Category: Air Hops

Pau en Voiture

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We decided to temporarily leave the amazingness of Bordeaux and take a side trip to Pau. After an auspicious start — during which Enterprise Rent-A-Car gave away our reserved voiture, then after paying three times the original amount elsewhere we couldn’t figure out how to put the dang thang in reverse … while facing downhill with a large parked car in front of us, all the while wondering why we’d decided to leave Bordeaux in the first place — we took our Renault on a lovely little road trip. Rain was forecast but the sun was rebelliously out in spades, and we navigated the endless ronds points rather expertly, if I do (admittedly as the passenger) say so myself. Nothing but admiration for the verdant countryside, with T salivating over all the castles on the way, most notably the Château de Cazeneuve. We finally arrived in Pau after four leisurely and utterly pleasant hours.

Bordeaux is to Pau what Athens is to Symi: a study in country contrasts. Where Bordeaux is urban cosmopolitan, Pau is — especially en route — rural medieval. Bustling and high brow vs. mild and down to earth. Shiny vs. matte. Pau is a tiny condensed city, with a pretty rough entry once we left the countryside. It didn’t help that it took forever to find the actual apartment, and then longer to find the parking, only to arrive with towels on the floor and paper in the bin. All was blessedly sorted while we went to dinner, though, at a restaurant literally right next door to our place, as we contentedly consumed delicious grilled prawns and a bottle of chilled Sancerre. Things were most certainly looking up.

We spent our first full day exploring the city, which is super cute in the light of day. Beautiful mountains, architecture, and castles galore. Visited the Musee des Beaux-Arts (unexpectedly fantastic), had an excellent Asian fusion prix fixe lunch, and topped it all off with what T described as the best macarons he’d ever tasted in life. High praise from Monsieur. Day two we drove to Lescar and Sauveterre-de-Bearn, two darling little towns a couple hours outside of Pau. Castles, churches, and beautiful countryside, with the perfect combination of majesty and magic, and that fresh, crisp air you can both feel and taste. Everything and everyone welcoming and unassuming.

We left on Halloween — at this point sad we’d miss the festivities that were being prepared directly under our living room window — and arrived back in Bordeaux without incident. The next week and a half would be spent in a different section of the city next to the Gare St. Jean, a little grittier than our previous digs but steps from the train station. Maybe we’ll take advantage of our new location and see the Guggenheim in Bilbao?

Bordeaux, Let’s Go (On Y Va)!

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We hadn’t been to France in over a decade, and we (especially T) were seriously jonesing. So we made the relatively spontaneous decision to add a Bordeaux jaunt to our Greek getaway.

Très bonne idée.

While it was overcast for much of our time there, the weather just added to the ambience. There’s something romantic and quintessentially European about walking through a rainy cobblestoned city, surrounded by melodic accents, ducking into random (i.e. not Yelp or Google or Tripadvisor-veriified) cafés and restaurants, eating fabulous food and drinking delicious wine. (It was Bordeaux after all, and le vin did not disappoint.) We had perfect little apartments — on Rue Judaïque, just outside the center, for the first part of our stay, and near Gare St. Jean for the second — and we happily and busily explored the city for a lovely and sublimely unforgettable three weeks.

Extensive urban planning is obvious in Bordeaux. Transportation, services, and public spaces have been designed with a clearly pedestrian-forward mindset. It is not a car-friendly city, with scarce parking and meandering routes. Uber is also expensive, slow to arrive, and tedious; it routinely took 15+ minutes to travel less than three miles. Surprisingly homogenous stone building facades aside, Bordeaux is a city you’re meant to soak up and enjoy by foot, bike, or metro.

We visited the famous Cité du Vin and the Musée des Beaux-Arts. Bought some excellent bottles from the Badie wine store. Snagged a designer coat from a vintage clothes shop for less than 100€. Saw One Battle After Another (great after Teyana Taylor exited stage left), Predator Badlands (unexpectedly fantastic, undoubtedly helped by the full-on intense immersive theater experience), and The Conjuring (also highly entertaining). The latter two were shown in French and I actually understood most of the dialogue and subtitles, merci beaucoup. Checked out quite a few (cheaper than the states but still overpriced) places for sale. Found some amazing bookstores. Took advantage of the region and had copious amounts of delicious wine to complement equally delicious, refreshingly and reasonably priced prix fixe menus. And, in part to justify the consistent overindulgence, we walked and walked and walked, only missing bicycles with baskets holding fresh baguettes and flowers to complete the picture.

All told, I would 100% visit Bordeaux again. It reminded me how much I miss the whole experience of France, ensconced in fairy tale-like landscapes and history, dining and imbibing in quaint restaurants, hearing and speaking that melodious language, and enjoying the sheer civility of it all. Mwah/Bisous!

City of Gods, Aptly Named

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Athens — a complete, welcome, and much-needed contrast to our relative lassitude on Symi — never disappoints. After we visited years ago, we gravitated primarily towards Keramikos, a trendy, SoHo-like enclave. More recently we tried the downtown area. This trip, for the first time, we stayed in Kolonaki. It’s like Pacific Heights in San Francisco: great location, relatively posh, inhabitants living ostentatiously large. While not our ideal permanent vibe, it’s super cool to visit.

Storefronts embody aesthetic perfection, carefully and particularly designed and outfitted, starting with the windows and extending seamlessly to the interiors. Restaurants follow suit and are both pricy and divine; every meal beyond on every level. The entire neighborhood is 100% intentional. You might be broke when you leave, but you’ll go out wistfully satisfied. 

The landscape is also dramatic and breathtaking. We took a hike for the first time up Lycabettus Hill, and our (somewhat strained) efforts were rewarded with a breathtaking 360-degree view of the city. I’ll give us a pass on not tackling it before, as undertaking it in the summer heat would most certainly have been life-shortening. In October, however, it was not only totally doable but actually pleasant. 

It’s the kind of place that makes you want to indulge. Not indefinitely sustainable, but delightfully delicious for a splurge. And as we weren’t looking for a long term commitment, we thoroughly enjoyed our quick and decadent stay en route to our next rather spontaneously planned destination: Bordeaux. Flaky, crusty baguette with delicious butter and exquisite wine … On arrive! 

Symi Sloth 

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By the time we got to Symi — after all our quasi exertions — we were well ready to chill. And chill we did. Properly. For six. straight. weeks. By far the laziest time we’d spent on the island to date. Weather was for the most part a perfect sunshine/breeze combo, intermittently and unprecedentedly chilly, with more rain than we’d ever experienced. We even put the heat on a few times … a Symi first. Symi in September and October is a dream. Summer, when temps regularly hit mid-to high 80’s but somehow feel so much hotter … not so much.

What to say about Symi? It’s a fairy tale-esque little island, rough around the edges but oozing with charm. It was love at first sight for us and this tiny (year-round population of approximately 2,500, tripled in high season) little hot pocket. It has a “downtown” (Yialos), and “village” (Chorio), both comprised of mostly grand, super colorful, Italian-influenced houses. A picture-perfect port with a mix of exquisite and more accessible yachts alongside a smattering of fishing boats. Your customary Greek restaurants and coffee shops with outdoor seating skirting the shore. The ever-present smell of Greek spices wafting as you walk about town. It’s both simple and unexpectedly sophisticated.

There were runs to town for drinking, swimming, and (primarily) food shopping. An around-the-island yacht tour, which included four swimming stops and a massive BBQ lunch replete with (my favorite!) grilled chicken, fava beans, spaghetti, potato and greek salad, green beans, typically terrible Symi wine, and more. Jaunts to beaches where we read, swam, and lazed all day. Chartered a boat with some local friends and did more of the above, with a follow up dinner party at a (new to us) neighbor’s. Another side trip to Thessaloniki. Irregular exercise to YouTube videos. But we honestly spent most of our days reading, puzzling, taking in the view of the harbor, watching movies, playing ScrabbleGo (which I’m now typically and madly obsessed with), planning and cooking dinner, ignoring our project lists, and deciding if we’d had enough of a break to justify yet another overindulgent happy hour.

Despite the plethora of relative non-activity, our time on Symi flew by. We will return next year and hopefully start our projects early … before we revisit the inevitable sloth mode. For now, though, we bid it a fond adieu as we head to Athens: always a blast and the perfect defibrillator.

Rhodes Roads

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After an hour-long flight from Thessaloniki, we arrived on the considerably rougher roads of medieval Rhodes. Stayed with our favorite family at the Lefka Hotel, where there’s always a warm welcome and a lengthy gab and gossip over tea, coffee, and cake. Unfortunately we followed that up with a regrettably overpriced and underwhelming dinner — particularly disappointing after our recent trip — on a rooftop in Old Town, and then called it a night.

On August 30 we celebrated our 30-year anniversary. Crazy that we’ve been (happily, no less!) married more than half my life. Enjoyed a lazy recuperation day, topped off with a super nice evening at the recently developed marina. I had some crazy vodka and wasabi cream drink that was surprisingly good, T his go-to mojito. We then had a divine dinner at a new (to us) spot, and got the perfect table. (Side note: For most people this would be a casual comment. For me, however, as I’m prone to overthink and later lament decisions — especially if made quickly with an abundance of options — I’ll call both the securing and acknowledging a major coup.) Digressive authorial insight notwithstanding, it was a good sign and boded well. The restaurant was peaceful and properly romantic, the service uncommonly attentive, and our delicious dinner of tagliatelle shrimp and pork belly did not remotely disappoint.

The next day we spent luxuriating on the beach, as we do, blithely procrastinating on the (loosely defined) business we needed to handle. Nevertheless, we ignored our mutual internal nagging and lazily lounged, waiting until our last day to reactivate our WiFi box and eSim, get T’s iPhone battery changed, visit our go-to Rhodian jeweler to get a couple of pieces modified (including an exquisite anniversary bracelet we found in Thessaloniki), and indulge in a hearty lunch of sea bass and pork shank. The day culminated in an absolutely sublime (and free!) tribute concert of classical piano with baritone accompaniment — rivaling any opera I’ve ever attended — in a castle courtyard with amazing complementary acoustics. An unexpected and incredibly special treat. 

P.S. I must say I regret storing my pickleball paddle and shoes in L.A. Apparently there was play in both Thessaloniki and Rhodes, as well as Padel (which I haven’t yet tried but think I will also like/inevitably obsess over.) Alas, I shall not make that mistake again. In the meantime, we head to Symi for a couple months of extended chill time. 

Thessaloniki: Captivating City by the Sea

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We had been intrigued by Thessaloniki for a while, but just never made the time or itinerary to go. This year, we baked it into our trip from the outset. Took a 2½ -hour ferry from Skopelos to Skiathos, flew about a half hour from Skiathos to Athens, then another hour to Thessaloniki … and voilà! We finally landed in the second biggest city in Greece.

Don’t get me wrong: Athens is cool. But it’s also pretty rough. And — despite the excellent museums and restaurants — definitely borderline post-apocalyptic. Thessaloniki on the other hand, while still a large and gritty city, is tamer, less graffiti-forward, more European and elegant overall. It also borders the sea and has an organized grid pattern of double-wide streets and plazas that make the hustle and bustle more inexplicably calming, less cramped and chaotic. It too has a wide variety of restaurants and cuisine, but menus generally showcase greater finesse, at lesser cost, with larger portions. Dining highlights included Caeser salad with our first taste of Xynotyro cheese (major yum), grilled prawns and homemade croutons; fried sardines; quinoa and bulgar salad with tomatoes and fried shrimp (tasted much better than it sounds); beef cheeks with pasta; perfectly cooked sea bass; seafood paella; shrimp with pesto orzo; exquisitely prepared French fries (honestly Greece has the best fries ever, which is saying a lot from a frites aficionado comme moi); and what I love about most Greek restaurants: complimentary tasty and tasteful mini desserts. I was ravenous before each meal, and repeatedly remembered too late to take pictures. You’ll just have to take my word that everything was stunning to both eye and palate.

We visited the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, the Jewish National Museum, the Museum of Byzantine Civilization, and the Museum of Contemporary Art. All had high quality exhibitions and most were within walking distance of our room. We checked out a mod rooftop bar and also got our movie fix, starting with a double feature: Eden (excellent acting and factually-based storyline, not to be missed) and The Home (shown in the same theater as Eden and unexpectedly and coolly outdoors. That said, the movie itself started out well but got increasingly far-fetched and ultimately unnaturally heroic). We also saw Bring Her Back (riveting if a lot more graphic than I generally like my horror) and The Roses (a refreshingly welcome insertion of comic relief and fun). 

We were proud of our staying power in Thessaloniki (movies start no earlier than 930, bars routinely open until 4), and genuinely loved the city. We did not get enough time here and will for sure be back. It’s a direct flight from Rhodes, so easy enough to revisit. Speaking of Rhodes, it’s next up for a brief stay before we head to Symi. 

Los Angeles Hop to Our First Greece Stop

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Our flight from Roatan to Los Angeles felt long but smooth, and we were thrilled to finally arrive at our Greece pit stop: a condo in Marina del Rey. Super nice, great location, A+ on bed and bedding (the importance of which should never be underestimated), and a kitchen where we could finally cook instead of eating out daily. Visited the Getty Villa Museum (outstanding collection of Greek and Roman art), checked out a cool used bookstore (The Iliad), got some solid pickleballing in at Westchester Playa, chuckled at some comedy (Chocolate Sundaes at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood), had some good dinners both in and outside our place, walked around our ‘hood, rode bikes along the beach, and did a fun puzzle. Also went to the (shockingly overpriced) movies and saw Together (thrillingly disturbing), Weapons (surprisingly clever and thoroughly entertaining), and Naked Gun (got a few laughs, but no one can compare to OG Leslie Nielsen IMHO). All in all, despite a hair catastrophe still too traumatic to yet commit to permanent history and losing a gem from one of my favorite rings, we thoroughly enjoyed our week and a half stay in So Cal. 

From LA we flew a total of 16 hours(!) to Athens, not including an overnight stay in Turkey. Stayed one night at the sumptuous Athens Sofitel (yum), and then took a puddle jumper from Athens to Skiathos (less than a half hour), followed by a one-hour ferry ride to Skopelos. Needless to say, we were ready to relax when we finally arrived at our destination. Sweet little island, with one notable claim to fame: it’s the site of several scenes from the Mamma Mia! movie. Skopelos is pretty pricy for Greece (maybe because of this distinction?) and exponentially more green than any island we’ve visited so far, with temperatures significantly more mild and civilized than we’ve ever experienced in Greece in August. We could actually wear long sleeves at night; Symi by contrast is undoubtedly a pulsating hot rock right now. The vibe is different on Skopelos, too: super mellow, with a seemingly higher level of understated sophistication and class coupled by a marked absence of gawdy tattoos and inebriated, high decibel tourists.

After a day of well deserved jet lag recovery, we spent four of the next five at the beach. The beaches on Skopelos are beautiful, more than one with (generally Greece-elusive) sand, all complemented by typically picture-perfect turquoise waters. It never ceases to amaze me how contentedly we can do nothing but read and swim and chill on the beach for 10 – 11 hours at a time, and then be bizarrely exhausted at day end as if we had actually exerted some real energy. I’d blame it on the jet lag, but you can only use that excuse for so long …

Finally finished 52 Pickup, a high-promise-but-low-delivery, unduly drawn out, and ultimately disappointing read. Suffice it to say I was happy to get it over with. Busted out the books I’d purchased at The Iliad with zero expectations, and have been pleasantly surprised by the first of my take: Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger. The methods and frequency of her intermittent interactions with the reader can be tiresome and distracting, but the story at least flows well, and is so far both compelling and unpredictable.

Our week in Skopelos flew by, and I’m glad we got to visit. Perfect place, season, and duration to start our extended Greece vacay. Next up: Thessaloniki, where we’ve threatened to go for years. It’s the second largest city in Greece after Athens, so the energy and entertainment will be totally different, We should be just rested enough to fully appreciate it.

Diving Deep on Roatan

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Our trip from San Carlos to Los Angeles en route to Roatan was short and sweet. We spent three days in L.A. Beautified (haircuts for us both, the works —mani/pedi/brows/lashes — for moi). Played some pickleball. Saw one of T’s childhood friends for a BBQ (at which we drank too much and ate too little, a well known recipe for the disaster which inevitably befell me and almost waylaid our 5 am departure the following morning). Somehow we (meaning I) pulled it off and made it to Honduras not only in one piece with no additional messiness, but also with one less piece of luggage (stored in L.A.) Speaking T’s love language fo sho and got the trip off on the right foot after a very shaky start.

Roatan was hot, but not nearly as infernal as Mexico. We’d stayed at Las Rocas before and got our same little cabana, surrounded by lush greenery, a porch with a hammock, and the ever-present-and-still-unnerving armed guards. Makes you wonder what could go on without them … We took a couple of days to settle in and catch up on sleep, then I kicked off our activity spree with a water taxi to the West End to get my pickleball fix. They play every day except Sunday, 8 – 10ish, with two courts and another super friendly crew. So on the days i didn’t dive I gladly braved the formidable heat to get my pickleball on.

That said, Las Rocas is a dive resort. And dive we did. (That’s why we went, after all.) My goal was to get to 100 dives — and I’m never mad at a goal — so I did 33 dives to get to 100 exactly! The diving there is both beautiful and crazy convenient. The marine life is super abundant and rich, the water clear and warm (average 84 degrees), and the dives themselves diverse and interesting and always 100% zen. Literally dozens of different species, with a shark, sea turtles, spotted eagle rays, stingrays, barracuda, squid, moray eels, and some super sweet swim throughs thrown in for bonus dramatic effect. I took the GoPro out for its virgin runs, despite owning it for years. (Always seemed like too much to add to the whole already cumbersome diving sitch.) But as is the case with most things procrastinatory, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t pulled the trigger earlier. Soooo easy, soooo cool, and soooo worth it! On top of all that diving deliciousness, the boat that leaves three times a day was literally steps from our cabana’s front door, they set up all our equipment and broke everything down before and after each dive, and they stored it all in the dive shop and loaded it back on the boat before every excursion. Chef’s kiss on the entire Las Rocas diving experience.

My sister-in-law joined us for a week, and that was ridiculously fun. We talked and laughed and drank and ate on loop, dived, played pickleball, watched the weekly beach crab races (far less interesting in practice than it sounds), and did some puzzling (with much kinder chasers to the masochistic one I started the vacation with) together. She’s an amazing, true, joyful, thoughtful, supportive, always game friend and confidante (37 years!) with the perfect mix of mischief and joie de vivre. Love you, Jude!

We ended up staying on Roatan for almost a month — twice the time of our first trip in 2023 — so we were ready to go when our departure date finally arrived. Milked the hell out of our time there, and enjoyed every second. Next up: a brief stay in Los Angeles again (Marina Del Rey, to be exact) before we head to Greece for a few months. The added bonus of diving so much on Roatan is that I likely won’t feel the need to dive in the overpriced and frankly underwhelming underwater worlds of Greece. One (admittedly super heavy) bag we can leave behind + one (consequentially super happy) husband = total travel win-win. Onward!

We Clicked Our Heels Together

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I hadn’t seen my mom since August, and T hadn’t seen his family either, so we decided to take a quick trip back to the Bay for Thanksgiving. We rented a car, drove to Oakland, and stayed a week with my mom,

Our cabin was on the market, so Thanksgiving was at Jenny’s short term rental in Santa Cruz. In attendance: Jenny, Sherm, Jude, Leslie, Randy, Syd, Whit, Marshall, Emily, Conrad, my mom Karen, Tim and I. Our daughter Skye is a year into her Peace Corps stint in Ecuador, and Monroe and Anna had a massive baby boy a week or so prior, so we toasted everyone remotely and tucked in locally. Jenny delivered a huge meal as always, complete with a perfectly roasted turkey and a plethora of desserts. Libations were liberal and the festivities lively.

Since I’m used to having a particular Thanksgiving menu, I had requested my mom prepare a pre-Thanksgiving meal that we could munch on during our stay at her house. I think she thought I was joking, but joking I was not. After a little pouting and light foot stomping, “we” whipped up a legit spread with our favorites: curry, baked, and fried chicken; mashed potatoes and gravy; turkey wings, Jiffy corn bread; tofu and rice, stuffing, string beans, pumpkin pie, and chocolate cake. Yum.

I got in some gym and beautifying time, played some pickleball with Jude, rendezvous’d with Jane and Rodney at the yacht club, T saw Emil, and my mom and I started a puzzle (that she’ll never finish without me), We also started a new season of Married at First Sight — the go-to for my mom and me. And since T and I were sleeping in my mom’s bed — where the TV is — T unwittingly got roped (hooked!) in too. Extensive commentary and comedy ensued, which is basically the whole point.

It was great to see everyone; a good time was had by all. Now back to Ventura to keep this party going.

Greece: A Retrospective

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We were in Greece in September and October. The best months to visit, we’ve discovered. Crowds (and beaches!) thinned, weather tamed, locals mellowed, I don’t miss the frying pan summers there.

We were both too lazy and busy to bother with writing. Will do better next year! In the meantime, here are the highlights:

Itinerary: Athens, Rhodes, Symi, Karpathos, Symi, Athens

  • Athens:  Admired the art of the Goulandris Foundation, walked in the park (hordes of turtles), checked out Kolonaki (the Pac Heights of Athens: very posy and Louis Vuittony). Saw an opera performance by the Greek National Opera at Stavros Niarchos Hall: Iphigenie en Aulide & Iphigenie en Tauride. Heads up: the crepes sold outside the venue are not to be missed.
  • Rhodes: Saw Count of Monte Cristo, went to the beach (our usual and also tried the free beach. As the comedienne Sommore says, “Free ain’t good”. She’s correct in this instance for sure.). Got my first haircut in Greece: I’d give it a B-/C+.
  • Symi: Did our usual lazing around, a ton of cooking, a day of scuba diving, a couple of dinner parties, the requisite puzzling, a lot of reading, marveling at the beauty of the harbor, and movie watching. My dear friend and first college roommate Kerry came and visited us for about a week, and we had a great time gabbing, going to the gym, watching scary movies, eating great food (prepared expertly by Chef T comme d’habitude), had an awesome last day at Toli beach where Kerry had a mini photo shoot
  • Karpathos: Virgin trip to this island. While initially aesthetically underwhelming, the food was some of the best, most reasonable and varied we’ve had in Greece. Tried zucchini flowers for the first time: delicious. Drove to Olympos, met a nice Dutch couple and had lunch together, bought some beautiful handwoven throws from a traditional Greek proprietor, We also experienced some crystal-clear water while diving on the island. Visited some incredible beaches (and one with an amazing equally incredible restaurant overlooking it. And of course the mandatory mani/pedi with a dose of post-service drama: T was supposed to pick me up but apparently deleted that mental memo, so i ultimately decided to walk back to our apartment (not a given, based on my questionable navigational skills), only to find the outside door locked. Luckily the manager was able to let me into the lobby, but then I couldn’t get into the room as T had the key, the door was locked from the inside, and no amount of knocking brought him to the door. After some mutual worry, panic, and hand wringing, said manager finally banged ferociously on the door and T woke up from his (clearly) deep slumber to let me in 🙄.