My Travels

[Be sure and scroll down - the latest entries are at the end]

I love to travel!  Travel enriches my life in so many ways -- seeing the beauties of nature God has created, enjoying unique and grand architecture, observing different cultures and peoples -- generally seeing how other people live and realizing we're all in this together, and that the world is actually small after all.

One of the unusual things I feel as I go from place to place -- whether a grand palace or a wild path through the woods -- is that I own the spot I am standing on at that particular moment in time.  If you think about it, it's true.  Wherever you are standing or sitting -- in those moments that space belongs to you.  With that in mind, the wonderful places we visit become even more meaningful to us.  I feel like I belong and my interest takes on a more personal aspect.  It's a different attitude, I know, but it makes my travels -- both near and far -- richer and more special to me.  Join me as we pop into different countries for a bit of "armchair" travel!

Here I am standing in the chilly water of the Mediterranean Sea

on the Costa del sol in Spain. It sure was nice to own a

bit of waterfront property for a few minutes (:   (2006)

 This rocky walkway is in Rhodes, Greece.  Although the rocks

 have been smoothed and rounded over time, you still must be

 careful walking down the street. I enjoyed owning a bit

of that lovely island for a moment in time.

We spent a few hours wandering around the picture-perfect town of Mykonos, Greece, a port call on one of our cruises.  This little plaza looks so much like a postcard, I could hardly believe I was really standing there gazing at this beautiful view!  Some times when I find myself at spots such as this one, it feels like I'm in a storybook.  It's one of those surreal moments in life that even now, I can hardly believe I was really there.  (2011)

Speaking of story books - now this is a true storybook picture. I took this picture
from a bridge just beyond Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. This castle had
 been #1 on my Bucket List for years and I could hardly believe I was really
there, seeing it in person. We took a guided tour of the castle, and enjoyed

staying in the village with a view of the castle for two nights.

Hmmm, ever owned a castle? Now, I have (:   (2014)

We visited Monte Carlo, Monaco for one day during a European cruise. What a delight! This photo shows yet another castle - still lived in by the royal Grimaldi family. Guess you can tell I like castles! We toured that one too. It's a bit of a vertical city and we did a lot of climbing, but the views are spectacular. The lifespan of residents there is an astounding 90 years old. Since I "owned" real estate there for a few hours (remember, I toured the castle), do you think I qualify?? 

      Not everyone would include a cemetery on their special travel page, but I'm a cemetery buff, so what can I say? The one above is in Pisa, Italy, in the same field as the famous Leaning Tower. Yes, I was duly impressed with the beautiful Tower, but equally intrigued by this large, elegant cemetery building. This gothic cloister was begun in 1278. It contains many wonderfully carved statues and sarcophagus, as well as hundreds of graves in the floor. This is just a portion of the building.

   

Here is another cemetery that's high on my list - it's in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The Santa Maria Magdalena Cemetery was begun in 1863. It's located on a fantastic
piece of real estate with a killer view (oops! Forgive the pun, I just couldn't resist).

This photo was taken in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.  I consider Colorado
perhaps the most beautiful state in our USA - especially in late September
when these magnificent Aspen are in full color.  It's one of the most
beautiful sights in the entire world!

 Spruce House, Mesa Verde, Colorado

Wandering around these ancient Indian cliff dwellings is another of those surreal 

experiences.  They are so  well-preserved!  It's amazing to think that many

of these Indians lived their entire lives on this hillside, never 

venturing off their plateau.  This is a unique place!  (2009)

A bit further north from Colorado, we enjoyed a relaxing cruise in Glacier Bay, Alaska.
 Our ship sat beside this massive bluish-color glacier for over an hour,
watching huge chunks fall into the sea with a sound like a gunshot (2014)

The Church of Transfiguration in Sedona, Arizona, is unique.  I love the way it
blends into the surrounding rugged red rocks.  To me, it symbolizes the
cross of Christ rooted firmly in the Rock that is our Lord and Savior.
There is so much beauty to see in the western part of our great country.

This is one of those places I'd seen advertised for many years and I always thought,
"Oh, I'd love to see that beautiful spot," and then I got to stand in that spot and drink
in the cool look of all those colorful 17th century buildings standing
shoulder to shoulder along the canal in Nyhavn, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Another check-mark on my bucket list - woo-hoo!  2017

Here, we're passing through a charming English village.  I love the thatched roofs,
the golden stone walls and the way the houses are lined up like good soldiers, hugging
the roadway in very British formation.  I'm a great fan of anything British (:  - 2019.

We've popped over to Rome, Italy for a walk down an ancient Roman pathway from
around 200 BC.  All the buildings and ruins through here are original and super old,
although I can't imagine they had a drain on the edge of the path as in the picture (2019).

Back in the good ole US of A, we visited the Neon Museum in Las Vegas.  It was cool
to see so many of the old signs.  This small sign with my brother Clark's name on it made me cry.
I blew him a kiss and knew he would have loved seeing all these old pieces (2018).

Our first visit to the Island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean.  This picture is taken after we

trekked up a muddy path to get to this peak for grand views.  It was fun to 

pretend I'm touching the peak of the adjacent Piton along the coastline (2018).

I had to keep pinching myself -- yes, I'm really in Russia -- RUSSIA!!

Here is the grand Catherine's Palace (circa 1751) with over 150 rooms. We

toured a few of the rooms, but weren't invited to stay for tea -- an oversight, I'm sure! (2017)

The Pena Palace in Sintra Portugal is exotic and stunning (2019)!  I was never able to get

the perfect picture I wanted of this most beautiful palace, mainly because there was

massive crowds competing for space.  It was completed in 1854, built over early ruins.

Truly a storybook castle it is hard to believe actually exists.  

    I love the shape of elegant cloister windows and this passageway in Magdalen College in Oxford, England, surrounds this lovely green space with these windows.  This lovely opening is dripping with purple wisteria along one side and an exotic green tree on the other side.  Magdalen College, founded way back in 1458, is one of 39 colleges that are part of Oxford University.  We enjoyed two days of exploring a number of these wonderful historical and architectural masterpieces.  So fun!!  (2013) 

     This may seem like a strange scene to highlight our trip to Cartagena, Colombia (2023), but it 

     involves my favorite destination there.  For an hour, we explored interesting nooks and crannies

     of San Pedro Claver Iglesia (St. Peter Claver Church).  This tucked-away curving stone stairway

    leads up to a third-floor gallery that overlooks the large sanctuary far below.  We felt like we'd

    discovered a hidden gem and really enjoyed the adventure.  I've always wanted to play sleuth!

2704 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota, FL (ca 1925) -- a Spanish Beauty!  This house was down the street

from the B&B that we stayed in (on a far, far poorer street).  We walked past it twice and

I felt very drawn to it.  Since it was for sale, I dreamed a bit more.  Of course, the sale price

of $3.5 million was just a bit over my budget, but I felt like if I could just take a tour of the

house, at least I could feel a temporary ownership.  Alas, it was not to be -- 

there was no tour for me! 

I don't actually want to live in Florida anyway -- occasional visits are much more fun!  

(2023)

~ this section is a work in progress ~