Back in May of this year, we had a one week vacation in Iceland, and today I finally finished the photo album.
Category: Vacation
We just returned from a fun and relaxing one week vacation in the north of Sardinia. Mostly sunny and warm except for one day, not bad for this time of the year. We stayed at the Castelsardo Resort and our room had a beautiful ocean view.
We visited the local villages of Castelsardo, Porto Torres, Alghero and Isola Rossa and a few beaches in between. On the last day we decided to splurge and stay at the fancy Grand Hotel President in Oblia.
All in all, the food was fantastic and the surroundings scenic and peaceful.
Being the boring procrastinator that I am, I've been putting it off now for nearly ten months, so many pictures and much work. However, I finally managed to get it finished at the last possible moment, just before the new year. Enjoy...
Costa Rica
We had a fun and relaxing week exploring the southern region of Italy called Puglia. Forming the heel of the boot, the region is known for its whitewashed hill towns, centuries old farmland and hundreds of kilometers of Mediterranean coastline.
See: Photo Album.
We had an amazing two weeks travelling around Costa Rica.
We had a really fly and drive vacation on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria. We could just hang around on the beach or drive around and visit interesting towns and national parks up in the mountains.
See for yourself here: Photo album.
We have been to Greece many times, but for the first time we decided to explore the more rugged terrain of the Peloponnese Region where many ancient ruins and wonderful little towns could be found. We did the so-called fly and drive routine which means that for a total package trip you rent a car and stay in fancy hotels on a pre-defined route along the coast and through the mountains. We preferred the serene countryside to the bustling and dusty city of Athens, but we experienced a good mix of various locations and scenic countrysides.
See the photo album 2022 April in Greece.
Thea and I had a fantastic time on the Greek island of Kos. The resort we stayed at was super deluxe and we even had our own private jacuzzi. Since we were there outside of the tourist season, most places were pretty peaceful and relaxing.
We had rented a small car so could travel around the island, seeing pretty much most of the important small villages and other attractions. We loved the beaches and nature and took a number of extended strolls so that we deserved fancy dinners when we got back.
The weather was pretty good, mostly sunny and sometimes a bit on the cool side, although we did have a couple days stormy weather and one evening even an impressive lightning storm in the distance (we sat in bubbling in the jacuzzi watching it from a safe distance.
See photo album
We had a fun and relaxing vacation in Croatia driving around and exploring the coast and countryside. The main highlights of our trip include:
For more details, have a look at the many pictures.
Took a quick dip in the Adriatic Sea this afternoon and loved every minute of it. The temperature was perfect, and I could float endlessly in the salty water bobbing up and down ever so slightly like a baby in a bath. At one point I imagined myself far out to sea with not a single worry in the world.
We had a fun and relaxing long weekend in London, the weather was great and we ate out every evening. We must have walked more than 10 miles a day which was good exercise. Our hotel was located right next to Hyde Park, so we could either take a long stroll into town by foot or just hop on the metro at Paddington.
Check out the photo album.
We had a very fun and relaxing week in Tenerife. Mostly just talking it easy, lying around on the beach or next to the pool, eating fancy food, driving around the island, taking long walks, and even exploring the dormant volcano. The hotel was pretty nice but very touristic. After getting used to the warm weather there, it took us awhile re-acclimating to the cold Dutch weather. One week went by quickly and now it's back to the real world.
You might also want to have a look at the Photo album.
Fresh from the press the latest photo album of my fun and relaxing two week stay with family and friends in good old California.
Where was this picture taken?
We had a fantastic trip to Andalusia, Spain. We stayed in fancy hotels and traveled by car to the following places: Granada, Cordoba, Jerez, Seville, Ronda, Mijas and Malaga.
This is where we are spending our thirtieth wedding anniversary together. Actually, today also marks thirty-five years when we first met which is also a life changing moment for both of us. We couldn't have chosen a better spot to celebrate. This is where we first met.
We arrived back from Madeira late last night. The week was really great and we were able to relax and have fun at the same time. In addition to lounging around and doing nothing sometimes (reading and sleeping under the sun with an amazing ocean view) we also traveled around and explored the island.
For a better impression of what we did and the places we visited, have a look at the Vacation to Madeira album.
Normally the week just before I leave for summer vacation, I spend hours on end desperately searching for some interesting books to read. Usually I just collect another huge pile of literature to explore while sunning on the beach or reclining on the balcony of our resort hotel in some faraway exotic country. This time it'll be on the Algarve Coast in Portugal.
However, over the years I've collected so many unread books from these previous bookstore excursions, that I've decided not to look for anything new. There already here surrounding me on the bookshelves aching to be considered. Please pick me, oh I'll be such a good book to you, please.
I'll simply have a look through all of my unopened hardcovers and paperbacks. Hopefully I can come up with a good healthy selection, balancing perhaps a couple fiction titles, one computer tome and a history book also.
I've been keen on reading the new 50th year anniversary English translation of "The Tin Drum" by Gunter Grass, so I'll bring that along. Also the latest hardcover "At Home" by Bill Bryson, looks interesting. And then there's Kafka's "Metamorphosis and Other Stories" as well as "Mortal Combat" by Michael Burleigh. Just in case, I'll also bring along the latest edition of "Effective Perl Programming" just to keep my mind well oiled.
Bringing too many books along for vacation can also be a problem, as it can be hard to decide which book to start. You end up switching endlessly back and forth, getting so stressed out reading multiple lines of thought, that you end up reading nothing. Except those cheap puzzle magazines you happened to pick up at the airport, which involve minimal concentration, and they are fun and relaxing also.
Will also bring along an extra set of pencils, erasers and a good pencil sharpener.
Vouwwagen Jamet Texas 1997
- Bovag gekeurd 2008
- In prima staat, ruim en comfortabel
- Heel zuinig mee omgegaan
- Binnen en buiten schoongemaakt
- Nieuwe banden, rem gecontroleerd
- Tentdoek waterdicht
- Driepits gasfornuis
- Binnenhemel en ritsbare verduistering voor de ramen
- Ruime Disselbak met electra
- Koelkast Stoelen en tafel
- Ingebouwde kluis
- 6 slaapplaatsen (2 extra onder)
- Een echte aanrader voor de beginnende kampeerders.
Prijs: € 600, see Marktplaats.
Sold for € 500 after only one day!
We survived a wonderful two weeks in the sunny and hot climate of Costa Brava, Spain. We stayed 12 days at the fancy L'Àmfora camping and bungalow park. The time spent there was restful and gave us the opportunity to recharge our batteries and prepare ourselves for the rest of the year.
How we traveled (1,398 km):
View Larger Map
Here are some pictures of our fun and relaxing four day weekend in Barcelona, almost a month ago.
Better late than never.
Surprise, surprise. It's off to Barcelona for a long weekend of fun and relaxation. Thea just surprised me with this wonderful birthday gift, and we will be leaving tomorrow which is my official birthday, later in the afternoon. I've been dreaming of traveling to this fine city for many years now, and soon it will be actually happening. Hard to believe that it is merely a two hour flight. Can't wait.
In only two days from now, I will be sitting in the airplane with my family on my way to the Greek island of Rhodes.
Up to now I haven't given much thought to what I want to bring with me and my suitcase lies casually open on my bedroom floor half empty.
In the past I would have had an endless checklist ready two weeks in advance for fear I might have forgotten some vital article: like a tube of toothpaste or a comb or even an extra pen in case the one I was using went empty at a critical moment. Can you imagine?
Slowly but surely my life has become a more relaxed world where trivial unplanned moments make existence more interesting rather than stressful.
When I was younger, I falsely claimed that at such an early age I had already achieved some kind of higher awareness and simply flowed with the stream.
Now I am happy to announce that in my life this is actually (almost) the case. In two days it's off to the fun and relaxing world called summer vacation and I am really looking forward to it.
I will try and remember to send you a postcard...
In a couple of hours Maarten should be coming back from his fun vacation in Croatia with his best friend Bas.
I cannot wait to see him again as he has been away now for nearly ten days. Seems like only yesterday when he left but at the same time it seems like forever since I have seen him last.
When he arrives I will give him a big hug and listen to him as he explains all of the fun things he did there.
Can't wait.
So it is now official. We will be spending the second half of August basking in the hot sun on the Greek Island of Rhodes, about eight kilometers to the west of the city of Rhodes at a place called the Terinikos Hotel.
The island is the second largest of Greece, shaped like a spearhead, and is located just off the south-western Turkish coast.
The really great thing about this vacation is that the whole family (two parents plus four kids) will be enjoying this together. Perhaps it may be the last fun summer vacation we spend together, so we will be sure to make the best of it while it lasts.
Checked out the Internet and the place scored pretty high reviews from the people who'd stayed there.
I guess Lindos is the place to see while you are there.
Although it is only the beginning of the year and it is snowing and cold outside, it is never too early to make vacation plans for a sunny and warm climate.
Everything is booked now and we have a wonderful trip to look forward to in the middle of July.
This time around we will be spending two weeks at Villa Mertiza which is on the south eastern coast of Crete.
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