Our Belongings
Backpack Backtrack

Italy: Venice: 6 Nights: Here we made the mistake of renting a little hotel room instead of an apartment.
Shopping in Venice
Foto Phaves: Burano, Italy

Croatia: Omiš: 1 Month: We tied up as many loose ends before leaving as we could, but still needed to plant ourselves somewhere to finish old business.
Spring in Omiš
Auto Longing
Touching the Past; A Day in Split
Drifting Upstream, Cetina River
Education and Memories
Team Building Through Travel
Storm’s Amphitheater; A Concert in Thunder
Freedom on Wheels and an Outing to Baška Voda
Skradinski Buk, Krka National Park
English and Olive Oil
Video of an outing on the Cetina River
Video of Skradinski Buk in Krka National Park

Croatia: Dubrovnik: 3 Nights: We began our tour of Dalmatia
Dubrovnik, Ancient and Proud
Dubrovnik’s Walls

Croatia: Trpanj on the Pelješac Peninsula: 4 Nights
Wine in Croatia and Meeting Mike Grgich
The Song of Jackals This includes a sound recording of the Golden Jackals on the Pelješac.
Video of our visit to the Peljesac Peninsula

Croatia: Korčula: 6 Nights
Bonding, Squabbling, and Farting of the Mouth
Korčula and Camp Chairs
Video of Korčula, Croatia

Croatia: Hvar: 3 Nights
Rain Dancing in Hvar
Video of Hvar, Croatia
Foto Phaves: Hvar

Croatia: Back to Omiš: 10 Days: To pick up our stuff and re-group
Missing Home While Standing Still
The Land of Pay Potties
Omiš is Komisch

Croatia: Pula: 1 Week:
Pula: A Fresh Arrival
Pula for Birthdays
Foto Phaves: 3 shots from Rovinj, Croatia
Wrapping Up With Rovinj; Our Final Stop in Croatia
Video of Cape Kamenjak, south of Pula

France: Nice, or, rather, Carros Village: 1 Week: Here we were joined by another of Hannah’s friends, Noelle.
Foto Phave: Hills Above Nice, France
Croatia, Monte Carlo, and Our Own Consumerism
Nice is Nice
Video of parasailing in Nice

Italy: Pignona, in the hills above Cinque Terre and Levanto: 1 Week: We met up with Noelle’s family and spent a day hiking together before she left us to continue her vacation with them.
Foto Phaves: Riomaggiore and Via dell’Amore
Five Lands and Fiends, Hiking the Cinque Terre
Foto Phaves: Photos of Pisa, Italy

Andorra: La Massana: 2 Weeks:
Andorra Arriving
Foto Phaves: Andorra
The Intensity of Togetherness
Stumbling Around Language Where Shrek Speaks Spanish
J’adore Andorre

France: Blois, Loire Valley: 5 nights:
Foto Phave: Cathedral Saint-Louis de Blois
Chateaux and Catherine d’Medici

France: Paris (Montmartre): 12 nights: Here, Sarah, a friend of Hannah’s and the daughter of close friends (a niece we are not related to…) joined us for most of our stay in Paris. John and Marlie left for a week on a river cruise to Normandy.
Internet. Not Really an Addiction; Connectivity in Vacation Rentals.
Foto Phaves: Gargoyles of Notre Dame de Paris
Tired Feet in the City of Light, Paris with Two Teens

Belguim: Brussels: 6 nights:
Me, Too, and Manneken Pis
Mini Europe, a Long Way and a Far Cry From Tobu World Square

England: London (Barking/ Becontree): 5 nights:
Where’s Marlie? ADHD Comes With US Around the World
Dim Sum Search, London

Wales: Goodwick, Pembrokeshire: 1 Week:
Foto Phaves: Fishguard Area, Wales
Pembrokeshire: Tourism in the Heart of Agriculture
Walking with Hawks in Wales

Scotland: Rogart: 6 nights:
We had planned to stay for two weeks, but midway through our first week, we got an urgent e-mail from home. John’s dad’s health was failing, and it was time for us to gather as a family around him.
Rocks in the Piste and a Detour Home

England: London: 2 nights:
Time to return the car to Peugeot, and head toward home via Heathrow

USA: Bend, Oregon: 3 Months.
We came back to our home town to stay with John’s father for the last weeks of his life, as someone needed to be available to help him at all times. This meant he was able to spend the end of his life in his own home, surrounded by family. We will always be grateful we were able to be here during this sad and sacred time for him.

As we were about to leave to resume our trip, our younger daughter broke her leg due to a bone cyst and a fall from a horse, setting us back further a couple of weeks.
Time Out
The Power of Acting “As If”
The River Grief
Not Home and Our Slumbering Stuff
(Re) Packing For (the rest of) Our Trip Around the World
Limbo and Broken Bones
Better Left Unknown
Giving Thanks
Another RTW Countdown
Two Red Eyes

South Africa: Cape Town: 10 Days
We were scheduled to head to South Africa a week before our younger daughter broke her leg and needed surgery, delaying our departure. The first several weeks in Africa she spent on crutches.
Leaving Home
Foto Phaves: Cape Town’s World of Birds
First Impressions of Cape Town
Filled Senses in Cape Town
Foto Phaves: Cape Town

South Africa: Simon’s Town: 2 Weeks
On the peninsula south of Cape Town, we spent the winter holidays. This is the home of Boulders Beach, a penguin colony. It was Marlie’s pick for her “anywhere in the world” she wanted to go. While here we also made our way back up to Cape Town a couple of times.
White Christmas: Sand, not Snow.
Foto Phaves: Cape of Good Hope
Tipping the Attendants
The Cape Doctor Wind and Sand on the Cornea
Foto Phaves: Penguin Colony at Boulders Beach This one includes a sound clip of the song of the jackass penguins.
Exploring Cape Town: A Video
Seeking Baboons
Seal Island: Poop, No Sharks

South Africa: Hermanus: 5 Nights
Beach Bar, No Traffic Jams

South Africa: Zoutpan Farmstay, near Albertinia: 3 Nights
Love the Hand That Feeds You

South Africa: Oudtshoorn, Klein Karoo: 3 Nights
Baby Cheetahs and the Food Chain
Adventures Weekly: Ostrich Riding in Oudtshoorn
Ostrich Riding Video

South Africa: A treehouse out in the woods near Sedgefield, between George and Knysna: 3 Nights
Sleeping in Trees and Watching For Snakes

South Africa: St. Francis Port: 1 Week A week with good internet spent catching up, mostly. We turned our rental car and rented a Land Rover.

South Africa: Tsitsikamma National Park: Storms River Mouth: 3 Nights Getting the Land Rover and camper dialed in for travel.
Facing Fear and Adrenalin and Tsisikamma
Foto Phaves: Storms River Mouth

South Africa: Baviaanskloof, (Baboon Canyon) Rooihoek Camp: 1 Night Our first real back country
Into the Wild of the Mighty Vervets

South Africa: Gamtoos River Valley: 1 Night

South Africa: Figtree Lodge, Near Addo Elephant National Park: 3 Nights
Balancing Elephants and Oranges
Foto Phaves: Schotia Safari

South Africa: Cape St. Francis: 5 Nights In the PE area so we could take Marlie in for a follow up x-ray, and to catch up on school and work. Fianlly, Marlie had the go-ahead to gradually put weight on her leg and wean herself from the crutches. Now we could leave the first world of South Africa and its medical care and head into the back country.
Wax and Frankie: Loaner Dogs

South Africa: Drakensberg & Lesotho Road Trip: 10 Days Queenstown, Ladybrand, Golden Gate Highlands NP, Royal Natal NP, Cathedral Peak and Giants Castle in Drakensberg, Sani Pass (almost,) Harrismith, Klerksdorp.
No Lesotho and Magic in the Land of Dragons
No Lesotho II: The Sequel
Foto Phaves: KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
Foto Phaves: Zulu!

Botswana: Gaborone: 4 NightsDays spent getting ourselves ready to travel through Botswana. We donated Marlie’s crutches to an emergency room here.
Bureaucratic Conundrum at the Botswana Border
Cell Hell in Gaborone

Botswana: Central Kalahari Road Trip: 1 Week Kang, Ghanzi, Grasslands Lodge, Central Kalahari Game Reserve in both Sunday Pan and Deception Valley.
Tourism, Zulu, and the San of the Kalahari
Dropping In For Coffee: Kalahari Lions
Foto Phaves: Central Kalahari Predator Conservation

Botswana: Maun: 3 Nights
Thief in the Night at Audi Camp

Botswana: Moremi National Park, Xakanaxa Camp: 3 Nights Grover, our rented Land Rover died and we were towed back to Maun.
Breakdown in the Okavango
Mr. Big Boss

Botswana: Maun: 4 Nights
The Africa of Our Imaginations: Botswana

Botswana: Kasane: 3 Nights
Foto Phaves: Chobe National Park, Botswana: Part 1

Zimbabwe: Victoria Falls: 2 Nights
Zimbabwe, Victoria, and the Semi Feral Family

Botswana: Kasane: 5 More Nights

Seychelles: Mahe Island: 1 Week
Islands of Red Tape: Seychelles

Seychelles: La Digue Island: 5 Nights
We Dig La Digue

On a catamaran sailing about the Seychelles: 1 Week
Sailing, Snokeling, and Hurling the Technicolor Yawn
Swimming With Turtles and Leaving the Boat
Reflecting on the Seychelles

Praslin Island, Seychelles: 2 Nights

Thailand: Bangkok: 2 Weeks
Songkran Festival Sanuk in Bangkok
Shakedown Cruise on the Bangkok Canals
Easter in Bangkok and Not Allowing “Should” to Ruin “Is”
Foto Phaves: Bangkok by River Chao Phraya

Thailand: Mae Hong Son: 4 Nights
Watching The Royal Wedding in Mae Hong Son
Long Necks in Mae Hong Son, Thailand

Thailand: Chaing Mai: 10 Nights
Approaching Endings and Beginnings
Education and Feeding Passions
Mothers Day in Chiang Mai
No Pachyderms For You

Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City: 1 Week
Foto Phaves: Streets of Ho Chi Minh City
Wading Through Motorbikes in Saigon