From the Inside Out

Maui is one of my favorite Islands. It’s where Gary and I went for our honeymoon and where we decided to celebrate our 10th year of marriage. Fast-forward to 2010, and I find myself back on the Island again. And guess what? It’s still as great as it was the first time I came. Seriously, every time I come here, I never want to leave. The views are amazing. The weather is perfect. The ocean is mesmerizing. I think it’s about as close to heaven as you can get.

This year, we traveled to the Island first-class, which made the 8-hour plane ride much more comfortable. I knew all of those upgrade points I had been accumulating would come in handy one day! We arrived in the late afternoon, checked into our hotel, and admired the fantastic view from our balcony. We’re only steps from the famous “black rock” on Kaanapali Beach in Maui, a spot that is well-known for excellent snorkeling. Just step outside, and we’re there.

View from our room

Looking out at Lanai

Black Rock

After checking in, we wandered around Kaanapali Beach and had dinner at the nearby Whaler’s Village.

Hula show at Whaler’s Village

We did some shopping, and then strolled along the beach before returning to our room to admire the beauty that God was painting in the night sky. I just love how the moon and stars are so bright in Hawaii. I never get over it. I just wish I had a better camera so I could really capture how awesome it truly is.

On day two, we got up early to do some snorkeling around black rock. We saw lots of fish, a couple of eels hiding in the reef, and…the best treat of the day…a sea turtle. It was huge! We followed it around for a while and took lots of pictures, but it’s on the waterproof camera so I can’t share those pictures until I get them developed.

We took a break for lunch, enjoying food and live music at an outdoor grill on the beach, and then we headed to Front Street in Lahaina to do some shopping and pick up a couple of road bikes that we are renting for the week.

Finally, we ended up at the spa for a beachside couples massage that was pure heaven! If I wasn’t relaxed before, I certainly am now. Oh, how I love vacation — it’s bliss.

One of the things I really miss about being a kid is the three-month break I used to get during the Summer. It was one of the hardest things to give up as I moved into adulthood. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could still have Summer breaks?

In the US, teachers enjoy Summer breaks, but few other jobs offer that option. Most workers only get a few precious days of vacation (some as little as two weeks annually). Considering that there are 52 weeks in a calendar year, that’s not much time off to play and enjoy the treasures that life has to offer.

Europeans get mini breaks during the Summer months. If you travel to Europe in August, you will find many businesses are closed, and the locals are off enjoying their six-week vacations. Not that I’m jealous or anything, but I seriously need to move to Italy.

Until that happens or I retire, I’m stuck working through the Summer months, fondly remembering a time when I was young and carefree. A time when I could relax, spend time with my friends, and enjoy the warm, sunny days of Summer. For now, I’ll fantasize about my next big vacation in November and possibly schedule a short, extended weekend trip in July. It can’t compare to a full Summer break or even a six-week retreat from reality, but it’s the closest I can get these days.

Speaking of short trips, what are your favorite vacation spots? Since I can only take a few days off right now, I won’t be traveling to Europe or any far away destinations. I need vacation spots close to Texas — for example, caribbean, Mexico, continental us, Canada, etc. I went to DC last year and NYC the year before, so I’m looking for something else. Any recommendations–if so, comment below.

Israel! Yes, I will be visiting the Holy Land, the place of our Lord’s birth, later this year! I am so freakishly excited. Our church is sponsoring a 9-day trip in the Fall of 2010. The tour will start in Tel Aviv and end in Jerusalem. Highlights include:

• Mediterranean Sea and Joppa, where Jonah took his famous sea voyage
• Mt. Carmel, where Elijah had his contest with the prophets of Baal
• Sea of Galilee and Mt. of Beatitudes
• Baptisms at the Jordon river
• Cana, where Jesus performed His first miracle
• The plain of Armageddon
• Nazareth
• Jerusalem, including Mt. Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Old City, Wailing Wall, the Upper Room, and Garden Tomb
• Bethlehem, including the church of the nativity and the cave stable of Jesus’ birth
• The Dead Sea

It will be so amazing to walk in the land that I’ve heard about my entire life. The land where Jesus lived, died, and rose again! The more I think about it, the more excited I get. I can’t wait!! Jerusalem has been on my list of “must visit” places for a long time (see my previous “My Top 5; Places To Visit” blog post), but because of safety concerns, I’ve always been reluctant to travel there.

I don’t think the risk will be any less in 2010, but I do believe there is safety in numbers and safety in going with an experienced tour company that has been successfully hosting visitors in the Holy Land for a number of years. Plus, if you have to travel with a group, what better group to go with than your church family? It’s much better than a group of strangers.

Normally, I’m not a fan of organized travel. I usually avoid it like the plague because I relish my freedom while on vacation. I want to choose where to stay, when and where to eat, and I don’t like having a pre-planned agenda every day. However, I’m hoping the benefits of group travel will outweigh those annoyances for this trip, especially considering the fact that I probably would never travel there on my own.

So, I’m overlooking my disgust for organized travel and focusing on the incredible opportunity that it offers me: the opportunity to visit the Holy Land, the opportunity to visit the most historic sites from the Bible, and the opportunity to fulfill a life-long dream.

Did I mention I was excited? Oh yeah, I can’t wait!!

We left Bellagio yesterday morning and caught a train to Milan. On the way there, we met three women — all from Texas — traveling together. I think it’s funny how you can go across the globe and still meet people who live in your own backyard. One of the ladies was from Flower Mound and another had a daughter who lives in Plano — go figure.

Anway, we arrived into Milan in the afternoon, took a cab to the hotel, and then went out to explore the city. It was a shock to our systems after the peaceful, slow pace of Bellagio. Milan is a lively, busy city, and it’s fashion week. Still, we had a good time walking around the streets, checking out the sights, and window shopping at all of the high-end designer stores. It’s a girl’s dream world — every major designer you can think of has a boutique here — and it’s all within walking distance to our hotel!

We had more time today to check out the key sites in the historic city center of Milan. We toured through the Milan Duomo (amazing), Galleria, and the Castle Sforza and gardens.

Here are a few highlights. For more, check out the Milan photo album.

Milan Duamo — 4th largest church in the world (seats 40K people) and it took over four centuries to build

Old meets new - view from the roof of the Duomo

On the roof - spectacular views here of Milan and the marble Duomo

Castle Sforza

The galleria, built in the 1800s

We got up early today, caught a boat and then a bus, for our journey across the border into Switzerland. Lugano is another town situated on a large lake that runs across both Italy and Switzerland.

At first I was concerned that it would be too similar to the towns we had already visited on Lake Como, but it wasn’t. Lugano had a flair all its own — it was a mixture of modern and historic. And it was sizably larger than any of the towns on Lake Como. It’s one of the largest towns in Switzerland in surface area.

First view of the city

The mountains, town, and lake of Lugano

Markets on the streets of Lugano

Bell tower of San Lorenzo and curvy streets

The funicolare, cable cars that take you up the mountains

Gorgeous day — we took the funicolare up to the top of Mt. Bre (on the right)

View from the top of Mt. Bre — amazing, huh?

Another view from the top

To see all of our fun photos from today’s adventure, look at the Lugano album.

Tomorrow: Milan!