I interviewed my sons on their thoughts on traveling. It was very interesting to learn what their impressions were.

What did you learn through traveling?  

“Traveling showed me what life outside of America is like. There are cultures very different from our own. Traveling gave me the best memories of being with my family. In Spain and the Mediterranean, they have siestas—taking a break out of the day. Americans are about “work, work, work” so this siesta was different. There were no restaurants open to go to. It showed me that some countries prioritize leisure and family time more.”

What were the pros and cons of traveling?

“I realized America has certain conveniences like 24 hour grocery stores. Our roads and parking are better in America. Our van practically got stuck between buildings in Seville.”

What was your favorite trip?

“I think my favorite trip itinerary was: Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Lichtenstein, France, Germany, England and Greece a few years ago because I like being in the Mediterranean and close to the sea. Greece is my favorite country and that was our last stop on this trip.”

What was the most exotic trip you’ve taken?

“India was the most exotic trip I took because it’s a total 180 from America. There wasn’t a lot of English spoken and we didn’t eat the street food. It was definitely a third world country.”

What people skills did you acquire through traveling?

“I learned patience and understanding since there is a language barrier when you’re traveling. Each side has to understand what the other is saying. I don’t focus on the negatives because there’s too many good things that happen.”

What advice do you have about long flights?

“My advice about long flights is watch movies, take good music and sleep.”

This son went on a trip to Ireland with his college ruby team to play in a 10-day tour. They raised their own funds for most of the travel expenses and then stayed in youth hostels. He mountain biked, played guitar in a pub at night and played on an Irish rugby team for one of the games. (link below)

photo by Patrick

A Rugby Tour in Ireland

Halfway through starting this blog, I interviewed my three sons, separately, to get their feedback and impressions about traveling. My youngest son was deliberate and engaged about sharing his experiences. I was surprised to learn that his favorite trips were not the ones I thought they would be. He was always so good about “going with the flow” on the highly educational trips. It turns out, he liked the R & R trips the best–the ones with the relaxing geographical features and excursions…..

“My favorite thing about our trips is experiencing things you can’t find in your hometown. The best parts are the beaches, new environments and seeing how different things can be…..like the bazaars we’ve been to. The worst part about traveling is going through the airports and not being able to get to what you want to do when you want to.”

“My favorite trip of all time was Switzerland because it started with Switzerland and it ended with Greece. The tiny little city of Churwalden up in the Alps was my favorite place. The weather was cool and the air was fresh. We didn’t have to go into a city to sightsee….it was just calm. I also loved Hawaii because of the nice beaches and the natural wonders that are unique. We had fruit at breakfast that we’ve never even heard of before.”

“My advice is to always be ready to be going somewhere and be sure to have the energy to do it. Getting enough sleep and eating the right foods help you have the energy. The craziest thing I saw was a naked man walking down a major street in Spain. The best artifact I’ve seen was the thorn from Jesus’s “crown of thorns” in the Seville Cathedral. The most fun thing I did was ride the waves in Hawaii and Mexico. My favorite transportation was ferries. I liked the short distance of going between countries. On the plane, it’s good to always have music and earphones. Appreciate your time while you are there and keep a journal. I’m glad that my mom made me keep a journal because I enjoy reading it now!” Below is a blog about his pre-school travel journal entries.

Little Kids can Travel-Journalize, too!

Lefkada is on the Ionian Side of Greece. Porto Katsiki beach was so blue it looked like a blue paint can had fallen over into the sea. We had to reach the beach by staircases of 100 steps or more.

We stayed in a villa near Karia, a village which is nicknamed the “embroidery capital of the Greece. Nydri is the larger town nearby. It was a good 20 minute drive down the mountain to get to the port town of Nydri.

Restaurant recommendation: Taverna Kara Boulas 

Excursions on Lefkada were totally different from any of the other Greek islands we’ve been to. Lefkada is old-fashioned in the way that it’s not touristy and it has an authenticity to it. When you look onto the port from the mountainside, it looks like a 1950’s postcard.

A full week there was perfect. You can walk right up to any boat on the port and ask for the two cruises I recommend. Captain Gerasimos’s boat with the huge eye on the mast is the one I recommend. Our villa was a paradise to come home to everyday. http://www.booking.com/hotel/gr/lefkada-villas.html

Excursions to check out:                           

• star gazing cruise (from the port)
• Onassis cruise (from the port)
• amusement part in Nydri
• The Fort of Aghia Mavra

photos by Patrick and GIna

Follow this lesson plan to build trip itineraries with your family:

Travel Lesson Plan: Integrate the Concepts

On the island of Lefkada in Greece, we took two cruises: the Star Gazing cruise (on another post) and the “Onassis cruise”. The Onassis cruise was a “bucket list” event for me because I’ve always wanted to see Skorpios--which had been the private island of Onassis. Ari Onassis married Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis “Jackie O” on the island of Skorpios. This cruise’s captain had worked for Onassis as a youngster and was able to tell us anecdotal tales. He had photo albums onboard with newspaper clippings of the famous couple…and of Maria Callas (the opera singer) too!

We visited 4 islets, swam in a cave which was rumored to have hidden a submarine (?), went to an islet with an ancient olive press “factory”, had a picnic on a beach and snorkled and ended up on Skorpios –a public access beach on the private island.

We drank espressos when we started, mojitos in the afternoon, and had Greek “caviar and champagne” which is really olives and ouzo shots.

the captain let our son pull the masts up….

I looked out onto the  turquoise blue Ionian sea with the wind in my hair, the sun on my face, in our bathing suits, relaxed on beverages, my arm around my husband and my gaze on my sons dancing and steering the sailboat which was a pirate ship replica and I thought, “This is a perfect moment of life.” People were Greek dancing in their bathing suits, everyone was relaxed and intrigued at the same time for what was around the corner as we toured 4 islets. Sailing, walking, hiking, drinking, eating, snorkeling…..

Click on excursion http://www.lefkadaslowguide.gr/en/business/activities/travel-excursions/cruises/Odysseia/?region=

                  reading scrapbooks, steering a boat, pulling masts, learning about an olive press, taking photos of native island women in their traditional dress….it was an assault of the senses in the best way.

 

http://www.odysseia-lefkada.eu/excursions.html

Follow this lesson plan to build trip itineraries with your family:

Travel Lesson Plan: Integrate the Concepts

Corfu is an island on the Ionian side of Greece. It is also referred to as Kerkyra. The lushness of Corfu comes from rainfall that happens on this island which is rare for a Greek island. Most Greek islands are rocky and barren. I found Corfu to be as lush as Hawaii. The flavor of the island was Italianate and Venetian since it is so close to Italy. We loved Paleokastritsa area and its  magnificent beach.

The caves on the Paleokastritsa beach were breathtaking. We rented a boat and sailed through them. Seeing fish this way was fun for the boys. The colors on the rocks of the caves were stunning.     The villages we drove through the mountainside were darling! Our villa in Paleokastritsa was called Villa Fiorita and the bougainvillea was front and center on this picturesque scene.

           click on villa http://www.greece.com/hotels/Ionian_Islands/Corfu/Villa_Fiorita.html Every morning, I’d make Nescafe in a vriki (a copper coffee carafe) and some tea for my husband and we’d sit outside on the balcony while our sons slept in. This gave us time to caffeinate and journalize about the events of the past day while it was still fresh in our minds. I did all the writing and my husband helped fill in the blanks. It’s a great way to stretch out the vacation by being present in the moment and cognitively strengthening and embracing our experiences. Lakones was one particularly colorful and quaint village where we saw people just sitting outside, quietly and peacefully, enjoying the night.

The evening dinners were not just delicious, but an opportunity for entertainment, too! The waiters were also dancers who dazzled us with the dance tricks we had never seen before. Corfu is a must-see for Greek islands!

 

 

Sightseeing:

• Achilleon Palace
• St. Spyridon Church–houses the body and relics of the saint
• Corfu town– many kumquat products

 

 

 

Follow this lesson plan to build trip itineraries with your family:

Travel Lesson Plan: Integrate the Concepts

Athens is the capital of Greece. Millions of people live there. It’s everything you expect a capital city to be—populated, busy, exciting, full of monuments, shops, restaurants and traffic. Taking my sons through Athens was daunting as we had to be careful with subways, crossing streets, etc.  My husband and I had seen Athens many times before as individuals or as a couple but seeing it through my sons’ eyes for the first time was precious to me because we had studied Athens for years and I was eager to show them our ancestral homeland. http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Art/

 The Parthenon can be best understood and appreciated when you watch the video about it in The Acropolis Museum.  To know what the Parthenon actually looked like in its original design is important because the stone color of it now is from years of erosion and pollution. Observing the marbles and the sculptures within it’s top layer is something you can appreciate best in person. The link above explains the architectural design of the styles of columns of various temples and buildings. Below are the “Elgin” Marbles housed in the British Museum in England. The controversy of the “Elgin” Marbles is a subject worth reading about. “Stealing Athena” by Karen Essex is a good book for adults to read about this topic.(last two photos from the internet)

• Top things to do in Athens:
• Parthenon
• Acropolis Museum
• National Archeological Museum
• Plaka
• Monasteraki
• Mt. Lycabettus
• Temple of Poseidon at Sounion
• Syntagma Square
• changing of the guards
• Zappeion (National Gardens of Athens)
• Benaki Museum

Follow this lesson plan to build trip itineraries with your family:

Travel Lesson Plan: Integrate the Concepts

Santorini is a Greek island worth mentioning in its own post here. So much to do for families!! It is the most photographed island of Greece ( if not the most photographed island in the world!). It’s historic volcanic eruption reached South America even and has created the breathtaking caldera views. There are so many excursions to enjoy on Santorini. A recommended stay  of 4 days will give you the opportunity to do it all!

Click on Irinis Villa recommendation: http://www.elounda.com/en/hotels/europe-greece-cycladesislands-santorini-imerovigli/irinisvillasresort.html 

Also, Chromata is a recommended Santorini villa.

Besides the fulfilling shopping, eating and sightseeing, Santorini offered specialty excursions like:

• sailing out to the active volcano,
• swimming in the hot springs,
• riding donkeys,
• parasailing,
• going to a winery,
• museums,  
• scuba diving,
• beaches,
•  Akrotiri museum (a buried city) was thrilling.

The everyday views and observations made us fall in love with this island. I have flown to the island and I’ve ferried there. The high speed ferry is a great option!

http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/santorini.html

Project for the kids : http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howtos/ht/buildavolcano.htm

As touristy as Santorini is, we still saw local residents living among the luxury and posh clifftop villas. Who can resist visiting with a local? It enhanced our stay as we were on a break from visiting relatives in Athens and my father’s village.

An excerpt from my book, A Magic Carpet Ride:

Hotel recommendation: Irinis Villa in Imeroviglio (which used to be a pirate look out point) or Chromata.

Restaurant recommendation: Naoussa and every single restaurant, actually!

Oia: drive up to Oia, the whitewashed clifftop village to watch the world famous sunset, shop in artsy boutiques and have dinner or dessert. Click on link below to order my book.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/069271393X/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

I highly recommend Santorini! I’ve been four times and I still want to return. Stories and recommendations on international travel can be found in my book:

A Magic Carpet Ride by Gina Michalopulos Kingsley. Proceeds will be donated to charity.

photos by Gina and Patrick Kingsley (except for those from internet)

Follow the lesson plan to build trip itineraries with your family:

Travel Lesson Plan: Integrate the Concepts

*The suggested reading books I’ve included on most countries’ posts are for children and/or parents to read. Some parents have told me that reading a children’s book on a country gives gave them a simple “bird’s eye view” into what could otherwise be a complicated or complex history in adult versions.

© Gina Kingsley. This lesson plan and others are copyrighted in the book A Magic Carpet Ride.

 

Santorini at night is a whole other experience..I recommend taking a siesta so that  you can reserve your energy for walking around the port town for shopping and dining. We like staying in Imeroviglio for our villa location. It used to be a pirate look out point.If you can walk down to Fira or Thira as it’s sometimes called, it is a good way to get exercise and avoid looking for a parking spot. The view in Imerovigli or Oia is worth it. It’s also a nice break from the city center. Driving up to Oia could take 20 minutes and that’s best enjoyed at sunset.

Make an evening out of Oia…take your sunset family pics, eat dinner up there and stroll through the boutiques.  I have been 4 times to Santorini and I know I’ll be back!! There are so many excursions to do so stretching it out over several days gives you more energy to enjoy each outing.

Follow this lesson plan to build trip itineraries with your family:

Travel Lesson Plan: Integrate the Concepts

Meteora , on the mainland of Greece, is a destination that inspires for many reasons. The geological features are just some of the details to explore. The religious significance of it brings a whole new appreciation and awareness of monastic life. It has been described as “suspended in the air or heavens”. The monasteries are built on sandstone rock pillars in an area of Central Greece. We stayed overnight in Kalambaka, the nearby town, and enjoyed a delicious meal. We reached Meteora by rental car from Athens. If you need another option, I’d suggest hiring a tour guide to take you there in an air-conditioned van or car. 

Eastern Orthodoxy is a religion that dates back to Apostolic times. The sights, sounds, smells and feelings inside of an Orthodox church are powerful and engage all of the senses. Icons for visuals, hymns for sound, incense for scent, communion for taste and candlelight for feeling are all part of this process.

Meteora is both a religious and geological experience. Because it is so rich in meaning and beauty, there are so many facets to its brilliance! I wonder what our sons were thinking when they experienced Meteora and its breathtaking views. When you first arrive, you take in the altitude and the geological impressiveness of Meteora.

You take photos, you explore the hillside, and then you ascend to the monasteries. This can be challenging —Greece has many steep roads and inclines. In the picture below, my son is just a speck in the stairway. The physical breathlessness doesn’t even compare to the emotional breathlessness of the solemn and faith-filled ambience of what you find inside the monasteries.

From my journal: “The roads were very steep and the view is breathtaking and unlike any other we’ve seen. Walking up to the monastery at Meteora makes you experience this view and be part of it. Walking through this most peaceful, holy monastery with no tour guide makes it a meditative process.Seeing our sons light candles in this dark chapel is a full circle experience for us as parents, knowing this is why we bring our kids to Greece as Orthodox Christians and Greek children. Leaving the monastery, a guide gives you a loukoumi, probably symbolizing the sweetness of this experience.”

The icons, candles and monks graced the religious ambience of Meteora and filled us with prayer and a feeling of reverence for our Orthodox Christianity. Outside, I was touched to see a Greek flag standing proudly in the rocky ground. Rooted. Like  us.

At 1 minute, 30 seconds into the video below, there is an interesting interview from an actor who explains his conversion and what his journey into Orthodoxy means to him.

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© Gina Michalopulos Kingsley

photos by Patrick and Gina Kingsley

Stories like this can be found in the book A Magic Carpet Ride by Gina Michalopulos Kingsley

https://www.amazon.com/dp/069271393X/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

Follow this lesson plan to build trip itineraries with your family:

Travel Lesson Plan: Integrate the Concepts

photos by Patrick and Gina Kingsley