Kefalonia, Greece

Kefalonia is a beautiful island with VERY hilly terrain, located to the northwest of Athens. The airport is located on the west side of the island & as we approached from the east, we had to stay high to clear the over 5,000’ hill that is located only 8 miles from the airport which is nearly at sea level (quite a vertical drop in a very short distance).

We spent three whole days here at a brand new resort/spa. The tiny town where the resort is located is very quiet with many little outdoor restaurants along the coast. Isolated among the steep hills that blanket the island, we found ourselves forced to relax by the pool, play tennis, go jogging, sleep & eat…it was a tough trip in case you were wondering :)

One of only 2 little fishing boat docks in the community where we stayed.

The main drag...we could stroll from one end of town to the other in about five minutes.

A view of town from above.

What's up with that guy standing behind & to my left? Not sure he'd ever seen a tourist take a picture in his town :)

Olbia, Italy on the island of Sardinia

From the air, I can tell that the large island of Sardinia IS a beautiful place, but without a rental car, it's tough to reach out & really see the country side that awaits. My folding bike does help & I put over 20 mile on her this trip...only got these few pics though.

Since we stayed at a hotel by the airport, I had to ride 7 miles to find this beautiful beach.

The city of Olbia on the northeast side of Sardinia.

Night out in Cairo with the guys!

On Aug 9, five out of our growing group of eleven Expat (foreign) Aviators were available for dinner & drinks in downtown Cairo. After a couple last minute changes of vinue, we found ourselves at the Cairo Tower. I think this turned out to be the best choice & we got to the top of the tower just in time for a fireworks show over the city, to the north of the tower.

At 187 m (614 ft), it is 43 metres (141 ft) higher than the Great Pyramid of Giza, which stands some 15 km (9.3 mi) to the southwest. The tower is situated on Gezira Island & as you can see below, offers a great view of the city.

Looking over the Nile to the east.

Scott Palmore with our buddy & co-founder of the Aviator's Club of Expats (ACE), John Lewis in the background...always the clown, JD. Don't worry folks, he's harmless, except maybe to himself! :)

JD, you've gotta wait for that second flash before closing your eyes, when I'm working in red-eye reduction mode :) Classy, love theat table napkin. I think the locals were a little worried the minute we sat down in the revolving resturant...& yes, I'm sure it was revolving even before drinks were served!

From left to right: John, Rob, Mike, Scott & Doug.

Short Stop in Tivat, Montenegro

Here are a few pics from our very short stop in Montenegro. We had the plane fueled, loaded passengers & were gone in about an hour. During our flight from Paris to Tivat we flew right over Sarajevo, Bosnia, sight of the 1984 Winter Olympics. I remember watching that of TV as a kid :)

Montenegro was once part of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia & until declaring their independance on 21 May 2006, Montenegro had most recently been under Serbian rule. It is located on the east coast of the Adriatic Sea & is bordered today by Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia & Croatia.

See the runway in the distance, on the sea?


Taking off to the north out of Tivat.

Sharm el Sheikh for a couple nights

Finally, after 7 months of being based in Cairo for an owner who regularly travels to Sharm el Sheikh, we got a 2 night trip there. Of course, a week later both my FO & I are taking our families there on vacation…can’t wait. Sharm, located at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, is said to be one of the best places in the world for scuba diving & snorkeling.

Just north of Sharm is Mount Sinai (location where Moses received the 10 Commandments) & at the base of the trail to the summit is St. Catherine’s Monastery (said location of the Burning Bush where Moses was instructed by God to lead Israel out of Egypt). Hopefully we can visit these sites on vacation next week.

Snorkeling just beyond the beach at our hotel.

Along shores of Naama Bay...beach is to the left, just beyond the outdoor resturants.

Walking through town in the morning, near Naama Bay. Things don't really get busy here till late in the evening & continue well after I'm in bed :)

The pool at our hotel.

Our bird, outside the hanger at the Sharm airport.

Check Out Beirut

Probably not unlike many of you, when I thought of Beirut, I thought of a poor/bombed out city that often came across our US news broadcasts in the 1980’s. Then I traveled there for the first time in February of this year & again in July. Although Beirut was a focal point of the bloody Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), resulting in the estimated 130,000 to 250,000 civilian fatalities, today’s Beirut is a city still under a massive rebuilding & modernization effort.

In my limited foot & bicycle travels around the downtown / waterfront area, I found that although there are definitely still remains of bombed out / gunned down buildings, some 80-90% of the area is beautifully reconstructed & full of life.

It was however quite haunting to see buildings covered with bullet / mortar holes & no windows, left standing among the shiny new high rise structures just around the corner. Just seeing the evidence & knowing that many lives were lost within my lifetime, right where I stand, left me speechless!

The view outside my 11th floor hotel room.

View out the other side of the hotel :)
Just down the street is the old Holiday Inn building, where some of the major battles of the Lebanese Civil War took place. Left standing today to remind everyone of the cost the wars have inflicted.
Along the waterfront.

The architecture & location of this building jumped out at me. I’m sure it was once a prized location, as it’s on a bluff that overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the west.

Rouche Sea Rock.

The Rouche Sea Rock behind me is so big that people were riding wave runners through the arch at the base!

Beirut was named the top place to visit in 2009 by The New York Time. It was also listed as one of the ten liveliest cities in the world by Lonely Planet in 2009.

If you are interested in reading more on the Lebanese Civil War, visit Wikipedia.com

Milan in the Summer

This 5 day trip offered me 3 whole days on the ground to get out on my bike & see the city in the great weather we are having. In Feb I posted some pics of Milan, so some of these may be repeats of the same sites in a different season.

This giant cathedral is one of the largest Gothic churches in the world. Its construction began in the 14th century, but wasn't completed until 500 years later. It boasts 135 spires around the roof & has many intricate carvings & statues both inside & out.

Behind me here is the Castle Sforzesco. The entire castle is surrounded by a very deep & wide mote that is now only filled with neatly cut grass & occupied by many stray cats :)

Behind me here, you can just see the old mechanism to raise & lower the massive draw bridge that I'm standing on. To my left & in the up position is a narrow draw bridge used for foot traffic.

Outside Castle Sforzesco, many of the buildings across the streets from the castle are built on a curve like seen here. This part of the city affectively encircles the castle.

Looks like this guy parked in a no parking zone near the corner of a busy/narrow side street. I thought this was a rather unique way of solving the problem, as a police officer looked on beyond the lift (tow) truck. I made sure to keep the truck between me & the officer, just in case he took issue with me photographing the lifted vehicle's license plate :)

Behind me is Sempione Park & in the far background you can again see Sforzesco Castle. The park with its 116 acres was a beautiful place to ride, walk or just hang out. One morning I jogged around the border of the park & castle & found it to be just over 2 miles around. The park was originally laid out in the 15th century & then covered 740 acres. During WWII the grounds of the park were used to grow wheat, but were later restored to their present layout.