alilou's Adventures in Wonderland 2 - all over the map

[Alilou]

New blog post: a story about online travel/blogging friends

Meeting In Real Life – Pics or It Didn’t Happen
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[Alilou]

Just published a new blog post - about a very, um, unusual place we stayed in Split, Croatia. Like walking into a 1940's museum.

Weird All Round. In a good way. Well adequate anyway.
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[Alilou]

New blog post! Finally Greece! Well it was pretty exciting for us anyway

In The Shadow Of The Acropolis: The Neighbourhood Of The Gods. Plaka, Athens
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[kedrin]

I loved the plaka neighborhood. I really need to get back to Greece!

 

[Alilou]

I loved the plaka neighborhood. I really need to get back to Greece!

We did too @kedrin. We loved Greece! It's a very short list of countries we'd like to return to, but Greece made the list

 

[Alilou]

Wow, I took a break for so long that I forgot to share a new post here, and now today I've just published a second one.
I went to Oz for 2.5 months for the (southern) summer and to visit family. I was living such a completely different life I didn't do any blogging at all. At home in snowy Vancouver now so back to writing and photo editing.

Here, finally is my first post about my time back in Oz: spring-wildflowers-and-kangaroo-magic!

Yellow Red Hill - Canberra's Red Hill Nature Reserve

Yellow Red Hill – Canberra’s Red Hill Nature Reserve

2 Dec 2022-14 Feb 2023. I do know that it’s been wetter than usual, that Canberra has had one of the wettest springs on record. But I don’t really connect the dots until I get there. The very first…

alisonanddon.com

And the new post i published today about the Acropolis and other Athenian antiquities
Agoraphobia? Not me! Exploring ancient Athens

 

[kedrin]

Love the guard cat!

 

[Alilou]

Love the guard cat!

Thanks. So did I. Perfect background for a sleeping cat

 

[Alilou]

New blog post, the final one about Athens. The changing of the guard (funny outfits steeped in history), a Byzantine church, and the big central market.

Nails On The Soles Of Their Shoes – the iconic and the mundane in Athens.
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[Alilou]

Trying to catch up so publishing every week. Even so it will take months, and by that time no doubt we'll be off somewhere else. Anyway here's the latest edition Christmas Christmas Christmas

Three Christmases and a Reunion

In Canberra from 2 Dec 2022 to 15 Feb 2023. It’s been eight years since we’ve all been together. Eight years! From the left: Suzanne, Carol, Alison, Julie. Suzanne lives in Montreal. I live in Vanc…

alisonanddon.com

 

[Alilou]

So I'd had this idea that in an effort to get the blog caught up (most of Greece from last year(!) and all of Australia Dec-Feb this year) that I would put out a new post every week. But this little thing called the World Figure Skating Championships got in the way of that idea. Sooooo much fun!

Anyway I now have a new post ready, the first from Crete.

Finding Venice in Greece: Chania and Rethymno, Crete.

Way back in May/June 2022 we were in Crete. Don’s notes from May 29th in Athens: a day where neither one of us was much good for anything. I felt tired and grumpy and Ali wasn’t doing well having h…

alisonanddon.com

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[kedrin]

I love Crete! Did you make it to the south side of the island?

 

[Alilou]

I love Crete! Did you make it to the south side of the island?

We loved Crete too, but sadly no we didn't make it to the south. I'd love to hike the Samaria Gorge one day it sounds amazing. Next time!

 

[Alilou]

New blog post. ⛱ 🏝

Crete’s Best Beaches!

May 31st (Balos) and June 2nd (Elafonisi) of 2022. The wind! It howls through everything, sending through the air whatever is not nailed down; has people fighting with their towels;and the palm lea…

alisonanddon.com

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[Alilou]

New blog post ️

It’s All About Espresso! Canberra coffee culture

We can blame the Ethiopian goats. At one time Ethiopia was known as the Kingdom of Sheba. I’m shockingly ignorant. I never knew there was a Kingdom of Sheba. We always used to say: Who does she thi…

alisonanddon.com

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[Alilou]

New blog post! Yes, I'm still at it
This one is about the National Gallery of Australia - a pretty remarkable place. So nice we went there twice

The Art Of It All – Australia’s National Gallery

n. the bush. In Australia the bush refers to any un-inhabited, or sparsely-inhabited region regardless of vegetation. n. bushranger. Australian. Originally referred to escaped convicts who used the…

alisonanddon.com

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[Alilou]

I have a new blog post ready. So surprising

This latest post is about Heraklion, the capital of Crete. Crete was special. Greece was special! I hope I get back there one day.

Coddiwompling In Heraklion, Crete’s capital

Even the goats won’t touch it. It presents a beautiful face to the world, especially in the spring, but it is so toxic that someone died from stirring their tea with a twig from it. Others have bee…

alisonanddon.com

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[Alilou]

My latest blog post is about Knossos. I learned about it in school, and never thought I'd actually get there. It was amazing, and magical, and better than I could have imagined. A real highlight for me, which I've tried to convey. It helps if you're into that kind of thing

Half Bull, Half Truth – the Minoan Palace of Knossos

He could see me coming, step by stealthy step, as I moved towards him down the long driveway to the turnstiles. We locked eyes as I inched forward. One step. Now another. And another. He started la…

alisonanddon.com

 

[Alilou]

I have a new blog post ready. It's for the birds!
A look at all the amazing birds we saw in Canberra.

A Warbling of Mangoes – stalking Canberra’s birds

Every time we hear them there’s a quickening. Each time we see them it’s the same – a stopping, a quick in-breath, an alert excitement. What is it? Where is it? Even though I grew up with the…

alisonanddon.com

 

[Alilou]

My latest blog post is about an amazing light show on the lake that was held as part of the Australia Day celebrations last January in Canberra. Pretty spectacular!

Lights On The Lake – Australia Day celebrations in Canberra

26 January 2023. It starts with laser beams in brilliant colours illuminating the moving jets of water; huge arcs of colour cut through the dark sky as the jets of water sway to and fro. They chang…

alisonanddon.com

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[Alilou]

A new blog post. Reality bites.

Living On a Knife Edge. Tick tick tick . . .

From Alison: I hear his troubled voice over the phone. I can’t get the door open. He’s supposed to be picking me up from the Skytrain station and he’s half an hour late so I call. Where are you? I’…

alisonanddon.com

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[Alilou]

A new blog post. Reality bites.

Living On a Knife Edge. Tick tick tick . . .

From Alison: I hear his troubled voice over the phone. I can’t get the door open. He’s supposed to be picking me up from the Skytrain station and he’s half an hour late so I call. Where are you? I’…

alisonanddon.com

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@kwanfan1818 and @cygnus thanks. We're doing ok. It's been shocking, but not nearly as bad as it could have been. And every day there's improvement so we're feeling pretty lucky.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Love to both of you.

 

[Aceon6]

Hugs and extra strength for both of you!

 

[kedrin]

I'm so sorry you are going through this.

 

[nlloyd]

So sorry to read this. Sending good thoughts your way. Take care of yourselves.

 

[Alilou]

Thanks so much everyone. I'm so happy to be able to report that Don improves every day, and is making a good recovery. We're feeling more optimistic that's for sure.

 

[Alilou]

Don continues to improve. It's an adventure of a whole different kind that's for sure, but we're both doing ok.
And I have a new blog post ready. Working towards finishing up writing about our time in Greece last year. Greece makes a short list of countries we loved enough to want to go back to one day.

The Jewel of the Cyclades: mythical Santorini

First I want to say how surprised, moved, and grateful we are for the outpouring of kind and supportive comments we received regarding Don’s health scare. Thank you to all of you who read, and/or c…

alisonanddon.com

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[kedrin]

I love Greece- I believe I could live there. I've haven't been to Santorini, though. Yet. Thank you for sharing all the great words and photos.

 

[Alilou]

I love Greece- I believe I could live there. I've haven't been to Santorini, though. Yet. Thank you for sharing all the great words and photos.

Thanks so much @kedrin. We also loved Greece, and hopefully will get back there one day. I think you have to go back to Greece just to get to Santorini; it really does live up to all the hype. But don't go in the high season.