The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

A few weeks ago we returned from a quick trip to Jordan.                         

Time and toddler limitations put some restrictions on what we were able to do.          

Jordan has many options for outdoorsy travelers. We opted to visit the city of Petra and the Dead Sea.

Eating good food is one of the things we love about living in the Middle East. A selection of Mezzes, like the one above, is never a bad snack choice. Cata also indulged in one of her favorite things - eating any kind of food.

 Scarves for sale in Petra and olives growing around the city buildings.

Ancient Petra lies in a canyon below modern Petra which exists mainly to cater to tourists. Petra was the center of the Nabatean civilization which dates to 300 BCE. Many tombs and temples are carved into the sandstone.

Kristi and Cata pose by an old olive press.

The drive from Petra over the Jordanian Highlands was especially scenic.

The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth (about 430 meters below sea level) and is really a lake with no natural outlet. The fine silt that accumulates is thought to remedy all manner of aliments. Most impressively, the high salinity makes if possible to float effortlessly on the surface.

Ile Maurice-Mauritius

We opted to spend part of our summer vacation in Mauritius. 

This was our first trip to an African country. Mauritius proved to be a strange and beautiful  place. This French speaking nation was uninhabited before European colonists began settling there. Subsequent waves of emigration have been largely Chinese and Indian. 

The food, people, and culture are definitely eclectic. We ate a lot of delicious seafood like octopus curry and a lot of Chinese noodles and rice.A beach destination proved to be a great way to enjoy traveling on a year old baby's schedule. Cata began the vacation mostly crawling and ended it mostly walking, including right into the Indian Ocean.  She played in the shallow water gleefully and loved the sand. One day blurred into the next and  mostly consisted of exploring the beaches within a few minutes drive of our apartment, in Grand Baie, in the far north part of the island. We did drive to the Southern part of the island to explore Black River Gorges National park and also went on a catamaran cruise, but we mostly enjoyed the relaxed pace and lifestyle the island promoted. 

Mauritius was once home to some very unique mega-fauna, including a now extinct species of giant tortoise.  These Aldabra tortoises live in a reserve which is open to tourists. 

Chinatown in Port Louis

Cata loves the beach.

Each day offered a beautiful sunset

Hiking Le Morne Brabant, a small mountain that is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It is believed that a group of runaway slaves jumped off the cliff into the ocean rather than be recaptured. 

Madrid

 Recently we spent a week in Madrid.




We are still learning about how to travel with a baby. 

Fortunately, Madrid turned out to be a beautiful city full of old buildings, artwork, and amazing food and drink, which made it fun and easy with Cata. 

 In fact, going out for tapas is the perfect activity to do with your baby for a few hours between naps.

Our favorite place for tapas and amazing Spanish wine was the Mercado de San Miguel.  The best red wine in Spain is from the Rioja region, and is usually only 2-3 Euros a glass; cheaper than the tapas!

 

Smoked salmon is a common tapa.  Oxtail, or "rabo de toro," is also popular. It is slow cooked or braised and served as a stew or as a "tostada."

El Retiro Park

We took one day trip to the ancient city of Segovia.

Segovia still contains medieval walls and buildings, as well as the remnants of a Roman aqueduct. The aqueduct has over 160 arches and was built the first century AD, making it around 2,000 years old.

Beirut

 For the Kuwait National Day holiday, we took a trip to Beirut. Traveling with a baby is definitely a departure from our normal routine.  Our travel days now revolve around Cata's schedule. We get out once or twice a day between naps. It was usually enough time   to wander around a new place for a few hours and enjoy some fantastic Lebanese food.  We enjoyed Beirut's corniche and neighborhoods with great food and hip bars.

Cauliflower and eggplant with a tahini sauce

We no longer do much research before some of our travel. Consequently, we were surprised to stumble across some partially excavated Roman ruins bordered by both a Mosque and Marionate Church (Eastern Roman Catholic) right in the middle of the city.

Beirut farmers market 

We did take a short day trip to the city of Byblos. It was a bit touristy, but we were told has been continuously inhabited for the last 7000 years.

Romania

We have some photos from our winter break trip to Romania.

This was our second major attempt at raveling with an infant. While our experience was a bit limited, we managed to get out a few times a day to do some exploring.

As usual, exploring mainly consisted of eating. Romania had some great holiday markets featuring lots of smoked meat and fish.

Cata loved this Christmas elf

She was not a fan of Santa

 Sarmale or Cabbage leaves stuffed with minced meat was another popular dish that we enjoyed repeatedly. 

Cata enjoys her sink bath in Bucharest

Cata made a friend on Christmas day. Sophia did not speak English, but her mom informed us that Sophia had decide Cata was the "cutest baby in the universe."

We enjoyed the old neighborhoods in each city we visited. In many areas, each old building, in varying states of restoration, were built directly on to the one adjacent, creating massive city blocks.

 We especially enjoyed staying in this 17th century building in Sibiu. It also had a sufficient number of pillows to build a good baby nest.

 Another fun architectural phenomenon we noticed throughout Romanian was these strange eye shaped windows emerging from many building roofs. 

Looking down at old Sibiu from the city clock tower

Peles Castle outside the town of Sinaia.  It was home to Romania's very brief monarchy.

Spending the winter holidays in Romania marked the first time either of us had been somewhere truly cold in a very long time. In fact, our previous 7 Christmases have all taken place in the tropics. We very much enjoyed bundling 6 month old Cata up in her bear suit to go out and about. Stay tuned for our upcoming trip with 9 month old Cata to Beiruit.