Clouds: bimulous, billowing and amazing. Rain soft, gentle, sideways, pounding. Mother nature showing every possible color of blue, teal, grey, green, aqua… so beautiful in the Keys. The weather has been interesting these past two weeks and in Key West we have seen some BIG wind and rainstorms. This was cause to move school indoors,…
Category: CORTADO
Adventure-Schooling in South Florida
Our two-week Christmas break is officially over and we have returned to school with great energy and enthusiasm! *I would love to know if teachers feel the same about vacation-time from school: When we take a break, I have noticed the kids come back with an excitement to learn that is passionate and infectious. They are…
Plunging, Snorkeling and Fishing
Happy 2016! The year has started off incredibly well for the Cortado crew. Our annual chilly “Polar Bear Plunge” went off without a hitch as we found an area to anchor in 6 feet of clear aqua blue water in the Florida Keys and 82 degrees of air temperature. Not too bad! (Oliver after his warm-water…
Christmas in Key Largo
(Photo is Sophia below the rare Full Christmas Moon!) To our great delight, Sydney joined us for the holidays – same as always, yet still brings so much joy!… We spent a few days of fun in the sun at Pier 66 in Ft. Lauderdale – swimming and playing daily, making Christmas preparations and mingling with…
Traveling Light and the Magic of a Tiny Tree
In September and October while traveling to Europe (three countries), plus schoolbooks and sailing gear for four weeks we were challenged to ‘pack light.’ The kids and Tony went carry-on though of course, I required two bags: one for my clothes and the other for books. My carry-on bag was comprised of the family computers, plugs and a…
Plan? What Plan.
We moved on to Cortado in early November with the plan of cruising straight to the Bahamas. That was OUR plan. Mother nature had a different plan. For a safe and smooth Gulf Stream crossing, we needed two days of calm, South, South-West or East breeze. Anything from the South would do. What we got, instead…
Turkey: Cruising Bodrum
Bodrum, a quick one-hour flight from Istanbul, is located on the southwest corner of Turkey on the Aegean Sea. The city of Bodrum lies in the center of two peninsulas, which means an abundance of beach resorts and gorgeous vistas. Near the marina is The Bodrum Castle of The Knights of St. John — a medieval fortress and…
Turkey: Touring Istanbul, part 2
(Istanbul: Part Two) …Our adventure continues: While enjoying the sights and sounds of Istanbul, we also toured the massive and gorgeous Topkapi Palace – called Seraglio – with Canan relaying every fact and answering all our many questions. Topkapi is a large palace that was the main residence of the Ottoman sultans for almost 400 years of their…
Turkey: Touring Istanbul, part 1
(Istanbul: Part One) Our ten days in Turkey were nothing short of extraordinary. I will not dally: We loved Turkey. We loved the people, the food, the history, the architecture, the culture, the climate. We will never forget the things we saw, tasted, learned; the people we met and old friends with whom we spent quality…
Travel School 2015 – so far, so good!
So far this fall our Travel School has been spectacular. We started September 1st with two weeks of homeschool at home. Then, the field trips began! Here is a partial list of where we have been so far this school year: Sophia and Oliver’s Travel School 2015 “Locations of Study” (as of 11/1/15) Portugal Centro…
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