Over the summer I went on a  week long cruise around the Greek Islands on the Silver Whisper.  One stop that I just loved was Paros, Greece.  Paros is a fairly popular island for tourists and religious pilgrims.   There is regular ferry service from Athens and neighboring islands, as well as a small airport, making Paros quite accessible.  I wandered around the town of Parikia for a bit before visiting a famous church and the beach.  The town is full of brightly colored flowers set against white washed houses and stone alleys.  

One of the things I loved the most about Round Hill was the enormous vegetable garden on the property. The garden is located at the top of the hill, a quick walk in the cool mornings-a longer walk during the heat of the day!

Heading out from Nairobi, our first stop in Kenya was Tortilis Camp, which is located in a conservancy adjoining Amboseli National Park.  Amboseli is known for its large herds of elephants.  Cynthia Moss has studied the elephant families in the park for generations and many elephants in the park are followed closely by researchers.  Amboseli is also noted for the incredible views of Mount Kilimanjaro, which is on the border of Kenya and Tanzania.  However, depending on the cloud cover, you will not always be able to see the mountain.  We were lucky to get several really good views while we were there.  Tortilis Camp has some beautiful vantage points of Kilimanjaro, and due to the clear weather, we were often able to see it from the main dining area and bar.

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, located inside Nairobi National Park, is one of the most moving places I have ever been.  It is an orphanage for young elephants who have been rescued all over Kenya and brought to Nairobi.  Baby elephants are not able to survive without their mothers' milk, so the staff at Sheldrick feed them a special formula that mimics elephant milk.  (Milk from cows will cause them to die.)  Unfortunately, Sheldrick receives more and more baby elephants all the time due to poaching.  The baby elephants eventually move to another park in Kenya where they are slowly introduced to other elephants in order to join a wild herd.  They have had amazing success with these transitions. The keepers' dedication and love for elephants is heartening.  They feed the babies, teach them to browse for food, and even sleep in the stalls at night!

Giraffe Manor is nothing short of magical and I was so happy to return for a second visit two nights in June. Our British Airways flight arrived in the evening and we encountered quite a line at immigration, but we were warmly greeted and offered drinks and dinner despite the late hour of our check in.  The staff at Giraffe Manor is very helpful and friendly across the board, check in time is no exception.  We stayed in Marlon's Room our first night, the only room available when we booked.  It is small, and does not have giraffes visit for pre-breakfast treats.  We moved to Daisy's Room the next morning, which has a small terrace and a nice view out over the patio and the wooded area where the giraffes sometimes hang out (see below.)  To be sure you get a room that has giraffes come directly to the window, book very early!  No matter where your room is, you will have visiting time with giraffes at breakfast, in the breakfast room and along the patio. You will also get to feed giraffes at tea time.