The abundance of beautiful old architecture, the location in a horseshoe bend of the Vltava river and the nearby hills, they all make the town very picturesque. Its history dates back to the 13th century. The architecture in the historic core of Český Krumlov has remained largely intact over the course of centuries. It is an excellent example of an old Central European town. There … Continue reading Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic
Many European cities once had historical Jewish quarter and some still have it. We visited two Jewish quarters one Kraków Poland and one Prague Czech Republic. From the Jewish point of view, concentration of Jews within a limited area offered a level of protection from outside influences. When political authorities designated an area where Jews were required by law to live, such areas were commonly referred to as ghettos … Continue reading Krakow and Prague Jewish Quarters
Church of Bones – Sedlec Ossuary You may wonder how all these bones ended up being craved in a small chapel located in the Czech Republic. It goes back to 1278 when the King of Bohemia sent the abbot of the Sedlec Cistercian Monastery to Jerusalem. When the abbot returned, he brought a jar of soil from the Golgotha, known as the “Holy Soil.” Soon … Continue reading Church of Bones
This post is a test since we have not updated it for sometime. We are getting ready to start a new journey to Europe. Continue reading Sold our 2014 Mustang Convertible
What an amazing way to end a two month journey in the RV, dry camping at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. We camped in the rv at one of the VIP campgrounds located adjacent to the Launch Field, a very short walk to the to the launch field. For nine days in October, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta creates an enchanted world of special-shaped balloon … Continue reading An event like no other – Ocotober 7 – 10, 2019
Our initial trips in our new RV were to Jacksonville, FL and Hilton Head, SC. David completed Radiation on August 14 and had follow-up appointments with his doctors on August 20th. On August 21st we departed Jacksonville in our new RV, with Mayo Clinic in our rear view mirror, headed for Colorado and New Mexico. First stop in Colorado, was Chatfield State Park in Littleton, … Continue reading Colorado RV Trip August – October 2019
One of the mysteries of the universe to me is how does a trip idea spark into reality. I decided, it usually starts with people talking smack. Bantering back and forth, upgrading to one-up-man-ship, general family stuff. Then there is that nanosecond that one person says something meaningful and the concept of “I bet we could do that” appears. A spark! then it is just a logistic puzzle. … Continue reading Europe with the whole Family (almost)
We welcomed an addition to the family, a new RV, a 2019 Jayco Greyhawk Model 30Z, a 32′ Class C. With a home in Florida, it was time to downsize our RV. March 2019, we sold our 2014 Keystone Montana Fifth Wheel and 2008 Chevrolet 3500 HD truck. In addition to selling our RV we traded our 2015 Honda CRV and purchased a 2018 Chevrolet … Continue reading Out with the Old and In with the New
March 4, 2019, David underwent surgery to remove his right upper lung lobe. The lobe contained a 1/2 ” nodule, first diagnosed in 2016, has doubled in size. During that surgery, the nodule and 16 lymph nodes were removed. The nodule and 2 lymph nodes were positive for cancer. David has been diagnosed with Stage 3A lung cancer. Two weeks after surgery he was riding … Continue reading Cancer Diagnosis
We had a great time visiting family at our son’s house in Colorado for Christmas 2018. Karen had a special gift for each family member, a Grossman Family photo book. We reminisced family events through this book, bringing laughter and tears to each of us. We had a great time at the Glenwood Springs Vaudeville Holiday Show. Sitting around the dining table we made ginger … Continue reading 2018 Colorado Christmas
We entered Prince Edward Island via the saltwater road. The 14-mile, 75 minute trip across the Northumberland Strait from Caribou, NS to Wood Island PEI by ferry was the perfect choice. The breeze was brisk and the sea air cool and the scenery was spectacular. This is the holy grail of our trip. The ultimate destination. The destination that beats all other destinations. The Confederation … Continue reading Prince Edward Island
A New Brunswick transportation official said, wistfully, that he lived in the ”drive-through province.” People drive through New Brunswick on the way to/from Prince Edward Island (PEI) each summer. I guess we are guilty of nearly the same, but we drove around New Brunswick for 10 days or so, here are some of the spots we enjoyed . . . on the way to PEI. … Continue reading New Brunswick – Nova Scotia, Canada
Hopewell “Flowerpot” Rocks, is one of the most spectacular places to experience the Bay of Fundy in all of New Brunswick. The famous, towering flowerpot rocks were created by the winds and tides over millions of years. The late cartoonist/entrepreneur Robert Ripley of Ripley’s Believe it or Not saw the urn-shaped, vegetation-topped rocks in 1936, thought they looked like giant flower pots and gave them … Continue reading Bay of Fundy – Hopewell Rocks
After 5 days of driving, we finally arrived in Bar Harbor Maine and setup the RV just outside Acadia National Park. This stop is the start of our summer journey, Maine and the Canadian Maritimes. On this first leg we are joined by Irene and Jim who live in Boston, a mere 5 hours away, and we are all enjoying their first visit to Bar … Continue reading Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor
Full time travel is an incredible journey, and if it’s something you want to do, I highly recommend joining the band of travelers who sell everything they own to travel the world. Travel is a personal journey and an individual experience, so it really doesn’t matter where your travel style falls in the whole tourist vs traveler debate. There is no right or wrong way … Continue reading Full Time Travel and Beyond………
What were we thinking when we were planning the nearly 4 week trip to Malaysia’s Borneo? Borneo is the third largest island in the world. The island is politically divided among three countries: Malaysia and Brunei in the north, and Indonesia to the south. Approximately 73% of the island is Indonesian territory. In the north, the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak make up … Continue reading Amazing Borneo
Jazz and Mas, her new orangutan baby, have much in common: they both have a humbling “knowing” in their eyes, they are both very intelligent, they both make you smile, they both like to eat fruit and they both have a big interest in their finger nails. Jazz would help any animal, so when the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center said they needed help to feed the … Continue reading Jazmine helps an orangutan baby for a year!
Often, we use trip reports to guide our decision making process. We lean toward independent travel, but found a trip report on the benefits of hiring a guide for a trip to Bako National Park. Hmmmm. What would it say? well it was written by a person who was an independent traveler wondering why people hired guides — the trails are very well marked. But … Continue reading PIT VIPERS! They didn’t mention that in the brochure!
In the morning we wake to birdsong, the moist air from the previous night’s rain covers the misty river, the jungle is in full chorus. Our boat putters along the Kinabatangan River (Sabah’s longest at 560 kilometers), the surface a glistening mocha fondant in the early-morning light under a sky of silvery sateen. The area is only accessible by boat, our lodge the Bilit Rainforest … Continue reading Sabah’s longest river
Because he believes he CAN make a difference. Because he has a huge heart and a soft spot for turtles everywhere. Because he wants to see turtles flourish. Jonathan Junior is a turtle ambassador. While we visited Turtle Island Park, Grandpa and grandma kept saying how much Jonathan would enjoy this experience. One way to share it with you is to adopt the nest we … Continue reading Jonathan Junior – Turtle ambassador
Selingan island, part of Turtle Island Park, is the only island in this region that tourists can visit. The tracks of a turtle are unmistakable. As the sea turtle crawls, it pushes back sand with each flipper stroke, creating a 25-inch wide double trail of sculpted sand. The sweeping limbs of the sea turtle, undulating from ocean to the dune and back, mark a distinctive … Continue reading Turtle Island
Its black fur is hard to spot from the high walkway, but when you see the shiny, golden, crescent-shaped fur collar around its neck, you realize you’ve spotted the tiniest bear in the world – a Bornean Sun Bear. Every individual bear has a unique fur collar like us humans have our fingerprints, and that’s how their keepers will know who’s who. The Bornean Sun … Continue reading Amazing Sandakan
Today we are in Sarawak in Borneo and finally found a mature male orangutan. WOW! It was easy to notice they have strange flappy face-pads called flanges, which females find attractive – yet males may wait 20 years before developing them. Mature male orangutans have large flappy cheek-pads, known as flanges. As far as females are concerned, they prefer males with them, over those without. … Continue reading Why male orangutans have such weird faces
The remarkable males sport big dangling noses, reddish flat top hairstyles, white tails and markings and pot bellies. The females on the other hand, are much smaller and have up-turned noses. The male has a bigger nose than the female, and they use their big and long noses as a sex tool to … to… to attract the female. I wonder how do they kiss, … Continue reading Proboscis Monkey