Pooks Canyon

Did you know that the King's Landing footage in Game of Thrones is shot in Dubrovnik, Croatia?  I did not until Leah visited there last week.  Here she is, having seized control of the Iron Throne. The happy travelers. Leah sent me lots of pictures of her out and about.   Love, love, love!  Keep 'em coming Leah! They kayaked around the island of Lokrum, which served as the scene location for Qarth in season 2 of Game of Thrones.  Leah wrote, "there were all these ruins and an old monastery (not still in operation). And it's said that monks at that monastery cursed Napoleon." She also said, "there were all these wild peacocks but they were not afraid of people at all and just wandered around and would come right up to you." She continued, "and there were babies!  Like, baby peacocks."  Can you see the two babies above? She also reported that the island is now a wildlife reserve and people are not allowed on ...

It is 10:30 pm in California and that means it is 8:30 am in Corfu.  Leah, Pepper, and Michael will be leaving Greece today, on their way to Dubrovnik, Croatia. Earlier this week they took The Kalypso Star on a trip around part of the island.  The Trojan/Dolphin logo, along with the blue and white motif seems exceptionally Greek.  The boat has a glass bottom and they were able to look down to see fish as well as look out at the old fortress.  The old fortress has its roots in the Byzantine era with earliest structures dating back to 6th century AD. Here is Leah joining the fray of a maritime statue in front of the New Fortress, new fortifications having been put in by the Venetians starting in the relatively recent 1500s AD. They also rented a paddleboat and took these pictures looking back at the island. The cliffs of Corfu and the clear waters. Corfu from a distance. Requisite cat picture.  Leah reports that this cat came a...

Grecian cat enjoying a cushion. When I travel I always love to take pictures of the cats .  Yeah, I know, it is probably not good news that kitties are running amok all over the world... but they are just so cute.  When Jon and I were married in Puerto Vallarta I remember visiting a restaurant on what I will forever call Cat Island (its real name is Isla Cuale).  Jon offered a piece of fish to this very charming kitty and, by the time the waiter returned, we were surrounded by about 15 cats.  The waiter gave us an exasperated look.   On the good news front, last year we returned to Cat Island and found a vet clinic had been established.  On that very day they were spaying/neutering kitties en masse.  While the tables of groggy post-surgical cats in the open air was very strange, the progress for the kitties of the Rio Cuale was heartening.  But, I am off-subject. I did not come here to write about Cat Island. I came here to write...