RTW Days 45-47 The final leg of our trip was upon us. On the 8th we drove from Rotorua to Auckland, stopping for another Lord of the Rings site: Hobbiton. We were in for a fantastic treat. After LOTR was filmed, the Hobbiton set was removed and all that remained were...
RTW: Days 42-44 Our second stop in New Zealand was Rotorua, although I'm not sure it was the best place to stay in the central area of the North Island. We still drove quite a bit every day. Our first day was spent driving there from Wellington, stopping along the way...
RTW: Days 39-41 After two days of airports and flying, we arrived in Wellington, New Zealand from Vietnam. We were so thrilled to be back in New Zealand, which Josh and I have determined is our favorite foreign country. On our previous New Zealand trip we had traveled...
RTW 2011: Days 31 to 37 When we arrived in Hanoi it was raining and we were exhausted. We took a taxi to our hotel and then crashed and relaxed. Our bags were delayed (we were tired of carrying them on, but see? Then they get separated!). In the morning we decided to...
RTW 2011: Day 27 This morning we met with an older man from the Kibbutz and he took us on a brief tour of the living areas. I had given myself a brief tour of their gardens last night, which were gorgeous. Our tour took us to their synagogue, houses, day care center,...
RTW 2011: Day 26 We continued to explore the Galilee region of Israel today by starting our day sailing on the Sea of Galilee. Our group missed our boat, so we sat for a few minutes along the shore waiting for the next boat. It was very peaceful: birds singing and a...
RTW 2011: Day 25 Today our tour of Israel continued with a new guide and a smaller group. The first half we had with a group that was 25 people total. Our tour continued with a group of 7, and a new tour guide and driver, Moshe. I must say, it was a step down. If you...
RTW 2011: Day 24 First stop today: Qumran, the ruins in the desert where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. From here we had a great view of the Dead Sea. Qumran was a very hot, dry, and remote place. The men who hid the Dead Sea Scrolls when the Roman army was...
RTW 2011: Day 23 Our second day in Jerusalem was spent a little bit further afield. We visited the Church of the Visitation first, a beautiful church on the apparent site where Mary and Elizabeth met while both were pregnant with Jesus and John the Baptist. I liked...
RTW 2011: Day 22 Our next stop was a tour of Israel. We booked a tour with Diesenhaus Unitours, mainly because of the Christian site tours, this one worked with our schedule the best. The company actually does tours that can start on different days, but still see the...
RTW 2011: Days 15-20 Venice: the city for lovers, as far as the phrase goes. The couples making out vigorously in a neighborhood park seemed to agree. I loved the classical architecture, the art, gelato stands on every corner, and most of all the use of boats instead...
RTW 2011: Days 8 to 13 Bermuda is a beautiful island, or should I say, chain of islands. Josh and I spent a week in this tropical paradise of Britain meets the tropics. The citizens wear bermuda shorts and long socks with a dress shirt, tie, and jacket. It's amusing,...