Judy’s Journal

This traditional ginger cake is a celebratory dessert in parts of Vietnam and Cambodia. If you're looking for a way to mix history, culture, and food, this mildly sweet donut-like dessert is a perfect fit.

Three adult elephants and a baby playing in the mud transfixed us. The guide here at Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand, was in no hurry to move us along, so we watched this adorable interaction for a while.

Here in Nimman, the hipster area of Chiang Mai, there’s a huge coffee culture and some of the finest latte art we’ve ever seen. We thought finding a welcoming coffee shop would be straightforward and simple.

Between doctor appointments and essential shopping—Kevin finally agreed to buy sandals—and a mix of work and exploration, Tuesday seemed to vanish unexpectedly. Join us as we unravel the mystery of our lost day in Chiang Mai, reflecting on the enriching yet elusive nature of our time spent traveling full-time, and discovering the simple joys and challenges of retirement abroad.

Krakow surprises me. I don’t expect to feel such a strong emotional connection to my adopted Polish mother, Maxine, when I arrive in Poland for the first time.

The long, steep climb up to our Airbnb in the medieval town of Cagnes Sur Mer robs the breath from my lungs and puts a fire in my legs.

While we have loved our time in Egypt, we are ready to move on to our next country. We’re looking forward to a respite from the dust, and the days here have been getting hotter than we’d prefer. Our next destination is…

Once we take a beat, we drink in our surroundings. Nubian Village is bright, colorful, welcoming, and like nothing we’ve ever seen. We later learn that Nubians are indigenous people from the ancient …

For people who worry that Egypt may not be a safe place to visit, I have to share about my amazing experiences on the West Bank in Luxor. When we booked our Airbnb…

Each and every time we walk to or from our Airbnb, we can expect a dozen or more people to ask where we’re from and how long we’ll be here and then pitch us to either take…

When I was growing up in the 1970s, there was a cartoon in the newspapers by Kim Casali called, “love is…” I used to cut them out and save them…

We awoke at pre-dawn for a sunrise hot-air balloon ride the morning after we arrived in Luxor. The thrill of the experience revved up our appetites, so afterwards we grab Turkish coffees…

There’s something incredibly serene about watching colorful hot-air balloons drift lazily through the sky. I never seriously considered being in one since I assumed they’d be fairly expensive. It is a shocking surprise to see how little it costs to hop into one of these floating wonders in Luxor, Egypt, so this is one of the rare occasions …

I’m sitting on our Airbnb patio taking in the sounds of the truck and driver using a megaphone to shout out foreign words that I can’t understand. Birds are chirping and horns are honking. We were supposed to tour the pyramids and see the Sphinx today, but

It’s not actually spring yet, but we have had a variety of showers that are worth mentioning. Here are a few from our short months of travel, but I know I’ll have more. Our accommodations are as much of an adventure as every other part of our experiences.

’m not sure what I expected of Cairo. It has its own unique “music” that we’ve not heard elsewhere. This morning we awoke to …

Don’t think that it’s sufficient to see Rome in a day. You wouldn’t be bored if you spent a full two weeks or more biking through and examining all the gems hidden here. But when you only have a day, it can be fun to do a quick stop and wave to familiar sites and allow your heart to swoon for a few minutes before finding the next place that takes away your breath.…

It’s Valentine’s Day and the homestretch before we leave for Egypt. We’re supposed to be in Assisi today, not Rome, but last week our travel doctor asked us to come back for our second cholera vaccination. Visiting a doctor is not the most romantic way to celebrate, but it’s fine because this day is not typically one that grabs much of our attention.

We arrive at our next destination’s train station on Monday evening. Lecce greets us with cold temperatures, elegant Baroque architecture, and silence. Our original plan for the Christmas season was to visit this eastern city in Italy’s Puglia region and take in its famous paper mâché manger scenes, but we ran short of time. Since Greece is only a hop away, we …

Now that they are older and wiser, they take great care to not repeat their mistakes by packing much lighter and always reading the fine print. But the Airbnb in Lecce bewitches them with its alluring image of a balcony ripe for cozy mornings with cappuccino or sunset aperitivos. They are not prepared for the …

We head back from Aeropagus Hill on this lively Saturday afternoon and there’s a festive mood all around us. The street musicians are everywhere, the outdoor restaurants are buzzing, and the energy of Athens is palpable. Street carts are loaded with roasted chestnuts and grilled corn. I step up to the open flame …

We begin every morning with a walk around the city to explore new neighborhoods and historic landmarks. Our Airbnb is in the neighborhood of Monastiraki, which is at the center of everything in Athens, and has…

The streets of Athens, Greece are quiet and abandoned on this—and every—Sunday morning, in part because many people are at church. Kevin claims it’s equally because people party well into the wee hours…

We are pretty happy with our apartment rental in Athens, Greece. The shower isn’t too small, the bed doesn’t sink in the center, the pillows aren’t too flat, and we have plenty of …

The Mafia can afford to be discreet since everybody in Sicily knows what they are talking about. You don’t need pizzo, or protection money, to be spelled out.

Aegean Airlines gave each person boarding the plane a wrapped pomegranate with these instructions…