TravelStream™ news feed for member joycekeith on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/joycekeith en-us Copyright ©2010 TravelPod.com Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:54:22 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/8/1208892720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/8/1208892720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/8/1208892720/tpod.html Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:54:22 -0400 Greek Islands and Mainland--Covering a lot of territory in 9 weeks

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Mykonos Town, Cyclades, Greece

The Blue Star Ferry takes us on a 3 and 1/2 hour cruise through the blue Aegean Sea to our next destination--the marble island of Paros. The white marble found on this island has been used since ancient times in many famous sculptures, including the Venus de Milo and Napoleon's tomb. Our first time to visit Paros, we stay at George & Irene's apartments in Pairikia while we explore the island's beautiful shoreline, coves, and the other picturesque town and harbor of Naousa. George & Irene are extremely friendly and make us feel at home. We are amazed at the marble houses on the island, complete with marble walls and sidewalks. So neat and clean, many parts of the island appear to be prosperous. After 2 days, we are on our way to the island of Mykonos on the Seajet High Speed Catamarin. This is our third time to visit Mykonos and we enjoy spending 3 days at some of our favorite spots. The white houses with colorful trim spill down the hillside to the circular harbor. We spend hours wandering through the narrow alleyways, sometimes quite alone and then sometimes joining the crowds from the cruise ships. Our hotel on the hill, Pension Arhontiko, is elegant with a pool area and great views. We take an entire day to walk around the ancient ruins on the nearby island of Delos. Wildflowers here add so much to the beauty.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/8/1207613580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/8/1207613580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/8/1207613580/tpod.html Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:45:12 -0400 Greek Islands and Mainland--Covering a lot of territory in 9 weeks

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Fira, Cyclades, Greece

We fly back to Athens and then fly out to the Cyclades Islands to the unique Santorini (or Thira as it was known in ancient times). santorini is unique among all the Greek Islands. In ancient times, Santorini was an island volcano, civilized by sophisticated people. An eruption in 1530 BC buried much of the island and caused the tidal wave that destroyed the Knossos Palace on the island of Crete some distance away. The resulting caldera of Santorini was later split by more seismic activity and is now a crescent shape mound of reddish-black rock with steep cliffs on the caldera side down to the sea. The outside of the volcano slopes gently to the sea with rich farmlands and vineyards. In modern times the Greeks have built their white domed-roof houses at the top of the caldera, spilling down over the cliff edge for breath taking views of the aqua blue sea below. It is an exciting 9 days for us to explore the island and enjoy the views from our balcony overlooking the caldera. Cruise ships dock in the waters below us on most days.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/8/1206829740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/8/1206829740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/8/1206829740/tpod.html Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:08:48 -0400 Greek Islands and Mainland--Covering a lot of territory in 9 weeks

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Koutouloufari, Crete, Greece

After a day and a half flying to Athens, then an overnight ferry to Crete, we are ready to settle into our Village Holiday Club Resort in the small Greek village of Koutouloufari. The resort is on the hill overlooking the towns along the coast. We have a very nice unit with a living room, kitchen and bedroom. Our balcony overlooks the pool, but it is too cool for swimming. Things are quiet in the villages as the "tourist season" has not yet begun. Owners are busy repairing and painting their restaurants and hotels. We spend 9 days exploring the sights of this rather large island.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/7/1204081320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/7/1204081320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/7/1204081320/tpod.html Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:30:35 -0500 Yosemite Trip for Joyce's Birthday

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Yosemite National Park, California, United States

Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park offers a unique landscape at any time of year. However, the winter's snow adds a special beauty to this glacier carved valley. Snow blankets the valley floor and covers rocks in the river. The waterfalls still flow and ice clings to the rock face in places.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/6/1189804980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/6/1189804980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/6/1189804980/tpod.html Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:44:59 -0500 China in 2 Weeks

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Beijing, China

Our group of 12 friends meet at the San Francisco Airport to board the Air China flight to Beijing, China.
It is a long 12 hour flight across the International Date Line. We begin our tour of China in Beijing with a walk through Tiannamen Square and the Forbidden City. We are staying at the lovely Jiangxi Grand Hotel. Every Chinese meal is exceptional. Tonight's dinner includes hand made dumplings. On our second day in Beijing we climb the Great Wall, visit a Jade Factory and ride through the Hutong District in pedicabs. We enjoy Peking Duck for dinner. On the third day, we visit the historic Temple of Heaven, built in 1421. After a stop at the pearl store, there is a boat ride and walking the grounds of the Summer Palace. Our weather in Beijing varied from pouring rain to cloudy, polluted skies. The visibility at the Summer Palace is very bad.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/6/1221784920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/6/1221784920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/6/1221784920/tpod.html Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:23:08 -0500 China in 2 Weeks

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Yichang, China

After leaving Beijing, we fly to Wuhan for an overnight before boarding the bus for our 4 hour drive to the Yangtze River at Yichang. Our President VI is a comfortable and spacious ship to spend 4 nights cruising the river. The crew is friendly and the food and service is excellent. As we cruise up the river, we make many stops along the way. First we tour the famous Three Gorges Dam, the largest power station in the world. Then our ship moves through the locks and we cruise the scenic Three Gorges. We feel lucky that the weather has changed and we are treated to blue sky days during the most scenic parts of the cruise. Other stops include the ancient White Emperor City and the Ghost City. There are many picturesque, old buildings to see.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/6/1190487540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/6/1190487540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/6/1190487540/tpod.html Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:32:19 -0500 China in 2 Weeks

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Xi'an, Shaanxi, China

After disembaring from our Yangtze River Ship, we explore Chongqing, the largest city in China with a population of 33 million. We visit the zoo to see their Panda Bears, then walk around some of the modern areas of the city. We seem to be the only non-Chinese people around as we watch the local people watching us! A late night flight takes us to Xi'an, where the highlight is a visit to the archeological site of the Terra Cotta Warriors, an underground palace built in 216 BC. The site has only recently been excavated and much restoration work has already been completed. The vast numbers of warriors is amazing. A beautiful musical dance show tops off our Xi'an experience. Our Wan Nian Grand Hotel is again elegant.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/6/1222387800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/6/1222387800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/6/1222387800/tpod.html Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:30:39 -0500 China in 2 Weeks

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Shanghai, China

Another flight takes us to Shanghai where we board our tour bus for a ride to Suzhou. Suzhou is known as the Venice of the Orient. A stop here at the Silk Factory is a big hit with all of us as many of us purchase silk comforters. In Suzhou we stay at the Glamor Hotel. Our last couple days in China are spent in the modern city of Shanghai. Glass skyscrapers of all shapes and sizes cover the skyline. Our Hotel General is elegant and comfortable. We visit the busy riverfront called the Bund, then stop at the enormous Shanghai Museum. Bright lights lead us to the Nanjing Road for shopping on the pedestrian street. The evening culminates with a Chinese Acrobat Show. Leaving China, on our way to the Shanghai Airport, we have the chance to ride the Mag Lev Train which gets us to the airport in 7 minutes and 20 seconds at a top speed of 431 km/hr.(that's 258 mph) A fitting end to a busy 2 weeks in China.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/canyons2007/1185929880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/canyons2007/1185929880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/canyons2007/1185929880/tpod.html Wed, 29 Aug 2007 21:50:06 -0400 US Southwest National Parks

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North Rim, Arizona, United States

We visit the less-crowded North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park for a day of gazing into the vast canyon. Colors blend together to create fabulous sights.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/canyons2007/1186103460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/canyons2007/1186103460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/joycekeith/canyons2007/1186103460/tpod.html Wed, 29 Aug 2007 21:46:55 -0400 US Southwest National Parks

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White Mountains, California, United States

The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is located in the White Mountains of California at the 10,000 ft. elevation. These ancient trees grow only in a few select areas of the world. They live long lives; some are celebrating their 4,000 year birthdays. The oldest living tree on earth is in the Methuselah Grove. We walked right by it, but had to keep guessing which one is the oldest, as scientists do not reveal the identity!
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