2004

2004 WORLD ADVENTURES

Image slide caption
Image slide caption
Image slide caption
Image slide caption
Image slide caption
Image slide caption
Image slide caption
Image slide caption
Image slide caption
Image slide caption
Image slide caption
Image slide caption

2004 Was filled with new adventures. From Bilbao, Spain to a long awaited safari in Kenya and Tanzania, and on to Cape Town we visited exotic locals that we had only dreamed about, and discovered lots of others along the way that we had never known to exist. We cruised the picturesque Mediterranean Riviera stopping along the way in Spain; France; the United Kingdom; Italy; and the charming island of Malta. We toured the Vatican; the Colosseum; the famous leaning Tower of Pisa; and the Etruscan Ruins, and spent many fascinating hours exploring the cobblestone streets of ancient Pompeii. We partied under a full moon in Monaco with Princess Caroline and Prince Ernst. And we discovered diminutive Lamu, a remote island with no vehicles. Donkeys are the primary mode of transportation, thus an old Swahili saying, “a man without a donkey is a donkey”. In the Seychelles we had the rare opportunity to visit Cousin Special Preserve. Like the Galapagos, it is uninhabited and rarely visited by humans, therefore we were able to walk right up to large turtles and nesting birds. . .and the island lizards ambled lazily across our shoes!

SPAIN, FRANCE AND UNITED KINGDOM

2004 Was filled with new adventures. From Bilbao, Spain to a long awaited safari in Kenya and Tanzania, and on to Cape Town we visited exotic locals that we had only dreamed about, and discovered lots of others along the way that we had never known to exist. We cruised the picturesque Mediterranean Riviera stopping along the way in Spain; France; the United Kingdom; Italy; and the charming island of Malta. We toured the Vatican; the Colosseum; the famous leaning Tower of Pisa; and the Etruscan Ruins, and spent many fascinating hours exploring the cobblestone streets of ancient Pompeii. We partied under a full moon in Monaco with Princess Caroline and Prince Ernst. And we discovered diminutive Lamu, a remote island with no vehicles. Donkeys are the primary mode of transportation, thus an old Swahili saying, “a man without a donkey is a donkey”. In the Seychelles we had the rare opportunity to visit Cousin Special Preserve. Like the Galapagos, it is uninhabited and rarely visited by humans, therefore we were able to walk right up to large turtles and nesting birds. . .and the island lizards ambled lazily across our shoes!

Embarked: May 4th 2004
Debarked: June 2nd 2004

Bilbao (Spain)
Bordeaux (France)
St. Peter Port, Guernsey (UK)
Southampton (England) (UK)
Falmouth (England) (UK)
Swansea (Wales) (UK)
Waterford (Ireland)
Dublin (Ireland)

SPAIN, MONACO, FRANCE, ITALY AND MALTA

Our cruise along the Mediterranean Riviera began in Barcelona where we were captivated by the awe-inspiring architecture of Antonia Gaudi. We found Monaco to be a truly magical kingdom, where the rich and famous come to play - never have we seen so many lavish private yachts! During a very special party thrown by one of the ship’s residents, we danced to The Gypsy Kings under a full moon and shared caviar with Princess Carolyn and Prince Ernst. While in St. Tropez we celebrated the birthday of a close friend at the famous Club 55 then sailed down to Nikki Beach just because we were informed by locals, “one must!”. We spent another wonderful day cruising Portofino’s scenic coastline in a private yacht and it is easy to see why so many artists paint that colorful harbor! As much as we had heard about Italy before going, we still weren’t prepared for how fantastic it is. The history! The archeological wonders! We spent a full day exploring the ancient streets and magnificent ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Malta, home of The Order of The Knights of St. John The Baptist (The Templars made famous in Dan Brown’s “De Vinci Code) just has to be one of the most beautiful and unique spots in the world - it looks like a golden sand sculpture rising from the sea. It was here that Sharon fulfilled her burning desire to visit two of the world’s oldest and best-preserved Goddess Temples - both UNESCO World Heritage sites & the oldest free-standing buildings on the planet.

Embarked: August 4th 2004
Debarked: September 7th 2004

Barcelona (Spain)
Monte Carlo (Monaco)
St. Tropez (France)
Portofino (Italy)
Marina di Carrara (Italy)
Calvi, Corsica (France)

SEYCHELLES ISLANDS

Frankly the Seychelles had never been on our must visit list - this isolated archipelago of islands is a thousand miles of ocean from the nearest land-mass. However, on our journey to Africa, along with Len’s son, Dave, we flew into Victoria, one of the smallest capitals in the world. It boasts Creole restaurants, crafts shops, art galleries, museums and a colorful market. We spent a day on Praslin, the second largest granite island, home to the rare Black Parrot, Bulbul and Blue Pigeon. Another day we had the rare opportunity to visit Cousine Special Preserve. There our guide pointed out the Seychelles Warbler, Seychelles Magpie Robin and the Seychelles Noddy, Malagasy Turtle Doves, Audubon’s Shear-waters and Seychelles Sun-birds, as well as reptiles, geckos and giant tortoises. The town of Lamu, listed in “One Of A 1000 Places To See Before You Die” began life as a 14th century Swahili settlement. Life slows in Lamu - and visitors there can either hop into a Dhow for a fishing trip; straddle a donkey; or as Len and I did, hire a local guide for a leisurely stroll through its narrow cobblestone streets which remain largely unchanged. . . pole pole (slowly, slowly) is the island way.

Embarked: November 25th 2004
Debarked: December 28th 2004

Victoria Mahe (Seychelles)
Praslin (Seychelles)
Cousin Island (Seychelles)
Lamu (Kenya)
Mombasa (Kenya)
Durban (South Africa)
Port Elizabeth (South Africa)
Cape Town (South Africa)

AFRICA

Our long anticipated safari in Africa began in Amboseli National Park in Kenya and as our bush pilot navigated a dramatic low-flying sweep over the lush green swampland below, we had our first glimpse of elephants, giraffes, zebras, and baby hippos in their natural environment. It was an emotional and exciting moment that foreshadowed the rest of our adventure and it was the first of 13 bush-plane flights that would expedite our travels to the five camps we would visit. We became adept at changing camera lenses while being jostled over rough terrain in our safari vehicles in order to track the exotic animals of Africa and capture them with our cameras; little realizing the indelible imprint they would leave on our hearts. One sunrise we drifted over the Serengeti Plain in a hot-air balloon lulled by the theme from “Out of Africa” as we watched the mass migration of thousands of Wildebeest below. Other memorable events include a visit to a local Maasai village; a bush breakfast steps away from hundreds of sunning crocodile; a visit to Jane Goodall’s Sweetwater Game Reserve and Chimpanzee Sanctuary; tracking a cheetah for hours as it stealthily stalked its prey; watching thousands of flamingoes feed at Lake Matyara and hand-feeding giraffes at the famous Giraffe Manor in Nairobi.

Embarked: December 5th 2004
Debarked: December: 18th 2004

Amboseli National Park (Kenya)
Mount Kenya Safari Club (Kenya)
Masai Mara National Reserve (Kenya)
Lake Manyara (Tanzania)
Ngorongoro Crater Tanzania)
Nairobi (Kenya)
Durban (South Africa)