CROATIA - Magnificent Makarska

Makarska June 7-11 Accommodation: private accommodation arranged through Robert and Marko Puharich Weather: high 20's to low 30's mostly sunny HIGHLIGHTS: Scenery on the bus ride to Makarska was spectacular; this is also true for the entire Croatian coastline Full day boat excursion to Hvar and Brac Marko's personalized tour which included meeting his Grandmother, a mountaintop view overlooking Makarska and a visit to a religious sanctuary set in the mountains. This is really a beautiful outdoor church. Beach experience and walks along the promenade Last but not least the incredible hospitality of our hosts COMMENT: We did not include in the highlights our trip to Medugorge and Mostar. One day in Makarska we rented a car to see these two places. The scenery to. And from these areas was outstanding and there was very little traffic. The destination to the religious shrine - Medugorge - was a bit disappointing due to the crowds and commercialization. Mostar is worthy of your time and should be included in your itinerary; it is a UNESCO site with an ethnic mix of Christians and Muslims. The scars from the 1990's war are still very evident and it will probably take generations to heal these wounds. We loved everything about Makarska: the beaches, the walks and the general hospitality of the people you met.

CROATIA CONTINUED

ZADAR June 4-6 Accommodation: Vila Lipa -$83 per night Weather: excellent HIGHLIGHTS: Visits to historic old town Seaside Promenade Sea Organ - architectural masterpiece by Nikolas Bacic - organ music and light display activated by wave action Excursion to Nin ancient Capitol Lovely beaches COMMENTS: The drive to Zadar was made really interesting by our guide Marko. He knew so much about the area. We received a warm welcome upon our arrival at Vila Lipa from our host. This is a wonderful location for any travelers itinerary.

CROATIA CONTINUED

RAB ISLAND May 30- June 3 Accommodation: Yila Banjol - $100 Weather: mid to high 20's and sunny HIGHLIGHTS: Walks around the historic village from our centrally located apartment Day of cycling along the coast and a delightful swim Boat ride to remote beaches Attended Sunday Church Service Local markets COMMENTS: We stayed on Rab Island for five days which allowed us to do things at a leisurely pace. We did our own cooking and enjoyed wonderful facilities offered at our apartment. The local wines are great and inexpensive. Whether we are at home or traveling it is the celebration of the ordinary that makes life worthwhile. Nothing beats getting up early, walking along the seashore and having coffee and a croissant with the locals. We organized a drive to Zadar, our nest destination with driver and tour guide, Marko Kac. We highly recommend that you contact him for tours and accommodation on Rab Island. He speaks excellent English and is a great guy. Check www.rab-tours.com for more information.

CROATIA

Croatia Zagreb May 23-25 Accommodation - Apt. Water - $100 a night Weather - mixed conditions but most pleasant low 20's HIGHLIGHTS: Authentic Market Plitvice National Park Old Town Museum of Broken Relationships Museum of Modern Art COMMENTS: Zagreb was our introduction to Croatia; it is a lovely old city with wrinkles and all. This is a great city for wandering around at a leisure pace and everything was in walking distance of our apartment. We enjoyed a cappacino at the historic Regent Hotel where at one time the German Command established its headquarters. The best highlight of our time in Zagreb was a tour of Plitvice National Park, a UNESCO heritage site. Another very interesting activity was a visit to the Museum of Broken Relationships. Here on display were love letters and artifacts that had explanations of the part it played in the breakdown of a special relationship. The museum was cleverly done. Our best meal of the entire nine months that we have been traveling was at the Trilogija Restaurant; it was so wonderful that we will return on June 29 before returning to the Netherlands. Rovinj May 26-29 Accommodation - Casa Bella - $100 Weather - perfect - mid to high 20's HIGHLIGHTS: Delightful walks around the city Coastal and Island Boat Excursion Car rental to the Hilltop Villages Special Hospitality offered by our hosts Market Outdoor Cafe Culture COMMENTS| If you are considering a trip to Croatia we strongly recommend that you put this town on your itinerary. It can be used as a gateway from Venice to Croatia or you can exit Croatia to Venice should that work with your travel plans. You can see from the highlight list that there are many things to do but you can also relax and hang out. If you want to stay at the Casa Bella Apartment you can contact us. They book up quickly so it has to be done well in advance of your visit.

Our Second Home - The Netherlands

We spent the month of April and most of May with Tonya, Patrick, Sam and Jake in Delft, Netherlands which included a quick five day trip to Barcelona. It is always great fun to visit Delft and we feel at home there. Yes, we do some tourist activities but most of the time it is about family. We particularly enjoy taking the kids to school and participating in after school activities like Tae Kwon Do, swimming, tennis and soccer. We share these responsibilities with their wonderful au pair, Lara. I have loved learning how to cook some new dinners with Lara. She comes from Sao Paulo, Brazil. We feel very lucky to have family in such a beautiful place in Europe and no doubt we will spend more time there now that we are both retired. Barcelona Our family is really interested in tennis and have been following the career of Milo's Raonic from Canada. Since he was playing in the Barcelona Open we decided a trip to that city was in order. You cannot go wrong with Barcelona tennis or no tennis. It is a world class city made famous by Gaudi's architecture. We walked all around the city and were at the Barcelona Open for 3 days. The five days that we were there were busy - 12 to 14 hours each day. There is so much to see and there was so much left undone so we will return someday. Back to the Netherlands After our return we looked forward to the arrival of Doug's sister, Jane. She came on May 19 and we loved giving her an orientation on her first visit here. We all left for Croatia on May 23 and our next entry will be from there.

Home Break in March 2012

We anticipated after five months of travel that it would be a good idea to spend time in White Rock, Surrey and Vancouver with friends and family. We have never been away for this long and we were eager to see everyone. It was great to touch base and embrace some of our routines. One of the highlights was a belated Christmas Dinner organized by our son, Aaron and his wife, Leah. Our month at home was a celebration of the small but important things that make life worthwhile. Even during our travels we have found that life is about the little things and during the time at home we found this to be true. We thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting with friends, working in the yard and of course, going to the gym. Carolyn loved her visit at Guildford Park and Doug certainly enjoyed time spent with his running friends. One of the highlights of being in Canada was our trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia to visit Doug's Mom, his sister, Jane and brother Frank and sister in law, Marie. It was the occasion of Doug's Mom,s 92nd birthday which we celebrated at the Saege Restaurant. We strongly believe family ties are vital to our happiness and in retirement nurturing them will be our priority. Another highlight was spending time with my sisters, Mary and Jean and their families. They all made the trip to Halifax for a weekend so we could have time together. This was really appreciated. During our stay we were at Doug sister Jane's place and we also had the opportunity to stay at Doug's brother Frank's place. We thank Jane, Frank and Marie for sharing their homes with us. The eight days we spent in Halifax went quickly and we were off to the Netherlands to see our daughter and family on April 4.

Swan Song to SE Asia

Five Months gone and plenty done; enough memories to last a lifetime!

Our last major stop in Southern Thailand was Koh Phangan. Our decision to go there was a result of a poolside chat at the Samui Reef View Resort. We stayed at the Milky Bay Resort that is highly rated by trip advisor. This was a perfect place where we met new friends from Calgary and Regina. It was a destination resort so you did not need to leave to go anywhere else. The food was the best we ate in SE Asia. The mere mention of Koh Phangan brings up its reputation as party central (full, half and quarter moon parties!) but we avoided these large gatherings and spent a wonderful week there: cycling, motorbiking, snorkeling and swimming. We had hoped to get to Koh Tao, however due to getting too much sun on a snorkeling trip we unfortunately elected to spend a day in the shade.

The trip home began as we departed from Koh Phangan on the ferry to Koh Samui and a flight to Phuket. We spent two days at Patong which lived up to the definition of a zoo. The beach is end to end beack chairs and the water is dirty. We had stayed at Karon Beach a neighboring beach and it is much more civilized. The Patong Beach area is a sleazy tourist area with sex shows, massage parlors - you name it is in Patong.

The trip ended as it began at the Legacy Suites Hotel. It was such a lovely, central and convenient place close to restaurants, shopping and attractions. Our final three days were filled with a visit to the Grand Palace, last minute shopping and relaxing by the pool.

We were accommodated in about 36 different hotels and guesthouses. We used a variety of transportation - 11 flights, 1 overnight train trip, 17 bus trips, 5 ferry rides, 3 motorbike rides and numerous taxi and Tuk Tuk rides. Phew! What a great journey!

The next phase of the journey is a short stay at home in South Surrey with our son and daughter-in-law who have been looking after our house. We are very grateful to them for doing this. We resume travel at the end of March to Halifax and Holland.