We arrived in Bari, Italy (east coast, in the heel) yesterday by ferry. We didn’t waste any time digging into the delicious flavors of Italy!

Miles walked today: 7.1

We’ve been tied up making our way from the small Greek Islands back to mainland Greece and by tomorrow morning we will be in Italy. We are making our way by ferry, which has given us time to reflect on our recent travel and compose our top travel tips. We found it funny so we thought we would share:

1. Always upgrade CCs on moped when riding double on hilly islands

2. Take off your sunglasses when passing through customs

3. Never pass up an opportunity to use the restroom, and always carry your own toilet paper

4. Confirm the currency in which you are ordering

5. Don’t let restaurant staff catch you feeding the stray dogs or cats

AND …. Enjoy the differences between cultures and countries

Talk to you next from Italy…

Today we had more WWII history – we visited the War Tunnel Museum and learned about the Battle of Leros. Our rented scooter was sufficient to get us around the Island even though we felt like we were on a scene from on Dumb and Dumber. Tonight we take the overnight ferry back to Athens.

Miles walked today: 5.7

Arrived to the sleepy town of Leros this afternoon. We are enjoying learning the differences between each of these islands. Although sleepy now, Leros was important in WWII and the war cemetery and museum are on our agenda.

Miles walked today: 5.8

Island of Leros:

Windmills:

A moment of silence at WWII War Cemetery:

A sunset run to the top of the castle:

We arrived to the Greek island Kalymnos by ferry late last night. We are staying in Portia, the harbor and capital city, but rented a car this morning and spent the day exploring. Our first stop was a rural town of about 10 people where a local invited us along with some climbers for coffee (this island is renowned for rock climbing). We learned about sponge diving and how the road to the tiny town was built only 18 months ago with the purpose to bring water to the area.

The rock climbers inspired us to go find a famous climbing cave on the northeast side of the island. The 45 min walk was beautiful. There were plenty of goats to keep us company and the wild oregano, sage and thyme that cover the rocky terrain smelled delicious! We enjoyed eating lunch by the cave where we could watch the rock climbers.

After the day of circling the island, we worked our way to the Church of Agios Savvas. Perched high up on the mountain that over looks the harbor, the view is amazing.

Miles walked yesterday and today: 15.8

Many goats on this island:

The wild sage, oregano and thyme smell so good:

Stacked rocks mark the path:

Entrance to the Sikati Cave, where we admired the rock climbers:

As it turns out this area (Ölüdeniz, Turkey) is consistently rated a top 10 destination for paragliding, so we gave it a try! Also, today we started the journey back thru Greece. We have been very impressed with the hospitality of the Turkish people and are leaving with great memories.

Miles walked today: 9.4

The last couple days of sailing have been amazing and we will be sad to say goodbye to the boat and our new friends. We’ve had great conversations, saw amazing scenery and learned about ancient cultures. Greece and Turkey have so many ancient ruins and we’ve enjoyed roaming the same places as Alexander the Great, Cleopatra and Mark Antony.

Miles walked today: 6.2

Ancient amphitheater – very old!

Sunken City (Kekova) – result of two massive earthquakes:

Tombs:

Great mates and crew, plus unexpected full moon:

Sailing around the Aegean Sea and doing lots of R, R and R – relaxation, reading and rays! Every harbor means a steep hill to climb, and it’s been worth it every time!

Thanks so much for the comments you leave – we look forward to reading them every chance we get!

City of Kos:

Sunset at Kos:

Stopped at a small town and wanted to take advantage of the internet to share some photos!

We are having a wonderful time sailing on the gullet, thanks to the fantastic weather and friendly people traveling with us. We have been enjoying swims in the blue water, afternoon day hikes, local cuisine and sleeping on deck under the stars. Looking forward to a few more days of this!

Miles walked today: 4.9, plus a few laps around the boat!

Leaving Fethiye:

The Mavi Boncuk, our home away from home:

New mates, from Canada and Australia:

Our neighbors during yesterday’s lunch:

We will be sailing the Aegean Sea for the next week, and I’m not sure if we will have access to Internet. So for our blog followers, all two of you (Mom and Dad), the daily blog post might be a bit irregular this week. Looking forward to blue waters and sunshine!