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Exploring Veliko Tarnovo Bulgaria

Yesterday saw us heading north in Bulgaria. We wanted to see the historical little town of Veliko Tarnovo and arrived mid-afternoon. Veliko Tarnovo is the medieval capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom and the town with the most dramatic setting in the country. It is perched on several hills, and the Yantra River meandering through. […]

Exploring Old Plovdiv Bulgaria and a Renaissance stay

We finally left Istanbul, Turkey after a great 6-week stay, and headed to Bulgaria in what seemed to be hours and hours of driving on the Turkish side in the rain. For the first time ever we had smiled at a border crossing.  I nearly fell out of the car.  Firstly the Turkish side checks […]

Art Nouveau Charm at Armada Pera Hotel Istanbul

From even before the moment we stepped foot in the front foyer of Armada Peru Hotel in Istanbul, we had amazing service. What happened to us this day was unique. The roads were blocked so we had to follow a taxi in order to find a place to park and get to the hotel.  The taxi […]

Five Star Service at Sirkeci Mansion Istanbul

We drove into Istanbul at peak hour.  We arrived in the dark and stopped outside the front door of the Sirkeci Mansion Boutique Hotel.  Like a scene from a movie, staff seemed to spring from nowhere and in one minute our bags were in the lobby, and next thing a staff member (at my suggestion) […]

We find a cool bull in Istanbul

We just spend a few days in the Historical old town section of Istanbul on the European side. Now we move to the ‘trendy and hip’ European side, but also go and visit the Asian side of Istanbul And this where … … We find a cool bull in Istanbul It was only supposed to […]

We drove our car through the Bazaar in Istanbul

After a fantastic stay in Safranbolu Ottoman town, we headed toward Istanbul. But the car needed a mechanic – again.  It has a loud noise in the front wheel.  We had already had a service in Kalkan.  There the mechanic promised us he had attended to all on the list.  The next day, we had […]

Staying in a 200 year Ottoman Mansion at Gulevi Safranbolu

We are part of a Facebook group called ‘Families on the Move’ – a group of long-term traveling families who encourage, swap tips, share advice, and generally help each other. We also meet up from time to time, so the kids can play, and the adults can talk. One family in this group has been […]

Are we Exploring Outer Space ?

The last few days we have had a great time in Cappadocia, a region of Turkey that feels more like you have landed on another planet, but we haven’t – we have actually arrived in Central Turkey. You can read about it here. It is a weird and somewhat freaky place. It is like a […]

Visiting the Ottoman town of Safranbolu Turkey

We are here in Safranbolu – an incredibly old Ottoman village, nestled in the valley, toward the Black Sea in Turkey. It is raining and we only have one full day and two nights here. But we want to go out and see this amazing place. So our hotel organizes a golf cart tour. This is perfect. […]

The Travelers Perfect Packing List

Sponsored Post It’s true that when you first begin nomadic travels as a family, you are bound to over pack. As the days, weeks, months (and sometimes years) go by…you more seriously evaluate how often you use each item in your pack, and how essential it is. Is it worth hauling?  Is it worth packing […]

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 […]