Turkey | Ephesus

The Great Theatre at Ephesus.During our second trip to Turkey way back when in July, we booked a three-day trip to Cappadocia and Ephesus. The Ephesus portion of the trip was basically one full day. We arrived to our seaside hotel late the night before directly from Cappadocia and departed from Ephesus for Istanbul immediately following

Turkey | Cappadocia

Goreme PanoramaDuring our second trip to Istanbul, we booked a three-day Cappadocia and Ephesus tour through Daily Istanbul Tours, a company that has a ton of tour options out of Istanbul — ranging from day trips to a week. I knew we wanted to spend some time in Istanbul again, and that we wanted to see other places

Jordan | Mukawir

A few weeks ago, Kail and I visited Mukawir, a hilltop site overlooking the Dead Sea. It is famous not only for its beautiful panoramic views of the Dead Sea, but as the site of Herod the Great’s fortress and the place where John the Baptist was imprisoned and beheaded.

Jordan | Umm ar-Rasas

A few weeks ago, our friends and colleagues, Lina and Yarub, took us to visit some lesser-known historical tourism sites in Jordan: Umm ar-Rasas and Mukawir. I’ll write about Mukawir in another post. For now, I’ll just focus on the wonder that is Umm ar-Rasas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Barcelona | Cooking Class

One highlight of our recent trip to Barcelona was a cooking class, booked through the aptly named Barcelona Cooking. We learned how to make strawberry gazpacho, Spanish omelet, seafood paella and crema Catalana. Yum!

Spain | Barcelona

Palau Nacional.Remember when I spoke Spanish? It’s OK — I barely do either. But I had the opportunity to put my now-rudimentary español to use on a recent trip to Barcelona (yes, people speak Spanish there — in addition to Catalan).

Turkey | Istanbul

View of the Hagia Sophia.Every time I travel somewhere new, I always want to return for another vacation and/or live there. So far, of all the trips Kail and I have taken since he joined the Foreign Service five years ago, we’ve only repeated a couple trips: Copán, Honduras (primero viaje y el segundo); Antigua, Guatemala (once

Oman | Muscat

Mutrah Corniche.I’ve been seriously neglecting this blog. And I’ve had so much to write about: trips to Muscat, Istanbul and Barcelona, spinning again (not teaching though … yet!), school. We’ve had visitors, spent more time at the Dead Sea and Petra and explored more of beautiful Jordan. I mean, who has the time to write anymore?

Jordan | Umm Qais

Some friends recently invited Kail and me on a day trip to visit Umm Qais, Roman ruins in northwest Jordan. We packed a picnic lunch, piled into their car and made the 110-kilometer journey (about two and a half hours) from Amman.

Jordan | Crowne Plaza Jordan Dead Sea Resort & Spa

We recently took our third trip to the Dead Sea, this time to the Crowne Plaza Jordan Dead Sea Resort & Spa. We’re partial to IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) hotels because Kail has a ton of rewards points and we can either stay for “free” or we get upgraded to gigantic suites. This trip to the Crowne