June 30: Year in Review

Hi – I’m Paul and here’s my better half Ashley.  We’re here in Heist, Belgium and over my shoulder is the Port of Zeebrugge. You might be asking yourself, “What the heck are you guys doing there?” Well — we’re patiently awaiting the delivery of our Winnebago Revel campervan, which we shipped from the US for year number two of our retirement adventure that we’re calling the “Revel with a Cause” Tour of Europe..

While waiting for our trusty van, let’s take a look back at our year one escapades. It’s been about one year to the day since I retired from a fun and rewarding career as an educator and Ashley closed down her successful small business. And, what an incredible first year of retirement it has been for us— to say that we did a lot, may be the understatement of a lifetime. We visited 15 National Parks in the US and Canada, including Yosemite, Yellowstone, Zion, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Banff, and Yoho. During this portion of our journey, we drove our campervan through the heartland of America before heading north toward the Canadian Rockies while exclusively sleeping at campsites with the exception of a one night stay in a hotel overlooking Niagara Falls in Canada. 

During the first portion of our epic adventure, we visited 15 National Parks in the US and Canada, including Yosemite, Yellowstone, Zion, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Banff, and Yoho. During this 83 day journey, we drove our campervan through the heartland of America before heading north toward the Canadian Rockies while exclusively sleeping at campsites with the exception of a one night stay in a gorgeous hotel overlooking Niagara Falls in Canada. 

We completed several bucket list hikes at these National Parks including Yosemite Falls & Mist Trail at Yosemite; Lake Solitude at Grand Teton, the Narrows & Angel’s Landing at Zion; Grinnell Glacier & Highline Trail at Glacier; Lake O’Hara and Iceline Trail at Yoho.  It was not always necessary to trek several miles/kilometers to be rewarded — the Grand Canyon, Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone, Lake Louise and Moraine Lake in Banff are a few examples of seeing breathtaking views after only a short, leisurely walk.  Besides the National Parks, we were amazed by the beauty of the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, Niagara Falls along with Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend in Arizona.

After a brief respite to move our belongings out our apartment, we traveled overseas to 10 other countries, which included Turkey, Oman, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Philippines, South Korea, Austria, Germany, Italy and Belgium to close out year  # 1. 

In Turkey, we trekked along the Lycian Way, took a Hot Air Balloon ride in Cappadocia, and ran off a flipping mountain as part of a paragliding adventure in Oludeniz.  We were so sad to leave Turkey with its natural beauty, rich history, perfectly seasoned lamb, juicy pomegranates and warm people.

We really got out of our comfort zone in Oman where we climbed the face of a mountain at Jabal Shams, did some canyoneering at Snake Canyon, went on a sunset camel ride in the  desert at Wahiba Sands and abseiled down a waterfall at Wadi Tiwi.  

Egypt provided a history lesson to remember as we toured the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Pyramids of Giza, the Valley of the Kings & Karnak Temple in Luxor, and Abu Simbel.  We were also fortunate enough to experience the natural beauty of Egypt when we slept under the stars of the White Desert; relaxed at a beach resort in Hurghada; and snorkeled at the Blue Hole in Dahab.  So come join us as we laugh, learn, and smile while exploring the history and natural beauty of Egypt

During our stay in Sri Lanka, we climbed Sigiriya Rock, did a village tour; snorkeled off the coast of Pigeon Island; climbed over 6,000 steps to the top of Adam’s Peak; were overwhelmed by an incredible safari at Bundala National Park; took a surfing lesson in Weligama, and sipped some of the most amazing tasting  tea at the Lipton Plantation.  

We made a ton of memories in the Philippines as we spent 40 days in this tropical paradise.  During our stay, we swam with whale sharks in Donsol; sardines in Moalboal; and sea turtles in Bohol; we visited the breathtaking White Beach Island in Camiguin and Pass Island in Coron; we watched the most amazing sunsets in Boracay; risked it all while cave diving in Alaminos; ate live seafood on Virgin Island; and were totally blown away by the natural beauty of Pagsanjan Falls; the Mayon Volcano, Coral Garden in Coron and the Big Lagoon in El Nido.

Although our stay in Korea was brief, we immersed ourselves in the culture by marveling at the beauty of the Cherry Blossom Festival in Gyeongju; learning about the country’s history at Gyeongju Bulguksa; seeing traditional dance performances at the Korean Folk Village; and singing at a karaoke bar in Seoul. We also ate everything in sight including beef noodle soup; kimchi, garbi; snails and even silkworms – delicious and full of protein. 

After a couple of weeks to check in on my mom, and complete our taxes, we loaded the campervan and this time headed down to the southernmost point of the United States – Key West in search of the best sunset. On the way down, we made stops at Holden Beach in North Carolina; Marco Island and Everglades National Park in Florida.  On the way back, we dropped off the campervan in New Jersey where it will be shipped to Belgium for our next adventure – touring Europe in our rolling house.

After seeing my son’s graduation from Clark University, it was back on the road as we flew to Austria to visit with Ashley’s daughter and her boyfriend.  While in Austria, we visited picturesque Fuschlsee Lake and the grand Fortress Hohensalzburg in Salzburg; the quaint village of Hallstatt; jaw dropping beauty of Grossglockner Scenic Byway; and climbed Schober Mountain.  During our extended stay in Salzburg, we also crossed the border to Germany to explore Berchtesgaden National Park. 

My son joined us in Austria and the four of us headed to the Dolomites in Northern Italy for three days of hiking.  We added a few bucket list treks to our  ever growing list, including Tre Cime de Laveredo; Seceda and Alpe di Suisi while establishing a home base at an amazing AirBnB for our short visit.

Next, Ashley and I flew to Italy and enjoyed a couple of memorable weeks as we soaked in the beauty, culture and warmth of its people in Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre and Rome.  We saw an amazing sunset from Michelangelo Piazza in Florence; enjoyed the tranquility of an early morning in Venice and the bright colored houses in Burano; trekked along the rugged yet beautiful cliffs of Cinque Terre and were awestruck by the majesty of St Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican and the Colosseum in Rome.

Finally, it was off to pick up our campervan in Belgium, which was originally scheduled to be delivered on July 4.  After a five day retreat in the incredibly diverse city of Belgium, it was off to Heist to patiently wait for our van, which was now scheduled for a July 11th arrival. Every problem provides you with an opportunity, which we intend to use as we are now planning a trip to London to see a Bryan Adams concert and some tennis at Wimbledon before returning to Belgium. 

Throughout this enjoyable romp around the world, we have immersed ourselves in the culture of these incredible countries while meeting a ton of amazing people along the way. As each day passes, it has become even more apparent to me that there are many, many, more good than bad people in the world and our similarities far exceed our differences. It has taught us how lucky we are to live in the United States and how much we still need to grow to become a nation that honors and celebrates all of its citizens. The beauty of our planet and its people must be seen firsthand so get started today on your next adventure. And, we hope that you will follow along with us as we continue our tour of Europe.