These posts cover our travels over a two month period in Europe 2017 as well as a trip we did in 2013. In 2017 we traveled from Oslo to Athens overland. Countries visited included Norway, the Netherlands, Begium, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino, Italy, Malta and Greece
The third and final country on our Baltic Road Trip was Lithuania. Entering from the north we stopped at the renowned Hill of Crosses before continuing on to the coastal town of Klaipeda, gateway to the Curonian Spit National Park. We finished our journey in Vilnius, the historically rich capital, with a stopover on the way at a fairytale castle on an island in a lake.
Read MoreIn our last post on Estonia, we finished in the south of the country in the town of Pärnu. In this post we continue our road trip south into Latvia. We knew little about Latvia before our visit. What we found was some fascinating medieval castles, a huge ostentatious palace, a wonderful, green national park and a capital city with plenty to offer.
Read MorePart One of our 7-week journey from Helsinki to Istanbul through Eastern Europe covered our days in Helsinki. Part Two describes our road trip through the Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. We’ve broken Part Two into three sections, so that each country is a separate mini post. We start with Estonia.
Read MoreOver June and July 2025, we did a 7-week trip from Helsinki to Istanbul travelling through the Baltic States and Eastern Europe. The trip took us from Finland to Estonia then to Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria and finishing in Turkiye. We hadn’t previously visited most of the countries on our proposed route, so there were going to be a lot of firsts. This post is the first of five describing the trip. Here is Part 1: Helsinki.
Read MoreAfter three weeks exploring Georgia, we decided to spend a few days in neighbouring Armenia. What better way to travel to a new and, to us, little-known destination, than by an overnight train. So, we took the night train from Tbilisi to the Armenian capital Yerevan. Here’s what happened.
Read MoreThe country of Georgia, sandwiched between Russia, Iran and Turkey, is a fascinating place. It has a complex history of war, occupation and resistance; its own alphabet and language; incredible landscapes with Europe’s highest mountains and a coast on the Black Sea; as well as an 8,000-year tradition of winemaking.
Not surprisingly it has been attracting increasing numbers of tourists in recent years. Having spent three weeks there in September 2024 we thought we’d share a few tips of things we found useful.
Read MoreIn “A Georgian Journey - Part Two” we visit Svaneti, high in the Caucasuses in the northwest; then for a complete contrast, Batumi on the Black Sea, Georgia’s sea, sun and gambling playground; next on to Akhaltsikhe, the jumping off point for a visit to the amazing cave city of Vardzia; before finishing our journey back in Tbilisi.
Read MoreIn September 2024 we spent three weeks travelling around Georgia, a country we’d been wanting to visit for some time. What did we know about Georgia before going there? We knew that Georgia is a small country sitting to the south of the Caucasus Mountains; that it had a history of winemaking going back thousands of years; that it was one of the first nations to declare Christianity as the state religion; and that it had been invaded many times by its much larger neighbours. But the Georgian people and their culture and traditions had remained resilient. We wanted to know more. Here’s what we found.
Read MoreBaku, Azerbaijan’s capital, is a city of 2.3 million, which sits on the Caspian Sea. In Baku towering, eye-catching 21st century skyscrapers provide a radically contrasting backdrop to medieval alleyways and ancient fortifications. Sounds interesting? We thought so too, so we arranged to spend a few days there to see it for ourselves.
Read MoreDodgy Knees recently published a post from Ken’s brother Brett and wife Linda on their trip in 2018 to Chefchaouen – Morocco’s Blue City. On the same trip they also visited the island of Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands. Despite its reputation as a tourist hotspot they found it to be remarkably uncrowded and relaxing. Definitely recommended. Here is their report.
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In April 2013 we did a three week road trip around the Iberian Peninsula - Spain and Portugal. Starting in Madrid we did a clockwise circuit including Cordoba, Grenada, Seville, Lisbon, Porto, San Sebastian, and Barcelona.
Three weeks was barely enough time to scratch the surface. We loved every minute and vowed to return one day. In the spirit of nostalgia here are some of our favourite images from that trip.
Read MoreThe Greek island of Ikaria sits in the northern Aegean Sea close to the Turkish coast. It doesn’t have the profile of a Santorini, Mykonos or a Crete. The advantage of this, for travellers who venture there, is that it doesn’t have the big tourist numbers of its better-known brethren.
We spent a few very enjoyable days there in June 2017 with our friends Ron and Ellen, who were holidaying on the island. We knew nothing about Ikaria before we went, but discovered a wonderful destination full of great locations and experiences. If you get a chance to visit, here are a few possibilities to put on your list.
Read MoreThis post describes a road trip we did traveling through the Western Balkans, that is the region that sits on the Eastern Adriatic and Ionian Seas. We started in Dubrovnik, Croatia, and moved south through Montenegro and Albania before arriving on the Greek island of Corfu. The trip took two weeks and was made in glorious late Mediterranean spring sunshine, with temperatures from the mid 20’s to the low 30’s.
Read MoreThis pictorial post consists of some of our favourite shots taken while travelling around Italy during late May and early June 2017. On the trip we visited Trieste, Florence, Rome (chiefly the Vatican), Syracuse in Sicily and Naples (including Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast).
Read MoreThe Path of the Gods (Sentiero degli Dei) is a walking trail that runs along the monumental cliffs of the Amalfi Coast in Italy. It is 6 kilometres of some of the most spectacular coastal scenery you’re likely to see anywhere in the world.
We were keen to do the walk, which takes 2 – 3 hours, and to do it as a day trip from Naples where we were based. This post describes how we went about it and some comments on the walk.
Read MoreThis was our first visit to Malta. Ken’s dad, Don had moved there two years ago so our main motivation for the trip was to see him. We had just four days there but learned a lot about this small and fascinating island nation in that time. It has a very complex and interesting history along with a few quirky features that make it like no other Mediterranean destination.
Here are ten things we learned during our stay that helped to make it so enjoyable.
Read MoreHow can you be in Italy, yet not be in Italy? OK, so smarty pants people will immediately say “the Vatican”, and yes they are correct. But what about another country? What about tiny San Marino, embedded in the north east of Italy? It's full title is "The Most Serene Republic of San Marino". At only 61 square kms it’s one of Europe’s smallest nations. We felt that we just had to pay it a visit.
Read MoreSlovenia is a small, fascinating and beautiful country in south east Europe. It has rugged mountains, a tiny Mediterranean coast, and spectacular lakes, and throughout its landscape are scenic and historic towns and villages. We spent some very full and rewarding days visiting some old friends who showed us around their interesting and friendly country.
Read MoreThis post covers a trip from Amsterdam to Salzburg in Austria through some iconic European cities and a couple of less well known places. The post is largely images, many of which will be familiar, such as the canals of Amsterdam, architecture of Bruges and mountains and castle of Salzburg.
Read MoreOslo, the capital of Norway, is an interesting and attractive city. There is Viking history, world famous art, ancient castles, and excellent parks, just to name a few possibilities. But Oslo can be an expensive city, one of the costliest to visit in Europe. While you won’t get by without spending any money, here are five things to do in Oslo that are affordable for most people and represent some of Oslo’s main attractions.
Read MoreOur site is a travel blog for people 50 and over who like to travel independently - to organise and manage their own trips rather than group travel. We also like to go to places that many older travellers avoid in order to show that, with a little planning and care, you can visit almost anywhere in the world.
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