LIVE, a Little More

Every day we look in the mirror and see age sneaking up on us. We wake with crackling bones and sit with creaking joints and grunts. We try to exercise and each session seems a little less flexible. Greg’s disability is progressive and will limit how, where, and how long we can travel in this world. Therefore, we need to leap with gusto while we can and sometimes, we need to LIVE a little more.

Travel for us was a choice to broaden our horizons. We wanted to expand our knowledge of the world and better understand various cultures through food, observation, museums, and experiences. However, in our first year of travel we took time to enjoy the childish adventures too.

Fun on an ATV can happen in many places in the world, but how often do we embrace the moment to actually DO these activities? Our ATV guided tour in Vlore, Albania started with a ride on the main roads in a guided tour. We rode many miles out of town until we got to the forest roads and then a sandy beach where we cut loose for a short while. The tour also included a history lesson in a WWII communist cave and through a 14th century monastery.

(Cost: $112 for 2 people)

Old people can have fun too!

Stand-up scooters are just for kids. One day when Greg had more flexibility, we rented scooters and played in the park like children. It took these old dogs a few minutes to learn the balance and speed techniques, but we didn’t fall! We rode, we rested, we rode a bit more. But most importantly, we giggled!

(Cost: $10 for 2 people)

Seated activities are often better, so why not try jet skiing? While sitting on our balcony in Sarandë, Albania we watched them for several days and then decided to just do it. This new experience for both of us was approached with caution, excitement, and anxiety. We successfully kept the jet ski upright. A mistake by the staff at the end landed Greg in the water during his dismount, but we all laughed when they wanted to pour homemade raki on his scratch. This activity took more recovery days than most.

(Cost: $100 for 2 people)

Have you ever wanted to fly down the road with the ocean air whipping through your hair? On a bright, sunny day we turned this image into reality. We rented motor scooters and drove past the oceanside shops into the rolling hills. Our destination was the Roman/Ottoman ruins, but getting there on the scooter elevated the adventure into pure joy. This adventure even made us feel more local in the Albanian vacation city of Sarandë.

(Cost: $48 for 2 people)

Renting a car is much safer than renting a motor scooter and we often play on the safer side of life. We usually have a plan before acting too. But driving along the winding, ocean-side road one day on the way to return our rental car, a wild hair sprang into action. Looking for a place to stop and dip our toes in the water, we found an inlet where people were swimming. With a look and a shrug, we open the car doors, changed into water clothes between the parked cars and enjoyed a swim on the fly. Some people live this way all the time, but we are still learning.

(Cost: Free)

Zippidy Do Dah: On the border between Portugal and Spain is a river dividing the two countries. Here you can take a zip line from Spain to Portugal. On this zip line you physically travel from one country to the other. You travel between two time-zones, and you cross an international river! Here, Greg got to feel like he was flying and Shannon did something she’d never done before. LIMITEZERO cost €25 per jump plus €2.50 for the ferry from Portugal to Spain and was worth every cent!

Each of these moments will live forever in our memories. As our bodies creek and movement becomes more difficult, these memories will keep us alive. The real cost is PRICELESS. We hope you will LIVE a little more, too!

We just need more time to recuperate.