Fellow travelers,

Don’t they say "never two without three"? It seems so. Here I am again on the forum to share—and let’s be honest, indulge a bit of selfish pleasure—by recounting the story of this third installment in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Where? It’s all in the title. On the island of Kyushu in southern Japan, more precisely in the northwest between Fukuoka and Nagasaki. I hope to take you along with me for 19 nights and 18 full days this autumn of 2024. On the itinerary: gastronomy, crafts, festivals, waterfalls, encounters, and leisurely strolls in all simplicity.

A last-minute flight booked just 7 days before departure, and the route evolved regularly based on whims and accommodation availability, eventually settling on this:

- 5 nights in Fukuoka: Fukuoka city, Ukiha, Itoshima, Dazaifu, Yanagawa - 4 nights in Hasami, Nagasaki Prefecture: Okawachiyama, Arita, Takeo, Kashima, Yobuko, Karatsu, Kabeshima - 6 nights in Nagasaki: Ureshino, Higashi-Sonogi, Nagasaki city, Unzen, Sotome - 4 nights in Fukuoka: Karatsu, Fukuoka city

Most of the trip was done by car for practical reasons—easier access to certain places and freedom of movement—but also for the sheer joy of it. Despite slow traffic at times, driving in rural Japan is a delight.

If the program interests you, see you soon for the start of the journey.

So happy the forum reopened last October!!! I’ve started reading again (posts, travel journals) and chiming in on a few discussions. Now I’m stepping it up by writing a new travel journal—I’ve already posted a few between 2018 and 2020.

My latest trip was to Italy from August 27 to September 26, 2024. As the title says, it was a wander through Tuscany in parts of the region that aren’t the most visited. No Firenze-Siena-Pisa trilogy, no San Gimignano; there’ll be a quick detour into Siena, but I’ll skip the best-known sights. That choice, plus traveling in September, should help dodge overtourism. It worked out—crowds were light, sometimes very light, the whole way. Here’s the practical rundown: - a long trip outside peak season (ah, retirees!) - solo camping (caravan) - a mix of activities (hiking, mountain biking, sightseeing) in places that aren’t always packed with tourists. Still, I don’t feel like I ended up in some hidden-away spots. Not sure if this will draw any readers.

DAY 1: Tuesday, August 27, 2024 The heat was intense on the drive in across the plain; two big storms—more rain and hail than lightning and thunder—threw the weather off, the first near Imola, the second on the four-lane road up the Savio valley. I left the Cesena-Roma four-lane at the Verghereto exit and climbed up to Balze (1,100 meters). The campsite is even higher (1,200 meters), in the forest near the source of the Tevere (Tiber). Staying up here will cut down on driving for the first part of the trip: a route through the Appennino (Apennines) on the border between Toscana and Emilia-Romagna. The temperature was surprisingly mild for the altitude, the air thick with moisture by late afternoon. I drove back down from the campsite to Balze (2 km on the road) to grab groceries (it’s doable) and scout tomorrow’s hike. .

The endpoint of the planned hike is just a few meters from this sign (the trail crosses this road about 3 km from Balze). I realized Balze and the source of the Tevere (Tiber) are actually in Emilia-Romagna, not Toscana. I always thought the Tevere (Tiber), which flows toward Roma (Tyrrhenian side), started in Toscana! I’ll come back to this quirk in Day 3’s write-up.

February 9th is a pivotal day during my trip to Thailand. Up until this date, my focus had been on cities, temples, and other urban landmarks. Starting February 10th, I’ll finally leave the city behind for the outskirts—one town, one life, farther from tourism, more real, more authentic... Then comes the bucolic surroundings of Chiang Mai, nature, the countryside, the mountains.

This morning, I head to visit the ethnographic museum. I’d been told about another one, but it’s permanently closed. I wonder if it’s the same one that might have changed its name and location.

I thoroughly enjoy visiting this museum. At first, I’m a bit annoyed because the place is packed with noisy school groups blocking the display cases without even showing the slightest interest. But soon, their chaperones manage to lead them into another room, giving me some peace. They maintain this distance throughout the tour, allowing me to explore the museum in complete tranquility. I really appreciate their tact.

I’m amazed by the absolutely stunning fabric displays and the countless everyday objects, especially the very old pottery. There’s so much beautiful basketry and intricately carved wood. The statues are also incredible... After seeing all of them, I no longer feel like buying any from the shops.

On my way back, not far from my hotel, I discover a rather unique place that only serves one drink, which they’ve made their specialty: egg coffee! A pretty surprising novelty. I have to try it.



At the bottom of the cup, they pour a layer of milk, topped with a layer of liquid coffee, followed by a layer of egg yolk, and finally a top layer that turns out to be a mix of coffee and cocoa powder. It’s a cold drink that, in the end, doesn’t have much flavor, and the price is pretty steep for such a small cup. You’re paying for the exclusivity!

Later in the day, I venture once again into small alleys, something I love doing when exploring a new city—no specific goal, just wandering east of the city, outside the walls.



I encounter very few tourists there and discover unsuspected little shops overflowing with lovely items, much cheaper than what you find in the heart of the tourist district. Then I wander through the floors of Warorot Market. I discover another kind of temple there: the temple of good deals. I love finding clothes that are really original for locals, not the flood of shirts and pants that tourists love but no Thai would ever buy, which invade the shops in the "Historic Square." I stop in my tracks in front of a stall with beautiful shirts featuring stunning geometric patterns in elegant color combinations and very short sleeves. Hmm, these would be perfect for showing off my biceps, one of which is adorned with the magnificent Ganesh tattoo I got last year in Bali. "When you’ve got nice things, you’ve got to show them off!" he said. 😜🙏💪 I pick out two for 380 baht and negotiate them down to 300. But the seller won’t go any lower. I understand I’ve reached the limit of her commercial possibilities. Just as I’m leaving the shop, happy with my purchase, my ever-helpful inner voice, Petite Voix, suggests: - You didn’t try them on because you were too lazy to take off the one you’re wearing and also because of the sweat, but you could just put one on over the one you’re wearing. It’s light enough that it won’t bother you.

I go back to the two sellers, who burst out laughing when I ask to try them on. - Oh no, it’s way too small for you! It’s a women’s shirt! - But they don’t look particularly feminine in style! And I chose XXL... I put the shirt on, and of course, it won’t close. Then I notice the buttons are on the wrong side. That’s why the sleeves seemed so short!!! They put the shirts back on the rack and refund me without any fuss, commenting amid total hilarity: - Well, thank goodness you tried it on just as you were leaving the shop!

Since I don’t want to walk too much before tomorrow’s first Big Outing with the driver, I end my stroll with a visit to two very pretty temples recommended by Joël.



I’d rather not post more temple photos. But these ones smell like village and countryside...







I’ve never seen anything like Wat Ket Karam, so extravagant...





And I end my day with two other lesser-known temples: Wat Noung Kham, simple and finally free of gold and glitter,



and Wat Dap Phai, where an intimate ceremony is taking place at the end of the day.

Off on new adventures!!! For my wife’s 60th birthday, I’m really making her happy. While I usually pick warm, sunny destinations, she’s more tempted by places where you don’t suffer from the heat. So, it’s off to Norway!! A real challenge for me—a southern guy who’s as cold-sensitive as they come. I keep telling anyone who’ll listen (well, just myself, really) that these aren’t the countries for me, that rain will be our travel companion, that we’ll have to face polar bears, navigate between icebergs, that there are still Vikings around, and all sorts of other things. Of course, not wanting to make it easy, we’re driving from the Lyon area where we live. Friends who’ve visited the country told us it’s pretty expensive to eat out (among other things), so we’re bringing supplies—especially enough for apéritifs the whole trip!!! It’s not a camper van, but a "hotel-car" we’ll be doing! We’ll see how it goes! As usual, I’ll try to narrate the journey with my two-cent comments, plus some little tips to avoid our mistakes—assuming I don’t lose any fingers to the cold! Every night, I’ll count them to make sure I still have all ten! We’re not in *Ch’tis* territory but even farther Noooorth (as Galabru would say). Note that I’m traveling with a synovial effusion in my knee! The old man’s not in great shape!! Here we go!!

PS: As always, I’m a filmmaker, so I’ve made an effort with a few photos from my phone.

Kattegat isn’t just the name of the village in the TV series *Vikings*—it’s also the stretch of water separating Denmark from Sweden... the sea, basically! And further north, you’ve got Norway and its fjords! Originally, I’d planned to just do a loop around Kattegat, with the *Under* restaurant in Lindesnes as our anniversary treat... but along the way, we thought, why not "push" a little further north, keeping an eye on the budget since we’d chosen to travel by car in June 2025 through Scandinavia.

Why by car when most travelers opt for a camper van, while others prefer the comfort of cruises? Well, because we don’t own a camper van, renting one is pricey, and then you’ve got to add fuel costs (those things guzzle gas!), ferry fees, and other "tolls." All things considered, we went for mostly rentals—especially since there were four of us at the start of the trip. We spent the first week in Denmark with our daughter and son-in-law. Then they flew back to Belgium, and we continued our adventure as a couple. For accommodation, we mainly booked Airbnb apartments, which helped keep costs down and, most importantly, let us prepare our own meals (diet, diet!). In this travel journal, you’ll discover (or rediscover, for those who followed my older ones) our unbridled love for theme parks, museums, unique experiences, and—especially in Denmark—Legos! Unfortunately, we didn’t do any hikes this year because the unpredictable weather had made the trails slippery, and since I’d already taken three tumbles during the trip, I didn’t want to risk another! In the end, we traveled for 32 days, covered 6,200 km, and most importantly, discovered the charming country of Denmark, marveled at Norway’s breathtaking fjords—all without suffering the heatwave that hit France and Belgium that June! If you’ve got any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!

Before I begin, I’d like to thank Michèle Buisson and her "Misha’s travel journals," which really helped me plan this trip. It’s tough to find information about this part of India, which is quite different from the "more traditional India." I’m so grateful to her for introducing me to a family who hosted me for 4 nights and 3 days. I can’t wait to return the favor and welcome you all to my place in early July!

Thursday, March 20th. The alarm goes off super early, but I’m already awake—I was too worried I’d sleep through it. I leave the house at 4:00 AM. The rain has stopped, and at this hour, there aren’t many trucks on the road. I arrive at Barcelona Airport easily by 6:20 AM, let the valet know I’m there, and he quickly picks up my car. This time, I’m flying with Etihad Airways again. I booked the ticket during my trip to Cambodia: Barcelona/Kolkata, Delhi/Barcelona for 567 €. At that price, I didn’t hesitate for long—I knew I had to take it. And I’m glad I did because, by the time I returned, the price had gone up to 700 €. I can already hear the reactions: "Wow, how’d you get a ticket for that price? What site did you use? You’re amazing, MarieJo!" One thing’s for sure—I’m really happy with this deal. The flights from Barcelona to Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi to Kolkata go smoothly, and we arrive on time at 2:55 AM. There aren’t many people at immigration, so I get through quickly. My luggage isn’t on the carousel yet. After collecting my bag, I check in for my next flight with IndiGo, a 5:40 AM flight to Guwahati, arriving at 7:00 AM. I’m starting to feel pretty tired, so I take a taxi from the airport to Gruham Sojourn Homestay. The house is upstairs, and the neighborhood seems quiet, with restaurants lining the street. The room won’t be ready until 10:00 AM, so I rest on the bench in the meantime. Once in the room, I take a shower—it really helps me feel refreshed. I need to exchange some euros, so I look up a nearby exchange bureau on Google and head out to find it. I locate it easily, and the staff are super friendly. I get a great rate (1 € = 90 INR). I wander around the neighborhood. The train station isn’t far, and small markets line the streets. I head back to my area, walking along the main avenue. About 500 meters from my street, I discover a museum. The visit is fascinating—I see the famous Majuli masks, among other things.



I’m not far from the Brahmaputra River, and the temptation to visit is too strong to resist. I’d hoped to find a promenade along the river, but that doesn’t exist here. I walk back calmly and notice several restaurants in my street. On the doorstep of my accommodation, I spot a pastry shop with cakes that look more like the ones we have in France than the typical ones here in India. A visit is a must, and I’m not disappointed!



Tonight, I’m dining at a restaurant in the street. The menu is a bit disappointing—burgers, pizzas, pasta—nothing very Indian. So, I’ll go with tomato pasta.

Hi everyone!

Blue skies (lots of them), whitewashed villages with steep alleyways, hundreds of churches, and... thousands of stairs? Welcome to the Cyclades! 🙂

We’d been dreaming about this for a while, but in July-August—with the crowds—no way! Now that I can travel outside school holidays, the Cyclades are back on the agenda. And so begins a loooong period of planning and second-guessing, with countless itinerary changes: the Cyclades, yes, but which ones? I was fixated on Folegandros (we won’t be going after all) and really wanted to visit Delos. So, for this first trip, it’ll be: Mykonos (and Delos)-Naxos-Amorgos-Santorini.

Saturday 24/05: Departure from Orly on a Transavia flight, arriving in Mykonos in the late afternoon. We found a hotel that offers free transfers (pretty rare and not insignificant—it’s 25 € each way for just a few kilometers 😠) and at a reasonable price (83 € per night for B&B). Time for dinner already: Greek salad and souvlaki (we’re in Greece, right?)

(Okay, this is actually a dakos with Naxos cheese, but I don’t have a photo of a Greek salad 😏).

Our trip to Norway was two years ago already, but I thought it might still be of interest—and it’ll let me relive it a bit by proxy.

Before booking our flight tickets, we debated the route: should we prioritize the north with the Lofoten and Senja islands, or the south with its countless fjords? I was tempted to stay in the south—the country is so vast, and the drive north is long... but my husband really didn’t want to miss the Lofoten. In the end, we figured that since Norway is known for being expensive, we might only visit once (funny how we said the same thing before our first trip to the American West, and look how that turned out 😎), so we didn’t want to skip anything. That meant a 2–3 day drive up north. With 22 days on the ground, it was doable. Especially since, as usual, we skip big cities and gave Oslo a pass.

Practical details: - Flight tickets: 1195 € for 4 with Air France (Paris–Oslo outbound, Tromsø–Bergen–Paris return) - Car rental: 2020 € for 21 days (including the outrageous drop-off fee between Oslo and Tromsø—about 1000 €) - Tolls and ferries: 250 € for the portion billed directly by the rental company. Some ferries required advance booking and payment at the time of reservation—I’ll note their prices as I go through the story. - Hotels: 4135 €, averaging 188 € per night. We blew past our usual budgets from trips to the U.S., but oh well... - Food: 1570 €, averaging 71 € per day for 4 in a country where everything’s expensive... How’d we manage? We rarely ate out, mostly grocery shopped, and even packed half a suitcase with non-perishables: pasta, rice, a few cans, and even some cured sausage! We also stayed 3 nights at Clarion Collection hotels, where an evening buffet was included in the room rate.

Sunday, October 1st, 2023 Mulhouse-London We dumped our trash on our neighbors. We hugged, overflowing with emotion. Then Léa from Taxis S showed up. She knows us well. For ages, she’s been our driver. She was practically the official taxiwoman for the trips of the company where Dom and I met. She knew us when we were single! Almost teenagers! She knows everyone and fills in the biographies of people we’d forgotten. Across the street, while we loaded the luggage, S., perched in his window frame, waved a handkerchief. This wasn’t just any trip. Then things got tricky. It’s funny how fate sinks its teeth into our happy moments—there’s this whole intermediate phase where the poison seeps in unnoticed because you’re still in the dark... First, there was a delay on our flight to London. Dom immediately went on high alert, while I stayed calm. In my mind, we had two hours. I knew we had to go from Terminal 5 to Terminal 4, but two hours—come on, that’s plenty, right?

Bad calculation! Because those two hours were between the first flight’s landing and the second’s takeoff. But flights close at least half an hour before departure. Getting from one terminal to another means taking a shuttle bus. We waited for the one going to Terminal 4... until a young guy paid to direct people (who hadn’t seen us) informed us it was no longer possible to access Terminal 4 without going through Terminal 2 first for a connection! That really cranked up the pressure. We started installing a mental countdown with a programmed explosion at the end—guaranteed stress with added beads of sweat. The terminal bus was driven by a young Pakistani guy. We were *so* tense we bombarded him with our frantic, repetitive questions. “So? When are we getting there? What’s happening? Why aren’t we moving?” Our eyes were glued to our watches. The poor guy knew. Perfectly. Because it was obvious—no way around it. We weren’t going to make it. It was impossible. But Dom and I stubbornly refused to believe it. Then the kid stopped the bus. Me, hysterical: “What are you doing? What’s going on? Our plane takes off in... in... 4 minutes!!!! We’re gonna miss iiiiiit!” He wasn’t calm either. “You’ve already missed it!” He explained we had to cross a zone that required an escort car to clear a path through the runways. Impossible to do without. It’s forbidden. We had to WAIT (!!!). Then he got a radio call—he had to rush to Terminal 3 to pick up a passenger who was *super* tight on time. “Amir!!!! It’s RIGHT NOW!” they yelled in his already-red ears, thanks to the complaints of two hysterical Frenchies. Dom and I were in overdrive, hallucinating! We wanted to stop him, maybe even hit him to prevent him from turning around. He picked up the girl, whom we instantly hated like the most despicable witch. I turned on my data, searched for Malaysia Airlines’ number at Terminal 4, called, and actually got someone—quite a feat. A woman cut off my frantic rambling with a blunt “It’s over, the check-in is closed, the plane is about to take off.” I heard her but refused to accept it. I yelled, “We’re coming!” She shot back her monolithic “It’s over.” Finally at the doors of that damn Terminal 4, we ran—*really* ran—a marathon, Gate 6, security checks, pat-downs, “Take off your belts,” we asked questions, everyone seemed confident, we ran with one hand holding up our pants, the other clutching our belt, Gate 6—the room was empty. A girl was sitting there, calmly on the phone. We pounced on her. She calmed us down. Little by little, the light came back. Our brains rebooted. We finally understood it was over. We’d have to start crafting a new plan with the new reality. It started with a return to Terminal 5 to talk to British Airways, which took a good hour. With the same driver as before. We were alone with him. He took the time to apologize, to assure us it wasn’t his fault, that our problem had no solution, that nothing could’ve changed the outcome. At BA, we were exhausted. We were greeted by a handsome young man in a navy-blue uniform with gold stripes everywhere. We could’ve made a scene, but we were just relieved to find someone who’d take charge of our story. It was a minimal response, but it was *a* response. I suppose we could’ve demanded a business-class upgrade or a free trip, but we were just happy with a few vouchers for food, a hotel room with breakfast, and a little bag with plastic toys, a razor, toothbrush, hygiene products, and a T-shirt... Trinkets... But we were fine with it all—we said thank you eagerly because the essential was assured. He found us seats on flights tomorrow. *Tomorrow.* We were afraid to hope! We had the exact same flights but a day later. The same crappy times, but it was all good. We felt saved from the shipwreck, like survivors. - And what about the luggage? - .... !!!!

Monday, October 2nd, 2023 London - Kuala Lumpur

It wasn’t the Ritz, but with exhaustion on our side, we slept well. The continental breakfast was way better than we’d expected from an Ibis Budget. Still, it wasn’t enough to restore my joy for life. The course correction had turned into an arduous obstacle course. I scoured the car rental site every which way. Couldn’t reschedule the car. I’d done it before, but this time... Not to mention the laptop battery was complaining—the Brits have this quirk of making their power outlets incompatible with our chargers. Frustrated, I called them but ended up with a girl who declared herself incompetent and offered to have someone from Avis in Perth call me back—someone who’d supposedly handle rentals better. I decided to wait while taking a bath. Barely settled in, the phone rang. I was soaking wet, of course, and asked Dom to answer. Unfortunately, she’s known for disliking my phone, and in a clumsy move, she hung up. We got annoyed. She put dry towels on the edge of the bathtub, but—another false move—they fell in the water. The phone rang again... I completely redid the plans for the next two days, then transferred the files to my phone to consult them later offline. I plugged in my USB cable... *Plop!* The battery died abruptly—my PC shut down without any of the usual polite warnings! I looked around, hoping to find someone to strangle... Long story short, you can tell the day started under the worst omens. I was in a foul mood and spread my bad vibes to Dominique, who was initially in much better spirits... I called Mastercard, hoping to get a refund for the non-refundable night in Perth we’d already paid for. Same old song: “We’ll call you back”... Then... I’ll cut it short—buses, trains, lots of waiting... We rushed to reach the infamous Terminal 4.



We tried new options and convinced ourselves that a delayed departure flight is unrecoverable, no matter the scenario. We were furious that BA hadn’t bothered to tell us, leaving us to run around like rats in a burning house.

Tuesday, October 3rd, 2023 Kuala Lumpur-Perth

The flight was pretty nice. 13 hours, though. Dom and I were facing each other across the aisle. We could get up easily whenever we wanted without bothering anyone and chat when we felt like it. Besides, their chicken was amazing. They were kind enough to offer Dom a truly remarkable glass of rum. Good movies too, including the excellent *Prisoners* by Denis Villeneuve. At KL, during boarding, we developed a nagging worry about our luggage. We checked with some Malaysian Airlines staff. I sensed their hesitation. They made calls. Then changed their minds, giving us smiles and thumbs up...

Wednesday, October 4th, 2023 Perth

*Happy is the man who, like Ulysses, has had a fine voyage.* Well, for us, it wasn’t that. Finally arrived, we experienced the loneliness of tourists watching the baggage carousel spin, emptying of its precious containers one by one, until only a handful of travelers were left, staring at each other in disbelief. Without luggage, you’re kinda screwed. Not even a change of socks—our feet had been swimming in the same shoes for 3 days. No adapter, so no laptop. No toiletries. We could’ve cried! The lost luggage guy played his part. If you want compensation, fill out the disclaimer on the website made for that. And then, “Don’t worry, your luggage will arrive tomorrow!” “Don’t worry?!” From the start of the trip, we’ve been jerked around, fed lies. Tomorrow is the *absolute* last chance to get them back. Beyond that, we’d have to scramble a whole new trip. And lose a lot in the process! I have no idea how to go about it. Tomorrow... OMG... Tomorrow... We landed at 1 AM. Avis, the car rental place, opens at 6:30. Luckily, we found some decent breakfast. It cheered us up and gave us a second wind. Incorrigible, we started believing again! Well, then we just killed time. What else was there to do?



In front of Avis’s little shack, we were freezing. We’d been there since dawn. The girl who showed up, a Latina, immediately saw us as a nuisance who’d ruin her hopes of a peaceful start. Her face and tone were as unwelcoming as possible. You know us—it ended with hugs. She gave us a gorgeous, brand-new car! A hybrid with ultra-sophisticated features, all buttons you shouldn’t touch if you want to drive this thing without causing irreparable damage! We’re off! Driving on the left is easy at first. You think about it constantly. It’s counterintuitive, it takes effort. It’s later, when you get used to it and confidence sets in, that it becomes dangerous—old reflexes can send you into a wall. Anyway, the car and I immediately clicked.

In Perth, underground parking next to the hotel, friendly welcome—we ended up forgetting all the morning’s mishaps. Should we go sightseeing?

https://voyageforum.com/images/posts/small/1733767537-5Nwk6t3DsBZNOzf.jpg

Mid-June, two Auvergnats on the starting blocks—off we go to the former Yugoslavia! We’d already explored some nooks and crannies of northern Croatia back in 2019, so we’re keeping the momentum going by planning a trip to the south of the country and then Montenegro.

On the way back, we’ll drift into Bosnia-Herzegovina just to mix things up a bit!

We’re a little unsure about what to expect in terms of tourist crowds.

Dubrovnik has a reputation for being the hardest-hit city by overtourism, and Kotor and the whole Dalmatian coast aren’t exactly empty...

Luckily, most European countries haven’t started school holidays yet, and some measures seem to have been put in place to limit the flow (like restrictions on the number of cruise ships allowed to dock at the same time).

Maybe we’ll manage to escape the promised hell?

For now, we’re slamming the doors of the Scirocco and heading off to our first stop: northern Italy!

During our first road trip across the United States, we covered 23,000 km and crossed 28 states in 53 days.

Originally, we had planned to drive Route 66 all the way to Oatman in Arizona and visit various national parks in the American West over a two-month period.

This itinerary was planned before our departure, and all the relevant information had been gathered to stick to the schedule.

Everything went so smoothly that we finished visiting the national parks well ahead of our planned return date.

It helped that having a bed, a portable toilet, and a cooler in our vehicle gave us some autonomy since we didn’t have to worry about accommodation.

So, we decided to extend our road trip to the cities of Nashville and Memphis in Tennessee.

We then headed to Louisiana to visit Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

We crossed Mississippi and Alabama before driving along Florida’s west coast all the way to Key West.

We returned via Florida’s east coast and then crossed the eastern U.S. states to get back to Quebec through the Jackman border crossing in Maine.

So, I invite you to keep reading this long recap, which will let you discover the different attractions we visited throughout this amazing journey.

Videos are included throughout the recap. Click on the image to start the video.

To jump to a specific post, here are the relevant links:

Route 66 - Illinois & Missouri Route 66 - St. Louis (Missouri) - Gateway Arch National Park Route 66 - Cuba (Missouri) - City Murals Route 66 - Springfield (Missouri) - Fantastic Caverns Route 66 - Kansas & Oklahoma Route 66 - Texas & Arizona Route 66 - Texas - The Stations of the Cross in Groom Route 66 - Texas - Panhandle - VW Slug Bug Ranch Texas - Palo Duro Canyon State Park - Juniper Trails Texas - Palo Duro Canyon State Park - The Lighthouse Trail Route 66 - Texas - Amarillo - Cadillac Ranch Route 66 - New Mexico - Santa Rosa Blue Hole New Mexico - Bandelier National Monument - Alcove House Trail via Main Loop Trail New Mexico - Bandelier National Monument - Tsankawi Ruins Trail New Mexico - White Rock Overlook Route 66 - New Mexico - Albuquerque - Old Town New Mexico - White Sands National Park New Mexico - White Sands National Park - Dune Life Nature Trail New Mexico - White Sands National Park - Playa Trail New Mexico - White Sands National Park - Interdune Boardwalk New Mexico - Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument New Mexico - Grants - Ice Cave & Bandera Volcano New Mexico - Gallup - Pyramide Rock Trail & Church Rock Trail Arizona - Holbrook - Painted Desert Arizona - Petrified Forest National Park - Puerco Pueblo & Newspaper Rock Viewpoint Arizona - Petrified Forest National Park - Blue Mesa Arizona - Petrified Forest National Park - The Teepees, Agate Bridge & Jasper Forest Overlook Arizona - Petrified Forest National Park - Crystal Forest Trail Arizona - Petrified Forest National Park - Giant Logs Trail Arizona - Winslow - Two Guns Ghost Town Arizona - Cameron - Little Colorado River Gorge Overlooks Arizona - Grand Canyon National Park - Shoshone Point Trail Arizona - Grand Canyon National Park - Desert View Drive Arizona - Grand Canyon National Park - Rim Route (Orange) & Village Route (Blue) Arizona - Grand Canyon National Park - Hermit Route (Red Line) Route 66 - Arizona - Historic Town of Oatman Arizona - Bullhead City Community Park Nevada - Red Rock Canyon - Calico I & II & Sandstone Quarry Nevada - Red Rock Canyon - Willow Springs Nevada - Red Rock Canyon Lookouts Nevada - Valley of Fire State Park - White Domes Trail Nevada - Valley of Fire State Park - Seven Wonders Trail, Pink Canyon, Fire Wave Nevada - Valley of Fire State Park - Rainbow Vista Trail Nevada - Valley of Fire State Park - Mouse's Tank Trail Nevada - Valley of Fire State Park - Rock Formations Nevada - Valley of Fire State Park - Scenic Routes Nevada - Cathedral Gorge State Park - Slot Canyons Nevada - Cathedral Gorge State Park - Eagle Point & Miller Point Utah - Bryce Canyon National Park - Mossy Cave & Tropic Ditch Waterfall Trail Utah - Bryce Canyon National Park - Scenic Drive Utah - Zion National Park - Pa'rus Trail Utah - Zion National Park - Sand Bench Trail Utah - Zion National Park - Emerald Pools Trail Utah - Zion National Park - West Rim Trail (Trail connecting to Angels Landing) Utah - Zion National Park - Riverside Walk Utah - Zion National Park - Court of The Patriarchs & Big Bend Utah - Zion National Park - Mount Carmel Highway Scenic Drive Utah - Kanab - Jackson Flat Reservoir Utah - Toadstools Trail in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Arizona - Page - Glen Canyon Dam Overlook Arizona - Page - Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Arizona - Page - Horseshoe Bend Overlook Arizona - Page - Upper Antelope Canyon Arizona - Page - Navajo Canyon Boat Tour at Lake Powell Arizona - Page - Antelope Canyon X Arizona - Canyon de Chelly National Monument - Chelly Canyon Arizona - Canyon de Chelly National Monument - Canyon del Muerto Arizona - Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park Utah - Mexican Hat Utah - Mexican Hat - Goosenecks State Park Utah - Mexican Hat - Valley of the Gods Utah - The Moki Dugway Scenic Backway Utah - Blanding - Natural Bridges National Monument Utah - Lake Powell - Hite Crossing Bridge Utah - Lake Powell - Glen Canyon National Recreation Area - Hite Overlook Utah - Capitol Reef National Park - Chimney Rock Loop Trail Utah - Capitol Reef National Park - Hickman Bridge Trail Utah - Capitol Reef National Park - Grand Wash Trail Utah - Capitol Reef National Park - Sunset Point Trail Utah - Capitol Reef National Park - Goosenecks Trail Utah - Capitol Reef National Park - Viewpoints - Fruita Area Utah - Capitol Reef National Park - Viewpoints - Scenic Drive Utah - Capitol Reef National Park - Cassidy Arch Trail Utah - Capitol Reef National Park - On the way to Capitol Gorge Trailhead Utah - Capitol Reef National Park - Capitol Gorge Trailhead Utah - Monroe - Mystic Hot Springs Utah - Scenic Overlooks on UT-24, UT-119 & I-70 Utah - Arches National Park - Park Avenue Trail Utah - Arches National Park - Courthouse Towers Section's Viewpoints Utah - Arches National Park - Balanced Rock, Pothole Arch, Ham Rock & Garden of Eden Utah - Arches National Park - Double Arch Trail, Cove Arch, Cove of Caves & Panorama Point Utah - Arches National Park - Windows Loop & Turret Arch Trail Utah - Arches National Park - Delicate Arch Trail Utah - Arches National Park - Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint Trail Utah - Arches National Park - Fiery Furnace Section - Viewpoints Utah - Arches National Park - Sand Dune Arch Trail Utah - Arches National Park - Skyline Arch Trail Utah - Arches National Park - Devils Garden Trail Utah - Dead Horse Point State Park - West Rim Trail Utah - Dead Horse Point State Park - East Rim Trail Utah - Moab - Utah State Route 279 (Potash Road) Utah - Moab - Shafer Trail - Potash Evaporation Ponds Utah - Moab - Potash Road Dinosaur Tracks and Petroglyphs Utah - Moab - Potash Road - Corona, Bowtie & Pinto Arches Trail Utah - Moab - Potash Road - Wall Street Climbing Area Utah - Moab - Kane Springs Road Utah - Moab - Kane Springs Road - Side By Side Adventure Utah - Moab - Kane Springs Road to Moab Utah - Canyonlands National Park - Island in the Sky - Mesa Arch Trail Utah - Canyonlands National Park - Island in the Sky - Aztec Butte Trail Utah - Canyonlands National Park - Island in the Sky - Whale Rock Trail Utah - Canyonlands National Park - Island in the Sky - Upheaval Dome Trail Utah - Canyonlands National Park - Island in the Sky - Grand View Point Overlook Trail Utah - Canyonlands National Park - Island in the Sky - White Rim Overlook Trail Utah - Canyonlands National Park - Island in the Sky - Overlooks Utah - Moab - Wilson Arch Utah - Monticello - Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument Utah - Canyonlands National Park - The Needles - Road Side Ruin Trail Utah - Canyonlands National Park - The Needles - Cave Spring Trail Utah - Canyonlands National Park - The Needles - Pothole Point Trail Utah - Canyonlands National Park - The Needles - Big Spring Canyon Overlook Trail Utah - Canyonlands National Park - The Needles - Overlooks Colorado - Mesa Verde National Park - Mesa Top Ruins Road Colorado - Mesa Verde National Park - Chapin Mesa Road Colorado - Mesa Verde National Park - Mesa Top Loop Colorado - Mesa Verde National Park - Wetherill Mesa Road Colorado - Great Sand Dunes National Park Colorado - Mosca - Zapata Falls Colorado - Colorado Springs - Garden of the Gods Colorado - Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Colorado - Gunnison - Curecanti National Recreation Area Colorado - Gunnison - Blue Mesa Dam & Reservoir Colorado - Lake Pueblo State Park (Pueblo Reservoir) Kentucky - Mayfield, 5 months after an EF4 tornado Tennessee - Nashville - Downtown Walking Tour Tennessee - Graceland Mansion - Home of Elvis Presley Tennessee - Graceland - Lisa Marie & Hound Dog II Jets Tennessee - Graceland - Elvis Presley Automobile Museum & Exhibits Tennessee - Exploring Memphis Louisiana - Exploring Baton Rouge Louisiana - Exploring Lafayette Louisiana - Exploring Houma Louisiana - New Orleans - French Quarter Tour Louisiana - New Orleans - Garden District Tour Louisiana - New Orleans - Creole Queen Mississippi River Cruise Florida - Clearwater Beach Florida - Sanibel Island - Bowman's Beach Florida - Siesta Key Beach Florida - Captiva Island - Turner Beach Florida - Key Largo - Sunset Florida - Key West - Smathers Beach Florida - Miami Beach - Art Deco District Florida - Miami Beach South Carolina - Myrtle Beach Virginia - Virginia Beach Maine - Scarborough - Pine Point Beach

Hi everyone,

With my girlfriend Christelle, we’ve chosen South Africa for our first trip to Southern Africa, focusing on safaris—after a long debate with a Cape Town/Kruger combo. But that would’ve meant cutting out St Lucia, which would’ve been harder to fit into another trip. And St Lucia—thanks to Michel and all those travel journals—we really wanted to go there.

So our 11-night itinerary ended up like this, mostly shaped by school holidays: - 3 nights in St Lucia - 1 night in Hluhluwe - 1 night at Mkhaya Game Reserve (Eswatini) - 1 night at Hlane Royal National Park (Eswatini) - 3 nights in Kruger (Berg en Dal / Satara / Tamboti) - 1 night at Shindzela Tented Camp in the Timbavati private reserve - 1 final night in Kruger at Lower Sabie

All of this in the off-season and rainy season, just a month after catastrophic floods that killed over 150 people and seriously damaged Kruger’s infrastructure.

I’ll jump straight to St Lucia and skip the loooong journey to get there (with a layover in Frankfurt, landing in Johannesburg, a domestic flight to Durban, and the rest by rental SUV—First Car Rental, perfect, no complaints).

To motivate readers—especially some familiar faces here—I’ll drop in a first photo.

Our trip lasted a month, from March 10 to April 10, 2024, and was done aboard our Land Rover Defender 110. For those interested, our 4x4 is equipped with mountain-approved 3PMFSF all-terrain tires (non-studded), a removable electric winch that can be attached to either the front or rear of the vehicle, two sand recovery boards, and we bring two pairs of snow chains. We sleep in our Land Rover, which is equipped with a diesel-powered independent heater, a small fridge, and has a layout that allows the dinette to be converted into a bed.

Starting from the Paris region, we crossed Belgium and Germany, took the ferry from Travemünde in northern Germany to Helsinki, followed the Russian border up to northern Finland, then headed into Norway all the way to the North Cape before returning via Norway, taking the ferry from Larvik in Norway to Hirtshals in Denmark, then passing through Germany and Belgium on our way back to France.

Tonight, March 10, 2024, we’ll be sleeping at our daughter’s place in the North.

Tuesday, March 11, we’ll cross Belgium and then enter Germany, where we’ll camp in Bremen.

Wednesday, March 12, we’ll have a quick visit to Bremen in the morning. We had planned to visit Lübeck, but some electrical issues with the car delayed us, so we head straight to the German port of Travemünde, where we’re set to embark at 11:30 PM to cross the Baltic Sea and arrive in Helsinki after 31 hours of sailing (one-way cabin ticket cost: 850 €—quite expensive since we booked last minute).

On the ferry, there are mostly semi-trucks and only a few campervans and passenger cars. The boat is quiet, and the Baltic Sea is calm.

About two hours before arriving in Helsinki, we hear noise along the hull. Surprise—looking out the porthole, we realize we’re sailing on frozen sea ice!

Thursday, March 14, we arrive at the port of Helsinki at 9:30 AM. Disembarking takes a while. As soon as we’re out, we head straight to Rastila Camping (cost: 27 €), about ten kilometers east of Helsinki. Then we go to a Land Rover garage to fix our headlight switch, which stopped working (a real hassle in Finland since you have to drive with low beams on at all times).

After the repair, we visit the stunning Temppeliaukio Church, which is built underground.

On our way back to the campsite, we stop at the supermarket for supplies. Prices are similar to France, except for imported products.

We settle into our snowy campsite spot.

Hey fellow travelers,

We’re a couple in our fifties who’ve been traveling independently for ages—mostly in Asia, a bit in Africa, very little in the Americas, and never ever in West Asia until November 2023, when we discovered the Sultanate of Oman.



If we waited so long to explore this part of the world, it’s because a few questions were nagging at us, like: Can two Landais party lovers like us survive 15 days without apéro 😄? Or, more seriously: Can a feminist like me enjoy traveling in such a conservative country?

That is the question (and I feel your pain with this unbearable suspense 😅).

Ready to dive in?

PS: Apologies in advance for the casual tone of this travel journal—it’s the one I shared with our loved ones in real time, which explains everything.

This first trip of 2025 will have the taste of Asia.

More precisely, Thailand!

It’s not my first time—I’ve often traveled across Southeast Asia between 2000 and 2015. (This travel journal, for example...)

But it’ll be my partner’s first steps in this part of the world.

The itinerary we’ve chosen will alternate between familiar sights for me and new discoveries for both of us.

I’ll get to see how the country has changed in 20 years—and what’s stayed the same!

We were torn between the north and the south of the kingdom. Fears of smoke from slash-and-burn farming and a desire to relax on the sand tipped the scales toward the south...

What if we rented a car?

I think driving in sprawling Bangkok would be a bit ambitious, so we’ll only book our vehicle from Hua Hin to return it in Surat Thani.

Other transportation will range from tuk-tuks to overnight trains and ride-hailing services.

And of course, the plane!

I’d love to travel from Auvergne to Bangkok by road, but 15 days wouldn’t be enough...

Plus, the current geopolitical situation isn’t exactly favorable...

So, once again, we’ll be stuck for hours in the less-than-comfortable economy class of Qatar Airways.

The arrival time was on schedule, entry formalities were quick, and all our luggage made it.

We left Lyon in wind and cold—now we’re breathing in the warm, humid air of กรุงเทพมหานคร.

To reach our hotel, we first took the metro, which dropped us off in the city center in about 30 minutes for the incredible price of 1.18 €.

A few taps on the GRAB app, and we booked a ride-hailing service for the last few kilometers.

We waited a while for our driver due to insane traffic in the area, but once in the 4x4, we were at our lodging in no time.

We chose this small hotel for its riverside location, tranquility, and price.

It’ll do the job perfectly—the only downside is the weak breakfast.

The room is inviting, and we collapse onto the bed for a well-deserved short nap.

Wake-up call in an hour for our first visits!

See you soon...

A new work assignment means our vacation dates can't stay the same.

We had planned to go to the Canary Islands, but flight prices are skyrocketing with this new holiday schedule.

So, I’m looking for an alternative to Gran Canaria and El Hierro and found two round-trip flights with Wizz Air to Tirana.

398 €, including baggage and seats—perfect!

Plus, the departure and return times are great, which is pretty rare for a low-cost flight!

All that’s left is to rent a car, plan the route, and book accommodations.

With two weeks, we’ll have to make some choices!

Here’s the final itinerary: Shkodra (2 nights), Valbonë (3 nights), Tirana (1 night), Lake Ohrid (1 night), Korçë (1 night), Përmet (1 night), Gjirokastër (1 night), Himarë (2 nights), Berat (2 nights), and Krujë (1 night).

A mix of countryside and small towns, a bit of the Mediterranean, and some mountains!

Late October isn’t the best season, so let’s keep our fingers crossed for the rest...

After five trips to the American West, we had planned to switch countries and continents to visit Turkey. However, by the time we made up our minds, flight ticket prices had nearly doubled, reaching 400 € for a round-trip ticket. A bit disappointed, I started looking at transatlantic flight prices and stumbled upon discounted tickets from Basel-Mulhouse to Dallas—at the same price as our tickets to Turkey!

No hesitation needed; we bought the five tickets for a total of 1,860 € excluding baggage!

From Fort Worth Airport, we had two options: - Head west on a loop through Texas, New Mexico, and southern Colorado - Head east to change the scenery and explore East Texas, Louisiana, with a possible detour into Florida.

The latter option won unanimously, so here we are, off to discover new states, mainly Louisiana and Texas.

One of the main post-COVID challenges is finding a reasonably priced car rental. After an initial booking around 1,300 €, we kept an eye on prices a few weeks before departure and managed to snag a better deal at around 900 € for a comfortable sedan.

Yes, this summer will also be a first: no 4x4, no camping, and plenty of restaurants!

As always, I’ve planned a packed itinerary, ready to adjust on the go. A few weeks before departure, we learned we’d be at full capacity—our eldest son, Maxime, got his first-year med school results. By finishing as a top admit, he avoided the mandatory July-August internship that would’ve kept him from joining us. Instead, he wrapped up his internship at the last minute the night before our big departure.

We’ll get to savor these special moments together.

The itinerary: Day 1 - 07/15: Fort Worth Day 2: Dallas Day 3: Jefferson - Caddo Lake Day 4: Black Bayou Lake - Natchez - Stanton Hall and Rosalie Mansion Day 5: St. Francisville - Rosedown Plantation - Cat Island Wildlife Refuge Day 6: Mobile - USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park Day 7 - 8: Pensacola Beach Day 9: Bellingrath Gardens - New Orleans Day 10 - 11: New Orleans Day 12: Plantation Route Day 13: Jungle Gardens - Tabasco Factory - Vermilionville - Lake Martin Day 14: Baton Rouge - USS Kidd Day 15: Houma - Cajun Man's Swamp Tour Day 16: Galveston, Texas Day 17: Space Center Houston - Painted Churches Day 18: San Antonio Day 19: Texas Hill Country Day 20: Texas Hill Country and evening in San Antonio Day 21: Austin and Waco

Day 0 - 07/14: The departure timing isn’t exactly relaxing. On Thursday late afternoon, we hit the road to Alsace, aiming to drop off our two cockers with family before reaching the airport at 2 AM for a 3-hour power nap. Not exactly fresh, we arrive at the terminal looking for a British Airways counter. None in sight, so we try our luck at a United Airlines counter—who knows, maybe it’ll work out. And bingo! The agent checks us in. We didn’t quite understand why, but maybe there’s some agreement between airlines. For the first time, we’re traveling without checked baggage, so no extra fees. Not a huge feat, given the scorching temperatures awaiting us!

The connecting flight to London goes smoothly.

During the layover, liquid checks get stricter—now requiring small bottles to be in a pre-approved clear bag, with only one bag allowed per passenger. Normally, no big deal, but between deodorant, sunscreen, after-sun lotion, hand sanitizer, contact lens solution, etc., we spend 20 minutes optimizing the arrangement! When we finally succeed, one of the security staff bursts out laughing and congratulates us!

With our stomachs growling, we grab an American breakfast before browsing the airport shops.

We then discover our plane for the long-haul flight and are thrilled to see it’s an A380—a first for Laetitia, though the rest of the family experienced it during our winter getaway. Still just as impressive!

With a hint of uncertainty, we take off for the States—my third trip in barely 12 months. This time, no endless badlands, canyons, slot canyons, hoodoos, or brain rocks, but a journey through five states (Texas, Louisiana, a quick stop in Mississippi, Alabama, and the northwest tip of Florida), where we hope to soak up a unique vibe... with a packed schedule of diverse visits.

Arrival at Fort Worth Airport and customs go smoothly. Since we have no checked baggage, we’re first in line at the Dollar counter. In just 3 minutes, the formalities are done. We decline the Toll Pass, which I don’t think we’ll need based on my "calculations," and head to the Dollar parking lot, where an employee tells us we can pick any car we want!

There are about thirty cars waiting. Too many choices!

After last year’s mishap in Oakland, where our 4x4’s trunk was broken into, we’re looking for a sedan to hide our luggage this time. Unfortunately, there are none—only SUVs. We finally settle on a comfortable 7-seater Ford SUV with a massive trunk when set up for five.

On the road from Fort Worth to Dallas, we accidentally take a toll highway without realizing until it’s too late to exit. Let’s hope Dollar doesn’t charge us a week’s worth of their pricey Toll Pass for a $2 toll. We’ll see... In the meantime, Maxime sets up Google Maps to avoid toll roads.

Since it’s not too late, we stop by the nearest Walmart for groceries before checking into our hotel room for three nights in East Dallas suburb.

Hi everyone,

We traveled to Norway in the summer of 2025, from July 17 to 29, to visit Senja Island and the Lofoten archipelago with a rental car. The common thread of these twelve days was clearly hiking, along with a few visits and experiences, and nights spent in a tent or in the car (which made it possible). We chose Narvik Airport for both arrival and departure for several complementary reasons: the desire to visit nearby Senja Island, slightly more affordable airfare, and finally, the rental price of the vehicle—especially the car model we were looking for. We only made one reservation, for the first campsite, as sleeping in a tent made things much easier. But we had the whole structure of the trip planned, a flexible outline that could adapt to the weather conditions we’d encounter. Senja Island isn’t part of the Lofoten archipelago, and during the early stages of planning this trip, we hadn’t planned to visit it. But its relative proximity to Narvik Airport and, above all, its unique geography definitely made us change our minds. We arrived in Evenes, where Narvik Airport is located, nearly 60 km from the city itself. Our first stop was 40 km further in Bjerkvik on the way to Senja, where there’s a Rema 1000 (a very common supermarket chain in Norway). We needed to buy some food and a gas cartridge for our stove. I’d emailed the store manager beforehand, who told me they didn’t sell them but that the two gas stations in the village were likely to have some in stock.

It was only at the Esso station that I found what I needed, but unfortunately, only one cartridge. Luckily, we quickly realized that most campsites (like in Iceland) have a shared kitchen with hotplates. That single small cartridge was just enough for the few nights we spent outside of campsites... We got our first taste of Norway’s characteristic landscapes:

When we arrived at the Senja campsite, it was already 9:30 PM. A sign announced it was full, but luckily, I’d booked it 10 days earlier. By 10:30 PM, as we settled in to eat, it was still broad daylight, and the thermometer read 25°C—despite being at a latitude of 69° North! We went to bed around midnight, exhausted but under the light of a sun that was still very much present. Thanks to Earth’s tilted axis. We’d anticipated this by buying opaque sleep masks because, yes, at this time of year, it’s daylight all the time.

Friday, July 18:

Today, we planned two hikes on the island and a few stops along the way. The map clearly shows that the deepest fjords are in the north and west. Due to time and accessibility, we focused on the northern part of the island. Our first stop was at the viewing platform in Bergbotn:



Then we headed toward Skaland, the starting point for our first hike. Along the way, we found plenty of reasons to stop—especially since, on this first day of travel, our thirst for Nordic landscapes was far from quenched.



The town of Skaland is very practical: free parking, picnic tables for after the hike, and a Joker convenience store right next door. Our goal was the summit of Husfjellet: 670 m of elevation gain, between 8 and 9 km in length, and an estimated 4 hours and 30 minutes.

This hike offers two major viewpoints. The first overlooks the Bergsoyan islands to the west:



At the summit, the view shifts to the Steinfjorden fjord:



You can even clearly see the "Devil’s Teeth," which we’d see from below later:



In total, the hike took us 4 hours and 30 minutes, including all the breaks. We treated ourselves to an ice cream in Skaland to recharge for the next hike. We hit the road again and stopped at Tungeneset to get a closer look at the Devil’s Teeth:



We continued to Fjordgard, the starting point for our second hike. Fjordgard isn’t very welcoming. There was a time when you could park right at the start of the hike up Mount Segla. Now, everything’s blocked off, and locals have even taken to blocking all possible parking spots nearby. You now have to park outside the town at a paid parking lot (90 NOK for 3 hours), adding an extra 2 km (round trip) of walking. Still, that was just a minor inconvenience because the hike that followed quickly made us forget all about it. The hike is fairly short (2 hours) but still has 520 m of elevation gain. This hike was a stark contrast to the first. This morning, we had sweeping views of the vast landscape. Here, Mount Segla, perched on the edge of the cliff, dominates the foreground:





For those prone to vertigo, it might be best to stay at the foot of the mountain, as the trail climbs right along the cliff edge. And from that point on, you quickly understand what verticality really means...



In total, we took 2 hours and 50 minutes, including breaks and the extra walk to the parking lot. The day was already well underway, and with 1,200 m of cumulative elevation gain, it was time to find a spot to eat and sleep. Since we hadn’t made any reservations, we’d planned to bivouac for the night. We weren’t too picky—just practical—so we decided to sleep in the car at the parking lot for tomorrow morning’s hike, just 5 km from Fjordgard.

I'm starting a new travel journal in Italy. It's about a month-long trip (from September 3, 2025, to October 4, 2025), or rather a part of it. This section matches the title: an opera festival in Verona (one evening) and the Dolomites in the Veneto region. I'm posting the part of the trip I think will interest French-speaking readers the most (since this is where I saw the most French travelers). Here’s a quick summary: - Trip in September 2025 - Solo travel with camping (caravan) - Small geographic area: besides Verona, the surroundings of the Marmolada massif and Cortina d'Ampezzo. - Main but not exclusive activity: hiking.

Since I have limited internet access where I am now, I’ll be writing slowly. Here we go!

Day 1: Thursday, September 4, 2025

I arrived in Veneto under the sun and with warm weather. I drove to Verona and tried to find a spot at the campsite (Verona Village) located south of the city. Unfortunately, it was full. Booking on the website was mandatory, but when I tried to reserve a few days ago, the site never moved from the "reservation" step to the "payment" step (I don’t know why—it’s always like that in these cases). I found another solution over the phone; the drive from southern Verona to the northeast was a bit long, but I finally settled at the "Oro Verde" campsite. It’s an "agricampeggio" (farm camping or rural campsite) on the outskirts of the city, and its name (green gold) suggests they produce olives there. Since it wasn’t late, I biked to the Adige River, following the recommended route into the city.

This travel journal is the second part of the trip whose first part you can find here: 1st part...

Sunday, August 7: the day we discover a magical place... Edmaier's Secret...

We got up at 8:00 AM, had breakfast on the terrace of our tiny house, and then set off again toward yesterday’s trail. This time, we stopped after 4.5 miles on House Rock Valley Road at the Buckskin Gulch Trail parking lot. We weren’t interested in that trail today—the slot canyon is muddy anyway after the recent storms...

Instead, we explored a lesser-known area that became our playground. And what a playground it was, folks—an out-of-this-world spot, THE highlight of our trip!!! 😏

Just imagine being in the middle of these landscapes, and the cherry on top... no one else around!!!!! Well, we did meet a couple who were coming back—it was 9:30 AM 😮. Did they camp there? Did they turn back? 🙁

After paying the entry permit online, we set off with plenty of water (6L for the four of us) plus a gallon we hid along the way for the return trip. 😉 After a one-hour approach hike along a wash, we reached the sea of sand.



We had to cross it to reach our goal: a strip about 2 km long and 1 km wide that you can explore freely since there’s no marked trail... We entered a few GPS points into our Garmin Etrex, and off we went!!! 😎 It was... magical, enchanting, a true love-at-first-sight moment!



Brain Rock, waves, fine and brittle rock, colors—it goes up, it goes down.







Just thinking about it gives me chills... I remember sitting still for two minutes, taking in these wonders with such emotion that I teared up...

You can post your personal photos in the following thread: https://voyageforum.com/forum/quelque-part-en-thailande-d10655574/

This travel journal is therefore intended solely for my photos, to present a consistent style. All the shots were taken with a simple Samsung Galaxy smartphone and with whatever was at hand.

All stays combined, I’ve spent the equivalent of a year at most in Thailand, and I’m no great expert. However, after many trips, lots of reading on VoyageForum and other sites, and conversations with many locals as well as expats, my view of the country is becoming clearer, though it’s constantly evolving. You never stop discovering and learning.

I guess I wanted to deliver a puzzle, mainly for those who want to get an idea of the country here and for those who feel nostalgic about it. I don’t know if this minimalist sharing will interest anyone, but it’ll do me good to put it together. After so many months without traveling and then these other long months with VF closed, there’s plenty of material available.

There’ll be a mix of places, periods, and subjects, but it might well be intentional.



I suspect many Thais have dogs because they make excellent guardians for the home. Nothing better to deter burglars or to signal the presence of a snake. You’ll often see Thais tapping the top of their dog’s head, but don’t be fooled: it’s a sign of affection from them. Judging by the dogs’ reactions, they’re used to it.

Thailand is one of the countries on the planet where rabies is still present, so keep that in mind. It’s not just bites that can be dangerous, so don’t let just any dog lick you. Especially on a wound, of course. Even though dogs often fear humans—this dangerous and unpredictable predator—we still need to stay cautious. Be careful when walking into alleys because the dog will defend its master’s big yard. Be careful at night, and be careful when they’re in packs. It sometimes crosses our minds that Thailand isn’t all that made for walking around, and dogs are one of the reasons. That said, it’s not uncommon to see them chasing bikes or scooters. Cars, though? Much rarer—they’re too big.

It seems Thais prefer to give their dogs freedom by not locking them behind gates. Though sometimes the gate is closed, the little side door is wide open. Oh, and sometimes there’s no gate in front of the property, or it’s been full of holes for years.

You’ll often see dogs sleeping on the roadside, sometimes right on the road. When you approach, they move aside nonchalantly—or not at all. It’s less funny when they suddenly appear from thick vegetation, reminding visitors not to drive too fast. As a result, you’ll notice that dogs with injuries or missing legs aren’t that rare.

Since they believe in reincarnation and respect for all forms of life, they don’t chase dog packs away too much, and they don’t sterilize them enough. When you see a small pack roaming freely in the countryside, you think twice about running into them at the edge of a field. A darker side of this is that euthanasia isn’t often practiced. Twice, we saw dogs at death’s door in temples, enduring terrible suffering with no one to help. The image (and the smell) of one of them, agonizing and exuding the stench of death, still comes back to me sometimes.

Some of you may have seen the YouTube vlog of a French woman living in Phuket who was given a little pig by her Thai friends. The animal, well-fed, quickly became a happy and enormous beast with its own garden. Yet it didn’t take long for it to fall seriously ill and become incurable. In her video, the French woman described how difficult it was to find a vet willing to perform euthanasia.

You’ll often see bowls by the side of the road. Thais leave food and water there for stray cats and dogs. Overall, they have a big heart for animals.

If you ever pop into a shopping mall, you might see people pushing their small dogs in strollers. It’s not just for fun—these strollers are provided for customers to put their pets in, otherwise you can’t bring them inside. It looks a bit odd when you expect to see a baby.

Hi everyone, We’re just back from a month-long trip to Morocco in our camper van. After crossing France (we left from the Nantes area) and Spain, we arrived in Algeciras where we bought our boat tickets to Tangier. When we got to Tangier, as we were going through customs, you can imagine our surprise when the customs officer took our road map of Morocco and pointed out the label "Western Sahara" (just like in the forum’s destination section, by the way!). He wanted it to say "Moroccan Sahara" instead!!! But there was nothing we could do—it was an old map... He wouldn’t listen, and after long discussions with the other (younger) customs officers, he finally gave it back and let us through... Unbelievable! Later, we heard that other travelers had their maps confiscated outright. So, hide it well if you want to keep yours!!!

Anyway, we skirted around Tangier’s suburbs—pretty grim—and finally arrived in Asilah.

Following the coast and the long promenade along the beach, we reached the campsite. It was a bit crowded, not much shade, but it wasn’t far from the medina or the beach, and it wasn’t expensive. There’s some life here: Moroccan families seem to live on-site, in tents or basic bungalows. A woman was cooking tagine on a brazier—we were right in the atmosphere! The night was quiet, and we slept well. We set off on foot, walking along the seafront to the medina... We’d already been here in 2009. It was less touristy back then! Still, at this early hour, the little streets inside were very quiet. The walls had been freshly whitewashed, and there were even more murals than before. Around 11:30 AM, we strolled along the ramparts by the sea. There was a nice breeze! And a lot more people around. We enjoyed a milkshake on the terrace of a café overlooking the beach that stretches out at the foot of the medina. Some young guys were having fun diving off the rocks—and even off the top of the wall!

Hi everyone. Because that’s also what sparks the desire in every traveler (well, at least for me) to set foot on Australian soil: discovering a new continent.

Right now, I’ve got some time on my hands—those who follow me know that. A nasty muscle tear (which really doesn’t want to heal) is keeping me grounded for another week, so I’ve decided to open a new travel journal, recounting my recent trip from December 14, 2024, to January 12, 2025, in Australia.

The origins of this trip started last May in Crete, an island I chose for a 10-day break. It’s really lovely, by the way, but that’s not the point… It’s around this time every year that we decide on our next winter destination, and Argentina was at the top of the list—Sydney wasn’t even on the radar… I’d been looking at flights to Buenos Aires for a while, and the prices were shocking… But by the pool one lazy afternoon, scrolling on my iPhone, a promo from Geneva to Sydney caught my eye. The deal ticked two boxes on my traveler’s bucket list: a flight to Australia and a flight with Singapore Airlines, often ranked as the world’s best airline. A quick chat with the missus (well, of course!) and the decision was made: off to the land of kangaroos! Now, once you add luggage and Economy Plus, it still comes to 1600 € per person, but that’s a reasonable price. Either way, we already know what we’re in for—Australia is a budget commitment!



Thanks to 123rf for the image loan 😛

This adventure began during Covid... Yep, Covid turned a lot of things upside down, but most of all, it kept us cooped up for a few months and stopped us from traveling for a while—even longer for a die-hard fan of the American West like me.

While borders were closed, I started imagining what an ideal itinerary might look like—one that would string together all the Southwest must-sees in just two weeks, during the best time of year: September and October. When the U.S. announced in September 2021 that borders would reopen in the coming weeks, I regained hope and began scouting flight tickets for a departure in September 2022.

But here’s the thing: tackling solo hikes, each one tougher than the last, right in the heart of the Wilderness, could be a risky—even reckless—endeavor for a father of three. After a quick chat with some virtual friends who are just as passionate about the Southwest as I am, with good physical condition and nearly the same list of must-visit spots, Franck and his brother Sullivan were in! 🙂

In November, we snagged flight tickets from Nice to San Francisco for the modest sum of 400 €, and a few days later, I booked a Toyota Tacoma pickup for 840 € !

It’s not cheap for just 15 days, and a pickup isn’t exactly ideal for luggage, but the prices for full-size 4x4s have become totally outrageous! Due to border closures, rental companies had to offload a lot of these big 4x4s, which tourists love. Then, supply and demand did the rest !

Franck and I spent the winter and spring trying to cram the equivalent of three weeks of hikes into two. But even with physical limits, we had to stay reasonable! Three to four months before departure, we entered the lotteries for different must-see spots: The Subway, Coyote Buttes North (home to the famous Wave), and Coyote Buttes South (CBS).

The Wave is the holy grail for any Southwest enthusiast. Since 2015, we’ve tried our luck with the online and on-site lotteries about ten times, but the spots are unfortunately limited: just 20 per day. A glimmer of hope, though—since early 2022, that number has increased to 64 people allowed per day, with 48 spots awarded via the online lottery.

After all three of us tried our luck for The Wave, on June 1st at exactly 5 PM, I got an email that started with, "Congratulations! You were successful in the Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) September 2022 Permit Lottery at Coyote Buttes North (The Wave)...". At 5:01 PM, I called Franck, whose dream it’s been for over 20 years—ever since the first photos were published in a travel magazine! He didn’t believe me when I told him, and I had to forward the email for him to finally accept the unbelievable: we were going to The Wave and all the incredible spots scattered across the protected area of Coyote Buttes North.

I’ve already been to Coyote Buttes South twice, but there are areas I couldn’t explore in the middle of summer because they were too remote. So, I had no trouble letting my buddies convince me to go back for a third time. Plus, given how hard it is to access, we had no trouble securing a permit online as long as we logged in at exactly 8 PM on the dot!

For The Subway, all three of us struck out. No big deal—we won at CBN and CBS!

Among the sites to visit, there are two that I’m particularly attached to because I know my chances of wanting to see them again are slim. The first is Angel Arch, one of the most legendary arches in the Southwest, due to its remoteness from any trace of civilization. To get there, the recommended hike is Upper Salt Creek, and you’re looking at a 50 km round-trip in an area with no water (in September) and populated by bears.

The second site is the Hopi Salt Trail, in Navajo land, which, after a very tough hike, lets you marvel at the turquoise-blue waters of the Little Colorado before it meets the Colorado River. The Hopi Salt Trail is, like The Wave, the holy grail for any Southwest enthusiast, and the windows of opportunity to see the water in that magical color are very short each year. For this, you have to monitor the Little Colorado’s gauges downstream from Cameron: if the level stays at its lowest for 10 consecutive days—meaning no rain—you can hope for turquoise water. The ideal period rarely exceeds 30 days a year, and it’s usually in June that all the stars align.

But unfortunately, one month before departure, while the flow rate at Cameron looked promising, several storms in September dashed our hopes of doing the Hopi Salt Trail, even at the end of the road trip.

We still had two consolation prizes, though:

After a last-minute cancellation, while keeping an eye out for available spots for The Subway, it turned out that three spots opened up exactly on the day we’d planned to go—so we rushed to grab them!! Regarding the 4x4 rental, the prices for full-size models dropped by several hundred dollars, and we ended up finding a Chevrolet Tahoe for less than $1000. A steal and a serious boost in comfort, so we could store all our gear and food without worry!

Here’s the initial plan in a perfect world: D1 The White Domes - Camping D2 Sunrise at The White Domes - The Subway D3 Coyote Buttes North D4 Coyote Buttes South - White Pocket D5 Wahweap Hoodoos - Sidestep Canyon - Colourful Canyon - White Rocks - Sunset at Yellow Rock D6 Broken Bow Arch - Reflection Canyon D7 Coyote Gulch D8 The Volcano (or The Oasis - Zebra Slot Canyon if the weather’s good) - North Caineville Mesa D9 The Needles: Squaw Canyon - Lost Canyon combo - Druid Arch - Chesler Park D10 Upper Salt Creek Day 1 - Camping D11 Upper Salt Creek Day 2 D12 Hopi-Navajo Territory: Ha Ho No Geh Canyon, Coal Mine Canyon, Bends of the Little Colorado D13 Grand Canyon: South Kaibab Trail and Bright Angel Trail D14 Upper East Zion: East Temple Loop, Jughandle Arch, Center of the Universe, and Checkerboard Mesa Summit And several backup options in case of bad weather, including Spencer Trail, West Cove, and Buffington Pockets.

Enough talking—time for action!

Well, here we go, despite the lack of info on Zambia, I managed to pull off this pretty special trip. I’d posted asking for tips but got very few replies. So I leaned heavily on Giradhino’s travel journal to plan the route.

The context: After visiting Kenya, then Namibia, then Botswana, I wanted to see another Southern African country—hence Zambia. This time, we’re two couples: us (of course) and our friends we’ve traveled with to the last two countries mentioned. The idea was to do a self-drive trip, picking up a 4x4 at the airport and figuring it out as we went.

We rented our fully equipped vehicle from Hemingways, an agency in Livingstone. Great agency (really), I’ll talk more about them later. It came with rooftop tents and all the gear for cooking and everything... However, our goal was to sleep in lodges and only use the tents as a last resort. Mission accomplished—we never even unfolded the tents. Guess we’re getting old 🙂

The route (summary): Lusaka - Kasanka NP - Bangweulu NP - Mutinondo - Kapishya - North Luangwa - South Luangwa and back to Lusaka.

That said, let’s hit the road for this travel journal of a pretty lively trip. Reminder: I’m more of a filmmaker, so I’ve got tons of footage but very few photos. The ones I have were taken on my phone, so they’re not great quality. My wife’s the one who handles that side of things.

Day 1:

At 9 a.m. sharp (or close enough), we leave the Lyon area, heading to Paris CDG. Our flight’s at 9:30 p.m., but it’s a busy Saturday with holiday traffic, so we play it safe to avoid jams—especially since the Olympics (hosted in Paris, in case you didn’t know) are causing extra traffic issues.

We’re relaxed and happy to be on our way. The drive goes smoothly. We take the eastern route around Paris to reach a hotel with parking at a better price than the airport lots. We leave the car there, and a shuttle takes us to Terminal 2. Bad luck—we’re actually flying from Terminal 1! The transfer between terminals is quick, though, so no stress.

After the usual formalities (with Rwandair), we end up in the Duty Free.

A rare rant-free moment: Usually, I let off steam in my travel journals now and then, but this time it’s the opposite. I had a terrible memory of CDG and had been avoiding it for years. But this time—Olympics effect? A big change? What a pleasant surprise! The staff were plentiful and super friendly at every pre-flight step, making everything easier. Comfortable seats for waiting to board. Well done, CDG!

We buy Ricard, Jack Daniel’s, and Get 27 to handle any situation that might come up. We board on time, and that’s when our adventures with Rwandair really begin. Yep, the first hiccup!

We’d booked our tickets back in October and (since we don’t hold back!) had paid extra for preferred seats on all our flights. Since October, we’d received emails about schedule changes—just a few minutes here and there. Unfortunately, we never got an email saying that *on top of* the schedule change, the plane’s configuration had also changed. So when we boarded with our seats (all four of us together at row 25), we were furious to see that the preferred seats were now row 23. We’d been *completely* scammed. We’d paid extra to end up in seats we’d been trying to avoid! You could say Rwandair double-dipped on the same seats. What a rip-off! We tried to negotiate an upgrade, but the flight was full. So our flight to Kigali started with a real sense of anger.

The +: We’re on our way The -: Rwandair

Last October, we landed in Marrakech to spend a few days with family exploring Morocco’s roads. Transport: a rented Dacia. Accommodations: small guesthouses.

Our first stop was just a few kilometers from Marrakech, at a lovely house perfect for relaxing and recharging before continuing. It’s called Bleu House, a little paradise on the outskirts of Marrakech. The welcome was very warm, with a beautiful pool and a lovely garden.

Next, we headed toward the Tichka Pass. The road has really improved in recent years—it’s much easier to drive now. No more getting stuck behind trucks, and today, the construction is practically finished.

Morocco has turned green after the recent rains. It’s a joy for the herds and shepherds.

My first trip to Iceland, in 1974.

Yes, you might be surprised: my first trip to Iceland dates back to July 1974. It’s been a little over 50 years since I first set foot on Icelandic soil. I was 23 years old. At the time, I was a geography student. I had just earned my bachelor’s degree and was finishing my master’s (what we’d now call a "master’s 2") in physical geography, with two specialties: glaciology and volcanology. In both fields, professors showed us slides of Iceland—glaciers and volcanoes—and in tutorials, we worked on maps and documents related to the physical geography of Iceland. So there you have it: ice and fire, in Icelandic « ís og eldur », I learned that year that it was Iceland’s national motto, and that’s what drew me there for my first big trip.

Iceland in 1974 was very different from today. It wasn’t a common destination. There were practically no tourists or tourist infrastructure. Some sites now famous and overcrowded were only accessible after hours of hiking on rough, unmarked trails. GPS didn’t exist, but I had managed to get local 1:100,000 maps that were pretty well done. I took my time to circle the entire island, camping in the wild. Most of my meager budget went toward the flight ticket and renting a Volkswagen "Beetle."

There were no paved roads in the country except in central Reykjavík and the main street of Akureyri. What’s now called Route 1 was everywhere dirt and gravel, pretty bumpy in places. According to my maps, this road didn’t allow for a full loop around Iceland: a section of about a hundred kilometers was missing on the south coast. But when I arrived in that area, I learned at a gas station that the last missing section had just been completed, finally allowing a full loop without backtracking. It was the section crossing the vast Skeiðarársandur, southwest of Vatnajökull. The new road was just a bulldozer track through this black ash desert. We crossed the multiple channels of the sandur on long single-lane wooden bridges. On these long pilings, the road was made of roughly nailed thick planks that made an awful racket when the car drove over them.

A nasty surprise: the cost of living. The difference with France seemed huge—everything was two to three times more expensive than back home. Prices were way beyond my tiny budget, and I wondered how I’d manage to get by.

The Icelanders back then were very different from today. From the start, I felt like a real outsider, ostracized, even outright rejected. Several times, when I asked for permission to pitch my small tent near a farm, the door would slam shut as soon as I asked (in English). Without a word… *Bam!*

So I struggled to feed myself, lacking money. I mostly bought loaves of sliced bread and corn flakes (unknown in France at the time), which I ate with cold, sugary milk. It was the cheapest and most filling thing I could find.

In Reykjavík, my only luxury was daring to enter a snack bar. There, I’d treat myself to a coffee or tea, having quickly learned that after paying for a cup once, you could go back to the counter and have it refilled as much as you wanted. I dreaded being asked if I wanted something to eat because I couldn’t afford it. Luckily, no one asked. So, alone in my corner, I’d pull out my loaf of sliced bread from my backpack and make sandwiches with the contents of the two plastic bottles on every table—one red, one yellow: ketchup and sweet mustard. I avoided the sideways glances from other customers. I’d eat my sandwiches and leave, both full and warmed up.

One time, near Selfoss, I saw a truck stop by the road and pick up two large aluminum cans left at the end of a farm track. A little further down the road, two more similar cans. I realized these cans were there to be collected by… well, I didn’t know who. No one in sight for miles. So, I’ll admit it: I stopped and opened one of those large cans, which contained a dairy product—a kind of very dense, compact white cheese (I later learned it was skyr). I scooped a nice layer from the top, smoothed the surface with my spoon, and carefully closed the can again. Yes, I know it wasn’t right, but that was over fifty years ago, and I can admit it now since the statute of limitations has surely passed, right? Another time, I boiled a piece of dried fish, hard as wood, for a long time on my camping stove—fish I’d taken from huge outdoor drying racks by the side of the road. On the road heading north from Reykjavík, the Akranes underwater tunnel didn’t exist yet. To get to Borgarnes and Snæfellsnes, you had to go around Hvalfjörður. Following the shore of this long fjord, I stumbled upon a whaling station in full operation. Intrigued by the plumes of steam and the sounds of machinery from the road, I stopped, and surprisingly, no one stopped me from entering the vast platform where workers were butchering a large whale. I’ll never forget the acrid smell of those huge piles of meat and bones, fat and guts, the screams of saws and winches, the steam from the boilers… A monstrous, hallucinatory sight that would shape a major interest for the rest of my life: whales.

At the end of my journey, I spent three days in the Westman Islands. The famous eruption of the Eldfell volcano had happened just months earlier, in 1973, and was barely over. Visiting Heimaey was one of the goals of my trip to Iceland, given my volcanology studies. Part of the fishing port was filled in by lava flows, and the entrance channel was reduced to just a few meters wide. Most of the village was covered by a layer of black, hot ash eight to ten meters thick. I walked on the roofs of houses—every now and then, a chimney or skylight would stick out. In the rain, this hot ash released intense steam; you couldn’t see twenty meters ahead. It felt like being in a giant outdoor sauna. The entire population had been evacuated during the eruption, but some residents were starting to return. Bulldozers and excavators were gradually clearing this gigantic mass of ash, street by street, layer by layer, avoiding demolishing the buried houses. A constant stream of trucks dumped these millions of tons of ash into the sea from a cliff. To finish clearing the houses, it was done with shovels and wheelbarrows, and this task was left to the homeowners. One day, I had the chance to lend a hand (or rather, a shovel) to a couple finishing clearing their house. They offered to let me pitch my tent near their place, on a thick layer of warm ash (I’d never experienced such comfort through my sleeping mat), and I’ll never forget that they gave me a big bowl of delicious soup they’d just made. The best meal I had during that trip. The next day, climbing the volcano, which was still smoking and spewing furiously, I nearly suffocated from sulfur dioxide and almost melted the soles of my shoes. So it was during this initiatory trip, 50 years ago, that my addiction to Iceland was born. The following year in Paris, by sheer chance—and perhaps helped by the magic of my amazing Kodachrome slides—I met a young woman who would become my wife. Very quickly, she became as hooked as I was on "the island of the world’s creation" (as I called it back then), and later, it was often her who’d say, "So… how about going back to Iceland this year?" We went back many times, in every season, summer and winter, and in every region of the country. And every time, when the plane starts its descent toward Keflavík Airport, we look at each other like kids invited to a birthday party, discovering the cake buffet… "Here we are… we’re back!"

Our travel conditions changed a lot afterward. With a better budget but still traveling independently, renting well-equipped 4x4s that let us go almost anywhere, at our own pace, including the highlands of the country’s interior. But always taking our time, dedicating each trip to fully exploring one region rather than rushing through kilometers. And leaving time for beautiful hikes or simply doing nothing—sitting at a viewpoint and just watching, observing the wild nature, in contemplative mode… Always staying with locals in the countryside, preferably on real farms with animals, thanks to an association of farmers offering accommodations. We speak fluent English and have learned a few common Icelandic phrases and expressions over time. With a bit of experience, we developed our little techniques for starting interesting conversations with Icelanders… who, thankfully, are no longer as distant as they were in 1974! We even made friends there.

We particularly loved the rugged, wild Iceland—not necessarily the desolate highlands of the interior, but rather the isolated regions where a few very old families still cling to their land and roots. With a soft spot for the Snæfellsnes Peninsula and especially the Westfjords, the "Vestfirðir," as the Icelanders call them. But we also love the Northeast, and even the far Northeast, so remote and where almost no one goes. Over time, we’ve done a lot of reading. We’ve learned a great deal about Iceland—its painful history, its tormented geography, its economy, its incredible medieval literature (the Sagas), and some quirks of its culture. And we greatly appreciate its contemporary authors, whose books fill several shelves in our library.

In 2008, on a return trip to Iceland, we went to the Westman Islands, to Heimaey. I hadn’t been back since my first trip in 1974, right after the Eldfell eruption. It was a pilgrimage for me, so many years later! An emotional moment seeing the huge frozen lava flow again. On the trails now set up to explore this vast chaos, people have put up signs indicating the names of the streets buried under the lava and the nature of the crushed buildings fifteen meters below. Plaques mark the locations of public buildings—here was the school, down there was the hospital… The part of the town that was under ash has been cleared, but not entirely—two streets were left partially buried, probably to show tourists. The volcano is still hot at the top. We climbed it, but this time I didn’t melt my soles.

We often talk about Iceland. We still call it "the island of the world’s creation" and tell our traveler friends how much this country fascinated and enchanted us. Those who’ve never been find it a bit odd, but everyone who’s been there understands.

You may have noticed I’m talking about it in the past tense… Indeed, I’ll admit that for several years now, we haven’t been back to Iceland, and I don’t think we’ll return. What we see on social media and in the news puts us off a bit. Mass tourism has arrived, and many developments have been made—not always for the best. Now, with two and a half million visitors a year, Iceland welcomes nearly six times its population. Tourism has become a key source of income for Icelanders. Good for them, maybe, but we don’t like it at all. We’re a bit wild, perhaps. And besides… the world is vast… We loved Iceland passionately, but we’ve always been inveterate travelers in general. So over the past fifty years, we’ve certainly explored all of Iceland’s regions, but also in the North Atlantic—the beautiful Norway, the stunning Lofoten Islands, the Shetland archipelago, the rugged and grand Faroe Islands, and then further north in the Arctic—the icy Greenland, Svalbard at the edge of the world, and even the Sjuøyane, the last islands before the North Pole, with small groups of enthusiasts and scientists on expedition ships. And many other regions of the world, but always with a taste for slightly offbeat places, both in terms of landscapes and nature and ways of life. Central Asia, the Azores, Peru, Bolivia, the Andes, Chile, Argentina, the vast Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego… and other little secret gems we won’t reveal. Not even on Voyage Forum.

But everywhere—yes, I mean everywhere—wherever you are, wherever you go, there’s always a moment when you think of Iceland…

Chris 51 - November 2025.

We arrive in the evening in Marrakesh, and a taxi arranged by our friendly Riad is waiting for us. The driver takes us to the door, where we’re briefly greeted by our hosts. The room is heated—phew—because it’s really cold on this January 17th for our arrival. Riad Alisma, where we’re staying for 2 nights. The next morning, it’s pouring rain when we wake up, but after a good breakfast, the rain has calmed down. Off we go to the medersa, which allows for a relatively sheltered visit. We’d visited this palace 15 years ago—it’s been renovated since then.





From there, without the rain, we wander aimlessly and eventually end up near the tanneries, but it’s Sunday, and there’s very little activity. Of course, we get hassled by a tout.



Here, the hides after being treated with lime—I love the colors.

We part ways a bit annoyed. He gets a little revenge by giving us bad directions, and we end up outside the city walls. We decide to take a taxi to the new modern art museum—60 dirhams for the 5 km, which is nothing when you think about it. That tout, who we didn’t ask for anything and made it clear we weren’t buying anything, dragged us into a shop supposedly only open that day and demanded 50 dirhams for his "services"! Let’s forget that bad moment and enjoy the exhibition at the MACAL.



The taxi on the way back drops us off at Place des Ferblantiers, not far from our Riad. We’re a little peckish—it’s worth mentioning that at lunchtime, we only ate a plate of beans from a street vendor. So, we buy a bunch of little sweets, each more delicious than the last, at Ajar. We snack while sipping mint tea and watching life go by around us. A final visit to the Museum of Moroccan Cuisine on our way back helps us dodge a few more showers. Then it’s back to the Riad. The atmosphere in the city is heating up—it’s the AFCON final tonight. The temperatures, though? Not so much. We ordered a meal at the Riad, and it was a good call—not only was it really tasty, but the rain also picked up again. Our day in Marrakesh ends under the covers with a good book and some photo sorting. Still, we managed 10,750 steps. View of our Riad



Tomorrow, we’ll pick up our rental car from Medloc and head to Essaouira.

Ah, Iceland and us—it’s quite the story, or rather, a long wait... The first time we considered going was already 7-8 years ago, after reading travel journals describing breathtaking landscapes, countless active and dormant volcanoes, glaciers, and waterfalls with extraordinary flows. In short, this island, made of fire and ice, right at Europe’s doorstep with its own unique culture, had nothing but advantages, and it was urgent to visit without delay 😇

My *Routard* guidebook is actually from 2016. So why did Iceland make us wait so long before we finally gave in to its charms? Yes, why indeed?

Simply because reading other travel journals revealed the cost of living there—and especially the harsh climate, even in the middle of July 🤪! Some journals described entire weeks of rain and foggy weather, making it tricky to explore the island. The budget wasn’t spared either, because in the most touristy areas, especially in the south and around Myvatn, accommodation prices are downright indecent—even outright robbery. 😕

Plus, in the Highlands, there’s literally no permanent lodging, and the only way to spend several nights there is to camp. And camping in winter conditions wasn’t exactly part of our plans... 😄

So, year after year, this trip kept getting postponed...

until August 2023, when prices for Southern Africa, North or South America, or even Asia were all way too high for summer 2024!

That’s when I turned my attention back to the Land of Fire and Ice and scoured all the comparison sites for the best accommodation deals across the country. Planning for 20 nights, I found 13 nights in "proper" lodging for 5 people at an average cost of under 200 €! A miracle, considering that in the southern glacier region, around Vik or Myvatn, prices range from 300 to 1000 € per night 😮 😮!

Still, that means we’ll have to camp for 7 nights, mostly in the Highlands, near Askja or Landmannalaugar. 😎

For once, I built the daily itinerary entirely around the decently priced lodgings I found 11 months in advance! The shortage of places to stay in some areas forced me to plan a few long transition days and make some tough choices. No big deal, though—there’s so much to do on this island 🙂!

Once the main itinerary was set, everyone agreed to the plan: 2/3 in proper lodging and 1/3 camping, even the most camping-averse among us! *Follow my gaze...*

By the time we bought the flight tickets, I had to tweak the itinerary a bit because one or two places were already booked! Plus, it was impossible to wait for a more refined plan to adjust reservations, since almost all bookings are non-refundable!! The harsh law of supply and demand...

For the car rental, we booked a Hyundai Tucson, approved for the Highlands, from Lava Car Rental—a company I’d read good reviews about in a Facebook group—for a cool 2500 € with full insurance. A real 4x4, like a Defender, would’ve been more than double...! Welcome to Iceland 😕...

Activities and excursions also required some tough choices. We had two must-dos: whale watching in Húsavík (60 € pp on Getyourguide) and a Glacier and Summer Treasure Glacier Walk with BlueIceland (165 € pp with discount codes on Getyourguide).

For the baths, we skipped the Blue Lagoon—too expensive—in favor of the Secret Lagoon and the Myvatn Baths, the Blue Lagoon’s equivalent but half the price.

Two baths for the price of one... and even more, since I spotted several free hot-water swimming spots.

Itinerary: Day 1: Arrival in Reykjavik - Hraunfossar Waterfall - Surtshellir Cave Day 2: Grábrók Crater - Snæfellsnes Peninsula Day 3: Stykkishólmur - Sturlungalaug Hot Springs Day 4: Northwest Coast - Akureyri - Goðafoss Day 5: Myvatn Day 6: Myvatn - Dettifoss - Selfoss - Rauðhólar Day 7: Húsavík Whale Watching - Dettifoss - Selfoss Day 8: Stuðlagil Canyon - Seyðisfjörður Day 9: Puffin colony - Störurð Hike Day 10: Hengifoss - East Fjords, Mjóifjörður Day 11: Viking Village - Jökulsárlón - Fjallsárlón Day 12: Glacier Excursion - Svartifoss Day 13: Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon - Vík Day 14: Þakgil - Lava Show Vík Day 15: Southern Waterfalls Day Day 16: Landmannalaugar - Skalli Hike Day 17: Landmannalaugar - Bláhnjúkur - Brennisteinsalda Day 18: Secret Lagoon, Kerlingarfjöll, and Gullfoss Day 19: Geysir - Reykjavik Day 20: Bruarfoss - Þingvellir - Kerid Crater - Krýsuvík Geothermal Area Day 21: Reykjanes Peninsula

Friday, July 5, 2024, is our last workday before driving up to Alsace overnight to leave the cockers at Grandpa’s for boarding. Then, at 1:30 AM, we’ll head to Frankfurt, where a direct flight to Iceland awaits.

We arrive at 4 AM. Since we leave at 7 AM, the "night" will only last the equivalent of a 30-minute nap 🤪... just enough to get us in the road-trip mood 😏!!

Hey fellow travelers,

I'm back in the "travel journal" section to share our 15-day adventure in Kenya in November 2024. It was pretty much our first time in East Africa (since Zanzibar doesn’t really count 😜).

As usual, I’m sharing the journal I made for our loved ones—still as casual and cheerful as ever, just to give them a little break from their tough workdays 😄.

We organized the whole trip ourselves, and to be original here LOL, we took some *very* well-trodden paths: Naivasha, Tsavo, and Diani. But what I loved about this country is that it’s so easy to go off the beaten track—even on the "tourist highways" 😉.

So, if you're a safari fanatic or after stunning wildlife photos, you might be disappointed. But if you want to discover other sides of Kenya, you might just find what you're looking for 😉.

Looking forward to sharing this fun journey with you all 😊.