From Rolls Royce to $1 billion mosques, it was a feast for the senses.

Landing in Haifa airport has been a 22-year-old dream of mine and today we did it with a couple of hiccups.  

Many of you know that Julian and I are members of the Baha'i Faith, an independent world religion that stresses the unity of the human family and the common source of all religion. We were very keen to make this small pilgrimage to Edirne.

Yasin first walked us by the monument that marks where the Ancient Roman Hippodrome once stood. The scope of the Roman Empire and the scale of the buildings it created is still shocking to me...

Landing in Istanbul, the same feeling came over me as when we landed in Morocco. While the Straits of Gibraltar mark the gateway between north and south, between Europe and Africa...Turkey is a bridge between west and east...

We left Bari full and happy and headed to Cisternino. We knew this town to have a beautiful old city, and we knew that it too would likely be very quiet because it was Sunday. But! We weren't prepared for the level of quiet.

One of the most exhilarating things about staying in this area is that you can travel to many small towns within an hour or so, each with their own rich history, culture and charm. Today we headed out to explore two of them.

Puglia has been "discovered" in the last few years by visitors looking for something less crowded than Tuscany and other areas, and I cannot say enough about this region of olive trees, antipasti, mountains and hospitality and history.

On our last night in Corsica, we arranged to have dinner with Olivier, and Julian mysteriously mentioned that there was a surprise coming after dinner and that I would love it.  I honestly couldn’t imagine what it could be, but sure enough, after dinner, we drove about 20 miles north, and it wasn’t until we walked up the steps of a church and I saw the poster...

The flight was perfect in every way, an hour and a half from Valencia to Corsica. At the end of the flight, Julian flew VFR and took a couple of pretty exciting turns (well, exciting for me in the back)...and made a very impressive landing.

In the cool of the airplane, we enjoyed the hour and a half flight, and when we got out of the plane in Valencia, the air felt downright balmy - even though it was in the upper 80’s! That’s what contrast will do for you! After a very easy transition from the plane to taxi thanks to the aviation handling services of Gestair, we arrived at the Caro Hotel in the old area of the city.

We had asked the riad to arrange for a guide to walk us through the medina, as we knew our time was very limited, and we met Fouad at the door. Tall, elegant and with the voice of Morgan Freeman, he led us skillfully through the souk first.

After the best of buffet breakfasts at the Four Seasons in Casablanca, (a perfect blend of Moroccan and Western goodies), Julian P. and the Jetex team took care of us again, picking us up at the hotel, feeding us sweets (again!) and providing yet another cup of that delicious tea...and then a ridiculously beautiful selection of French pastries, presented by Julian P. as we left.  

We enjoyed a day filled with visiting mosques, meeting local bloggers and some impromptu sing-alongs in Casablanca. 

Our time in Morocco has been so intense and quick moving, there has been no opportunity to gather thoughts, let alone put them on paper. Today I am happy to reflect on those amazing three days in the cool of a light filled, wood gabled hotel room in Valencia, Spain.

Seville - We had figured out how to buy tickets to Alcazar online to avoid the very long line, and arrived on the dot at 9:30 am.

The HondaJet duo touched down in España to enjoy a day in Seville complete with historically fascinating accommodations and flamenco music.

Time is flying! (every pun intended). I want to remember every detail, sight, smell and experience--but it’s been a pretty intense trip so far!

We are loving Lisbon...the city is full of contrasts, style, sophisticated taste and is a chef-inspired town!

Sharing our journey online has not only given us a chance to invite friends and family to travel with us, but it has already led to some delightful encounters abroad. Cátia Ruivo is the founder of the Portuguese website, Honda News Spot. This is a blog that brings all things of interest about the Honda brand to a Portuguese speaking audience.