Europe
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Photo of the Week – Grapes of Bordeaux
More Details: Photo of the Week – Grapes of BordeauxVisiting Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou in St. Julien was a neat experience since we got a private tour. But, of course, my eyes go to the grapes and the vines. Thinking how these little round things will produce a wonderful liquid for us humans to enjoy… This picture is to not me about perfection in photographic technique but…
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Picture of the Week – Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
More Details: Picture of the Week – Hagia Sophia, IstanbulMany moons ago I finally got to see Constantinople, er Byzantium, er Istanbul. After so many years hearing about this place and its history, I finally was going to see face-to-face some of the places I had studied or heard about. At the top of my list: the Hagia Sophia. A monument of Christianity that transcended…
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The Awesome Ceilings of The Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia
More Details: The Awesome Ceilings of The Hermitage in St. Petersburg, RussiaThe Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia is a fabulous building (actually a series of connected buildings, one of which is the “real” Hermitage). The museum contains, of course, great pieces of art. It is also a historical site having being built in 1764 by Catherine the Great as the Winter Palace (more about the Winter Palace: …
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Chandeliers of The Hermitage
More Details: Chandeliers of The HermitageWhile I am not obsessed with chandeliers and the like, I noticed after getting home from visiting St. Pete (as I call it), how many pictures of chandeliers I took at The Hermitage (and of the ceilings). They are definitely elegant but their designs were not too stuffy. Not being a connoisseur, but still having…
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Exploring Some of Copenhagen, Denmark
More Details: Exploring Some of Copenhagen, DenmarkMy trip to Copenhagen involved 9 people from three different starting points. My aunt and uncle from Miami drove to Tampa to meet the rest of the group (minus me) there. Then the group was flying from Tampa to Atlanta to then connect with me at Hartsfield to catch the flight to Copenhagen. Needless to…
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An Imperfect Baltic Cruise Was Perfect for the Family…
More Details: An Imperfect Baltic Cruise Was Perfect for the Family…A couple of years ago, I embarked on a family trip with my mother and stepdad, my sister with her husband and teenaged kids, and my aunt and uncle. The reasons for the trip were many but we more than anything wanted a grand trip all together to give my niece and nephew a great…
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Five Days in Paris: Adventures On and Off the Beaten Path
More Details: Five Days in Paris: Adventures On and Off the Beaten PathGuest blogger Chris Sanders describes discovering more of Paris off-the-beaten path, and re-visiting some of the jewels Paris is known for. Merci, Chris! ————————————————————————————————————- To celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary, my wife Wendy and I recently spent five days in Paris – a duration much too short if you ask us, but we made the…
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Unexpected Opportunities in Bulgaria: the Rila Monastery and Plovdiv
More Details: Unexpected Opportunities in Bulgaria: the Rila Monastery and PlovdivGoing to Bulgaria and only seeing Sofia is a crime, in my book – Plovdiv and the Rila Monastery prove my point. Sofia has some of the key sites to see in Bulgaria for sure but it is only but a fraction of what a visitor should experience. I did not have ample time to…
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Visiting my First Eastern European Capital: Bulgaria’s Sofia
More Details: Visiting my First Eastern European Capital: Bulgaria’s SofiaAs I wrote in other entries about the trip to Bulgaria, the main purpose of my visit to Sofia was to attend a wedding. Around the various events, though, I had time to check out the city, of about 1.2 million residents (15th largest city in the European Union as of this writing) by walking…
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A Wedding in Bulgaria
More Details: A Wedding in BulgariaEarly this year, one of my cousins told me she had to go to Sofia, Bulgaria for a friend’s wedding and that she was hoping her Dad or another cousin would go with her. My ears perked up and I offered that, if neither could go, I may be able to go with her. Bulgaria,…
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Climbing Croagh Patrick – An Ancient Irish Pilgrimage
More Details: Climbing Croagh Patrick – An Ancient Irish PilgrimageGuest post by fellow traveler, Chris Sanders. Having walked the Camino de Santiago, I am always searching for opportunities to embark on other pilgrimages – big or small. I found one such opportunity on a recent vacation to Ireland. In addition to visiting Athone, Galway, Kilkenny, and Dublin (including attending a U2 concert!), my wife and I joined…