"MALTA!" Malta did not appear in our travel itinerary at all, although this small country is not far from Sicily. We knew C.’s wish to spend her birthday in Syracuse from the beginning, but T.’s wish only came to light two weeks before her birthday. She wanted to be in Malta on her special day. We try to “slow travel”, therefore we do not have booked anything in the future, so we are quite flexible in our plans.
​
The Saint John Paul II ferry of the company “Virtu ferries” is a catamaran and can carry up to 1120 passengers and 167 cars. The ferry departs from Pozzallo on January 2, 2020 at 2:30 pm. The crossing is fast. We arrive 1 hour and 45 minutes later at the port of Valletta, Malta and T. a little pale in her face. Oh, and one more thing we forgot, we must drive on the other side of the street (left! Kind of strange).

Malta is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and consists of several small islands. In the Romans, the current town was called Mdina or melita - this name probably goes back to the Punic War, meaning a “refuge – mallet” - which is probably the origin of the island's current name. Malta is very densely populated. Around 500,000 people live in all of Malta, 394,000 people live in the capital region. We booked a hotel with breakfast in San Giljan, in the middle of the bar/restaurant/casino area. Fortunately, it is off-season 😉.

​Valletta
January 3rd, we are enjoying the beautiful weather and some late Christmas spirit in this wonderful capital, Valletta. Our daily walk today was 20km, San Gilijan - Valletta and back (we do not want to use our car every day). On the way back we pass by a hairdresser / barber shop and I push Pablo in there 😉

Blue Grotto, Qrendi Temple, Dingli cliffs, Golden Bay, Mdina
January 7th, we drive and explore the southwestern side of the island. There is no corner without any archaeological excavation and a lot of history. The small island seems very touristic and we are happy that it is low season. We drive past a city and stop briefly. Pablo is extremely happy because it is the city of Mdina where the series “Game of Thrones” was partly filmed.

Sicily, Latin Sicilia comes from the ancient Greek Σικελίη Sikelíē, and  is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, one of the 20 regions of Italy. It is one of the five Italian autonomous regions and is officially referred to as Regione Siciliana.
The earliest archaeological evidence of human activity on the island dates from as early as 12,000 BC. By around 750 BC, Sicily had three Phoenician and a dozen Greek colonies and it was later the site of the Sicilian Wars and the Punic Wars. After the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century AD, Sicily was ruled during the Early Middle Ages by the Vandals, the Ostrogoths, the Byzantine Empire, and the Emirate of Sicily. The Norman conquest of southern Italy led to the creation of the Kingdom of Sicily, which was subsequently ruled by the Hohenstaufen, the Capetian House of Anjou, Spain, and the House of Habsburg. It was unified under the House of Bourbon with the Kingdom of Naples as the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicily)

After we discovered the north side of the island, the journey continues west and then south. Finally, we spent a whole 2 months in Sicily, so there will be a third part 😉.
We leave our little house in San Nicola l’Arena and make our way to Sciacca. As soon as we leave the Palermo area, we meet a completely different landscape. Agriculture dominates here in the western part of Sicily. Fields after fields, either with olive- or orange trees, or greenhouses strung together.
 
Marsala
On the way to our destination we stopped briefly in Marsala. This little town is a little gem, real cute.
 
Sciacca
Sciacca is one of the largest fisher ports on the Mediterranean Sea and is in the Agrigento region. The area around Sciacca was already known in Roman times for the healing springs. There are several thermal baths which are no longer in operation today. Like everywhere in Sicily, money is lacking. The current structure of the old town emerged under the Arabs. The city wall and the fort were also built at this time. The name of the city comes from Arabic. The city is not one of our favourite places, no big impression.
 
Valle dei Templi
The archaeological sites of Agrigento south of today's Agrigento city center are among the most impressive archaeological sites in Sicily. They mainly show the remains of Akragas (Latin Agrigentum), one of the most important ancient Greek cities in Sicily. The Greek temples, some of which are still very well preserved, testify to the size, power and cultural boom of the then Greek city. one of the best-preserved temples in ancient Greece is the Concordia Temple. In 1997, UNESCO declared Agrigento's archaeological sites as a World Heritage Site. (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valle_dei_Templi)
 
Marina di Ragusa
We spend our holidays in Marina di Ragusa, a fisher village. The area is more a summer / tourist place, we only see a nose from time to time. Surprisingly, December in the south is cold too, the nights drop between 3 ° to 5 ° C and the houses have no heating. This is a lesson for us for our future rental properties 😉.
We enjoy the 2 weeks with a lot of sun, the children can even bath because it warms up to 20 ° C during the day. We spend the cold days at home or in a shopping mall, which reminds us of the winters in Canada 😊.
 
Ragusa
The origins of Ragusa can be traced back to the 2nd millennium BC, when there were several Sicel settlements in the area. The current district of Ragusa Ibla has been identified as Hybla Heraea.
The ancient city, located on a 300-metre (980 ft)-high hill, came into contact with nearby Greek colonies, and grew thanks to the nearby port of Camerina. Following a short period of Carthaginian rule, it fell into the hands of the ancient Romans and the Byzantines, who fortified the city and built a large castle. Ragusa was occupied by the Arabs in 848 AD, remaining under their rule until the 11th century, when the Normans conquered it. Selected as County seat, its first Count was Geoffrey, son of Count Ruggero of Sicily.
In 1693 Ragusa was devastated by a huge earthquake, which killed some 5,000 inhabitants. Following this catastrophe the city was largely rebuilt, and many Baroque buildings from this time remain in the city. Most of the population moved to a new settlement in the former district of Patro, calling this new municipality "Ragusa Superiore" (Upper Ragusa) and the ancient city "Ragusa Inferiore" (Lower Ragusa). (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragusa,_Sicily)


Our first visit is to Ibla Ragusa. The place and the cleanliness impressed us. I could imagine living in this part of the city. There we attended a pre-Christmas performance. A water – musical spectacle.
The second visit is planned after Christmas, with a little surprise for the children. We visited the Ferris wheel. With an entry of 20 euros, the price comes close to the same as in Switzerland. Nevertheless, it gave us a nice view of Ragusa Ibla and the Upper Ragusa.
Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/MD4MyB1vkMpF43dL7

Montenegro behind us, we have now arrived in Italy, port of Bari. So far, we have not been able to get used to the organization of the ferry ports. Everything is somehow illogical. With Google Maps on Pablo’s cell phone, we hit the roads, our destination is Sicily. The route is too long to master in one day, so we booked a B&B on the way, in Pizzo. A small pretty guesthouse in the middle of nowhere, but on a beautiful beach. In summer there is certainly a lot going on, but in winter it is deserted. We are the only guests and enjoy the peace. The room is cosy, and the bathroom has a bathtub, yeah! The children were happy and looking forward to enjoying a bubble bath. Unfortunately, the dream just burst, something didn't work with the hot water boiler ☹. The next morning, we had hot water, but only showered to start our ongoing journey as quickly as possible.
A few hours later we arrived at Villa San Giovanni, where we took the car ferry to Messina, Sicily. Again, the organization is illogical, but we did find the way to get to the pay toll for the ferry. The seller calculated 2 adults, 1 child and a van. Children be just quiet while we will drive into the ferry’s belly and show the tickets 😉
20 minutes later we reached the island Sicily in the city Messina. Already 10 seconds after the departure we were faced with the crazy traffic and the madness of the drivers. Pablo was sweating and we were happy to finally be in the next village. But it wasn't any better there either. The search for an ATM was difficult, but soon I found one. We had to admit that we couldn't get anywhere on the little village streets and therefor we would only arrive at the destination with a huge headache. We chose the highway. The costs were bearable, 8.40 euros for 190km.
Sicily is wonderful! The island in the very south of Italy is different from the mainland, and different from what the clichés suggest. I never thought how diverse Sicily is, how mountainous, how fertile, how rough and how worth seeing.
We also had one or two internal (or more road traffic) disputes with Sicily. It is not a sweet love at first sight that we feel for the island. It is rather a warm affection full of respect.
 
San Nicola l’Arena
San Nicola l’Arena is about 32 km from Palermo. In this small fishing village with about 1000 inhabitants, we rented a small house for two weeks through Airbnb. San Nicola is small but pretty. It is also peaceful and calm here. We were the only tourists, so we could watch the everyday life of the locals.
 
Grotta Mazzamuto
Not far from our village, in the middle of the Pizzo Trigna-Pizzo Cane nature reserve, is the Mazzamuto Cave, one of the largest in this area. It is a cave of considerable size, of historical and paleontological interest, and was inhabited by prehistoric people. It has a rich fossil deposit; the remains of dwarf elephants and hippos have been found there.
 
 
Termini Imerese
The San Nicola shop doesn't always have everything we need.  So, the opportunity came to go to Termini Imerese, to visit and to look for a bigger Supermarket. Found a parking space and read and understood the complicated parking signs (we hoped), then we could explore the small town. We immediately liked it. The city has only about 25,000 inhabitants, so it is very assessable and yet it has everything. We found a supermarket. Since Termini is build on a hill, we had then to carry the bought groceries all up the whole mountain back to the car.
 
Palermo airport
On December 6th, just in time for St. Nicholas' Day, we received visitors from Switzerland.
 
Pollina
Our landlord is an Austrian guy who was stranded in Sicily more than 12 years ago. He wanted to show us the area around San Nicola. First, he showed us the village of Pollina. It is a pretty little village built on a rock. The museum is the main attraction. It shows how manna is won.
Shortly afterwards we were fed on an agritourism farm located in the area of ​​Mount Madonie.
 
Cefalù
On the way back we stopped for a little stroll in Cefalù. The city lies at the foot of the Rocca di Cefalù, a 270-meter-high limestone rock. The city is characterized by tourism. Very pretty and ready for the tourists. Back at the car we had our first park fine. ☹
 
Palermo
Regardless of whether you visit Palermo with or without children: this city is simply crazy! This is especially true for road traffic, which shapes our first impression, when we headed to the airport of Palermo. This time we visited Palermo by train (the app worked, just need sometimes a bit patience). I did not want Pablo to have a heart attack and visit him in the hospital 😊. Palermo is the capital of Sicily and with almost 700,000 inhabitants also the largest city on the island.
The proximity to Africa is noticeable in the city's history. It was Phoenicians, i.e. ancient North Africans, who founded Palermo almost 3000 years ago. Rulers and occupiers came and went: the Greeks, the Romans, the Vandals.
The city flourished under the Arabs in the early Middle Ages, and many influences in today's cityscape date from this period. At that time only Byzantium (now Istanbul) and Cordoba (in Andalusia) were bigger than Palermo in Europe.
We visited many interesting tourist attractions like; intersection "Quattro Canti, many small palazzi, Palermo Cathedral, the port of Palermo, Teatro Massimo etc. Our highlight was the park with the fig trees that grow not only from the bottom up, but also from the top down. The specimens of the Ficus macrophylla are in the Giardino Garibaldi (Piazza Marina), which is freely accessible. Strolled through the largest market (Market Ballaro), drank coffee here and there in a bar and tried different street foods from Palermo / Sicily. Then stayed until supper time to see the Christmas decoration sparkle in the dark.

​photos.app.goo.gl/TM3tZLMjqezT7KXs5

Years ago, whilst planning our first summer vacation, we came up with the idea of getting a camera, that could be used under water as well. Since Pablo does not see much without glasses snorkeling was somehow pointless for him. The camera provided an easy opportunity to see things otherwise not accessible for him.
Ever since we got the camera, the kids loved to experiment with it. It actually is quite intriguing to be able to go places and discover spots that would normally be inaccessible or hidden. In Ukanc, Slovenia the kids were able to catch some beautiful footage from a river that was simply too cold to swim in it. Climbing on a fallen tree and lowering the camera on a rope into the water had to be thought out first and without a plan would have failed. In this sense it helped our daughters to develop something that could be called a project.
This brings us to the Marina di Ragusa, on a December day. The sun was shining, the water was still acceptedly warm to bath the feet (at least for them). We had some extra time on our hands and so the kids decided to try something different. They could not apprehend how unique the whole thing would turn out.
The camera got mounted on a small tripod and buried into the sand at the beach. So far nothing special. From the screenshot above you can see, what the idea was. Capturing the movement of the waves, endlessly rolling ashore since forever.
Water tends to take everything apart. Give it the necessary time and it washes whole mountain ranges off and grinds it to sand. In this light, a little bit of sand around a tripod seems not very stable and was bound to fail sooner or later. So, it did sooner than later.
Both kids were caught up with something else when a particularly big waves managed to strip the tripod of its protecting wall of sand and wash it out into the sea.
The younger daughter was the first to notice and started to look out for the camera, yelling out for help. As soon as we heard her cry, we realized something terrible must have happened. We ran down to the beach and started to look for the camera. But it was gone, swallowed by the sea. RIP – so we thought.
Both kids were upset and disappointed. They felt like they failed with safeguarding the camera. We were all sad. After all, the camera was part of our equipment for quite some time now and we linked many good memories with its presence. We even started to look on the internet for a replacement.
Our only hope was that the tide would bring it back. But it was too late and too dark for another search party.
 
The next day, Chantal and I left the house a bit earlier than usually and went to the beach. Not really counting on finding anything, but hey, at least we gave it a shot.
Good thing we did. A couple hundred meters away from the very spot the camera was last seen and almost 17 hours later, there it lied in the sand. The tripod still spread out it sat there, waiting for us to be picked up. The sea spat it out like it was a piece of trash. Luckily for us. This was better than any other gift for Christmas.
Best part: The camera did film after disappearing into the water, for almost a full hour. So, if you want to discover, how it must have felt being tossed around, buried with sand and then washed free again, knock yourself out
-> https://photos.app.goo.gl/34ePnYVMs7io1awx7 

After Croatia, we were visiting the neighbour country Montenegro. A small, simple country with a lot of potential.

Budva
On the way to Podgorica we stopped briefly in Budva to have a little snack and pee break. The old town is very small, but very pretty. But the structure and mess of the new buildings surrounding the old town are horrible. It looks like gambling is allowed in Montenegro, and therefor one casino is after another.

Podgorica
We were allowed to spend the week with a couchsurfer in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro. We were thrilled to meet someone who knows the city and the country. When we entered the address in Google Maps, the destination was the European French School in Podgorica. Well, we had the pleasure to discover the capital city with a Frenchman.
How do you communicate with the locals in Montenegro? Certainly not in French. You usually get along well with English.  But not everyone speaks it, but most are willing to try. Pablo could even explain a haircut by using gesture. Retrospectively, we could have gotten through with a few words in German.
The most difficult thing, we found, is to get into conversation with the people - and that was not due to language barriers. In Croatia we learned how open and friendly people can be and we think it would have been the same in Montenegro. The fact that, people generally do not run towards strangers with open arms is perhaps a bit understandable in the recent history of the country.

Virpazar, Lake Skadar
Lake Skadar is the largest lake in the Balkan Peninsula and - depending on the view - the largest lake in southern Europe alongside Lake Garda. The lake is located at the border area between Montenegro, which includes about two thirds of the area, and Albania, which has about a third of the area. To the south-west it is separated from the Adriatic Sea, which is only 20 kilometres away, by the Rumija Mountains, which are up to 1,600 meters high, while on the north-east side there is a wide, partially muddy flat land.
The nature and the lake are gorgeous. We would visit Montenegro again, but in a warmer season that would be more suitable for hiking. November in the mountains of Montenegro is like ours, brrrhh, cold!
 
Bar
The visit to the port city was only on the radar because of the ferry ticket booking. Not no smart website we could get information about the price or the departure dates, everything was somehow vague. Like Swiss, this must be clarified beforehand. We love to travel by train and in another countries, it is much more exciting. Yes, and there is a train from Podgorica to Bar. On a Monday morning, November 25th exactly, we run to the train station, which is a 45-minute walk from our accommodation. We run, because Pablo took the wrong street and we came to the ticket counter just a couple minutes before departure. 14 euros the round ticket, for the four of us, bah!
At the port in Bar the lady confirmed that the last ferry to Italy this year would be on Wednesday, November 27th, 2019 and we did not have to reserve our spot nor the cabin.
Now we could visit the city of Bar and the old town, which is 5 km further up. We had now clarified everything 😊. We go to Italy directly and would visit Albania further in the future.
With 19km under our belt we fell asleep very well for the night. But in the middle of the night I woke up, the whole house shook, an earthquake, oh dear! Quickly to the children in the other room, ah all well, they sleep like a stone.
Unfortunately, in the morning we read the news, that heart of the earthquake was in Albania, near Durres were we initially indented to take the ferry to Italy. Somehow, we decided two days before, to take the last ferry from Montenegro to Italy instead of Albania. In our thoughts we are with the people and kind mourn with them. Because a couple days before, a Couchsurfer from Tirana wrote us, to invite us to get a coffee with him. I hope he is well, then I did not hear a word again.
 
Cetinje
Cetinje is the official residence of the Montenegrin president and was the country's capital until 1918. Therefore, we visited the small pretty town on the way to Bar. The scheduled departure time of our ferry on that day was at 9:00 pm.
At the port we waited and waited. The loading time was 7:30 pm. Since it was the last ferry for this year, more and more cars and trucks came to the harbour and still wanted to get on the ferry.
At 11:30 pm. the ship finally left. The ship swung forth and back, because the wind was very strong. The sleep came anyway, and the ferry came into the port in Bari on schedule! Good night, and good Morning!

Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/BHacHt97KNWi7ZsW8

​Prižba
​
On November 5th, we packed our car and drove on. We wanted to be in Prižba, Korčula at the end of the day. On the way down south, we had crossed the border twice. We entered Bosnia Herzegovina for 20 minutes. At the Bosnian border we had to wait nearly 5 minutes, because a German had to have his car examined. Our self, we needed just one minute. After a few minutes’ drive, a small stopover for a photo shoot, at the other end of the county no waiting on the Croatian border, ufff! We continued our drive to Pelješac and then to Orebić, where our ferry left for the island of Korčula.
we have booked an apartment in Prižba, on this beautiful island for 12 nights. It was very reasonably priced and very nice. A couple years ago, Pablo’s wish was to visit an island in Croatia, that’s why I reserved the apartment during the time of his birthday, but also have a feeling of vacation and not only travel. It is important not to change the location every 2 days. The children need rest and time for themselves (as we do too 😉); like playing with their toys/games, sleeping in, and doing some school stuff 😉

​Vela Luka

Vela Luka is the largest port on the island, the big ferries from Split arrive here. Vela Luka had been used as a port by the Romans. We walked leisurely at the waterfront and in the old town until we became aware of the Vela Spila caves. Since it is low season, we had to pick up the key to the cave at the tourist office. On our own responsibility, we could explore the caves, which are about 900m above the town. The caves were settled about 20,000 years ago, back in the Stone Age. Bones and tools from this period were found. The cave was then occupied again and again till the present day.

​Blato

Like all Towns in Croatia, Blato also has a small old town and many churches, which we visited in a short time. The real reason was doing groceries.

​Korčula

If we spend so many days on this island, that’s why we had to visit the small town called Korčula. It is rumored that Marco Polo was born there. The town is great and neat. The many small streets are always a sensation to explore for the children. Since we are already here, we could just do our weekly groceries. Prižba and Blato do not have that much variety.

​Dubrovnik

It is no coincidence that so many of our favorite travel moments come from Croatia. The country is just awesome! Finally, we also explored the very last corner of Croatia: Dubrovnik, the World Heritage city in the very south. And it has it all, for children and adults alike.
On our first short walk through the Old Town we felt very welcomed and could not wait to explore all the sights of Dubrovnik, so we spent a little more money and bought a 3-day pass. For two days we looked at the city from above, visited every alley and even made some bus trips. At the end, we treat the girls to a children's program: eating ice cream!

We have rented a holiday apartment in one of the many houses that claw along the ridiculously narrow streets on the hill site. Driving is only possible for locals, so we had to rent an apartment with a parking space (be sure to leave your stroller at home!). But the view of Dubrovnik New Harbor and the Adriatic Sea was fantastic. When we finally made our way down to the sea, we needed about 15 minutes to descend the three-digit number of steps and another 15 minutes to the old town.
3 days gave us a good insight into this wonderful city. One day would have been too little. 

We did not know Slovenia, other than from our passing throughs on our way to Croatia in 2016/2017. Even then, the meadows were beautiful green and lush, the streets and houses maintained. And yet Slovenia surprised us positively. We crossed the small alpine country from north to south and wondered for a week how beautiful and how versatile it is here. How everything somehow reminds us of our homeland Switzerland.
On terms of the people and the cars (even if this may sound a bit arrogant) we were assuming that the Slovenians must be doing well. Even the meals at the restaurants were priced almost like in Switzerland 😊.
 
Only a few days before, still in Santa Maria, Val Müstair, Switzerland, we thought about how we wanted to plan our stay in Slovenia. Through Couchsurfing or Workaway we did not get any answers, so we ended up renting a small apartment / house situated in the heart of the Triglav National Park for a week via Airbnb. What a great idea! The beautiful forests, spectacular karst landscapes and the very nice people made the start for our Europe-Tour easy. We leave Slovenia with the firm intention to come back again!
 
All wonderful sites we visited; each would earn a detailed report for themselves. But before I get tangled up (such a nomadic life is quite time-consuming, at least for reasons as the non-existent dishwasher), here is a brief summary of each places we visited:
 
 
Ukanc, Lake Bohinj
 
Here, in the last village of this beautiful valley, we rented our little house. It could also be at home somewhere in the Jura Mountains. The weather was wonderful, sun was shining most oft he time (the last 2 days were cloudy and rainy). The girls could go to the lake or just to the river alone and let their childhood dreams run wild. The playground was their secret hiding place when it came to their chores to do 😉
 
 
Lake Bled
 
The wildly romantic mountain lake with the island is not far from the Austrian border and 45 minutes from Ukanc. We walked briefly along the northern shore beneath the castle. Since I absolutely had to go to the bathroom, we made a small stop in a restaurant. 4 different drinks for 17 euros, it ain’t cheap, certainly not the parking (2 euros / hour).
 
Ljubljana
 
Two days in Ukanc, suddenly we received a message from a Couchsurfer from Ljubljana. Unfortunately, hosting wasn’t possible. Yet I asked him if he was available on Saturday October 26 to grab a coffee or so? The answer was an invitation for a breakfast at his home. His 3 kids were really looking forward to play with our girls. The breakfast was a success, everyone enjoyed it. The kids got along right away.
In the afternoon we strolled through Ljubljana and discovered this beautiful, scenic city.
​

Six years ago we moved from Montreal Canada back to our hometown Biel/Bienne in Switzerland (http://www.chanpab.com/globe-trotting/times-up).


Six years in which we fully reintegrated into the everyday routine of working, eating, sleeping and kind of enjoying the weekend.
We noticed how P. and I (mostly P.) rushed through everyday’s life: Getting up at 6:00 h, leaving the house 6:20, starting work at 7:30 h and being back home at 18:30 h, going to bed at around 22:00 h, (P. needs his sleep to function properly 😊). And his family life? He complained more and more about not knowing what «his 3 girls” were up to.
We just seemed to fly through the weeks: if I’m or he was busy with one thing, we were mentally already preparing for the next one.

For five years P. worked as a Senior IT Technician and it was interesting. But the commuting part (90 minutes for 42 km mornings and evenings) took its toll, felt more and more like a waste of time. Netflix could not change that 😊. Couldn’t the time have spent more intelligently with the family and developing our many ideas?
We were facing a fundamental decision. For almost a year now P. had a bad feeling in his stomach, when the weekend was over, or he did think about work. A year ago, when we first talked about taking some time off, a real family time, just the 4 of us. Living the dream and travel with our kids as long as the saved-up money lasts.

Hadn’t we left everything behind once before? We need our serenity back and teach our kids to take it slow, living the dream and not just live/work for the dream. The kids are 9 and 11 years old, the time is now or never. They would not want to travel with us in 5-10 years from now. They will need to develop their own personality and take on their own life and dreams.
We've known for weeks/months that we must take the step. Just go to our respective supervisors and say: "I quit". Essentially, that’s what we did, and we stopped working on September 30th, 2019.

Why did we do it? Wouldn’t life be easier with a good salary? The luxury to be able to afford everything we needed, because money is available. Even being able to pay into the retirement fund at the end of the month. What about finding another work after 12 months on the road?
And yet, we quit, and we go on that trip around Europe spending our savings. We left steady jobs, and no one pays our pension, our insurance or our apartment.
Now, we have 3 weeks to prepare the car we just bought for this journey, free up the apartment and put the most important things into the car.


Europe here we come!
​