Day 126: Athens, Greece

It’s more than a perfect day. The sky is clear blue, the sun is shining pleasantly, the air is warm with a slight breeze and we are clamoring all over the ancient ruins scattered with overgrown grass and wild brilliantly red poppies streaking the landscape in fiery bursts. Even the air smells like summer. It feels like late May in Indiana today, characteristic for Greece but a nice reminder of the changing seasons we’re missing at home.

Poppies and the ruins

Day 123: Segovia, Spain

Snow capped mountains, ancient city walls, and tiny cobbled streets make for a lovely backdrop while you stroll around the old town fo Segovia. Situated just half an hour by (fast) train outside of Madrid, Segovia offers quiet respite from the hustle and bustle of Madrid, a vibrating city going 24/7. Remanents of Roman, Moorish and Celtic rule as visible in the buildings, decor, and leftover structures like the aquaduct.

Church spires

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Day 113: Machu Picchu, Peru

Tiny wild strawberries and tomatillos, big bright pink orchids, thick misty clouds rolling in and out obscuring the view of Wayna Picchu. This is Machu Picchu. It’s easy to understand why the Incas chose such an unlikely place to build the most important city in ancient Peru. (To learn more about the history of Machu Picchu, click the wiki link here). It’s also equally understandable why the Spanish never discovered such a magnificent, hidden place. Read the rest of this entry »

Day 66: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Well, after much resistance, today we went sightseeing like every other tourist. Admittedly, we did see some awesome stuff but it´s just not very exciting or very personal to be knocked and jostled around by 50 other tourists snapping pictures and posing and being generally inconsiderate about their fellow sightseers. Everyone´s going to have a chance to look and take photos so why de so pushy and rude? There´s no reason for that now, come on! Read the rest of this entry »