Croatia continues to meet and exceed every one of our expectations. We arrived in Split, a city on the central coast, and spent a few days exploring Diocletian’s palace remains that make up the winding lanes of the Old Town. We rented a car to fully explore Croatia, especially the coast. With more than one … Continue reading Cruising Down the Coast
You may have clicked on this because of the title, but to our friends who have been to Croatia, I am upset that you didn’t convince us to come here sooner. And to our friends who haven’t been to Croatia yet, YOU NEED TO GO! I am afraid to tell you how amazing our last few … Continue reading I’m afraid to share this with you
Zagreb was our first stop in Croatia, a country of only 4 million people, but 3,000 miles of coastline. We started in the landlocked capital city (which isn’t on most people’s list of stops, but should be) and immediately felt the vibe of its cool, coffee culture. They are LAID. BACK. It’s a University town … Continue reading Coffee, Cars and Cool
In my ignorance, I never knew how much history, specifically Greek, Roman and Christian history, was entombed in the Turkish coast. We spent the last 10 days traveling slowly along the Aegean sea in small towns and villages. Each day uncovered more ruins, ancient sites and colorful history than I ever expected in this part … Continue reading History Along the Turkish Coast
As we started the second half of our adventure, we found a stop that is now in our list of favorites from the entire trip. Cappadocia had the small town charm of a U.S. ski town like Breckenridge or Vail, with beautiful landscapes and lots of fun outdoor activities. The Turkish charm was prevalent throughout, … Continue reading Six Thumbs up for Cappadocia
Without intending to, it seems we had given up the first world for Lent. We were anxiously anticipating clean, modern and beautiful European cities when we arrived in Istanbul last week. And it delivered. We love the walkable cobblestone streets and sidewalk cafes, the beautiful parks and historic sites, the kind and friendly people. Istanbul is … Continue reading First World Problems
So honored to be published on Huffington Post! Suzanne Rutledge Writer, Mom and Adventurer Traveling out of the country with children can be fraught with concern, not just over logistics and jet lag, but wondering whether they’ll enjoy and remember the international experience. As a parent, I dream big with my expectations for our son. I … Continue reading Five Fun Ways to Immerse your Children in a Foreign Country
We are officially halfway through our family adventure. As expected, some days we feel we have been gone an eternity and some days it feels like we left just yesterday. We have had some amazing experiences. We have collected memories we will remember forever. We felt we needed to put together a first half superlatives … Continue reading The Glass is Half Full
We decided to stop in Egypt to see the pyramids. We can see them from our hotel window. We had a private tour of the pyramids. First we saw the pyramids of Giza and got to ride camels. We named our camel Mike, after the Geico commercial. The pyramids were huge and the blocks to … Continue reading Walk Like an Egyptian
It seems ironic to think that one of our most joyful stops on our journey was in an orphanage, but it’s true. The boys and girls have come from backgrounds so difficult I can’t imagine, but at First Love they have found a wonderful life of security, education, joy and love. The hearts of the … Continue reading The Heart of Africa
Out of our Comfort Zone to Explore the World 