A Few Days in Rome

We had a few days to waste between Greece and Portugal. Where do you go when all of Europe is right there? The decision was tough but we agreed upon Rome and it was absolutely amazing!!

We discovered the bus tour of Rome. If you know Suresh's love for buses then you would understand how truly perfect this was. We road all around for three days, seeing the sights and eating gelato.

When the city got to be too much, we took a train to a village. There we visited the castle where Tom Cruise was married! Well, actually it was closed but we walked around it and had a gorgeous picnic of proscuitto, bread and cheese!

This is Suresh gone wild in an urban Roman fountain...his favorite part of the Rome trip. Luckily I packed dry shorts!

The sights and sounds of Rome were amazing....not to mention the gelato and pasta! We will be back. Next stop.....Portugal!

Next Stop, Kalymnos !!!

After two weeks on the sailboat we found terra firma on the island of Kalymnos. There we met up with Todd and Libby, and Meghan. Kalymnos happens to be home to not only stupendous rock climbing but also sponges !!

We spent a week rock climbing on some of the most amazing crags. Suresh hiked up there every day by himself. He was easily entertained by hours of race tracks!

In between car racing, Suresh insisted on climbing. He climbed high enough to make us both impressed and pretty nervous! (Note the friendly goat in the background)

He is almost as serious as me when I climb! Just look at that focus!

In truth, we think he just climbed high to be able to swing better on the way down! It was our first family climbing holiday. Thanks to a little help from our friends...we pulled it off!

Exploring the Greek Islands

Our adventure to Greece was not all waves and wind. We anchored in some amazing places and saw some amazing things. In the end, we explored 7 of the Dodecanese islands. This is the top of a very old chapel on top of a castle on Astypalia.

The castles in Greece are very old and very rustic. They were the kind of places that conjure up images of pirates and moors. There is Suresh catching some air time outside the castle.

Our favorite island was Astypalia. Oddly enough, the guide book didn't recommend it! Suresh and I are navigating the winding streets leading to the castle on top.

Many of the islands had not only castles but also the remains of old windmills. They sat prominently on ridges and hilltops ready to catch the "meltemi" which is Greek for "really strong and scary mediterranean wind"!

Sailing the Aegean Sea

After a few days in Kos, we were united with the Kalos Manolis. She was the trusty sailing vessel that we would call home for the next two weeks.

Suresh is a natural sailor. Although he did get the pukes once, for the most part the big seas never bothered him. I wish we could say the same!

This was Suresh's favorite spot on the boat. As a result, I often had to brave the precarious bow. Notice that all the pictures depict calm seas...thats because it is hard to take photos when the wind is blowing 35 knots and the waves are 6 feet!!

Eventually Suresh did take over the boat. He donned his pirate gear and his pirate snarl to take over the helm....Rick didn't have a chance!

Although Libby did encourage the pirate take-over, we were so glad when she showed up to be first mate!!!

So the Adventure Begins!

As many of you know, our family has set out on a 4 month travel adventure. We left Anchorage on August 31 and flew over the pole on a Condor flight to Frankfurt then on to Kos, Greece. Suresh pulled his first all nighter! This is him at 4:00 am Anchorage time in the Frankfurt airport.

As soon as we made it to Kos, Suresh just couldn't wait to swim. I think he is half dolphin!

We spent the first few days exploring Kos. That is an old castle in the background. Greece is covered with them...

It didn't take Suresh long to find the sheep down the street from our hotel. We made a trip each morning after breakfast to feed them.

The islands have so many ancient ruins! They are set up like public parks and are free to explore. We played hide and seek in this one. Suresh pretended he was Mogley, I was King Louie, and Rick was Belue.

The boys posing for me in front of more amazing greek ruins.

An Evening of Flying

We got a last minute offer from a friend tonight to go for a flight in his cessna. So Rick and Suresh seized the opportunity and off they went. Suresh has mentioned once or twice that he wants to be a pilot...I wonder if he is hooked??

They flew around Pioneer Peak, landed next to the Knick Glacier for a quick walk, and flew right over our house...thats it right in the middle!!

Suresh Discovers Bumper Cars!!

We took Suresh to opening day at the Alaska State Fair. He discovered that you don't get in trouble when you crash in the bumper cars! I think Rick looks worried.

Bumper car ecstasy !! He did not, however, have the same look on his face while riding the roller coaster.