Getting Ready for the Trip!

Well, we have about a week to go before the trip and we’re definitely getting excited to travel again. We were in Greece last October and enjoyed it so much we thought we had to return. Plus, I had wanted to visit Corfu, but in October the weather was too cold so we decided against it. This trip is all about the Mediterranean and associated seas that are less familiar like the Balearic Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, but for our purposes, we think of it all as the Mediterranean.

We begin our trip in Barcelona where we will stay for three nights at the beginning of the trip and for four nights at the end of the trip. Our round trip from SFO is to Barcelona, so this made sense. We’re looking forward to seeing the various Gaudí buildings, especially the La Sagrada Família. We are staying at an “Aparthotel”, similar to an AirBNB, on the famous Rambla walking street.

From Barcelona we fly to Nice for five nights and then to Marseilles by train for a couple of nights where we will catch our flight to Corfu. We have a week in Corfu and will be staying at a fancy-schmancy, but hopefully not too pretentious, hotel outside the old town in Moratika. We’re looking forward to visiting some of the places I had been with my family when I was young and also seeing some of the locations the famous Corfu family, The Durrells.

After Corfu, we return to one of our favorite cities in Europe, Athens for five nights to enjoy the bustling city life and tons of restaurants and bars. This time we are staying in the heart of Psyri, a quint little district full of life. It will be interesting to experience the difference of Athens in April versus when we were here last November. As difficult as it will be to leave Athens, we are really looking forward to visiting one of the smallest countries in the world and certainly the most unique country island.

We will spend five nights in Malta, a small island between Sicily and the coast of Africa. Malta is famous for its unique scenery, food and for being one of the oldest countries on earth. We hope to see some of the places used in famous shows and movies such as The Game of Thrones and James Bond. After Malta we will fly to Lisbon, with a one night layover in Madrid, purposely planned due to the risk of not being able to enter Portugal if we test positive for Covid (although that now seems very unlikely.)

While not on the Mediterranean, Lisbon has been on my list of places to go for some time. It is said the city mirrors San Francisco in many ways with its Golden Gate bridge, Trolley cars and hills. Regardless, it seems to be an awesome place with a variety of different cuisines to be tasted, architecture to be explored and cafes from which to sit and watch the world go by.

We conclude our trip back where we started in Barcelona. We are staying in a different area but also close to many famous attractions. By that point we will be in full relaxation mode and probably wanting to just sit and chill at the cafes and bars of the city. Having got Covid when we did, helps relieve us of the concern of getting it while traveling. Although we will still of course stay vigilant, I am sure the chance of getting it again so soon is really nonexistent. (fingers crossed!)

Stay tuned on this blog for PJM’s typical narration through text and pictures of our trip and my google assisted English translations. Bon Voyage!