Back to Sardinia

This time I got you all some aerial photos on the way into Olbia airport on the island of Sardinia, Italy.


The terrain all over Sardinia is quite rugged like this.

That's NOT the Olbia airport at the bottom right...maybe it once was, its just some old abandon airstrip. Panning to the left (& to the next picture) will bring the Olbia airport into view.

Ah, there it is! The port city of Olbia is just to the left (north) of the airport.

This looked like a photo-worthy old castle just to the southwest of the airport.

Nice, France was quite nice!

After spending several days in Nice, it was tough to head south back to Cairo. Nice, with its moderate climate, clean air, green grass, shopping malls & miles of great biking/walking trails along the French Riviera, is in sharp contrast to my current home town of Cairo. Things were way overpriced here, although I was able to finally purchase an iPhone 4 at the same price they sell for in the States :) The climate reminded me a lot of Michigan in September.

We didn’t bother to go see the sites on this visit…just ate lots of great Sushi & spent much time on the bike trail along the coast of the Mediterranean. Here are a few of the pics I did get. Hopefully we can return & see more of this beautiful area.

Biking the French Riviera.

Jogging the French Riviera.

Sorry I don't have more to show & tell about this great location!

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.