Title: Dinner with a View (Little Venice, Mykonos, Greece)

 

The views on Mykonos are amazing, but Little Venice, where we ate our first evening on the island, was breathtaking. As the evening sun lowered in the sky it shone brilliantly on the white of the buildings along the water. And the wave splashed at our feet as we ate as it had for centuries of visitors to the islands. 

 

 

 

Title: Spring Break in Ireland (Ballinskelligs Castle, County Kerry, Ireland)

 

Ireland in March is quiet and unhurried. One of our final stops on the Ring of Kerry, we stopped at Ballinskelligs Castle and had the beach to ourselves, albeit not wanting to swim in the chilly waters of Ballinskelligs Bay. 

 

 

 

Title: Surprise Snow (Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto, Japan)

 

There are too many temples to count in Kyoto, but Kinkaku-ji (“Temple of the Golden Pavilion”) is one of the most spectacular. We had visited the day before and taken stunning photos of the gold temple in the bright sunlight (seen here), but when it snowed overnight, we had to return to get views like this one of the temple in the snow. What a difference 12 hours can make!

 

 

 

Title: “I am standing on the Great Wall of China” (Great Wall, Mutianyu, China)

 

The Great Wall of China has always conjured up images of grandeur, so when we got a chance to visit China, we knew a visit to the Great Wall was a must. And standing on the wall did not disappoint. I kept repeating to myself, “I am standing on the Great Wall of China” - an act unimaginable in my childhood, yet there we were.

 

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Title: Serenity (Lake Bled, Slovenia)

 

Nestled in the Julian Alps, Lake Bled has long been a vacation spot for travelers from kings to dictators to ordinary sojourners like ourselves. The Assumption of Maria Church on Bled Island dominates the views of Lake Bled from the lake’s entire perimeter. This shot is taken from near Yugoslav Communist Dictator, Marshal Josip Tito’s vacation home (now a fancy resort). The only way to the island is these row boats called Plenta. Our oarsman Joseph was an Olympic rower for Yugoslavia in 1968 and 1972.