international travel

Flying above the clouds in a hot air balloon

When we decided we wanted to visit Turkey, Cappadocia was high on the list of places to see. And a balloon flight over the valley, along with staying in a cave, were the two things on our ‘MUST DO’ list. There are a lot of balloon companies to choose from, but Cappadocia Voyager Balloons stood out […]

The Mystical Fairy Chimneys of Turkey

STAR WARS 1977 was filmed here! Our road trip through Turkey has taken us from the sandy beaches at the base of this beautiful country, through the mountains that are covered with snow.  You can read about it here. We’ve just had a fabulous traditional Turkish lunch right opposite the most incredible area. We are […]

We explore the deepest underground city in the world

This is our first full day in this region of Cappadocia, and to my surprise, Explorason has been ‘YouTubeing’ some interesting places he wanted to visit in the world. This was one of them, and he really wanted to come here. Each day we meet people and if I had $1 for every time I […]

We Slept in a Cave in Cappadocia

We Slept in a Cave in Cappadocia This is our third year of travel, and over that time we have slept in many weird and wonderful abodes. We’ve slept in a Palace in Paraguay, a Tent in Croatia, a Treehouse in Guatemala, a Yurt in England, a Castle in Wales, and many more interesting places. […]

From sandy beaches to snowy mountains in a day

We have just finished a three-week stay at the bottom of Turkey.  Why were we here? Because we house-sat over 20 animals!  You can read about that adventure here. This morning is a bit of a late start.  The car was mainly packed yesterday, but as we couldn’t leave it parked on the property overnight […]

The Truth About How Santa Started

Explorason is now nine years old. For nine Christmases, Santa has played a big part in the fun of the festive season and our family Christmas. Each year, there are visits to sit on Santa’s lap, with photographs of ‘a man in a jolly red suit with rosy cheeks and a white beard’. And each […]

A Tomb With A View – Pinara

We are off to explore the local area where we have been housesitting in Turkey. I have been researching a few of the “things to see” and have read about hillsides filled with carved rocks tombs, that at first sight look more like elaborate doorways to hidden houses. You might have heard of the book […]

Talking Turkey in Turkey with a Turkey whilst Housesitting

Talking Turkey in Turkey with a Turkey whilst Housesitting So this is Turkey-Lurkey. He is one BIG male turkey, and he lives in Turkey with over 20 – yes 20 – other animals we have come to house sit. Now looking after over 20 animals is in itself pretty unique, but what is really unique is […]

Snow that isn’t cold ? Pamukkale Turkey

Did I just say ” Snow that isn’t cold? ” Yes, I did! Well, is it? Read on! We are in Turkey, and what looks to be icy cold snowy hills. We have read about this place, and have our backpacks ready to hike up the hills. We park the car, and it isn’t really […]

Is this the First Loo with a View ?

We have arrived at Selçuk and it is Saturday night. As usual, we are ‘winging it’, and don’t have a hotel booked as it is offseason. We try a couple and they are both crazy prices for nothing very exciting. But, the minute we walk into the Efes Antik Otel we know we are going to stay […]

Troy, Yeşilyurt, Adatepe Ottoman Villages Turkey

Here are our latest adventures – Troy, Yeşilyurt, Adatepe Ottoman Villages Turkey We have finished our time in Gallipoli, so it is time to drive the car on the ferry from Eceabat to Cannakale. I wish we had time to look around this town, but we want to get to Troy, so “we can’t see […]

Our tears fell where they fell – Gallipoli

We have left Porto Carras Grand Resort and headed from Greece toward the Turkish border.  It was a cold day, but the sky was blue. I loathe border crossings.  I hate the intimidation and the questions, and feeling like a criminal, and how no matter how nice I am, they never smile back.  I also knew that […]