Husn Suleyman Qal'at Masyaf famous waterwheels of Hama
Husn Suleyman, Qal’at Masyaf and Hama
About
Krak des Chevaliers
Ugarit and medieval castles
Ugarit Qal'at Salah Adin Qal'at Marqab
Ebla and Epemea
Ebla is still being dug up Dead cities Epemea
Around Aleppo
Lost villages temple of Saint Simeon
Aleppo
We stay here for a couple of days to visit Aleppo and the area around it. We first visit the citadel in the centre of the city. It is built on a hill and the hillsides have been paved in a steep angle to make it more defensible. There is an arch across the moat… Continue reading Aleppo
Qasr Al-Hayr Al-Sharqi / Resafah
After staying two nights in Palmyra and taking full day to visit the site, we leave in the morning to drive to Aleppo. Since we’ll be driving down the coast on the way back to Damascus later, we take the eastern road, bringing us close to the Iraqi border. We stop first at a desert… Continue reading Qasr Al-Hayr Al-Sharqi / Resafah
Palmyra
In Palmyra we sleep in the Cham hotel, which is located in the archaeological site, meaning you can see the monuments sticking out of the sand from the hotel and can walk straight in. There are a couple of buses here and a few groups of tourists. We get a guide via the hotel to visit… Continue reading Palmyra
Maaloula / Mar Mousa
the Maaloula monastery is located on top of the hills. In the village they still speak Aramaic, which is the language spoken in this area around 0 BC. The nearby monastery of Saint Thekla can be reached via a rocky defile created by a stream. Mar Mousa is a still working remote monastery, which can… Continue reading Maaloula / Mar Mousa
Bosra
We had the greatest falafels ever just outside the ruins at Bosra. At the parking itself there were several restaurants catering to tourists, but we walked 100 m further to the main street of the village, bought falafels and sat down on the sidewalk to eat them. Aside from the giant amphitheatre, there is a… Continue reading Bosra
a holiday in Syria
We knew there was lots to see, so we bought a couple of travel books and booked our tickets. Though at the time most tourists travelled in guided bus tours, the four of us decided to rent a car and strike out on our own. We did indeed encounter some tourist buses, especially around Palmyra… Continue reading a holiday in Syria
to Alpheton
Up early and another breakfast of cornflakes, bread, bacon and eggs. We leave in a good mood and drive out of Cambridge on the bid road and a ring road, before driving past many small villages. Fulbourn, then Brinkley where we stopped for groceries, we have the wind in our backs the whole way. We… Continue reading to Alpheton
A swim, a visit to Cambridge and a giant ice cream
We sleep long, because it's a rest day. We get up at eight thirty, have corn flakes, bread, egg, sausage and bacon and then went swimming in the public pool. We could swim as long as we like, but we wanted to see the city. We vist a few colleges, that takes a long time… Continue reading A swim, a visit to Cambridge and a giant ice cream
to Cambridge
I fell asleep yesterday while solving cross word puzzles with my dad. We get up early again, have a quick but tasty breakfast and jump on the bikes. We ride on a red road (note from 2021, this refers to the red color of the road on the map, indicating that it's a national road).… Continue reading to Cambridge
To East Harling
It's cold but I slept well under the warm sleeping bag. We play some more with the Dutch kids we met yesterday and fed the swans before leaving to Diss. Dad went out to get a map and Mom for groceries, when Dad gets back he looks at the map and shakes his head, saying… Continue reading To East Harling
to Hoxne
We get up early, because it will be a busy day. We have a quick but tasty breakfast at the tent, then pack up everything and leave around nine. We stop in Halesworth for groceries, it's already quarter to eleven. I was starving but mom said we would only eat at 12. We had the… Continue reading to Hoxne
A day off in Southwood
We did not sleep very well, because we were cold. We will stay here for another night, so we have a lot of time and we sleep late. My mother proposes to go out for lunch and we all agree. We first go to the sea, see sailing boats, my father takes a picture of… Continue reading A day off in Southwood
to Southwood
Slept well, we were tired from yesterday and rose in a good mood. Back to Leiston for grocery shopping, my sister guards the bikes while the others shop. We drive to Eastbridge and then through a nature reserve. When we got hungry, we sat down and had a picnic. We ride to Westleton, it's very… Continue reading to Southwood
to Sizewell
Please note that this text was written by me and my mom in 2021, based on the journal written by my sister, who was then 9 years old. We don't sleep well, but then you never do the first night. The tourist office is open, but they don't have a good map so they send… Continue reading to Sizewell
Public transport to Felixtowe
Up at six thirty, then a quick breakfast before the short trip to the Herentals railway station. Our neighbour is kind enough to drop us off, the bikes and bike luggage on an open trailer. We have to switch trains twice (once we only had 17 minutes to transfer) but everything goes smoothly. In Zeebrugge… Continue reading Public transport to Felixtowe
Introduction
This is the oldest trip for which we have actual daily notes, so I figured I would start here. The notes were written in Dutch by my eldest sister who was nine at the time of the trip, so I haven't made a literal translation, but rather tried to keep some of the basic facts… Continue reading Introduction
Febe writes 