August 2012
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Photo of the Week – Sydney Harbor from the Sydney Bridge
More Details: Photo of the Week – Sydney Harbor from the Sydney BridgeI loved the opportunity that arose unexpectedly a couple of years ago to make the long trip to Australia and New Zealand. It is not often I take more than 2 weeks off work at a time so having a month to go Down Under was pretty special – and yet not enough time by…
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Exploring Old Town Dubrovnik – Architecture and Ambiance
More Details: Exploring Old Town Dubrovnik – Architecture and AmbianceWalking the streets of Old Town Dubrovnik is beat ONLY by walking the city’s walls. Yes, the entire city is walled still and you can pay to walk the couple of kilometers which affords great views of Old Town from every angle and of the sea and hills outside of Old Town (read more about…
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Photo of the Week – Santiago’s Fresh Seafood at the Mercado Central
More Details: Photo of the Week – Santiago’s Fresh Seafood at the Mercado CentralI loved spending a year in Santiago, Chile with the Andes as a majestic backdrop and in a country that offers so many beautiful landscapes from deserts in the north to fjords in the south. One of my favorite places in Santiago is the Mercado Central where one cannot only shop for fresh seafood but,…
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The Jewel of the Adriatic – Dubrovnik, Croatia!
More Details: The Jewel of the Adriatic – Dubrovnik, Croatia!Dubrovnik is a gem in the Adriatic with its history, architecture, tiled roofs and the deep blue sea around it.
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Trekking with a Purpose – the Best of Both Worlds
More Details: Trekking with a Purpose – the Best of Both WorldsMy trip to Romania and Moldova was triggered and centered around a hike in Romania organized by Trekking for Kids to support a local orphanage. If it were not for this organization, I may have waited much longer to get to Romania and, more than likely, never hiked the beautiful trails along the Carpathian Mountains. …
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Photo of the Week – Lovers in Dubrovnik
More Details: Photo of the Week – Lovers in DubrovnikI have yet to write about my days in Dubrovnik earlier this year, or about the story behind its tiled roofs but I had to go ahead and share how those tiled roofs are made for lovers… love birds, that is.
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Photo Essay of the Center of Moldova’s Capital: Chisinau
More Details: Photo Essay of the Center of Moldova’s Capital: ChisinauHaving added Moldova to my Romania trip itinerary , Chisinau (pronounced KISH-now), its capital, had to be central to the visit as it is the main town in this country of approximately 3.6 million people (Chisinau itself has around 750,000 inhabitants). The city, which was founded in the 1430s, has a complex history since it…
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A Big Ego Needs A Big Building: the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest
More Details: A Big Ego Needs A Big Building: the Palace of Parliament in BucharestFor me, visiting any city in the world means seeking to know its unique character, exploring the different types of neighborhoods, visiting some of the key sites (monuments, museums, grand boulevards, riversides, etc.), sampling its food, and watching life go by when time allows it. Paris has the Eiffel Tower, the Latin Quarter, and the…
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How to Plan a Trip – and then Increase Scope: The Desire to Travel!
More Details: How to Plan a Trip – and then Increase Scope: The Desire to Travel!When I decided earlier this year on doing the trek in Romania, little did I know how a one week trek was going to become a 16-day trip – but I am talented that way: plan a vacation and then add more than originally intended to practically double its duration and scope! Let me share…
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Exploring Moldova: Re-Born Churches and Monasteries
More Details: Exploring Moldova: Re-Born Churches and MonasteriesI had no idea when I first thought of going to Moldova, on an off the beaten path whim, that I would see a treasure trove of church and monastery architecture. But as I researched a possible visit to this ex Soviet republic (one of the many ex USSR republics that became independent countries in the…
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Photo of the Week – Into Moldova: The Frumoasa Monastery
More Details: Photo of the Week – Into Moldova: The Frumoasa MonasteryAs I prepare to write the story of my visit to the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet socialist republic, I thought this week’s Photo of the Week could be a good initial way to share one of the things that the country has to offer: its monasteries and churches. The Frumoasa Monastery (which was…