Above: Two absolute gems. Dalmatian coast's swoon-worthy Korčula and the majestic Blue Mosque in Istanbul at dusk.
TRAVEL IS OXYGENTravel is life-giving. Planning a trip invigorates the ever-so-daily realities of work and the inevitable ups and downs that ordinary life brings. Travel is like a big inhale. With it, we expand - our perspective and understanding becomes richer and more nuanced. Everything seems more colorful, more hopeful. Curiosity is sparked, our senses awaken and we experience joy. In some mysterious way, travel has a way of distilling and clarifying what is essential.
We are honored to share this Travel Scrapbook of two incredible Rick Steves Europe Tours which we had the privilege of enjoying back-to-back - a 37-day epic exploration of the sparkling blue Adriatic and exotic Türkiye. What could make such an already-incredible adventure even better? Bringing along two of your best pals! Our friends Scott and Katy joined us to enjoy the pleasures of Rick Steves Best of the Adriatic in 14 Days. Then we parted ways in Dubrovnik - they headed to Santorini, Greece for a brilliant finish celebrating Katy's 50th birthday while we pressed on to Istanbul to begin part two, Rick Steves Best of Turkey in 13 Days. Like Scott and Katy, our journey also had a Greek island finale (on the opposite side of the Aegean) in Samos, with a post-script few days visiting friends in Athens. On a Rick Steves Tour, a lot of life gets concentrated into a few short weeks. Returning home, we exhale and begin the satisfying process of sifting and sorting the memories. This scrapbook is just that. A passion project of sorts, it is a catalogue of our highlights ... and a few lowlights. The moments that were meaningful, beautiful, memorable, even those that were stressful, disappointing and hard. All have left an indelible mark and we're better for them all, aren't we? We invite you to be our vicarious travel buddies. Please, enjoy! And may this submission in some small way, be a breath of fresh air as you prepare for your own oxygen-giving travel adventures. Let us, in the words of Rick Steves, Keep on Travelin'! Let's Go!! |
The "Ussie" (the cousin of the "Selfie") ... Neil, Kristi, Katy and Scott happily splashing around Venice in the rain.
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A GUIDE TO THIS TRAVEL SCRAPBOOK, IN WHICH YOU'LL FIND...
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Let us Sleep. Where we laid our travel-weary heads at the end of each day.
Let us Savor. The places we tickled our tastebuds. Let us Go See. The sites and experiences that we enjoyed. We've included handy hyper links, when possible. Say "Hello" to a few of our Tour Travel Buddies! We invited our fellow tour members to share their favorites, including their best Back2Back Travel Tips. At Right:
A text thread of vacation foreplay... (TMI???) |
FUN FACTS! To whet our travel appetites before our trip, I regularly texted Katy, Scott and Neil "FUN FACTS" about Slovenia and Croatia. They're sprinkled throughout this travel scrapbook for your own amusement.
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THE LAST TIME I WAS IN VENICE ...
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It's amazing to me that after a global pandemic and all of the major life events that have taken place over the past years (two graduations and a wedding); after all the planning, scheming, saving up 230 vacation hours ... after all these days, THIS day is finally here! We've taken light rail to SeaTac, checked the luggage, shown vaccination cards and donned our requisite KN95 masks. We have boarded the plane and endured the inevitable tossy-turny catnaps that will comprise the sum-total of this "night's" rest. The Condor crew ran the flight to Germany with crisp and serious efficiency. After clocking almost 5,000 steps in the Frankfurt airport (big place!), we munch chewy pretzels whilst awaiting our final connection to Venice, Italy. Neil's last Sabbatical started in Venice. It seemed fitting given its proximity to Slovenia that we begin this second Sabbatical here too. How many times have we mused as we've planned, who gets to say: "The last time I was in Venice ..."?? Seriously. An utterly ridiculous and wonderful sentence! People ask what I'm most looking forward to in the next 37 days. My stupidly cliché answer? All of it! I do not think I can pick one specific site, country or experience. I don't know how I could. Being in Venice again is incredible! Slovenia's Istrian Peninsula, the delights of the Dalmatian Coast, Plitvice, Lake Bled and the Julian Alps ... Istanbul, Ephesus, Cappadocia - it all lies ahead. I think, though, what I'm looking forward to the most is getting to do this with Neil. My friend, my partner, my love. This is our thing and our time. Let's go!! ~Kristi's Travel Journal |
BACK2BACK: PRE-FUNK IN VENICE!
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Let us Sleep. Rosa Salva Hotel (2 nights). Lovely little boutique hotel with a bustling bakery adjacent to the lobby.
Let us Savor.
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FUN FACT! Venice rests on 118 islands separated by 150 canals. |
BACK2BACK PRE-TOUR: VENICE IN THE RAIN |
Steps: 20,013
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Scott and Katy enjoying our guided tour of Diocletian's Palace in Split, Croatia.
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SAY "ZDRAVO" TO OUR BEST TRAVEL BUDDIES SCOTT AND KATY! What we love about Rick Steves Tours: There are so many things to love about Rick Steves Tours but I think the number one thing I love the most is the feeling of “Let Go and Let Rick!” Everything is figured out for you so that you can just enjoy things as they come instead of stressing over the plan for each day. It’s just the best! Favorite Rick Steves Tour: thus far would be Best of Eastern France in 14 Days. The diversity within the tour and country, the food, the wine…it was incredible! GAS (Best of Germany, Austria and Switzerland in 14 Days) would be a close second. Best Travel Tip: Plan to have at least a few days on the back end of your tour to just relax and reflect. Rick Steves Tours are very on-the-go and some down time before you head home is really great if you can afford the time. I didn’t add this into my first tour and really regretted having to head right home. Next Big Travel Adventure: will be another Rick Steves Tour and we’re thinking Italy is up next…either Village Italy Tour in 14 Days, or Best of Italy in 17 Days. |
BACK2BACK EUROPE THROUGH THE B.A.C.K. D.O.O.R. (Or, why we're sold on Rick Steves Tours)
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Buddies are the Best! In the words of fellow tour member Gary, "I don’t know if it was just luck or the result of some sort of Rick Steves secret ingredient, but we sure enjoyed the whole tour group. Margie says, "part of it is the buddy system, which at first seemed hokey but later became amusing and a way to increase interactions." What's the "buddy system" you ask? It's a brilliant and easy way to be sure all are present and accounted for without tedious roll call or awkward nametags.
A little Rick Steves Trivia: Rick Steves Europe took 30,000 people to Europe last year! There are over 40 exciting itineraries and the most popular countries are Italy, Britain & Ireland, followed by Spain & Portugal and Central Europe! What's on your Rick Steves bucket list? Climate Smart Pledge So many props to Rick Steves Europe for their ethical approach to travel. Did you know that every tour member covers their carbon emissions through a carefully invested and self-imposed "carbon tax"? Learn more here or, even better, watch the 2023 Festival of Europe Ethical Travel. |
A happy Turkey Tour group taking in the scene high atop the 2000 year old Aspendos Amphitheater outside of Antalya.
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Kaleidescope of Stories We love us some free time! No two Rick Steves Tours are ever the same - even for people on the same tour. Part of the Rick Steves travel philosophy is to teach people how to be good travelers, and not just tourists. This means you're given an orientation, educated about key phrases and cultural how-tos and then given opportunities to be set free as an independent explorer. This also means, that after you've seen the highlights of any given destination, you'll have time to pursue your own passions and interests. From prowling museums, to exhilarating hikes, to shopping, to tantalizing your tastebuds, the choice is all yours!
Don't Sweat it! I am convinced that dollar for dollar, minute for minute, a Rick Steves Tour is the best investment for anyone's first experience in any given destination. You'll hit every major must-see site and won't waste a single minute buying tickets or waiting in line. We've heard it said that for efficiency, you can enjoy an extra day's worth of experiences than you would if travelling on your own.
Outstanding Guides Really, the Rick Steves Tour guides and local guides are worth their weight in gold. These men and women are like tour ninjas ... they are informative, helpful, interesting, knowledgeable and so much fun! They also will take good care of you when you break an arm (see Kim's story and know that Barbara was incredible) or fall ill (skip ahead to the central Turkey tab to read all about the heroics of Taylan).
Outstanding Tour Mates It's our observation that Rick Steves Tours attract life-long learners. A repeated theme time and time again is that Rick Steves Tours are generally full of interesting people who are fun to travel with. Notice how many repeat tour members are traveling with companions they've met on a previous tour! And, notice how many of our fellow tour mates list their travel companions as one of their favorite parts of the tour experience!
Relax Or in the illustrious words of Katy K - "Let Go and Let Rick!". Here is a recipe for success: Have an expert not only plan the most sensible itinerary for your country or region of choice, pick out the cream-of-the crop family run hotels, get you seamlessly from point A to point B, throw in excellent local guides and tons of extra-special cultural experiences that you'd not know to do on your own and you've got yourself a winner of a trip to Europe!
Don't Sweat it! I am convinced that dollar for dollar, minute for minute, a Rick Steves Tour is the best investment for anyone's first experience in any given destination. You'll hit every major must-see site and won't waste a single minute buying tickets or waiting in line. We've heard it said that for efficiency, you can enjoy an extra day's worth of experiences than you would if travelling on your own.
Outstanding Guides Really, the Rick Steves Tour guides and local guides are worth their weight in gold. These men and women are like tour ninjas ... they are informative, helpful, interesting, knowledgeable and so much fun! They also will take good care of you when you break an arm (see Kim's story and know that Barbara was incredible) or fall ill (skip ahead to the central Turkey tab to read all about the heroics of Taylan).
Outstanding Tour Mates It's our observation that Rick Steves Tours attract life-long learners. A repeated theme time and time again is that Rick Steves Tours are generally full of interesting people who are fun to travel with. Notice how many repeat tour members are traveling with companions they've met on a previous tour! And, notice how many of our fellow tour mates list their travel companions as one of their favorite parts of the tour experience!
Relax Or in the illustrious words of Katy K - "Let Go and Let Rick!". Here is a recipe for success: Have an expert not only plan the most sensible itinerary for your country or region of choice, pick out the cream-of-the crop family run hotels, get you seamlessly from point A to point B, throw in excellent local guides and tons of extra-special cultural experiences that you'd not know to do on your own and you've got yourself a winner of a trip to Europe!
FOLLOW US TO SLOVENIA!