I travel every week of the year, mostly for business but I go to great extends to make time for private traveling. 2015 has been a busy year that brought me among other places to Myanmar, Ecuador, Tanzania, Spain, Turkey, Hungary, Kenya, Ethiopia, Germany, USA and of course in Greece and Bulgaria.
Myanmar
The year started with a wonderful trip to Myanmar. We visited the old city of Bagan and flew over the hundreds of temples, Mandalay with the rich Bhuddist tradition, the lively city of Yangon. We did some great trekking in Kalaw, spent a couple of days in the unique Inle lake, with the fishermen and extraordinary local markets and relaxed in the beautiful Ngapali beach. Here is a picture of a tmeple in Bagan, shot from a flying baloon.
Barcelona, Spain
Over Easter I spent four refreshing days with family and friends, in beautiful Barcelona. We wondered around the lively streets, visited museums, browsed the Gaudi creations that are scattered around the city. We visited the impressive city Aquarium, tasted great tapas and listed no live jazz. Above is a picture of Gaudi's Casa Batlló in the city center.
Istanbul, Turkey
Later in April, I visited Istanbul. Although technically on a business trip, I found some time to finally visit Aghia Sofia, wonder in the old city bazaar and dine on a cruise boat in Bosphorus.
Symi and Rhodos, Greece
A long weekend in May in Rhodos, in definitely the best time of the year to visit. I wondered around the medieval old town, summerged into the ambiance of the knoght era, ate great food, swam in beautiful Lindos and sipped greek coffee in the valley of the butterflies. The picture above is from Symi, the highlight of the trip. During the one day trip, we scootered across the island and enjoyed the picturesque port.
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
In June, I visited Las Vegas. The ultimate kitsch setup is in a class of its own. Huge hotels with vast casino floors, neon lights and people that come to live their myth with cheap entertainment. It goes without saying that there is no other place on earth like Vegas.
Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA
I took a day off my business obligations in Las Vegas to fly to the Grand Canyon, as it has always been in my bucket list. I flew over the south rim by helicopter and visited the Mather point to shoot some of the iconic views of the canyon.
South Crete, Greece
In August, I spent a couple of weeks with my kids and friends in Crete, in the souther part of the Chania district. Having our base in Sougia, we traveled around, enjoyed the long beaches, relaxed and ate some great food.
Serengeti, Tanzania
Later in August, once again in Serengeti, this time to see the crossing of the Mara river by the great migration. The amazing spectacle of thousands of wildebeest crossing the crocodile rich waters of the river makes an unforgettable experience. A couple of more days in central Serengeti brought this safari trip to perfection levels.
Small Cyclades, Greece
As I do every year, I spent four days with my school buddies on George's traditional wood boat (kaiki) in the Greek islands. This year we toured the Small Cyclades (Koufonisia, Schinoussa, Iraklia) in the Aegean sea. I always have a great time with these guys.
Ecuador
In Novemebr we traveled to Ecuador. The itineray included the Galapagos islands, four days in the deep Amazonian jungle with the Huaorani tribe and a driving tour from Quito to Cuenca to see and feel the colonial and rural Ecuador.