Stories from the Road, the blog for Bluestone Imports & Tours

10/29/2024

Greetings! Our last 4 Oman posts are available for your reading pleasure on our blog www.storiesfromtheroad.blog. All the wonderful experiences, sights and tastes are still so vivid in our memories and we hope you enjoy them too.

06/20/2024

Check out our new blog post from the Kardamili International Jazz Festival! We had a wonderful time listening in to mostly free performances of musicians from Norway, Greece, US and Europe and danced all night at the blow out party on the port to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the festival. Go to www.storiesfromtheroad.blog for this and our other posts. Ciao!

06/20/2024

Check out our new blog post from the Kardamili International Jazz Festival! We had a wonderful time listening in to mostly free performances of musicians from Norway, Greece, US and Europe and danced all night at the blow out party on the port to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the festival. Go to www.storiesfromtheroad.blog for this and our other posts. Ciao!

The art of do-it-yourself travel - We are John O’Neill and Julie Roller, retired teachers and geologists who have spent years traveling and studying the world..

05/11/2024

Greetings everyone. We've just launched our travel blog, Stories from the Road, and invite you to check it out. We've been traveling together every year since 2008 and now it's time to put some of those adventures down in writing. We're starting with our 3 week trip to Oman and will continue writing on our summer travels which start in 2 days! Come on along - www.storiesfromtheroad.blog

03/21/2024

What's new for Bluestone? We've stepped into a travel blog gig and will let everyone know when we launch. Per this new title, our blog is called Stories from the Road and we'll be sharing our journey and adventures starting with the Sultanate of Oman, below photos, and reaching back to all our travels together, now 16 years worth.

11/29/2023

Great news! We have a few spaces open for our deep-dive, 21 night tour to beautiful and fascinating Crete, Greece's largest island, from May 26 - June 16, 2024. This is a small group tour of around 12 guests.

Crete is a happening place, still maintaining many of its traditional ways while presenting a dynamic culture especially in its three main small cities that we’ll visit.

Food in Crete is fabulous & healthy; the term “Mediterranean Diet” originated there after World War 11. Taste traditional foods as well as modern fusion dishes. We’ll enjoy a cooking class using local Cretan products such as olive oil, vegetables, cheese, meat, and wine. Our tour cooking classes are always a highlight and a wonderful way to bond while making great food together!

Crete is also known for its white wines, and we’ll visit the wine district of Archanes for tasting and learning about the different varieties. If you’re a connoisseur of fresh mushrooms, you’ll be delighted by the wild chanterelles and other fresh mushrooms offered in local restaurants.

Crete is home to the Bronze age culture of the Minoans, who are famous for the ethereal beauty of their artworks that exhibit highly advanced skills and focus on the beauty of nature rather than war. They are in many ways the seed culture of the classical Greeks.
We’ll delve into Minoan history and their stunning artwork through the newly renovated Archeology Museum in Iraklion and smaller museums, all with excellent Minoan pieces, and we’ll visit the two best preserved Minoan Palace sites. These museums also present art pieces from the Greek, Roman, Venetian and Ottoman Empire time periods.
Walking the flowered, narrow streets of Rethymno and Chana towns with their Venetian, Ottoman, and Arabic old parts, we’ll explore and hear stories of the peoples who settled this strategic, green Mediterranean island. It played an important role in World War 11 and has a fascinating story about the leading role their monasteries played in the resistance.

Cretan people love their distinctive music and dance, and these art forms are maintained not only in the mountain villages but also in modern reworkings of traditional Cretan music by younger musicians who perform around the island. We hope to provide opportunities for our group to experience these artistic traditions.
Beautiful beaches and striking rugged mountains (8058 ft highest) dazzle the eye, and we’ll saunter through three gorgeous gorges, including the famous Samaria Gorge that cuts through the steep uplifted mountains. We’ll enjoy boat rides for swimming and snorkeling, a sunset cocktail sail and open-air ferry boats for the southern coast, reached only by boat or on foot.
Plenty of planned activities and built-in free time for individual exploration will provide an in-depth, affordable and intimate experience of the island in each enchanting location.

All this and more offered at $3950 for double occupancy. Includes all hotels, breakfasts, museums, boat rides, and more.
Email Julie at [email protected] for questions, full itinerary, price, and registration.

07/19/2023

In 2022, we welcomed 11 friends to an amazing 21 night exploration of the largest Greek island of Crete. We love the Minoan art and archeology preserved from 3000-1800 BC and delved into their world across the island. We enjoyed the 3 main small cities, built by the Venetians, Ottomans and Cretans, swam and sunned at several premiere beaches without the crowds, went boating on two private trips, and took ferries along the rugged south coast to hike the largest gorge in Europe and to enjoy the beautiful deep blue seas of Crete’s southwest coast.

07/19/2023

07/19/2023

Surrounded by hand spun wool dyed in vats of various plants, then watched the women weave rugs found in embassies around the world. On to Ephesus and Aphrodisias ruins.

07/19/2023

Istanbul!

02/23/2022

02/15/2022

02/15/2022