The World Through Our Lens
Who wouldn’t want to visit Florence to look upon some of the most famous sculptures in the world: Michelangelo’s sculpture David, Bartolomeo Ammannati’s Fountain of Neptune, and Donatello’s heraldic lions? The artistic and architectural heritage of Florence goes far beyond those sculptures and led to this city, the capital of Italy’s Tuscany region, being called the birthplace of The Renaissance. Read more
Of particular interest to both Bob and me when we visited Florence, Italy, was the famed medieval stone bridge known as Ponte Vecchio. Read more
San Gimignano is a well-preserved medieval hill town in the Italian province of Siena that is famous as the town “with a thousand towers”. Dominating the horizon from its perch, San Gimignano creates an unforgettable skyline complete with its encircling stone walls and towers. No wonder it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Read more
Maritime weather might be foggy and rainy, more likely freezing with severe Nor’westers and dastardly blizzards in winter, but everyone agrees that St. John’s, Newfoundland is a feast for the eyes despite the climactic conditions. Colourful facades light up any day no matter the time of year. Read more
What a thrill to have our exclusive up-close-and-personal encounters in a Blue-footed Booby colony on Isla Isabel off the west coast of Mexico. After spending a couple of days in San Blas, and with the assistance of Josefina Vazquez at Hotel Garza Canela, we lined up a full-day excursion to the small volcanic island that is located some 43 miles northwest of the tiny fishing village. Read more
Of all the ancient ruins in Rome, Italy, for me it was The Colosseum that I most looked forward to seeing and exploring. We did not make straight there on our first full day in the city, but instead preferred to set the stage by checking out The Roman Forum just east of there which gave us a sneak peak of the iconic stadium from one vantage point. Read more
When visiting Northern Ireland, Bob and I spent part of one afternoon exploring the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, an attraction that would test our resolve and sense of balance. Read more
Bob and I arrived in Northern Ireland a day earlier under rainy skies that persisted into the following morning and dampened our hopes for a clear day to visit the Giant’s Causeway. In light of the inclement weather, we chose to tour the Bushmill’s Distillery en route as a means of killing a couple of hours, and lo and behold, by the time we drove a little further east to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the rain had stopped. Read more
It was becoming a habit, it seemed, for Bob and me to wake up between 6-6:30 a.m., and the day following our hike on the Bright Angel Trail was no different. Because our leg muscles were way too spent for any other activity, our intentions were to drive across Arizona into Colorado to Mesa Verde National Park. Once there, we were absolutely in awe of the excellent examples of preserved and protected cliff dwellings once used by Pueblo people. Read more
It had been a long day prior to our arrival at Ashford Castle, having left Killarney that morning, explored the Cliffs of Moher, and subsequently hiked about The Burren and discovered the history of Poulnabrone Dolmen. Ashford Castle is located in the picturesque village of Cong on the shores of Lough Corrib in County Mayo, and when we first spotted the magnificent sprawling edifice, we were in disbelief. It would be our “hotel” for the next couple of days, and it was strikingly impressive. Read more