We have tried to post pics and videos of our more interesting accommodations but some folks have asked for details so we thought we should award a “BEST” to each place and also send direct links in case anyone wants to bookmark them.

Our goal on this trip has been to stay at least a week but preferably 2-3 weeks in each place. Our philosophy on accommodations has been to try and stay in apartments or houses when possible. It is more affordable and gives us a better feel for the culture and community. We can cook for ourselves, seek out the best bakery and grocery shop and tackle laundry like the locals

 *****

Florence, Italy

AWARD: Most Colorful Neighbor

View from our balcony in Florence.

We wrote about “cranky lady” in our blog but this really was a great neighborhood apartment. Three bedrooms, great proximity to all the sites and good value! https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/933558

 *****

Oia, Santorini, Greece

AWARD: Best Sea View

When we got up in the morning for coffee, this was the view from the table!

It is hard for me to be objective, because Oia is still one of my favorite places on earth. Staying in a cave house was a dream of mine, so Lydia House was a dream come true! Definitely one of our splurge accommodations but worth every cent and comfortably fit all of us! Plus Manos, the owner, is so gracious and made our stay unforgettable! http://www.vrbo.com/357131

 *****

Athens, Greece

AWARD: Best Amenities For Free

We had a peek-a-boo view of the Acropolis from our balcony!

We picked AVA Hotel from TripAdvisor and we weren’t disappointed! Great location and great service.  Free breakfast, free candy, free movies, free slippers, etc. Definitely a good value for Athens. http://www.avahotel.gr

 *****

Pitsidia, Crete

AWARD: Best Place For Insanity

Wescott rates all accommodations on whether or not it has enough room to do the Insanity Workout indoors…our Villa Potamis in Pitsidia was very spacious and perfect….it also had a pool! Great kitchen too. It was a little too far from Matala but if you want to be off the beaten path, it is a great house for your $$! http://www.vacation-apartments.com/11533.htm

 *****

Barcelona, Spain

AWARD: Best Location

Tons of cool street art in our neighborhood in Barcelona!

Our Barcelona 4th floor walk up apt in the Barri Gotic district was so ubercool we felt like hipper humans simply walking in the front door. The neighborhood was unbeatable with El Salon, one of the best restaurants we have discovered on the whole trip, right across the alleyway…Laura Kelso, you would love it!! http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p970965?flspusage=fl

 *****

Seville, Spain

AWARD: Best Piazza & Worst Wifi

Tuck in courtyard of our apartment, eating a donut and looking for the resident Turtle (Tortuga)

We don’t want to make a habit out of awarding “worsts” but we had to do it here. The apartment was dynamite with a terrific roof deck and adjacent to a quaint piazza with several good restaurants. But the Santa Cruz neighborhood, while ground zero cool in terms of its location next to the cathedral, was also the worst part of the city for wifi. It was so bad we had to get an extra room 10 blocks away at a hostel just to do email and Skype calls….!!! http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p1004734

*****

Lisbon, Portugal

AWARD: Best Interior Decor

A machine gun box is in the hallway…the twins used it as a shoe holder

Our apartment in Lisbon was a three bedroom centrally located in the city.  But the best part was the decor! Frederico, the owner, is an interior designer and has created a uniquely eclectic vibe with use of local artists pieces mixed with antiques. It is awesome! We actually had the pleasure of staying in 2 of Frederico’s apartments because our stay in a Lisbon was extended and they were both amazing! Apt1:  https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/991682 Apt2: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/823181

 *****

Marrakech, Morocco

AWARD: Best Urban Oasis

Killer lighting in the Riad!

Right in the heart of the old Medina, Riad Sekkat is a wonderfully zen escape in the heart of the Marrakesh chaos. And everyone who takes care of you at the Riad is amazing! We definitely had some of our best meals in Marrakesh at the Riad, and the cook, Raja, taught us some cooking techniques! Siham, the house manager, went above and beyond to make our stay unforgettable. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293734-d1389183-Reviews-Riad_Sekkat-Marrakech_Marrakech_Tensift_El_Haouz_Region.html

 *****

Bwejuu Beach, Zanzibar, Tanzania

AWARD: Best Unspoiled Beach To Get Away From It All

Bwejuu is definitely the most “off the beaten path” we have been so far on this trip. Most tourists go to the northern coast of Zanzibar rather than the east. We stayed for 3 weeks in two different hut-type accommodations. The first was Crazy Mzungos which was exactly what it sounds like…. A funky backpacker type place with a great sand floor bar and a good chef! http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g616019-d1942330-Reviews-Crazy_Mzungo_s_Flashpackers-Bwejuu_Zanzibar_Zanzibar_Archipelago.html

This is the beach in front of Crazy Mzungos during Christmas week!!

The second was Pakacha run by a local man who has integrated the village into his establishment. More likely to see cows walking by on the beach than people  http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g616019-d2374032-Reviews-Pakacha_Bungalows-Bwejuu_Zanzibar_Zanzibar_Archipelago.html

View from the bungalows at Pakacha

Both were fun and funky!

 *****

Arusha, Tanzania (on safari)

AWARD: Most Luxurious Tent & Best Organic Farm

We used safaris.com to book our entire expedition and were lucky enough to get matched up with Kibo…a very cool Tanzanian company! They owned both lodges we stayed in during our safari, Kitela and Lake Masek Tented Camp. Kitela has a gigantic organic farm on the property that grows food, not only for Kitela guests, but many other Kibo lodges. For those of you obsessed with gardening, it is worth the trip to Tanzania just to take a tour of the Kitela organic farm. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g790144-d3421174-Reviews-Kitela_Lodge-Karatu_Arusha_Region.html

Lake Masek is a tented camp right in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area on the edge of the Serengeti. The tents are the most luxurious tents known to mankind with footed bathtubs, flushing toilets and amazing outside showers. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g317085-d1547561-Reviews-Masek_Tented_Camp-Ngorongoro_Conservation_Area_Arusha_Region.html

 *****

Arusha, Tanzania (rental house)

AWARD: Best Mountain View

Mom and Cliff hang in gout in the Arusha House garden

With a sunset view of Mount Kilamanjaro from the swimming pool, dining room, and master bedroom, this house can not be beat on the Mountain View! Add monkeys swinging in the trees on most nights for an added bonus! Such a cool house and great place to chill after safari! https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1669725?guests=7&s=h4cq

 *****

Bagamoyo, Tanzania

AWARD: Best Body Surfing

We changed places in Bagamoyo because the first place we stayed at was a nightmare. The Bagamoyo Country Club is probably the nicest place in Bagamoyo. It is on a spectacular stretch of beach and has a decent restaurant. But all in all, you should not travel to Bagamoyo if you want an outstanding beach experience. There are a ton of awesome reasons to visit Bagamoyo, but a great hotel is not on the list. If we had to do it over again, we would have tried a small guesthouse and skipped trying to be on the beach.  http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g678704-d1758132-Reviews-Bagamoyo_Country_Club-Bagamoyo_Pwani_Region.html

 *****

Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

AWARD: Best hotel room with dining table for 8!

View of Dar Es Salaan from our hotel room balcony

We picked our hotel in Dar based on TripAdvisor reviews and we weren’t disappointed. Tanzanite Suites isn’t the most awesome hotel but it is a good value.  Plus we were able to get a 3 bedroom suite that had a dining room table for 8 which was an awesome hang out for all of us as we regrouped before headings to Asia. We visited some of the more expensive hotels in Dar but decided they weren’t worth the money. http://www.tanzaniteexecutivesuites.com

 *****

Hanoi, Vietnam

AWARD: Best, Best, Best! Value!! Service!!!

Tuck and Jones hanging out with Viet and his son at the front desk playing games on the iPad

Finnegan’s was so outstanding, we can’t decide on only one “BEST.” For $45/ night, we had a great room in a great location with an awesome breakfast included. But the best part was the service! Viet and his whole family took care of us and helped us get the most out of our 2 weeks in Hanoi! He even called Tuck and Jones orphanage on our behalf and set up our visit!!! Thank you Viet and everyone at Finnegan’s for making our visit unforgettable!! http://hanoifinneganshotel.com

 *****

Hoi An, Vietnam

AWARD: Best Home Base

At the Ha An they even put rose petals on your bed for check-in

What does “home base” mean? As we talked about it, we decided it meant a place that makes you feel at home! Ha An had a killer breakfast (included!) free bicycles, a pool table, a fruit basket in your room…everything! The bed and pillows were super comfy too! http://www.haanhotel.com

 *****

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

AWARD: Best Host…laundry room gets honorable mention

View from our HCMC apartment!

Our apartment in HCMC was gorgeous! Well decorated and had a killer view.  But it was our host who made our stay there so spectacular. Bach is so thoughtful and accommodating, he makes you want to stay and stay!!! He read our blog before our arrival and moved a Wii into the apartment just for our stay. He kept our baggage for us for 5 days while we went to the beach. He put extra toothbrushes, toothpaste, Oreos, coffee, snacks, water, laundry soap, everything in the apartment for us to use. This is the type of service you expect from a good hotel but you never get pampered like that in a rental apartment! It was awesome!!!! https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1980685

 *****

Mui Ne, Vietnam

AWARD: Best Pool for Kids

Even though Mui Ne is on the beach in Vietnam, we didn’t spend anytime at the beach…that is because our pool was KILLER! It had a slide that was so fun, I spent as much time on it as the kids Roaming Jones kids and Sharples kids agree that what we will all remember about Mui Ne will be the epic Sea Links pool!!!  The house was decent.  In a golf resort where all the houses look exactly the same but the pool was unforgettable! http://www.agoda.com/sea-links-beach-resort-golf/hotel/phan-thiet-vn.html

*****

In the spirit of trying to keep a journal of accomodatons, restaurants, sites, etc. I have become an uber-reviewer on TripAdvisor.  Feel free to check out my profile and follow along on further details if you want  http://www.tripadvisor.com/members/misopiso88

Cliff and I were so psyched for Crete because it was a milestone of the trip….our first destination that was new to ALL seven of us!  It is a blast taking the kids to some of our favorite spots in the world, but it is just as fun to discover and explore some new place together.  We could not have picked a better place to begin our adventures.  Crete offers beaches, boating and surfing along the coastline.  In the interior there are ruins, gorges and even immense caves to explore!  There are cool Venetian cities and there are millions and millions of olive trees! Crete has so much to offer it is hard to wrap your mind around it all in a mere two weeks.

For one of our last Cretian meals, we went to Mystic View, a spectacular Taverna in Matala, and talked about what our takeaways were from Crete…here they are!

WORLD HISTORY!  10th Grade World History is a lot more fun when you can read the textbook, and then go visit the place you just read about!  We went to visit Knossos and as we entered the ruin, Cliff began to read the blurb on the pamphlet aloud for all of us to hear.  Wescott wandered off out of range.  I called to him frustrated that he was tuning us out…”Wescott…don’t you want to learn about Knossos?” …..”Mom,” he answered exasperated by my tone, “I read about it 3 days ago in my World History text!” ….”AWESOME!  You can teach us!”

Jones soaking in the art at Knossos

SOMETIMES CURRENT HISTORY IS AS INTERESTING AS ANCIENT HISTORY.  We were lucky enough to be in Matala to see an open air screening of a documentary made about the town.  Matala has an interesting history! Not just from ancient times but also from the 1960s when the caves were occupied by the hippies!  The documentary was about the hippies days and it was titled “Hippie, Hippie, Matala, Matala!”  It was fascinating!

Hippie paintings are created each June through the entire town of Matala! I definitely want to come back and participate in the paintings some year!!!

SUNSETS!  While we saw some pretty awesome sunsets in Santorini, we all agreed that the sunsets in Crete were EPIC!  Each one was so spectacular that we couldn’t bare to miss a single one.  Tuck and Jones grew tired of “sunset time” and declared that for their birthday (in June!) we will NOT watch sunset OR go walking

CONNECTION WILL COME FROM UNEXPECTED PLACES! In Florence and Santorini our connection to the community came through our host…. the individual who was renting us our apartment/house for our stay.  But in Matala, our connection was the guy who rented us our rental car!  In addition to owning the rental car company, he was the de facto MAYOR of the town  He invited us to the screening of the movie, gave us some olive oil from his personal olive grove, drove us to and from the airport and was spotted all over town at various bars and restaurants!  He made our stay in Matala much more interesting than it otherwise would have been.  The rental car kept breaking down but we didn’t care….we just chalked it up to adventure and decided the PROS of the car and its connections to the community definitely outweighed the CONS of having to stop and add coolant to the radiator every 100 kms.

Our car on the last day because our other one broke down too many times!

ALTERNATIVE FUEL!  Because Crete is an island far away from mainland Greece, alternative energy is economically wise as well as environmentally friendly. Because of this, solar panels are set within the acres and acres of olive groves spanning the entire island.  Read more here! Windmills are strategically placed along the shoreline and high within the mountains.  Desalination is used for fresh water.  It is awesome!  Crete is definitely a role model of how alternatives can be incorporated into everyday life.

BAGGAGE CLAIM CAN BE SO COOL YOU DON’T WANT TO LEAVE THE AIRPORT! Land at Crete airport and you would think you were in Silicon Valley.  While you wait for your bags there are 3D visualizations and interactive kiosks that rival Disneyland.  The kids didn’t want to leave!  There was a massive green screen that you could stand in front of and take a picture of you in front of Crete’s main attractions and email yourself!  Hilarious and genius!  Your first impression of Crete is simply awesome!!!  Why don’t more airports do this?

The town of Mytros

Gorges in Crete are a big deal… there are a lot of them. While Sarakina is not the largest, it’s rumored to be one of the most beautiful. With 500 foot cliffs of polished granite, black and white marble and verdant green palms, it did not disappoint. While technical climbing with ropes was not required, navigating some sections called for some bouldering and balancing, causing Lisa and Jones to settle into the sandy banks of a natural cistern as the path went straight up a polished boulder with chiseled handholds! Tuck proved to be quite a climber, dangling from ropes to get past some particularly tough sections (glad Mom stayed behind!!); Wescott and Otto almost always opted for the bouldering-up-a-cliff route, instead of the more well-worn path; Yve displayed a knack for finding the best path forward; and I tried to keep up :-).

Tuck navigating a crack with a pre-set rope

Lisa and I have a theory that sometimes going to a new country or far off destination is like a dress rehearsal for the next time you visit. Crete is for sure one of those places, with each experience leaving us craving for more. The diversity of culture, climates, topography, coastlines and atmospheres will undoubtedly harken us back again and again.

Here’s our hike in pictures:

Yve and Jones starting the hike on a deceptively serene staircase.

The entrance to Sarakina Gorge

Jones decided this was his stopping point as Yve ventures on.

The Kriopotamos river offers cool dips and some challenges as we ascend the gorge

Many points on the climb have chiseled hand and foot holds into the polished rock

Wescott taking a break from bouldering

Me wishing I had a harness on a particularly tricky swing across a bulging boulder over the creek

Yve should be a climbing instructor to kids :-)

Lisa and Jones going through a wedge in the rock wall

The light continuing to ply its magic in the depths of the gorge

In the midst of the planning process for this trip, we came up with a wacky idea that we never executed….ok, there was more than one

This idea was based on a comment our good pal Jamie O’Neill had in 2001 when we went around the world then. He said “you guys always buy such funky stuff when you travel…I wish you would just buy two of everything and then give me one and I would pay you back!”  It was a cool idea……negotiate for 2 instead of 1 and ship both home.

So with this trip, we brainstormed about taking Jamie’s idea to the next level…it went something like this:

1) Find something cool

2) Put on etsy.com

3) Have friends and family place orders for item in 48 hour window

4) Then negotiate with vendor for X number of item based on friends and family demand

5) Ship everything to Seattle port and have importer break bulk and ship individual items off

It seemed like a doable plan but #5 stalled us out.  We couldn’t identify an importer who could help us pull this off.  Maybe it is because we didn’t focus on it….getting VISAs and booking accommodations ended up taking priority  Oh well….

But as we left Santorini, I regretted never figuring out our scheme! Why?  Because of caper leaves!

Caper leaves are LEAVES from the caper plant, not buds like the typical “capers” we buy for cooking in the US.  Caper leaves are put in brine and used in cooking in Santorini.  They are delicious!  My sister, Kaarina, and I spent a good portion of our month in Santorini back in 1993 trying to figure out what caper leaves WERE!  We kept encountering them in salads and asking what they were but nobody knew the english word for “caper leaves” and we still didn’t speak Greek.  Finally, we found somebody who told us what they were, but back then, 20 years ago, they were hard to find in the grocery stores.

Capers growing naturally next to a stone wall on the side of the road!

Things have changed!  Cliff and I went to a specialty food store on Santorini and they had PILES of caper leaves!  Wahooooooo!!!!

Caper leaves piled high at store and only 2 euro per bottle!

We bought a couple jars for our apartment and polished them off in no time!

We looked on the web to see if we can get them in the USA but the only thing we found was on Amazon for $15 for the same small bottle.  YIKES! If anybody has any ideas of how to become an importer of specialty foods, we should bring these to the US!  They would be SOOO…. good on salmon and on bagels!  http://santowines.gr/en/santorini-food-products/capers-a-caper-leaves

A compelling and biodiverse ecosystem nestled into the exquisite Cretan coastline. Whether you are my Biology teacher, family member, or friend, feel free to have a click around and discover the interactive world that is Komos Beach.

me with the haul from the beach!

P.S. To learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posidonia_oceanica

Then we went to the bank which the guy who rented us the boards told us to deposit the money in his account. A couple side stops here and there to cool off our cars’ radiator and we were home free; nothing in our way from catching those waves!

Dad putting water in the radiator to cool it off… just another thing to add to the craziness!

When we arrived at Falassarna beach 4 hours later we all began to rejuvenate and come back to life when we saw the swell. It was a ravishing day and the waves were sublime. Though we hadn’t surfed in about 2 months, we were all eager to get out into the water. Wescott and Otto were able to get a couple sweet rides and well, as for me, today wasn’t precisely in my favor. Not as adroit, I barely got up. It was quite disparaging, but I wasn’t going to go home saying I’ve only sat on a surfboard in Crete. I wanted to surf and that’s what we came to do so holding on to that staunch thought, we went back out.

Otto catching that big wave

Wescott surfing Crete!

The second time around I victoriously managed—if only for a few seconds—to snag a ride or two! The day was complete; beginning with a crazy trip to the laundromat and ending in another breathtakingly resplendent sunset. We can now say we’ve surfed Crete!

There’s me!

Killer sunset to end off the day

The ruins of Phaistos perched above groves of olive trees as far as the eye can see

Our base of operations, home if you will, is a great example of such a place. Located on the shores of the Libyan Sea, the southern part of the Mediterranean sandwiched between the north coasts of Libya and Egypt, and the southern coast of Crete, lies the Messara Plain and the towns of Pitsidia and Matala. Dotted throughout sublime olive groves and neatly cultivated vines of grapes, the land’s collective memory serves up ancient Minoan cities, Roman ports, counter-culture hippies and modern-day family farms simultaneously.  With foreboding drama, we were treated to a primordial welcome from the depths of the earth with a 6.5 point earthquake off the coast of southern Crete within the first hour of arriving at our rental house. Sitting on the gently undulating pool deck, chandeliers swaying back and forth, we knew we had arrived in a very special place.

Otto contemplating what life was like 4,000 years ago

As we mapped out our global circuit many months ago, we hoped that this part of Crete would be a place we could just hang out, live, settle into a routine and discover a less-touristy part of Greece. Our villa is just outside Pitsidia and Matala, with our pastoral property bordering on an olive tree grove and watched by a vineyard suspended above our pool. We have several house geckoes, a Messara horse on the other side of the fence, and a rooster who has no concept of dawn, crooning at all hours of the day and night. Having a break from crowded city streets and clumps of meandering tour bus groups is nice, enabling us all to catch up on work, school, books and of course, the daily torture from Shaun T. The coastline in and around Matala has such extreme beauty, tantalizing beaches, aquamarine water, intriguing ruins and delectable tavernas, it’s hard to imagine venturing beyond the Messara Plain to see the more popular sites and destinations Crete has to offer.

The caves of Matala hanging on the cliff, nestling the finely pebbled beach.

Indeed, unknown to us, Matala is actually a global phenomenon that has become a living symbol of peace, love and understanding. In caves built over 4,000 years ago by Minoan denizens (check out Otto’s post to learn more), hippies from around the world discovered Matala and set up their own village amongst the ancient caves. Attracting international attention, Matala became home to American draft dodgers fleeing Vietnam, Germans seeking shelter from lingering European scorn after World War II, global travelers skipping between continents, and self-named “freaks” who were on permanent walkabouts.

Tuck and Jones channeling their inner hippie

As luck would have it, a documentary was recently completed chronicling the Matala experience, and an open-air screening of the film, called “Hippie! Hippie! Matala! Matala!” was presented last night in the public square. Watching the film as we gazed up at the caves carved high into the cliff’s above the town bathed in a prehistoric glow from flood lights, I was struck by the pride and connection the locals had as they sipped home brewed raki and ate grilled seafood. Laughing at themselves in pictures from 40 years ago, remembering past neighbors and reveling in the steeped history their corner of the world embodied, I was struck by the way these people embrace foreigners like us, taking us in as part of the community for the brief time we care to linger.

Watching “Hippie! Hippie! Matala! Matala!” with the whole town

The owner of our rental car company has lived in Matala his whole life, and serves as an example of what I’m talking about. His family owns over 1,000 olive trees nestled onto the Messara Plain, supplying olive oil for the entire family, friends and part of the community. He also is one of the sponsors of the film and an annual festival in Matala, inviting us to the screening and promising a bottle of the family vintage of olive oil. Like part of the family, he and everyone else in this town welcome us with no judgment and no exasperation, despite being at the tail end of an 8-month, non-stop tourist season. While some say Matala is not what it used to be, becoming more of a tourist spot than it once was, the locals seem to have a different view. At the end of the Stone Age, people were drawn to this spectacular stretch of coast. The Minoan royalty built summer palaces on the shores of what is now Pitsidia. The Ancient Greeks in Hellenistic times flocked here after the Minoans were seemingly wiped off the face of the planet. The Romans then conquered and built Goyers, where Brutus liked to vacation, hanging out in the same caves that our modern day hippies settled and brought the current tourist wave to this part of the world. Now it’s our turn, pulled in by the same gravity that our collective memory encourages and cajoles.

Sunset at Matala Beach

I looked at my own family tucked between Cretan families, engrossed in the story (despite two unnamed twins doing their best to disrupt), and realized, right now, right here… we’re exactly where we are supposed to be. Matala has a tagline born out of its counter-culture roots in the sixties: “Today is life. Tomorrow never comes.”

As I walk into the caves I see a numerous amount of things. Some of the caves have multiple rooms with entry ways so small that Tuck would be the only one that could fit without ducking, because of the Romans small size that long ago. Some walls are lined with graffiti back from the “hippie era”, which I will go into greater detail in a minute. Sarcophagi in the middle of the caves surrounded by what used to be statues and decorations which later got robbed. But you will be surprised to hear that the dead were not the only ones who occupied these caves.

Who lived in the caves? After the Romans, fisherman discovered this easy access point to the sea and soon became the fishermen’s home. Next the gypsies came and lived in the caves for up to 700 years.

But after a tremendous amount of years the foreigners started to find out about this amazing destination. People from all over the world flocked to Matala, looking for an awesome hang out spot and to try something different. Even some famous singers such as Bob Marley, Joni Mitchel, and Cat Stevens came for a Life magazine photo spread and got hooked to the hippie lifestyle of Matala. But sadly after 10 years all the festivities and chillaxing came to an end. The hippies were drawn out by the military but some refused to leave. The ones who didn’t leave we’re beaten by the locals and soon we’re driven out by tourists.

Now the caves are open to explore and make the town of Matala and Crete even more fun!

An ancient sarcophagus!