Randy and Robin's Roving Retirement

Bologna was simply amazing. It is a vibrant university city, full of historical monuments, museums, porticos, cafes and more. We stayed on the west side of the city, yet still within the center walls. We were able to walk just about everywhere, which was fortunate as Uber was only available as Uber Black and quite expensive. Taxis were challenging to get ahold of, yet were slightly less than Uber.

The Fountain of Neptune in Piazza Maggiore was completed in 1566. According to legend, the artist, Giambologna, made Neptune’s penis too big for the Cardinal. So in response, he made it smaller, but when you view at an angle, his thumb looks like an erect penis.

There is a September 11th park in Bologna

At the Osteria del Sole (a bar since 1465) with our food tour.

San Luca and the procession of the Icon of the Madonna and Child.

We were surprised to find out that we were in Bologna during a special celebration. The Icon of the Madonna and child was first brought to Bologna around 1160 AD and given to 2 nuns. It later found a home in the Sanctuary of San Luca. In 1433, after severe rains, it was suggested to bring the Madonna down into the city seeking divine intervention. When it entered the city, the rains stopped, considered a miracle, they have continued the procession every year since. It came down on May 24th and went back to San Luca on May 31st of this year. It is held yearly during ascension week The procession starts from the Sanctuary on a hill and continues down to the Cathedral of San Pietro, where it is on display for the week. The procession goes through the longest porticos in the world at 2.4 miles and containing 666 archways (built in 1674-1793 to protect the icon). The present San Luca was constructed in 1723.

The Icon in the church of San Pietro

The Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca

The Icon returned to its home.

The view of the porticos from the top.

We rode the San Luca Express up and back.

Music Museum

One of the first museums we visited was a music museum comprised of harpsichords and clavichords.

Medieval Museum

This was a fascinating museum and we spent a few hours here. The art and science from this era were amazing.

Archeology Museum

They had a complete Egyptian floor in this museum along with Roman artifacts on other floors.

Bust of Nero was discovered in 1513.

The 7 Churches

The basilica of Santo Stefano encompasses a complex of religious edifices. It is locally known as Sette Chiese (“Seven Churches”). The different complexes were built from the 4th to the 8th century A.D.

Day trip to Florence

We took a high speed train from Bologna to Florence for a day trip. Florence was very busy, with loads of tourists. We did not see David, nor any of the museums. We just enjoyed a leisurely day, strolling the piazza and the Ponte Vecchio and making a list of things to do when we return someday.

The immense Duomo was constructed from 1296-1436.

Ponte Vecchio

Ya gotta love lasagna!

Certosa Cemetery

As our cab driver said, this is more of a museum than a cemetery. Known as one of the older cemeteries in Europe, it opened in 1801, yet during the 1870’s, archeological excavation found Etruscan tombs here from 6th century B.C.

Meeting up with fellow Senior Nomads

Generally when we travel we put out word on our Facebook group “Senior Nomads” to meet up. We were fortunate to meet 3 different couples during our month in Bologna. It is fascinating to connect with these people who are all so different and all with different travel styles and strategies.

We met up with Don and Monica twice

Jim and Angie connected with us.

Alessandra is from Bologna and Martin from the UK.

Pinacoteca Art Museum

This one was actually from the Museum of Modern Art

Farewell to Bologna and all the great food.

Next stop… off to Orvieto, Italy for 2 weeks.

Rome was a whirlwind of tours, activities and sightseeing. Perhaps our most memorable event was our dinner with our Airbnb host, Lorenzo, wife Emma and daughters, Carolina and Sophie. What a wonderful evening of antipasto, delicious homecooked pasta amatriciana, enlightening conversation, and of course, a few card tricks.

Our Airbnb was very unique,very Roman. We are by the Pyramide Metro Station, right next to the pyramid.

Emma made us an apricot tort as a welcome gift 🎁

We had a number of chill days, strolling the local neighborhood, eating at cafes, coffee shops and seeing nearby sights.

Our local coffee bar for a morning drink and croissant

I love good lasagna and this one was outstanding.

Vatican Tour

We took a guided Vatican tour about 2 days after the new pope was chosen. Unfortunately, the Sistine Chapel was not open to the public. The Vatican Museums are huge and filled with incredible art masterpieces that really have to be seen to be appreciated.

Guided Vatican tour courtesy of Francesca

The entry door to the closed Sistine Chapel

The famous School of Athens fresco by Raphael painted between 1509-1511.

A relaxing drink with my gorgeous wife before walking to the metro station.

Sunday Morning at the Spanish Steps, Villa Borghese (park) and the Galleria Borghese (museum/gallery).

First a morning coffee and tea outside at Anticaroma.

Views at the base of the Spanish Steps including the boat fountain or Fontana della Barcaccia (1626-1629).

View from the midpoint of the steps.

The majestic Borghese Gallery, a country villa of the nephew of Pope Paul V. The pope appointed his nephew to the position, and this is where the word nepotism was derived (Italian nipote for nephew).

The Bernini sculptures are my favorite.

Daphne being turned into a tree is a masterpiece.

Napoleon’s sister, Pauline depicted as Venus by Canova has incredible detail in the folds of the couch.

Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Forum Tour

We have found that many times a guided tour is the best way to see high profile attractions. We don’t always do it, but the benefits of skip-the-line, expert commentary and the ability to ask questions throughout the tour can make for a pleasant and memorable experience.

The Baths of Caracalla

Fortunately, this immense attraction was a short walking distance from our Airbnb and did not have the huge tourist crowds. In fact, it was a quiet and peaceful visit.

The baths were 2nd largest in ancient Rome behind the Baths of Diocletian and were built 212-217 AD. There were hot baths (calidarium), warm baths (tepidarium) and cold baths (frigidarium). There was also a library and a gym.

Fine detail in the mosaic tile work.

Testaccio Market and Trastevere

One morning, we walked to the Testaccio market a large city square with an indoor market full of cured meats, fish, vegetables, clothing and leather goods, as well as coffee cafes and eateries.

Robin’s favorite purchases, wine and cheese.

Randy’s favorite Limonata and a filled pastry.

After the market, we caught an Uber (Not cheap here!), and walked across the oldest bridge in Rome to Isola Tiberina and then the Trastevere neighborhood.

Tiber River

Trastevere is all about the food and this is my favorite, spaghetti alle Vongole, or spaghetti with clams.

Yes, Rome was a whirlwind for us as we usually take travel at a slower pace, especially with the need for adapting to the time change. However, with a lot to see in our 8 days, we made a valiant effort to see many sights without being too overwhelmed.

Next stop… Bologna, Italy for a slower pace

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We took a private shuttle from Antigua to Panajachel, which is on Lake Atitlán. Only 45 miles, but it takes over 2 hours with the twisting and turning roads. The population is only 20,000, but there are many restaurants and shops. From Pana, you can take a boat or “lancha” to the neighboring towns. We visited San Marcos and San Juan.

The volcanoes of Lake Atitlán, San Pedro, Atitlán and Tolimán

Several beautiful volcanoes can be seen across the lake. We enjoyed our time in Panajachel. We found several favorite restaurants including Guajimbo’s (we loved the chicken soup), The Little Spoon (great califlower tacos) and La Laterna (wonderful Italian food). The shopping was plentiful with reasonable prices. It was a very walkable town with easy access to tuk tuks and Uber.

Next up….

We headed back to Panama and then made a stop in Las Vegas in January/Feb before coming back to Panama. Our next post will be about Italy in May!!

Antigua has exceeded our expectations. We came here as it was a cheaper flight than to Mexico or Costa Rica, but we are so glad we did. A friendly town of 60,000 people, a UNESCO Heritage site, and with the year round weather of eternal spring. We chose an excellent location, adjacent to a nursery and cafe.

View of Agua volcano from our rooftop. It has only been this visible for several days of our 6 weeks here.

Cafe de la Escalonia was a delightful locale, very close to our Airbnb. Great for breakfast, lunch or a later afternoon tea while playing cards or reading.

We were fortunate to connect with Adam, son of Robin’s best friend, Debra Jean.

Museum, churches and ruins are spread throughout the town.

Iglesia de La Merced

Deet is the Ambassador of Antigua. The 86 year old has lived here for 34 years, and greets everyone and invites them to local get togethers.

Celestino took us on a walking tour of Antigua, filled with history and culture.

Cathedral of Santiago

Quincieras are very often celebrated on the scenic streets.

Fuego Volcano is still active.

Christmas was on full display from mid November here in Antigua.

Halloween Party at Caoba Farm

We were surprised to find a Halloween celebration and even more surprised to find it had a kinky BDSM theme 😆.

Flower Festival

The flower festival is a recent phenomenon where all the businesses come together to celebrate. The theme this year was Alice in Wonderland.

Giant Kite Festival

The giant festival is held annually in both Santiago and Sumpango. We went to the larger one in Sumpango, but would suggest the smaller one as there was an insane amount of people. The kites are supposed to connect with the souls of the dead.

Tombs at the local cemetery, decorated for Day of the Dead

We are already planning our next trip to Antigua. The food was amazing, the people, cheerful and friendly and a very budget friendly location.

Next stop… Panajachel, Guatemala

This post represents our last several returns to Panama, so off and on visits from November 2023 to the present. Rainy season is from May to December, but living in the dry arc, it is not as rainy as other areas of the country.

Christmas is a popular holiday time for locals as well as tourists.

Carnival is celebrated nationwide. We went to Buenaventura Resort with David and Sheila to kick off the Jazz Festival.

Buffet at Italiano in Playa Blanca Resort

A variety of entertainment from local birthday celebrations at the Cala Beach Bar, to performances at Mansa at Buenaventura Resort.

The Wilded Women met on Wednesdays to help craft the mosaic mermaid and drink wine, or vice versa 😀 .

Oh Toro in Penenomé is our new favorite restaurant and have excellent mojitos.

Happy birthday Lenore

View from our front window on the 6th floor

Loki is 5 months old

Robin absolutely loves the french onion soup at Los Camisones

Mansa is another of our favorites. Robin celebrating her birthday.

Nico’s Beach Bar at Farallón Beach

Short trip to Casco Viejo area of Panama City

Our Airbnb was a block from the Panama Canal Museum

Anniversary in El Valle

We borrowed a friend’s car and it broke down as we entered El Valle. Fortunately, street mechanics and locals all helped us get it repaired for $30. We had a lovely stay at the Golden Frog Inn.

We bought a serendipitous sign. Rana Dorada means golden frog (our hotel’s name) and Aug 14th is our anniversary, which is also Golden Frog Day in Panama.

More adventures back in Playa Blanca

Many great happy hours with our large contingent of friends.

Sami, our Zumba instructor, and her husband, Greg, cameover for Robin’s ice cream social.

Hungarian family made goulash for the water aerobics group.

Line dancing class

We enjoy the street dogs here.

Robin and Lenore enjoying Jeanette’s terrace view.

We had an incredible visit to Las Vegas, staying with daughter Katy, seeing the sights, going to medical and dental appointments. Mid month, we flew to Sacramento and spent 4 wonderful days visiting my sister, Kathie and husband, Charlie and catching up with her family. When we returned to Vegas, my daughter, Rikka and her boyfriend, Joseph flew down from Seattle to celebrate her birthday with us. For our last week, we checked into our timeshare exchange at the Carriage House, just off the strip.

We went to see Carrot Top at the Luxor and were surprised at how funny he was. We enjoyed daily strolls on the walking path.

Ice Age Fossils State Park, north of Vegas, recently opened.

We saw the magic of Jen Kramer at the Westgate Hotel and made a new friend, Daniel.

The new Durango Hotel on the west side has lots of dining choices and a fun pool area.

Mother’s Day was a blast starting with mini golf at the new Popstroke, followed by burgers at In-N-Out.

Happy Mom’s Day!!!

We took off for Sacramento and had a lovely Airbnb room in Elk Grove, located conveniently right between my sister, Kathie and my niece, Ashley and her family.

We drove to Stockton on one day and met with a longtime friend, Monica for lunch at a greek restaurant. Flaming saganaki above at Papapavlov’s.

Great to see my sister again.

Willie and Bella

Nolan aka “Baby Head”

Sacramento Zoo is always a fun walking experience. Thanks to Kathie for treating us and we got to see niece, Catey as well. We met up with cousin Gary in Loomis, CA for a delightful lunch at the High Hands Cafe. We finished Sacramento with a visit to Old Sacramento.

Charlie really enjoys the animals.

Cousin Gary Mcknight came down to meet us for lunch at the High Hands Cafe in Loomis, California.

We got back to Vegas to connect with my daughter, Rikka and her boyfriend, Joseph, to celebrate her birthday. We had a lovely birthday dinner at Diablo’s in the Luxor (below). We spent a wonderful day trip in Boulder City.

We had to show Joseph the bighorn sheep at Hemenway Park and man were they close today.

The Bellagio Conservatory is always a wondrous sight.

18-hole indoor Mini golf at the Twilight Zone course at the Horseshoe Hotel: a total kick if you’re a TZ fan, and only $12.00!!

Our home on the strip just down from the Miracle Mile Shops, and a glass of sangria at House of Blues where the BBQ ribs did not dissappoint!

It was an amazingly rewarding trip, seeing family and friends, enjoying the low humidity (compared to Panama), taking advantage of entertainment options and experiencing the luxury of having real stores like Walmart and Albertsons, and Amazon delivery!

Next stop…. Home sweet home, Panama

After a 2 month respite at our home base in Playa Blanca, Panama, we are off to Colombia. Our Airbnb is a lovely unit in Punta de Piedra apartments. We are in the La Candelaria area, just north of El Poblado. We have easy access to malls, grocery stores, street food and restaurants. The City of Eternal Spring currently has temperatures from lows of upper 50’s to highs of mid 80’s, requiring neither AC, nor heat.

      View from our footbridge at Punta de Piedra Apartments

Footbridge from back of our apartment complex to elevator, which takes you to Premium Plaza Mall. If we walk out the front entrance of our complex, the El Indio Mall has shops and cafes like Mi Arepa and La Gloria.

       Comuna 13

No trip to Medellín is complete without a trip to Comuna 13 and best completed with a guide. This is one of poorest areas in town, previously one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the world. The urban renewal here, with tourism, escalators, shops, cafes, art and vendors, has been amazing.

    Juan bought us churros

      Food and Drink

An arepa – ground maize tortilla with chicken, corn and cheese. An iced coffee lemonade.

Grilled chicken with butter and criollos potatoes- a skillet arepa with chicken and shrooms.

A Brazilian steakhouse a short walk away.

       Adventures

From the zoo, the Botanical Garden, planetarium, Barrio Transformation tour, the Museo de Antioquia (art), food tour, a separate exotic fruit tour to meet-up with fellow Senior Nomads, we have been busy here. We tend to pace ourselves by alternating activity days with leisure days.

  Disney sponsored an incredible lighting exhibit for Christmas by the Medellin River.

Bolero Plaza celebrates the Colombian artist, Fernando Botero, who donated a multitude of sculptures.

Great new friends, Valerie and David from the Washington DC area. Fellow members of Senior Nomads.

The Botanical Garden is a lovely walking area with birds and plants. We went twice as it is free, just need to show ID. A first class restaurant, In Situ, with our amazing waiter, Juan.

Randy spotted a small scorpion on a walk.     Flowering plant at the garden.

After the Botanical Garden, we went to Chef Burger in Laureles, then Fidelina’s for Sangria.

Getting to Parque Arví requires taking the Metro and then 2 cable cars to arrive at 8,000 ft. Unfortunately, the first cable car was out of service, so we had to take a circuitous bus ride. On the way back, we opted for a taxi to save time and motion sickness.

We met a fellow American, Erika, from Ohio.

Awesome visit with fellow Senior Nomad Facebook group members, Georganna and Tom (from Southern California), and Rick and Chris(from Calgary, Canada). We toured El Castillo museum and gardens and enjoyed conversation at the cafeteria afterwards. Nomads are so interesting and unique and we learn so much from each other.

Our farewell to Medellin is here. We had an incredible month of adventures, learning and relaxation. We will come back here. Next time we would like to stay in the Laureles area. We also will make it to Guatapé next time. We avoided the 2 hour drive this trip in order to spend our time exploring the Metro area. No regrets. Now back to Panama for a few months before heading to Las Vegas to visit Katy and Sacramento to visit Kathie and Charlie.

Washington DC was a whirlwind of activity. Since Robin had never been here, we wanted to see a lot of the top priorty tourist sites. Yes, here we were more like tourists than Slowmads. We always like to start a new city visit with a Hop On Hop Off tour. The trolley in DC was awesome. Many times there is a recorded guide in multiple languages and you can never seem to find a bus to hop back on. This one had an excellent local guide, who was entertaining, fun and educational. We got off at the Jefferson Memorial and walked through the FDR Memorial and MLK Memorial.

FDR Memorial is quite extensive

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial was full of his memorable quotes.

World War II Memorial

Air and Space Museum

We enjoyed this Museum. However after seeing the Destination Moon exhibit in Seattle, this part was redundant for us. Fun seeing the Wright Brothers first plane.

Wright Brothers first plane (above). Great quote(below).

Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit and Robin flying a plane.

International Spy Museum

This is a really fun museum. You are issued a cover identity and occupation. You proceed through different stations to complete your mission.

James Bond Aston Martin

American History Museum

Some great artifacts at this museum. I guess I was surprised that there was a lot of modern history, cell phones, guitars, movie paraphernalia, but it was extensive.

Presidential Medal of Freedom and Horatio Greenough’s Washington.

Steel column from 70th floor of World Trade Center South Tower and piece of Berlin Wall.

Abe Lincoln’s hat from the assassination and Dorothy’s ruby slippers.

Mr Roger’s sweater and sneakers and George Reeve’s Superman suit.

I have always wanted a $100,000 bill.

Visit with Roxanne and Tom

Robin’s cousin, Roxanne and her husband, Tom live in Silver Spring, Maryland. We took the Metro one day to the nearest stop to them and they picked us up. We took a lovely walk at Sligo Creek Park and afterwards relaxed on their screened porch and made conversation. Roxanne whipped up a fantastic dinner and dessert of homemade ice cream and cookies. Tom was kind enough to drive us home.

National Zoo

The zoo was fun. The pandas are going back to China Oct 1, so we were fortunate to catch them. Not to seem like zoo snobs, but this was not our favorite zoo. Quite spread out, shuttle no longer runs and many exhibits did not open until 9am, while gate opens at 8am.

Arlington National Cemetery

A must see was the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Also, had to see JFK’s Eternal Flame.

Museum of Natural History

This was a fun museum. A bit heavy on climate change guilt tripping, although the exhibits depict greater climate swings and extinctions for eons before we even walked on 2 feet.

Rooms full of gems and minerals.

The Hope Diamond

Fragment of cartonnage coffin 600 BC

Me as an Australopithecus Afarenses. More hair, less brains.

Holocaust Museum

This is a very memorable, yet emotionally challenging museum to tour. A well structured historical sequence displays the 3rd Reich’s rise to power and the increasing steps of the initial persecution and eventual extermination of 6 million Jews.

The Hall of Remembrance

We are approaching the tail end of our recent travel adventure. Next, we head to Vegas to visit Robin’s daughter, Katy. We will stay with her in her new home. Lots of routine doctor appointments, stocking up on supplies, and going through our storage bins. Therefore, the next blog post will be minimal, but we will experience a few tourist excursion and entertainment options.

Next stop….Las Vegas

We flew into Logan Airport in Boston, where Robin’s son, Joe picked us up from the airport and drove us to our Airbnb in Beverly. Joe and Amber live in Salem, a quick 10 minute drive away. We spent the first 4 days tooling around Salem and Beverly, enjoying coffee shops, visiting the North Shore, meeting Levi, the Morgan horse, taking the Salem Trolley Tour, and exploring the Peabody Essex Museum. We then spent 3 nights at the Killington Mountain Inn and went to Rutland, Ludlow, Quechee, the Hubbardton Battlefield site and saw Joe and Amber’s riverfront property by North Clarendon.

Breakfast stop at A & J Kings in Salem with Joe and Amber

Fun evening at Mission Boathouse in Salem

Robin and Joe exploring Rockland

Meeting our grand pony, Levi at the stables

Joe with Anna and Jacob

The Peabody Essex Museum was huge and so well presented.

Vermont was awesome. Joe & Amber treated us to 3 nights at the Killington Mountain Inn. We had some drizzle and cooler weather than we did in the Boston area. We still were able to explore a lot of the area.

Killington Mountain Inn

We explored the town of Ludlow.

We got to see Joe & Amber’s land by the North Clarendon area. They will start building soon. It is close to a small airport where Joe plans on parking his future plane.

The Hubbarton Battlefield Site, where the only Civil War battle in Vermont took place.

We had a fantastic time in New England. Gratefully, we were able to spend a solid week with family which was more than we have in the last 10 years combined! Thank you Joe & Amber for all of your detailed planning, flexibility and generosity. We love you ❤️.

Chefchaouen was quite a change from Tangier. It has a smaller population of 45,000 and is located at 2,000 feet. Known as the Blue Pearl, due to the blue painted walls in the medina and surroundong town, Chefchaouen draws a lot of Instagrammers for its many picturesque hotspots. Just like Tangier, cats, especially kittens were everywhere. Supermarkets are non existent and wine is found at one store and is very expensive. You have been warned 😜.

We always appreciate a professional guided tour, especially walking tours. Abdennour was an excellent guide who spoke good English and had a sense of humor. Even though we had been here a full week, he showed us many new places we had not seen and explained the history of the area.

Chefchaouen means 2 horns and those are the 2 peaks behind the town.

We love the little kitties everywhere. All are friendly, but some are in rough shape.

We actually had use of a small pool at our Airbnb.

The architecture, doorways and views are unique.

Plaza Uta el Hamman, the large central square with many visitors and hawkers eagerly urging guests to dine at their cafes.

Food is unique and generally inexpensive. On left, is Madfouna, also known as Moroccan pizza, a flatbread stuffed with spicy beef and served with a spicy green chutney along with a delightful ginger lemonade. On right, a typical breakfast, OJ, hot Moroccan mint tea, fried eggs, green olives, softcheese, goat cheese, chopped bologna type meat (mortadella-chicken, turkey, or beef) and the plate behind, with a thick crepe and cornbread type bread (harcha) marmalade, butter and honey, all for $4.50 USD.

Panoramic view of Chefchaouen from the Spanish Mosque just after sunset. Quite a hike to get up there, albeit paved. We ended up with over 16,000 steps that day.

Robin with her new best friend, Azzin.

Chefchaouen was a great adventure. Most tourists we see are visiting for a day trip from Casablanca, Fes, or other nearby cities. Spending 2 weeks here gave us time to further experience the Moroccan way of life and their rich and colorful culture. We enjoyed our favorite restaurants several times and really learned our way around the medina. The Blue Pearl was magical, peaceful and exhilarating.

Next stop…. Boston, MA (Salem and Killington, VT)