While Mikey and Angela went to Paris to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary, we took care of the kids. Almost 5 year old Charlee and 17 month old Drew. After a couple of days of showing them around Mermaid Quay and Cardiff, we surprised them with a trip to Legoland. I don’t think Drew really fully understood what it was all about, but Charlee was so excited. And even more so when she found out we were staying at the park in the Castle Hotel, in the Wizards Room. It had a bin full of legos, and a lego wall for them to create whatever their imaginations allowed.

I remember when Angela was Charlee’s age and my mother took us to Disneyland. I thought about that as I held her hand and we walked through the park together. Like she did with her Grandma Honey all those years ago. We watched a couple of stage shows, including a Repunzal puppet show. It was an interactive one, and Charlee clapped, and yelled and danced to the music. The prince was dressed in a leather jacket and called The Fonz. I laughed out loud at that one.

There were some limitations on the rides she could go on, but the ones she did, she really enjoyed. She drove a lego car and got her drivers license, did the Storybook one and saw all of the lego characters. The big guy went on the merry go round with her, and several others. Poor Drew only went on 2 of them….the train and the sky ride, but it really didn’t seem to bother him. As long as he is fed, he is a happy camper.

It was a special time, especially for the big guy. Living in the UK these past few years, he is so limited on the amount of time he has spent with them. So, these past 7 days have been really important.

As we left yesterday, Charlee told us Thank you, and exclaimed, “this was the coolest!” How much more can my heart swell!

Monday rolls around, and it is my birthday. I am on my way to Monaco and Monte Carlo, but first we made a couple of stops.

Eze….a small medieval village from around 1400, and it is 400 meters high. And climb we did. Up those cobble stone steps, down the winding walkways. We only had an hour, so I did never make it to the top where the church was. I stopped to many times to admire the view, and we only had an hour.

Outside of the village was the perfume factory of Fragonard, where we took a tour of the fragrance factory. Takes at least 2 years to study to become a perfumer, and 10 years to hone their craft. They cannot smoke, drink alcohol, or eat spicy foods, because it will dull their sense of smell. One interesting fact about Chanel. When they were finalizing their signature scent, they smelled about 10 of them. The consensus was the 5th one. That became Chanel #5.

Onto Monaco. What a beautiful place. And full of millionaires and yachts. There is 1 police person for every 5 people because of the wealth of the people who live there. It is the second smallest city next to the Vatican. Their commerce is banking. We saw the Castle of Prince Rainier and Princess Caroline, where their son Albert now resides. The church, The Monaco Cathedral, is where they were married, and both are buried there now. At the time we were there, the organist was practicing, it really gave the place a sacred feeling.

On the way to Monte Carlo we drove on the street that is the Grand Prix, including the famous hair pin turn in front of the Fairmont Hotel. And then there was the famous city before my eyes. Fancy cars, fancy stores, bigger yachts, etc. I did go into about 4 stores. Only because I could say that I did. I was only greeted in one of them. I walked out of one store and said, “Even at Walmart they say hello.” I miss Target. I would not have missed being there at all. Been there, done that, all with a smile on my face.

What an adventure this was. We don’t do presents to each other, we don’t give each other parties, but what the big guy gave me was another wonderful memory.

Again, 2 broke kids.

For some reason I have always wanted to visit the South of France. Not sure why, maybe because I saw pictures of it and wanted to see the beauty of this particular part of the country. So, the big guy took me to this area for my birthday.

We went to Nice first. When we were driving from the airport, it reminded us of San Diego, the drive from Lindbergh Field. I felt I was on Sassafras on my way to Laurel Drive. We stayed at a place right on the Promenade des Anglais. It was named for Los Angeles, because of all the stars that visited the area back in the day. Was such a bustling during the day, and lit up at night. One of the things we loved to do was go to one of the local cafes and sit outside to eat. Could have sat there for hours. We walked to the older part of the city that was filled with food Marts and flower markets. Nice was part of Italy until around 1860 when it is now a part of France. The population is 350,000, but in the summer it grows to over a million because of the tourists.

One of our stops was at the Church of Saint Francis of Paola. Like I have stated before, I am all about the churches. Approved by Rome in 1493 and settled in Nice in 1633. It is run by the Dominicans. And the church itself is of baroque designed. Beautiful, and ornate with side altars all along each of the walls leading up to the main altar. Another place I could have sat for hours. Peaceful, quiet, with familiar smells. And lots, and lots of candles.

Now onto Monaco, and Monte Carlo…..again two broke kids. #MondayBlogs #Nice #SouthofFrance #Withthebigguy #Celebratoryweekend

#MondayBlogs. Iceland is quite beautiful. A country that is the youngest one in Europe. People visit this place because of their Mother Nature. I can see why. It is run on giothermal energy. 50% of the people live in Reykjavik. In the 1940’s a lot of the people lived in caves, some you can still see. Timber was very scarce. If you did have a house, it was built with grass and driftwood.

We passed a place that was called Friendship Forest. The president invites visiting dignitaries to plant a tree. This tradition began with Vigdis Funnbogadottir, the first woman president of Iceland, or anywhere, really, in 1987. It is beautiful to see and quite full. I wondered how it would look all lit up with Christmas lights. A sight to behold, I am sure. And can see for miles, and miles. From the sea to the sky.

This is a land of farmers. Many were Vikings. And after they came back from the sea, and doing what Vikings do, they raised sheep and dairy. Today you see greenhouses dotted along the farmlands. They grow flowers, roses especially, fruits and all kinds of vegetables. Their sheep are along the countryside just grazing in the fields. In September the farmers go out and collect the sheep and place them in a big pen. During a fall festival where everyone gathers for the celebration.they collect their sheep (they have their personal markings on them) and take them back to the farm for the winter. In spring it starts all over again.

There are 120 volcanoes in Iceland, 60 are active. I already talked about Kerid, the explosion crater, formed by explosive eruptions that leave deep craters, in my last blog. I was talking with a local, which is something I always do, because you learn a lot, and he swears they are due to have another eruption……soon…..like this winter. When I asked him why, he told me they have been having little seismic earthquakes.

So much more….so much more…..well maybe not that much. But I will continue next time. And as always…….2 broke kids.

My random thoughts will be up soon.

Words I never thought I would say, I am going to Iceland. After a 4 hour delay we arrived later than we thought we would in the city of Reykjavik.

The next morning we took our tour of the Golden Circle. Geysers, Waterfalls, Volcanos, oh my! It’s a beautiful day trip that takes you through 300-km of picturesque and different landscapes of Iceland. It is a full, full day. It takes a good 8 hours. Jon, our tour guide through Go To Joy Iceland was our guide, and let us take our time and enjoy each place we visited. He also taught me a cool aspect on my phone that I didn’t know I had.

Pingvellir was our first stop. It is a protected historical and natural monument. Belongs to the Icelandic people in perpetuity. It sits on two tectonic plates: North America and Eurasian. People go scuba diving in the lake so they can touch both sides. Also, during the Apollo moon missions, the astronauts would walk around this area because the land resembled the moons surface.

Next stop was Geyser. One of the best known geothermal areas. Full of hot springs. The big geyser is now being a little lazy and doesn’t want to go off anymore so he lets his little brother do all the work.

Now we came to Gullfoss. It’s beauty lies in the Golden Falls. History reveals that back in the early 20th century, some foreign men wanted to buy them from a local farmer (which they did illegally) to put up hydro-electric power. His daughter, Sigriour Tomasdottir refused to accept this and fought them for years, which she eventually won. Because of her victory, the falls belong to the Icelandic people.

We then went to Kerid, a volcano. It is known as an explosion crater. It is formed when they have explosive eruption. This one did, then collapsed and ground water formed into a lake. It was formed about 6500 years ago.

Wonders and sights to behold. Another adventure, another experience for 2 Broke Kids. I am grateful and truly, truly blessed.

Flying out of Paros to Athens was quite the experience. Smallest airport I have ever seen. Only one gate. A gift shop, coffee shop and bar all in one place. The bar consisted of a small bottle of white wine, a small bottle of red wine, a can of beer. I opted for a big bottle of water. Our flight was an hour late, bused us to the airstrip to get on the plane. Beverage service stopped half way down the aisle because we were starting to descend. Thank goodness I had that bottle of water. The lady cab driver had the best ring tone on her phone. It whistled and then said Hey Taxi. I laughed out loud.

The lady cab driver that picked us up in Athens was rather unique. First off I was afraid her car was going to break down before we got to the hotel. And she made us pay the toll charge. Asked us for 3 Euros, we gave her a five, she got a receipt and kept the change. Really!

Our last day in Athens was a leisurely one. Since we did pretty much everything when we were here 2 weeks ago, we layout by the pool. That night we went up to the rooftop bar that they have that overlooks the city. It was a beautiful night.

Going home to Cardiff today. They are saying the heat wave continues. It isn’t a heat wave to me…mid 70’s……

Paros is a quiet island…but a great one at that. We are in the little town of Naousa. The beach in front of the place we are staying is the Gulf of Naousa near the Kolympitres Beach. So beautiful with the aqua colors amoung the midnight blue ones.

The little town was close to the port where our ferry docked. It was full of outside cafes, restaurants, and bars. I thought there were more than Mykonos, but then again I could be totally wrong. But everyone was out enjoying themselves in the sun.

For dinner I had an amazing pork dish, with orange and ginger, and what I thought were orange wedges. Out waiter, who was from Bulgaria- and told us we had to go to his country- told me I had to eat them. What a taste! I asked the manager how they were made: you cut them in half, scoop out the orange, purée it with ginger and some licquor put it back in the orange halves and let it sit in the fridge.

He gave us a sample of the local after dinner drink, a Greek sweet liquor called Mastika, or “the tree.” Seasoned with a resin with a slightly pine or cedar like flavor of the mastic tree. A small evergreen tree only found in the Mediterranean region. I asked him if this was the liquor they use for the oranges, and he smiled and told me yes. And I had a good pallet. That made me laugh.

Had to leave for Athens. Going to be back there for 2 days.

We spent most of yesterday relaxing by the pool, and then in the late afternoon we went into the town of Mykonos. We ventured into the local area for dinner, and found a seaside restaurant. Fresh seafood, a wonderful atmosphere, and a chance to chat with the locals.

We sat and watched the yachts come in. One at a time, each one bigger than the other one. The last one that docked was huge….so I called it John Holmes….just because.

As the sun started to set, the lights gradually came on, more people were coming into town and the nightlife began. Daytime turns to night, the sun light gives way to the twinkling of the night lights and the people were ready to enjoy themselves.

Today we are leaving this island and heading to Paros. Another adventure for 2 broke kids.

The adventures continue. We took a boat to the island of Mykonos yesterday. A nice ride along the waters of the Aegean Sea.

Mykonos the “island of the winds.” And the water is spectacular. Little pockets of aqua marine within the dark midnight blue. And clear as crystal. You can look down that water and see forever.

But, last night was the sunset. I am all about the sun setting. I love the sunsets of my beloved Arizona. Seeing the way the colors of the desert change. No more sand color but, the purples and blues on the ground reflecting from the sky. The sun setting in San Diego. A fireball of yellow, orange, red into the sea. The same in Hawaii. Changing colors. And now I got to see it here in Greece. The sun was high, very bright and yellow. Then orange, dancing along the water. Then it just sort of sat there. Teasing just a little. Like a child that doesn’t want to go to bed. But there it went, and it was gone. And minutes later the twinkling lights of the city came to life. Gods masterpiece once again. A wonderful sight to behold.