Moving On...

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas season! As mentioned in the last post, we thought of all of you as we reminisced about family traditions and festive parties. So the time has come to move away from this blog site....I created a new site, which unfortunately has a new address as well..just as you'd memorized the old one. Kidding! We're able to download pictures much easier to this blog so now you can see our lovely faces. The link is: benandabby.wordpress.com I have some catching up to do so bare with the Happy New Year! Xoxo, Abby & Ben

Happy Holidays

We hope this finds you all enjoying the holiday season.  We've landed ourselves in Tuscany for Christmas staying on a farm that produces olive oil and wine.  It's a beautiful place to be and we're in the mountains so a Christmas chill is definitely in the air!  More to come about our time here after the holidays. As for Belgium and Switzerland, posts are delayed as I haven't been able to upload pictures.   I've tried different tricks and think I have to switch to a different blog site (Pam, I need you!) You all can only imagine how great Ben thinks this is!  Once I create the other site I will post the link on here and hopefully all will work well.  I'd rather do this and have pictures to show versus try to narrate it all, I'm not that good and you are busy people! This time of year especially has us thinking of each of you so please hug your loved ones extra tight, eat the fruit cake or at least try it, and enjoy every moment with your families because that's what the holidays are truly about.   Love to you from Tuscany, Xoxo Abby & Ben 

A Tale of Two Cities

Edinburgh & Amsterdam...both incredible and very different.

Edinburgh's historic charm captures you the moment you arrive and stone surrounds you for as far as you can see...castles, statues, cathedrals, and cobblestone squares.  You can't help but want to see it all and we tried in our 5 days despite the wind & snow.

German Christmas markets are all over Europe & our first night in Edinburgh we were greeted by booths steaming with mulled wine & oozing with deliciousness!  We stood in the chill of night experiencing our first taste of Christmas until we couldn't feel our toes anymore.  To see the city we took a bus tour, which I'd always thought were hokey...best thing!  We toured the huge castle that overlooks the city and saw where JK Rowlings kids went to school which was the inspiration for Hogwarts!  And although we loved finding music to listen to or hidden places to get out of the rain, we did leave the city for a day and ventured up to St. Andrews, the home of golf.  Although the course is open year round, the day we went there it had frosted...aka snowed, so no golfing was to be had.  We made up for that by taking pictures of the historic Old Course and going into several golf shops.  The city alone is beautiful so we enjoyed a day walking next to the coast...ps it was cold...and meandering through the city center.  To say the least we loved our time in Edinburgh... Amsterdam had big shoes to fill.  

Our stereotypical view of Amsterdam had us thinking the aroma of pot would be seeping from alleyways and red lights would be shining from the center of town.  Instead,  canals and bridges form their own roadways and everywhere you look people are riding bikes...we've never seen so many cruisers!  So to see the city we rented bikes, hopped on a canal cruise, and joined a tour of the Red Light District, which was awesome & crazy.  When in Rome my friends. We found it hard not to like the city and the Dutch people.  Their tolerant, laid back attitude is evident when you see coffee shops (not for coffee lovers) located next to churches, which are also near the beautiful women dancing in the windows.   Eyebrows raised? Yeah we hid ours and actually loved the tour of the district and found the history of prostitution fascinating...don't get me wrong we had some shocking moments (to be told when we're home).  But, this city surprised us & quickly crept its way into our hearts and although we couldn't read a thing, it was a new adventure to be away from the comforts of the English language...our first experience of many!
We're off to Ghent, Belgium until the 13th of December.
Until then,
xoxo

Abby & Ben 



Ben and Edinburghs version of the Parthenon



A view from a canal in Amsterdam.



"Gaelic" force winds

A lovely combination of fierce winds, rain, and fog did a spectular job welcoming us to Ireland.  And we couldn't have been happier.

From an amazing dinner with my cousin Laurie in her quaint London neighborhood, to a Thanksgiving meal prepared on the Isla of Man by our hosts, the Curries, we had a wonderful welcome to Europe!  We did our best job seeing the city of London in one day and toured the stunning Isle of Man while being surrounded by a hazy shade of grey.  Maybe it's because we knew we were coming to Europe in the winter, but we were quite active even though a fireplace and board games were mentioned a time or two!

When we arrived in Dublin and had to put on our sunglasses, we were like two kids in a candy store.  To the point, I thought it'd be a good idea to rent bikes...ask Ben how that went!   Long story short, the grey and mist quickly moved in, but with a new hat and stubborn spirit, we toured the Guinness factory, drank a few more at a pub and finished the night with music and singing.
We then started our Irish adventure boarding our first train to Cork to explore the southwestern part of the island.  Renting a car we took off to Kinsale where we loved our B & B with the pier view every morning, especially when the sun was out making for a wonderful Sunday.  We took the scenic coastal drive taking in all the incredible castles and green countryside and ended our evening with traditional music in a village called...Baltimore!  We fell in love with this area...can you imagine why? 

We continued to move along the coast through Kenmare and on to the Ring of Kerry.  The weather did get the best of our views, but we were warmly greeted by Jackie the owner of a B & B on Valencia Island.  I fell in love with her homemade bread, warm fireplace, and constant cups of tea.  We ended our Ireland journey traveling through Dingle & onto Doolin, hoping to hear its acclaimed local music.  But as we've often encountered, these parts of Ireland are rather quiet in the winter time.  However what we didn't hear was made up for by what we saw...the Cliffs of Moher were incredible! Maybe because it was 9am and we were the only ones there, but we were in awe of this area! Bens wish of golfing in Ireland was granted our last day on a course that butted up to the ocean...he smiled for hours after playing nine holes.

I think I've realized what made us so happy in Ireland besides the quaint towns, wonderful people, and pints of beer...it was that everyday we didn't know what we would see and when the fog lifted or the clouds separated we were blown away by the beauty of this island. Without a doubt, Ireland will see the return of the McFerrons.

Onto Edinburgh & Amsterdam....until then,

Xoxo
Abby & Ben

Ps. Pictures are tough...I will figure it out, but my stubbornness has gotten the best of me resulting in this overdue blog! Enjoy

Giant Game of Where's Waldo...

This was stated by Brok as we were searching for snakes surrounded by every shade of green imaginable: lime, forest, pistachio, kelly green, etc.  The Amazon is home to vipers, bushmasters, and the infamous anaconda; however, on all our hikes we never saw a snake.  However, we were one of the few who did see a giant anaconda.  Luckily, we saw this 5 meter, black, shiny snake basking in the sun digesting god knows what from the safe distance of our canoe.  

Where were we you ask?  We ventured on a motorized canoe down the Napa River for 2 1/2 hours, then hiked 20 minutes to a dugout canoe where a 30 minute boat ride took us to...La Selva Lodge.  After all this travel, yes we were in the middle of the largest rainforest in the world surrounded by a lagoon filled with piranha.  From the bamboo huts to the native guides, we felt as though the lodge fulfilled all we were looking for.  At night we fell asleep to the sound of insects and by morning our ears were filled with the sounds of hundreds of birds.  Our time at La Selva felt longer than three days thanks to 5am wake up calls, at least 5 hours of hiking/day, canopy tours, lagoon rides, and fishing for piranha.  The morning we left was surreal, a moment a camera could never capture, as fog surrounded the lagoon and lodge, howler monkeys called in the distance, and we glided away in a dugout canoe.  It was one of those moments you store away in your memory in hopes of never forgetting.  And although we never got a picture with Ben and his piranha, although he did catch a few, the sights and sounds of the Amazon are unforgettable.

Trip Highlights:
1.  Amazon wildlife:  squirrel monkeys, capuchin monkeys, toucans, parrots, largest moth in the world, owl-eyed butterflies, poison dart frog, tree frog, anaconda, piranha, eyes of a cayman- aka alligator
2.  Incredible flavors:  tropical fresh squeezed fruit juices & ahhh dragonfruit
3.  Our wonderful guide, Paul, who took as much time telling us about the millipede that extracts an almond scent as he did explaining the anaconda's digestion.

Pictures will be added soon!  Check out facebook as Ann added several from our trip.

We're off exploring Europe and the weather is a wee bit different from the hot & humid days in the Amazon.

Happy Thanksgiving to all...next stop, Ireland & Scotland!

Until then....xoxo,

Abby & Ben

2 flights, 6 boat rides, 8 cheva transports & 100 iguanas later....





The rough life of Galapagos animals!



...we say goodbye to the Galapagos.                               

We left Quito behind us on the 11th, a city of 3 million people packed next to the Andes mountains, and we moved towards the ocean with open arms.  We were greeted by the most beautiful color of aqua I have ever seen.  And although the animals are incredible and the scenery amazing, I found myself intrigued by the villagers we past everyday.  From the cement block homes prepped with Christmas tablecloths to the beautiful faces of the children walking the dirt roads, I loved their simple life.  The island populations range from 12,000 people to 120; yet, no matter the size they live in harmony with their surroundings.  



Thanks to Ann and her life dream, we were able to partake in this harmonious world where drivers honk at birds to move and sea lions frolic and play with snorkelers.  

Our trip highlights:

1.  Snorkeling with sea turtles-

Ah-mazing!  (I couldn´t help but think of Finding Nemo)  Also saw...white tipped reef sharks, sting rays, manta rays, sea lions, & schools of fish.

2.  Our (at times) awkward guide who focused often on the sexual habits of Galapagos creatures.  Did you know iguanas masterbate? Yes, we blushed, too. 

3.  Dolphin show!  On our final boat ride we found ourselves in a pod of dolphins.  They raced alongside the boat and playfully jumped as we all cheered. 

4.  Tortoises! These creatures were in our hearts the moment Ann yelled out the window that she saw one.  They weigh up to 700 pounds and the oldest tortoise lived until 165 and was gifted from Darwin to his Aussie friend. 

5. Last but not least, the food...yummm.  Passionfruit, pescado, pineapple...we ate...a lot!

 

I am unaware of who swam the most, saw the most species, or had the most fun, but I do know that Ann's excitement and joy on the islands was contagious and we are extremely thankful for her generosity and thoughtful planning! Next stop....the Amazon.               



Learning the game of Bridge..grandma would be proud.



One week & counting

Wow! In one week, Ben and I take off for our trip.  A trip that's been in the making since the week he proposed.  A trip that will take us to places we've never been & where we don't even know what to expect!  A trip that without a doubt will impact who we are.  And, a trip that we are extremely blessed to embark on. 

We've acquired all we can think of and all that will fit in our small packs to get us through the next 6 months.  I've read every possible packing list, studied multiple travel books, watched many episodes of Anthony Bourdain, No Reservations, and now in a week we will slug our packs over our shoulders and venture out!

So where are we going?  The itinerary below is flexible, but will give you a general idea of what we are getting ourselves into!

Nov. 9-21:             Ecuador & Galapagos Islands with my wonderful mother in-law, Ann & brother in-law, Brok!

Nov. 21-Jan. 9:    Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Croatia,Turkey & Greece

Jan. 9-12th:         Cairo, Egypt

Jan. 13-20:          Mt Kilimanjaro Trek out of Moshi, Tanzania

Jan. 21- Feb. 3:   Tsavo National Park- volunteering in park for 2 weeks

Feb. 4- Feb. 13:   Safari in Tanzania with my parents!

Feb. 14-Mar. 8:   Volunteering in Uganda at orphange, living in Iganga 

Mar. 9- 14:           Zanzibar- possibly?  Leave Dar es Salaam on the 15th

Mar. 15- 25:         India- Delhi, Rajahstan

Mar. 25-May 11  Southeast Asia:  Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore

So there you have it!  This blog is meant to let you, our friends & family, know we are safe & sound & experiencing these places to the fullest.  We will share pictures when we can and crazy stories often.  Thank you for your love and support.  We couldn't be more excited to start this journey....here we come Quito, Ecuador!

Until then....

xoxo
Abby & Ben