Saturday, March 31, 2012

Turkey and UAE Plans

We arrive in Istanbul early on April 20, fresh on a red-eye from Johannesburg, South Africa.  We are staying at the Park Hyatt using points, of course.

First order of business is to head from Kabatas Pier (in Europe) to Uskudar Pier (in Asia), expect obnoxious Foursquare checkins.  On the Asia side, we will visit Leander's Tower and 3 notable Mosques in the area.  Then back to Europe via another Ferry to the Eminonu pier.  We plan to visit Suleymaniye Mosque, then Beyazit Square, and Constantine's Column, built in 330 AD.  We are definitely saving the best for last, spending the afternoon at the Grand Bazar for shopping, shopping shopping.  Then dinner at Juno near the hotel before we crash.

We have a full itinerary in Sultanahmet the following day which may sound ambitious but everything is located very close, so I think we can manage.  We start at the Blue Mosque, then Hague Sophia, Bascilica Cistern, Hippodrome, Arista Bazaar and then the Mosaics Museum.  After lunch, we will visit the Topkapi Palace and the Archaeological Museum.  Dinner tonight is at the Pasazade Restaurant.

We are taking a full day private tour of Ephesus, about a 1 hour flight from Istanbul.  Ephesus was a city since ancient Greek times, through Roman times and has some of the best preserved ruins in the world.  Located nearby is House of the Virgin Mary, where it is said Mary spent her last remaining days on earth.

Our last  day in Istanbul begins with a traditional Turkish Bath experience,  then a quick stop at the Pera Palace Hotel, originally the end of the line of the Oriental Express,  and the Galata Tower, for a last great view of Istanbul before we head to the airport and our flight to Abu Dhabi.

Once we land in Abu Dhabi, we head to Park Hyatt Capital Gate, a new hotel with typical UAE amazing design.  Then off for dinner and drinks with our friend Jen and maybe a bit of sleep before we head off to the Maldives. 

Friday, March 30, 2012

Brazil Plans

Rio de Janeiro

We are looking forward to our stay at Casa Cool Beans.  It's a great little boutique B&B in Santa Teresa, where we will be spending our first day in Rio de Janeiro.  We will head to Feira do Rio Antigo, a local Saturday market, then to Arcos da Lapa, the Carioca Aqueduct, and of course, the Santa Teresa Convent, for which the neighborhood was named.  We are really looking forward to seeing the Escadaria Selaron, the famous steps between Lapa and Santa Teresa.  We are heading to Rio Scenarium, for dinner, live music and maybe even get Jacob to try a little samba.  I won't be holding my breath.

On Easter Sunday, we will NOT be heading to Christ the Redeemer with the rest of Rio but rather for the beaches.  To start the morning right, we will be hitting a juice bar on our way to Ipanema  Beach.  The people watching should be fantastic, as well as the photo opps.  We plan to hit Garota de Impanema, the bar where the Girl from Ipanema was written.  A little shopping is in order, from the high end to the Feira Hippie Market.    Next it's over to Copacabana Beach for some lounge chair time and  seeing the Copacabana Palace.  Dinner will be at Aprazivel, which boasts amazing views overlooking the city.

Monday we are going on a private tour in an open air buggy to see Christ the Redeemer, Sugar Loaf Mountain, and Tujica National Park, among other things.  After a busy day of seeing the sights, we are looking forward to a cozy dinner at Bar do Mineiro

Tuesday we plan to see downtown Rio, the museums, the churchs and the Praca.  In our tradition of visiting the best cafe's around the world, lunch is at Confeitaria Colombo, in the city center.  No definite plans for dinner, will see where the day takes us.

Wednesday is the last day in Rio, probably shopping and a little more Santa Teresa, before we head to the airport to start the Journey to South Africa.  We are less than one week away from starting the trip and I just can't wait!!

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Africa Plans

We have 8 days in Africa.  We spend the first few in Capetown, which of course means Wine and Table Mountain and the Jackass Penguins.  We plan to take the cable car up to Table Mountian the first day, as well as check out Cape of Good Hope and District Six.    We have reservation at The Test Kitchen that night, thanks to the recommendation of Wilma, friend and SA native.

Our second day in the area we are all about Penguins and Wine!!  Renting a car and driving on the wrong side of the road, which means of course, I will be driving.  First to Simon's Town and Boulders Beach to see the penguins.  Here is a little about why they are referred to as Jackass Penguins.

Then off to the Wineries, woohoo!!
Klein Constantia and Constantia Uitsig
We have lunch reservations at Le Colombe which is at Constantia Uitsig and one of Pelligrino's Top 100 Restaurants in the World.  Another shout out to Wilma!!
One last stop at Steenberg Winery for wine tasting and a 3pm cellar tour.

Early the next morning we are off to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
We will spend the afternoon experiencing the Falls, the largest waterfall in the world, one of the seven natural wonders of the world and a Unesco World Heritage Site. 

The next morning we are off on the Rovos train that will take us to Pretoria, SA.
Here is an article from the Washington Post on a Rovos adventure.  Jacob absolutely loves trains and this was definitely on his bucket list.  We will spend 3 days and 2 nights traveling in old world style.

We arrive in Pretoria the evening of the third day and a car will take us to Johannesburg.  While in town, we will see Constitution Hill, Apartheid Museum, Nelson Mandela National Museum, and Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum.  We will also have the pleasure of dining at the home of Barry and Liz Senior, a couple we met in Florence. 


Johannesburg is our last stop in Africa, next on to Istanbul, Turkey!!


Sunday, March 18, 2012

Around the World in 31 days!!

We are going around the World from April 6 through May 6.  Let me break down the numbers for you:

20 flights = 37,769 miles

580,000 Airline miles redeemed

3 day train ride = 727 miles

4 Boat rides
2 car rentals
2 22inch Rollerbags & 2 hand carry-ons
12 Different Hotels
15 Hotel nights  = 290,000 Hotel Points
11 Hotel nights paid
4 nights on a plane

This trip is our honeymoon and you might even say it inspired our wedding.  We started with United/Continental's Round the World Business class redemption and then it became a game.   We decided to see how much of the trip we could pay for though points redemption, I think we did pretty well.  I will be posting pictures and updates to this blog throughout the trip and future ones.  We leave April 6, so get ready to enjoy along with us.