Probearoundtheglobe

03/12/2024

Hiking challenge - November update

Goal: Hike 1200 km in 2024 (100 km per month, 23,5 km per week and 3,3 km per day 🤪)

This has been the worst month of the whole year and the whole challenge 😒 maybe it was because I already hit my 2024 goal or a lack of motivation, or the stomach bug that shattered my confidence of being away from a toilet 🚽 It all has something to do with it.

1. New surrounding for hiking: Loonse and Drunense Duinen, a major sanddune area close to where I live and a national park in 🇳🇱 usually I avoid it as I hate walking in loose sand but now it will be part of my preparation

2. Because… I have a new hiking goal for 2025. In spring I’ll go to Portugal to hike the Fishermen’s Trail along the coast. 226,5 km in 2 weeks. Very much looking forward to it but I still have a long way to go 🇵🇹

3. Winter is here. Cold wind. Snow. Ice. Ugh. I really rather stay in with a hot coco and a nice book. It is very hard to motivate myself to get out there. I need to find some interesting routes to make things more appealing 🥾

🔟 days of walking
40.5 km this month
Distances ranging from 1 km to 14.3 km 👍🏼

Total:
1342.3 km of 1200 >> 111.8 % done 💪🏼Smashed my year goal in 10 months but secretly wanted to hit 1500 this year. It will be a challenge to make that a reality. 🤨

17/11/2024

Chefchaouen, the blue pearl in the north of Morocco was quite the drive but worth a visit. Every nook, stairs and side street is fairytale beautiful and BLUE!

Unfortunately, the weather was very moody and I had to make good use of the very rare moments it was dry and the sun came out. I still think I managed to snap a few decent blue pictures.

10/11/2024

The village of Moulay Idriss, not far from Volubilis is built on 2 hills and considered the Mekka of Morocco for muslims. The mosque is the main focus of the village, together with the town square.

Unfortunately, it is off limits for non-muslims so I climbed to a viewpoint 😅 for views of the mosque and village at sun set. Stunning views!
The village is super nice and safe but as a solo female traveller, I felt a bit uneasy with all the curious stares. I was glad to have dinner at my guesthouse, which also had stunning views. All in all a nice place to visit but not per se to stay overnight.

09/11/2024

Volubilis, the ancient Roman sight not far from Fes and Meknes was the reason for my visit to Morocco. It once houses over 20k people and was the heart of the administration of this region of Roman.

Nowadays, the sight is an amazing walk through history and you can see some impressive buildings and in-situ floor mosaics. I mostly enjoyed the views of the mountains, the view of the sights and the feel of history!

04/11/2024

Hiking challenge - October update

Goal: Hike 1200 km in 2024 (100 km per month, 23,5 km per week and 3,3 km per day 🤪)

So close to my year goal, I knew I would smash it in October and I did! With another trip and a few walking days, I managed to surpass my goal 💪🏼

1. I went to Morocco and although it was wet and cold, the sun came out occassionally 🇲🇦

2. It took me a lot of steps, climbing to this viewpoint but it was worth it to see the sun set over Moulay Idriss 🌅

3. Earlier in the month, I walked around Den Bosch with Daniela, fellow blogger, for some catching up 🇳🇱

4+5. Walking more in my region with another stage of the Biesboschpad near Drongelen and the Castle of Dussen

6. I always walk 2.8 km on my lunchbreak but found a new route and now walk 4k per day ⬆️

7. Fes in Morocco was amazing and I did walk a lot 🥾

8. I’m in my happy place, roaming around Roman ruins in Morocco 🏛️

9. The blue city if Chefchaouen is great for just walking around and climbing a lot of steps, occassionally taking a break

10. Returning home, it is now truely and really autumn with very changing weather conditions 🍄

2️⃣1️⃣ days of walking
136.7 km this month
Distances ranging from 2,8 km to 16.5 km 👍🏼

Total:
1301.8 km of 1200 >> 108.5 % done 💪🏼Smashed my year goal in month 10. Very happy 🎆

30/10/2024

The old medina of Fes is exactly what you’d expect from an old oriental walled city with market. Hidden doors, blind alleyways, and beyond the brown and grey of the streets and the walls, the burst of vibrant colors, patterns and details. The smell, the sounds and the textures all beckon to take a closer look. Luckily, that is no problem in Fes. Yes, you are greeted at the door and invited to look around but no hassle, no yelling and no pulling your sleeve. Overall one of the most relaxed souk experience I had in this part of the world 👌🏼

29/10/2024

Fes (or Fez) one of the three imperial cities of Morocco has been an amazing discovery tour of hidden alleys, rooftop views and impressive detailed decorations.

A lot of the monuments and sights remain hidden for non-muslim travelers but with a few stairs to the rooftop terrace, a piece of that vail of secretcy is lifted

14/10/2024

More Sicily on the blog. The Etna Wine Train Tour is the best Sicily has to offer: sweeping views of the sea and the volcano from a train combined with wine tasting, which is win-wine-win in my book!

Check out this fun day tour by train, with Strada Del Vino dell'Etna

The Etna Wine Train Tour is the best Sicily has to offer: sweeping views of the sea and the volcano from a train combined with wine-tasting

07/10/2024

My first Sicily post is live! Check out my 10 Foodie Tips to Eat Like a Local in no time when you going to discover Palermo's Night Street Food Markets. The post is full of yummy mouthwatering pictures and tips for getting to those secret local places in Palermo.

Streaty Tours

Read my 10 magic foodie tips to eat like a local and why it is a great idea to join the best Palermo Street Food Tour at night.

02/10/2024

Hiking challenge - September update

Goal: Hike 1200 km in 2024 (100 km per month, 23,5 km per week and 3,3 km per day 🤪)

This month it was super easy to hit my hiking goal as we were exploring the island of Sicily. Besides a lot of driving, swimming, cycling and lazying around, we also walked a lot!

1. Exploring Catania on foot

2. Climbing the steps in Taormina to find interesting side streets

3. Walking around Ortigia and Siracusa was one of my fav days 👍🏼

4. Walking tour of Medieval Randazzo

5. Exploring Ragusa, Modica and Noto on foot on one day: so. many. stairs ! 🤪

6. There is a lot of walking involved to see the tempels in Agrigento 🏛️

7. Sciacca offered some of the best views

8. Although we did get around by golf cart , there was still a lot of walking and climbing at the tempels of Selinunte 🏛️

9. More tempels at Segesta, luckily there was a bus but we still walked a lot

10. And back home. Time to get the jackets and umbrella out ☔️

This was one of my best months and it was super easy to get the km in! It was super hot though ☀️🥵 and usually a lot of stairs were involved too, but the views were worth it!

2️⃣6️⃣ days of walking (most)
189.5 km this month
Distances ranging from 2,8 km to 14.5 km 👍🏼

Total:
1165.1 km of 1200 >> 98.1 % done 💪🏼Nearly there!

01/10/2024

Joining a vintage Fiat500 tour in Palermo with was one of the best ideas of our Sicily trip. On our last day, we toured the city of Palermo, driving the small streets, piazzas and markets in a beautifully restored Fiat500.

It was awesome, unique, a totally different view on the city and just plain FUN!!

30/09/2024

Honestly, I didn’t expect much of Palermo. It didn’t sound like a place I would enjoy so I didn’t allocate a lot of time there. Actually zero time. But we joined an evening street food tour of Palermo with (gifted) and also drove around the city a bit during the day.

And I must say: the city is really diverse, buzzin’ and it has a great vibe! I 100% get why people like it so much and I wouldn’t have discovered it if it wasn’t for the evening food tour.

28/09/2024

Segesta was the last of the great Greek temples in Sicily I wanted to see. It was a bit of a rainy and humid morning, so thank the person who came up with the idea of a shuttle bus between the temple and the Greek theater.

The views were striking, the temple stood prood and tall and it was fun walking in and out this one 👍🏼🏛️

It was much busier than the others as it is so close to Palermo. But worth a stop!

27/09/2024

Our time in Marsala was great! Besides visiting the island of Favignana, we took our time relaxing at the beach, seeing the salt flats at sun set and enjoying some good meals.

We didn’t do that much sightseeing but mostly enjoyed those typical holiday things: sleep in, relax, enjoy the view and each other’s company. The west coast, and especially Marsala is NOT on the foreign tourist radar, so if you’re looking for an off the beaten track destination, Marsala is a good place to go!

25/09/2024

Eventhough we’re already on the island of Sicily, I still wanted to visit the smaller island of Favignana.

Only half an hour by fast ferry from Marsala, everything was super easy. We rented bikes on the dock, and off we went. To different beaches, rocky coves and swimming spots. We had a relaxed day on the beach, enjoying the crystal clear waters and spotting the fishes below.

At the end of the day, we took the ferry back to Marsala but of course, you can also stay overnight if you like.

23/09/2024

22/09/2024

Sciacca lies 62 km west of Agrigento and 75 km east of Marsala and is a quiet harbor town with a cute old center.

It is famous for its coral and we took a good 2 hours to explore, take in the views and appreciate some of the local sweet treats with a drink.

The town is not as grand as Taormina or famous as Noto but it is a nice break if you’re driving from Agrigento to Marsala.

Have you’ve ever heard of Sciacca?

21/09/2024

Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples is a MUST-DO in Sicily. Especially if you like ancient history and Greek & Roman stuff like I do.

And although the name seems to suggest it is a valley, the temples are actually situated on a rim. Sea views on one side, city view on the other, the tempels from 5-4 th century BC are stunning. Visiting in the late afternoon/ evening offers amazing light. The place is open until 11 pm (ar the moment) so you can even visit at night.

Really special!