travel

Fort Fun

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments

I confess I’m not a history buff, but when I encounter intriguing places like this Turkish fort in Crete, my writer’s brain fires off endless questions. How many people lived inside these walls? Were they mostly all soldiers or were citizens allowed? How many romances developed between the soldiers and the people who lived nearby? What did their living quarters look like? What did they do on a normal day? What kind of clothes/uniforms did they wear? How much time did it take to build this fort and for what purpose?

What about you? What questions come to your mind? Do you enjoy visiting historical sites?

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 3 Comments
This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Pelican Café Restaurant, situated in a garden of palm trees and flowers in the heart of Fira, Greece. 

Since we were visiting Greece, I wanted to taste an authentic Greek salad. Let me just say, it was great! Piled high with tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, olives, capers and onions, all of the ingredients were fresh with just the right amount of dressing. An unbelievable sized block of feta cheese topped the salad, at least an inch thick and almost as large as the bowl. An interesting variation from the American version was the lack of lettuce. 

Greek Salad

Dora here. I’m not a fan of Greek salads, so I went with the “Kipos” salad. More my style with lettuce, corn, grilled chicken and figs doused with a citrus and honey vinaigrette. Delish, and another huge portion!

Not knowing the gigantic portion sizes, we also shared a sandwich, ham and Naxo’s cheese on a white baguette. Just as tasty and plentiful as the salads, but the highlight was the fresh baguette, firmer on the outside and perfectly soft on the inside. I could have made a whole meal just off the bread. 

Dora here. What a beautiful, serene spot to linger over a cup of coffee or catch a leisurely meal. If you visit, make sure to include a stop here. Just give yourself a few minutes before you hop on those cable cars down to the beach. 🙂

Um, yeah. 🙂

We rate this restaurant 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.

**Bonus**
During our visit to Ephesus, Turkey, our cruise excursion included an authentic Biblical meal at Cittantica Ephesus Park. 

Dora here. How fun! Not quite authentic. No feet washing and they provided utensils. Phew! 🙂
Appetizers included Jacob’s beans (pickled green beans), a block of goat cheese, a garbanzo bean paste (hummus), chive yogurt and leeks. The beans, cheese and yogurt were great. I wasn’t a fan of the paste or leeks. 

The main courses consisted of lamb stew and grilled fish. Now these two choices were outstanding. Never having lamb stew I was a little apprehensive, but to my surprise, it was great. The lamb and veggies were tender, the fish large and chunky, and both tasty and full of flavor.

Dora here. I tend to be a picky eater and a few years ago, I probably wouldn’t have touched anything. But I devoured almost everything and enjoyed the whole experience. It pays to be more adventurous in your eating habits. 🙂

If this food was served at a restaurant, we would rate it 5 forks.

Where is the most adventurous place you’ve eaten?

When You Need to Recharge…

/ Dora Hiers / 4 Comments
Struggling to find a job? Feeling stomped on by co-workers? Going through marital problems? Family discord. Rebellious children. Financial challenges. Medical issues. Or maybe you just lost a precious family member or friend.
You name it, and we’ve probably all faced it at some point. Pressure gains momentum as a culmination of events and issues take turns with their punches. Or it could be one major incident that knocks us until we’re staggering backward like a fighter in a boxing ring, squeezing the breath from our lungs until our vision blurs, the voices around us fading into oblivion.
We each handle stress differently. Some people thrive on it. Others tug the blanket back over their head and sleep. I tend to…

Run! Not run away because we all know that doesn’t solve any problems. But run to the mountains. 


Peace speaks to my soul here. Whispers that everything’s going to be all right, that life is more than writing and books. That God is in control and that He’s infinitely greater than my paltry problems. Being here brings God more into focus, and the pressure lifts. I can breathe deep again, liberated from the chains of worry that squeeze my chest.
If we can’t break away for a weekend, then this is where I run…

Not quite the same, but it’s nice to escape my desk and the mountain of tasks demanding my attention and slip away for a few minutes.
This year has been crazy busy. While I’m beyond thrilled that four of my books released between May and September, that also meant long hours hunched over my laptop, trying to keep the momentum going with my current work-in-progress and the extra writing related to marketing four books. You know how, at times, events just keep piling on your calendar until suddenly you’ve lost control? That’s me this year, somewhere about April. I definitely needed a recharge, so we headed for the mountains over a long weekend.
It’s the same for hero Burk Harmon in Burk’s Surrender. As Deputy City Manager of fictional Harrison, NC, he deals with stress every day in his job, and as the oldest of the Harmon siblings, he’s been the glue that held his family together since their celebrity father’s tragic suicide. But he has a few weighty decisions to face. Like if he’s willing to risk his family’s emotional well-being with the increased visibility that accepting the City Manager’s position would demand, and moving beyond a decade of being “just friends” with Lacie. When she invites him to tag along with her and fifty elderly seniors to the mountains for a city event, he jumps on the chance to recharge. That, and spend time with her. 🙂

Where do you go to destress and recharge?
He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him,
whose thoughts turn often to the Lord! ~Isaiah 26:3 TLB

He’s my yesterday, my tomorrow, my today.
He’s my redeemer, my hiding place, my refuge.
He’s the grace who covers a multitude of wrongs, the beauty in my ugly, the bridge to forever.
He’s the restorer of my soul, the quiet in my storm, the still water of perfect peace.
He’s my champion, my hero, my rock.
He’s the sweet spot in my day, my reason for being,
my very next breath. ~Dora Hiers