:: life @ sea level ::

Athens, Greece :: Part 3

2011-05-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

Behold! One of my most absolute favorite things about Greece: The Gyros Pita. As I like to affectionately call them, the 2 Euro Gyro (with the word "gyro" sounding very much like "euro" in the Greek accent), these handheld pita rolls are ubiquitous on the streets of Greece and can be picked up just about anywhere to-go for around two Euro. Sometimes they're E2.50 and I gasp in horror before quickly shelling over the extra fifty cents to lay claim to my precious little package of tastiness. Let me tell you, they're totally worth it.

Extra tzatziki please!

Most Greek restaurants have a little side window or counter to which you can walk up and order your gyros pita to go. These guys were churning out bushels of the wraps filled with pork or chicken, tomato, onion, parsley and my absolute favorite, tzatziki. That's another thing about Greece that I loved. They take their food very seriously and only the freshest ingredients are used. The result is, well, amazing.

Temple of Zeus

Now back to columns, columns and more columns! This is ancient Greece we're talking about here, after all. You'd be disappointed if these posts had been column-stingy. These particular columns are what's left of the Temple of Zeus. You can see the Acropolis to the left in the background.

Very interesting to see a column toppled over, effectively "deconstructed." After visiting the temple of Zeus, I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the city.

Passed uniquely adorned Greek guards, called Evzones, on my way to the botanical gardens. Check out those knee garters and pompom shoes!

Inside the botanical gardens was a sort of "zoo". I say "zoo" because the cages were filled with typical farm type animals, such as one cage full of rabbits. People were crowding around slipping handfuls of greenery torn from nearby plants through the bars to the happily nibbling bunnies.

The animals were neither exotic nor terribly exciting, but then again, I'm not sure what animals you'd expect to find in the middle of a public park. The reactions of the people were almost more entertaining. I just hope, for the sake of the goats and bunnies, that the bushes around the pens weren't poisonous!

Back to where our boat is just one of many in a sea of white boats in the harbor.

Once underway, this was as close as I ever got to Poros Harbor, this is the view from the deck.

More views from the water.

Next the boat moved to Sounio, with the Temple of Poseidon perched high above.

To give you an idea, this is what it looked like out our pantry window. Not too shabby for an "office" view, is it?

Sunset over the harbor.

And just in case you've ever wondered what it's like to be a guest aboard a megayacht, here's a glimpse. You get your own private beach resort set up wherever you want, just for you! Just pick a beach. (I've even heard stories of crew hauling sand to BUILD a beach.)

The crew tenders to shore and brings tables and chairs and umbrellas and barbecue grills and food and drinks and and and... Whatever your little heart desires. We set it all up so you can just enjoy a day playing on your own private beach, complete with very attentive service. All you have to do is drag yourself out of the water to sit down to be fed an amazing meal. Or, I'm sure we'd even bring your food out to you in the water if you couldn't be bothered to leave your floaty toy.

Must be nice, eh?

Back to our cruising....

And I know it's not Greece, but this is the view from the boat when we sailed around to Turkey. Perfect segue to my next post on.... you guessed it, Turkey!

Athens, Greece :: Part 2

2011-05-07T21:14:00.000-07:00

It was a cloudy morning at the Acropolis, occasionally dumping rain over us and the hoards of other tourists, but it cleared up as the day progressed and we moved on to visit other sites in Athens....

Athens is quite the mix of old and new. Often times the old seems to be randomly juxtaposed and out of place in a modern city. Almost as if you could imagine the ruins had just been dropped carelessly from the sky, lacking any regard to where they would land.

At many of the various archaeological sites we visited we discovered scattered bits of rocks, once parts of great statues and buildings, distributed awkwardly. It often felt a bit haphazard, and even though a pattern was suggested by the groupings, very incomplete. Despite this, it is fun to contemplate the amount of time that has passed since their original construction and how incredible it is that this much material was even left in place (or at least the general area) after all those years. Especially in such a prominent and busy city as Athens.

Looking up at the Parthenon on the hill with a backdrop of notably blue skies void of the rain clouds that had plagued us earlier.

Columns. Athens was full of columns.

The Temple of Hephaestus

And more columns.

The modern reconstruction of the Stoa of Attalos

And some new columns. Just in case you hadn't yet got your fill.

With sunset approaching, we found ourselves back near the entrance of the Acropolis and decided, what the heck, and went back up for another go around.

This was a fantastic spur of the moment idea. Not only were there few tourists to contend with and an absence of rainclouds, but we had the treat of seeing the ruins practically sparkling in the splendor of the setting sun.

The porch of the Caryatids at the Erechtheum.

Details of the underbelly.

Athens in the sunset

Interestingly, I noted that these mountains were very reminiscent of "home" in the Southwest United States.

The textures of modern chaos.

Lycabettus Hill jutting out of the city in the golden light of sunset.

After a full day of sightseeing, we gathered to have a drink with the crew. We ended up outside a small bar in a church courtyard, of all places. It was the kind of area in which you wouldn't have even been able to tell there was a church until you practically tripped over its front steps. ...Just another one of Athens' many charms.

And there's still more of Athens to come in Part 3!

Athens, Greece :: Part 1

2011-04-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

Athens from the water, my first view of Greece ever!

After pulling up anchor in Gibralter, we headed on towards our next port of Athens, Greece.

The boat didn't actually go to Athens proper, but to Zea Marina in Piraeus. Close enough.

A fairly short cab ride away and we made it to La Plaka.

Teeming with restaurants, cafes, tourist shops and jewelry stores, the Plaka is a fun place to explore. ...and eat, drink and buy stuff. Ha! Of course we did all of that.

A Greek cappuccino. Looking back, I will forgive myself for ordering one on my first night out in Greece. I had not yet been enlightened by the utter amazing discovery of the Greek frappe. More on those later....

Playing chess on a newly purchased wooden chess board at an outdoor cafe in the center of the Plaka.

Back in Piraeus, another neat cafe bar. The whole country seems to embrace the lounging coffee culture.

Spent a day sightseeing at the Acropolis!

View of the city from the top of the Acropolis hill.

Looking down upon more ruins.

Looking at more ruins in the distance.

The weathered details of ruins up close.

Looking down on the modern city. More to come in Part Two!

Savannah, Georgia in October

2011-04-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

My mother came to Savannah on a business trip last October and joined me for a weekend of sightseeing.

Spanish moss!

A sundial in one of Savannah's squares caught in the dappled sunlight.

And who can resist cupcakes??

We drove to Thunderbolt to see Bonaventure Cemetery.

The grave site of Johnny Mercer, the singer/songwriter.

Spanish moss drapes over a large portion of the cemetery.

Savannah's City Hall at night.

More dangling spanish moss decorating the back gardens of the Juliet Gordon Lowe house. My mom and I took an afternoon tour of the house and were pleasantly surprised to learn so much about the life and founder of the Girl Scouts. This tenacious lady was not only incredibly artistic, but she persevered despite obstacles such as deafness to start the organization that is so widely known today. Both my mom and I were Girl Scouts when we were little so it was extra cool.

A "haunted" house on Oglethorpe in the daytime. Once the home of the Elk's club, front door was ajar, practically inviting us to peer into this large dilapidated, uninhabited house. Funny story, we came back later that night as part of a ghost tour and the guide had us creep inside while we listened to its ghoulish history. If we dared, that is.

The dining room at the Old Pink House.

My mother and I took a tour out to the lighthouse on Tybee Island.

The trail was literally formed of oyster shells and was quickly disappearing under high tide.

After sinking into the muddy water as the trail got closer to the lighthouse, I stopped in consideration of my camera and watched instead as my mom continued on with the park guide. Thankfully, I don't think I missed too much.

Our last sightseeing stop was the Wormsloe Plantation. This mile and a half long driveway is lined by these fantastic oak trees dripping with spanish moss. There are ruins and a visitors center to see at the end, but unfortunately the plantation mansion is private and we weren't allowed to see it.

And I will leave you with just another random sight in Savannah's Forsyth park. I love Savannah. :)

Arizona in April

2011-03-14T07:35:00.000-07:00

Just East of Phoenix lie the Superstitions

A quick leap out of chronological order to share a short Arizona visit last April.

My family no longer lives in the Phoenix area, but having grown up there I have a very close group of friends that welcome me with open arms when I return to visit. Now that my parents aren't in the area for me to descend upon and mooch off of, I have become quite the Arizona couchsurfer, hopping from friend to friend. Thanks guys, you're simply the best.

Another view of the Superstitions.

On this visit, my best friend from fourth grade and I went for a drive into the mountains to retrace one of our favorite outings. Upon passing Goldfield Ghost Town in the Superstitions, we realized we knew about it, but had never been. (Almost) all of our lives in the area, and we never once ventured to the little tourist town to check it out for ourselves! It was one of those moments where you sever your initial intentions of continuing to travel forward with a split second decision and take that hasty turn off the road at the absolutely last second. That's the taste of adventure!

The narrow gauge railroad at Goldfield Ghost Town

Goldfield Ghost Town's train gives passengers a cute little tour, passing by and pointing out such fascinating local treasures as palo verde trees and saguaros. This may be great for unfamiliar out-of-towners, but for those of us who grew up with such "exotic" species in our own backyards, we just sat back and enjoyed the staggeringly slow and campy (but cute) tour with our comedian tour guide. Honestly, we probably could have made the loop faster if we had walked backwards along the tracks, but we never expected to be blown out of the water with fascinating new information and were really just along for the fun of the ride.

Though, what we didn't know is that it was once an actual mining town. Goldfield's mines were quick to dry up, rendering it a ghost town within about a five year period before 1900. And here I had always thought that some random guy just picked this spot to start his own little tourist mecca for all things Wild West. I believe that I am correct in my assumption that most of the buildings are new and built to please visitors who want to feel like they've stepped back in time (with coffee shops, gift stores and air conditioning of course) and to be fair, that's exactly why we went.

Back roads heading further into the mountains

After Goldfield we continued our road trip following the winding roads into the hills.

Central Arizona's beautiful desert

Canyon Lake

The road heading down to Canyon Lake

My family used to come up here with a little powerboat and we would race down the river. I remember once we did that on Christmas day and it was absolutely lovely. This scene doesn't change much from season to season. It's almost always blue skies and beautiful weather. ....unless it's 115 degrees out. Then you most certainly want to be IN the water, not on it.

Winding road into Jerome

Ninety miles North of Phoenix lies another once-mining town, Jerome. It's another perfect day trip from the Phoenix area that I took with another close friend of mine.

Today, Jerome is more of an artist colony than a ghost town. Packed with art galleries of all sorts (and wineries!), it's a fantastic place to visit for the day.

Jerome has a lot of character, some modern and some left over from the turn of the century.

San Francisco peaks in the distance across the valley.

As seen from Jerome, Flagstaff lies at the foot of these mountains, some sixty miles away.

Heading North from Jerome towards Sedona, the iconic red rocks become more and more prominent.

Sedona's red rocks

Not sure what's up with the angle, but I think I was more concerned with driving and conversation than photographing, and just wanted to share the colors.

Giant chickens, red rocks and vortexes. Holy fried nuggets, Batman! This must be a really bizarre place!

Snow in April

Interestingly enough, I got snowed on when I was leaving Arizona! In May! See, it's not hot all the time. ;)

the Rock of Gibralter, Gibralter

2011-03-03T19:48:00.000-08:00

Port of Gibraltar under the Rock of Gibralter

After weeks at sea seeing nothing but water, dolphins began to appear, letting us know we were near land! When we finally reached it, we docked in Gibralter right under the famous rock.

Striking a pose at the Pillars of Hercules

Forced to play speed tourists in the one day we had off, we found a taxi van and tour guide to take us on the typical sight seeing tour. A whirlwind of a trip, the first destination was to the monument for the Pillars of Hercules. The Rock of Gibralter and a peak in Morocco flank each side of the entrance to straight of Gibralter. From here you could stand on Gibralter and see across to Morocco. It is fun to think that in ancient times the two points marked the limit to the known world. Can you imagine??

St. Michael's Cave

Stop number two was St. Michael's Cave. There was no illusion that we were among any of the first people to set foot in this well trodden, and somewhat abused, cave.

The auditorium

Orchestras play here in the auditorium in the open area called Cathedral Cave.

Meet and greet with a Gibralter monkey

After emerging from the caves, we were quickly shuffled back into the van to continue up the hair pin curves up the mountain. To make it, the vans literally had to stop, back up and make a three point turn. The drivers were incredibly adept at hightailing it along these tiny narrow little roads that clung to the cliff sides.

Watching people watch the monkeys

Introducing the Barbary Macaques, otherwise known as the Rock Apes. These monkeys owned the place and they knew it. I believe fame got to their heads.

A nice monkey posed for my photos.

Monkey on the Rock of Gibralter

What I'm not showing you is the disgusting area the monkeys inhabit. People leave piles of food that are much to large for the monkeys to consume, so it rots in the sun. Add that to the fact that the monkeys are not potty trained..... mmm..... a delightful combination indeed.

A monkey so unimpressed by my presence that he's falling asleep on me.

Now, I guess now is the time to say that I'm not much of a fan of primates. For the most part, they remind me of trashy little people. Some are cute and furry, but.... yeah. No.

Baby monkeys

We were warned by the guides not to get to close or touch the monkeys. I guess people forget (or ignore) that they're wild animals and will scratch and bite when provoked (or not provoked). Again, they remind me of trashy little people.

View down from the top. Our boat is the biggest boat near the center.

After covering a little more distance in the van....

After a view of the area, we were back on the road again to the next destination.

Great Siege Tunnels

I can't tell you that I absorbed any of the history of the Great Siege Tunnels in our fast-forward version of tourism, but I can tell you that soldiers dug an impressive series of tunnels through the Rock of Gibralter. And that today you can walk through them and see their museum-esque mannequins in period uniform reenacting common scenes. And I should also tell you beware, the people that set all this up have a sense of humor and can give you quite a startle. All in good fun--I had never seen my friend jump so high!

All's Well Bar

After seeing this bar on a Travel Channel show, of course we had to find it and get a drink!

Middle of the Atlantic - Horta, Azores

2011-02-21T07:45:00.000-08:00

Black and white plaster and basalt church and convent as seen from the harbor of Horta

Land-ho! The Azores, part of Portugal, were a fantastic view for someone who has been at sea for a long time!

After being at sea for over a week and seeing nothing but open ocean..... lots and lots of water....

Water from the Mid-Atlantic, how exciting.

...and more water....

Dolphins! A very welcome sight on an otherwise incredibly dull voyage

...and sometimes the occasional dolphin friends would join us to play in our wake....

We arrived very late at night in Horta and docked the boat in the dark. Once secured, the crew quickly ran off to join the old salts, sailors and yachties gathered at Peter's Bar. The world is a really small place and when you run into people you know on a tiny rock in the middle of the Atlantic ocean, it feels even smaller. Unexpectedly reuniting with old friends in ports around the world is a nice, comforting perk of working on yachts.

The bar itself is decorated in a very interesting collection of boat paraphernalia left by passing sailors. Check out the whale bone carvings of whales in the case above their heads. More on that in a minute.

The harbor of Horta

The next morning, while the boat was fueling, we had about an hour and a half to hop off the boat again before we were to set sail.

Street along the waterfront where we got coffees, crepes and pastries.

Horta itself felt very much like a small town. Almost not even noticing the few tourists at all, the locals all went about their daily lives getting coffee, papers, lunch and whatever other errands (like laundry) they happened to be running. I'm not sure what exactly I expected to find on such an isolated rock, but it was neat to see how "normal" everything felt.

Gorgeous lush green hillsides behind the city. It would have been ideal to have more than a few hours to see what the island had to offer, but as you can tell, there was some weather brewing so we had to leave as quickly as possible.

Whale bone whale figurines in the souvenir shops

We played speed tourists and after grabbing our first bite of non-boat food in over a week, we ran off to peek in all of the little shops. After seeing these little guys everywhere, I just had to pick one up for myself!

Franticaly penning postcards to family and friends

After buying a massive assortment of pastries for enjoyment back on the boat, we ran into a shop to buy postcards to send back home.

Mailing postcards from the middle of the Atlantic!

Showoff.

There are a few things to note in this picture of the boys skateboarding on the dock before we left.

One) the wall behind them is covered in signs painted by the crew of the boats that have stopped here over the years. We didn't have time to paint our own, but we did find two painted by the crew of our boat in the past.

Two) the deathgrip on the pink bag of pastries from the pastry shops we hit when we got into town. What a treat after being at sea!

Three) their facial hair. Typically the men don't shave while we're underway so at the end, they'll sculpt it into amusing displays before eventually shaving it completely.

Our boat docked around the far end of the harbor from town.

View leaving the dock, part of the volcano visible in the distance beneath the clouds.

Sporting their foul weather gear to take in the fenders as we head back out to the open ocean.

Back out to sea after less than sixteen hours in port. Better be ready for another week at sea!

Charleston, South Carolina

2011-02-20T16:20:00.000-08:00

Old Sheldon Church Ruins

On the way to Charleston, South Carolina for a quick afternoon visit, we went a bit out of our way to see the ruins of Sheldon Church.


Old Sheldon Church ruins

Build in 1745, the church was originally destroyed by the British troops during the Revolutionary War. After being rebuilt, it was destroyed again in 1865 by General Sherman and his troops. Today, it stands proud beneath the clearing in the trees and is a popular wedding site. The day we went, there was a bride being followed by a team of photographers while rows of white chairs were being set up elsewhere.

Broad Street, Charleston

People enjoying a beautiful day along the waterfront.

Sneak peek into someone's side yard.

Trattoria Lucca, the real reason for our trip to Charleston

After walking around for a little while, we drove over to Lucca for an early dinner. We already knew what we were going to order. Behold, the real reason for our quick trip to Charleston:

Best. Porkchop. Ever.

Seriously, this pork chop was incredible. I enjoy pork, but I usually avoid it at restaurants because often times I find it dry and uninspiring. This meal, however, blew me and all of my expectations out of the water. I have never had anything like it. Who wants to buy me a ticket back to Charleston so I can have another one??!

Savannah, Georgia in the spring

2011-02-18T16:03:00.000-08:00

Sunrise in Thunderbolt Marina

After a season in the Caribbean, we brought the boat back to Savannah.

Built a paper towel and toiled paper fort in the crew mess.

One of my favorite squares in downtown Savannah. Check out those trees!

Visited by a little friend in the park. Got any nibbles??

Savannah in the spring is absolutely alive with flowers.

Cute little Savannah houses.

Even the water fountains in the square looked happy for it to be spring.

Best. Cupcakes. Ever. at Lulu's Chocolate Bar. Crisp glasses of Prosecco made it even better.

More flowers. The whole city was in bloom.

The Mercer House

One of my favorite houses. Number 3.

Forsyth Park also alive with flowers. Savannah is absolutely beautiful in the spring.

Did a Ghost Hearse Tour of the downtown. Had an absolute blast and I would recommend it to anyone looking to have some silly ghostly fun! You actually sit in the back of a real hearse and have an upbeat guide drive you around while explaining the tales of haunted Savannah.

Snarfed some of the best late night pizza at Sweet Melissa's. Love this hole in the wall!

Arrived home that night to a ghostly message left on the door by a roommate. Oooooeeeeoooo!

St. Thomas, BVIs

2011-02-18T13:45:00.000-08:00

St. Thomas earns its reputation for gorgeous beaches!

Up top on the boat, watching as we pulled into the harbor.

Really relaxing on Coki Beach

The boys gearing up for a snorkel. Coki beach had some incredible snorkeling. To the right were rocks teeming with life and to the left, in the more sandy areas, were massive schools of silver fish that you could swim right into. Absolutely epic.

On a winding road up the island looking back at the marina we were docked in.

A few of us rented a Jeep to explore the island, but parked at a beach after making it about halfway around, the car stopped working. While waiting for the rental manager to come rescue us, we noticed some shady mongoose action in the parking lot. Right after I took this photo, the mongoose jumped up and disappeared into the engine! No wonder!

View from the boat when we were anchored at a place I don't think I ever caught the name of.

Walking back down the dock, the yachts in the sunset.

And I figured I'd leave you with this. For our Easter trip, one of the crew members dressed in a bunny suit and circled our boat on the tender so the kids could see him. Fun times!

Sonoma County, California

2010-12-25T19:36:00.000-08:00

In early December, I was invited out to Sonoma County to visit a friend of mine and his family.

Apparently, typical early December weather is often cold and rainy. It was incredibly foggy as well. As a native Arizonian, this kind of holiday weather is a treat since I'm accustomed to warm, sunny holiday days.

My friend, Todd, was an incredible tour guide. We traveled some amazing and absolutely beautiful roads in Sonoma. In fact, I think the entirety of Sonoma is gorgeous.

The sun did come out for the day we went to Santa Rosa. The fall colors were a treat.

Nom nom nom, a hungry tree in Santa Rosa's old graveyard.

And of course, we went wine tasting!

Bella Vineyards was fantastic! So delighted by their wine. And I even bought one of their wine glasses with a tractor on it. Will certainly be going back someday.

And to the (cold) Coleman beach for sunset.

He took me to the Grove of Old Trees in Occidental.

It was so foggy as we walked through the trees that it looked black and white.

A very surreal world, indeed.

In the evenings, we played photoshoot and took silly photos. Wee!

Such a great trip! (Even though I did suffer from some food poisoning near the end.....) But thanks, Todd! (If you even read this.)

Switzerland: The Bernese Oberland ::part 3::

2010-12-25T18:52:00.000-08:00

Continuing my weekend adventures in the Bernese Oberland this past September


On the train looking back towards the town I was staying in, Wengen. Note the happy cows on the hillside.

Overlooking the valley of Lauterbrunnen

Switzerland: The Bernese Oberland ::part 2:

2010-12-25T18:29:00.000-08:00

First thing in the morning I took the train, headed for the Top of Europe.

Took the cogwheel trains from Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch

Viewing Stations at Eiger Glacie

The Top of Europe, Jungraujoch

The Ice Palace

Prosecco at the Top of Europe!

Switzerland: The Bernese Oberland ::part 1::

2010-12-25T18:11:00.000-08:00

Took the trains through Milan, Italy on the way to Switzerland

This September when the boat was docked in Italy, we got a weekend off and I boarded a train and headed towards Switzerland's Alps to spend a few days exploring.

Some of the first views of Switzerland. Sheep!

People out working the fields by hand

One train after another. The Swiss have an amazingly well organized transportation system.

More trains

Walking down the street in Wengen.

View from Wengen's train station

Wengen's main street

Summer flowers and adorable chalets everywhere

Perfectly manicured wood piles

Fondue! I wanted to get fondue, but being a solo traveler on this trip I was told that fondue was a meal for two. Darn!

The view from my hotel's breakfast room.

Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico

2010-12-25T14:45:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Carlsbad, New Mexico! I'm "home" visiting my parents in Carlsbad for the holidays and we went to see the caverns the day before yesterday. Here are some of the pictures from our visit.

Endless sharp ceilings, yikes!

The Doll's Theater, rather small in scale compared to the massive formations in the rest of the caves

Draperies, my favorite type of formation. (Speleothems)

Dripping rock is so neat-looking

The walkway through the caverns

From the Hall of Giants

Outside the entrance

More St. Martin!

2010-12-17T10:23:00.000-08:00

It was Sunday morning and while trying to follow the signs to Fort St. Louis we turned down a small cobblestone alleyway leading up to this church. Not halfway up the drive, the churchbells rang and out poured a sea of churchgoers instantly clogging the narrow roadway. In the end, we idled there more than five minutes waiting for the streams of people who were in no hurry at all to pass so we could be on our way.

So, my mother calls me up the other day.

"Can you tell me the address of that blog of yours?"
"..... This is for the family Christmas card, isn't it?"
"Yup."

Uh-oh. As a friend so kindly pointed out, it had been nearly four whole months since I've posted anything at all. I have more than six months of travel adventures to catch up on, so here goes! This post takes us back to March of 2010 when we were on the Caribbean island of St. Martin.

Climbing the hill to Fort St. Louis, overlooking Marigot Bay. Interestingly enough, I came here with family when I was little and I snapped a very similar shot and I didn't realize it until looking through family photo albums just the other day.

Another yacht! Smaller than ours, though. Pfft.

The ruins of Fort Louis at the top of the hill.

Overlooking town in the other direction. Note the cannon.

Enjoyed the afternoon on the patio above the beach at Grand Case.

On another day trip, we had a late breakfast overlooking the area of Orient Bay.

This is the view on the other side. Orient Beach is along those colorful rooftops.

We called this the fish beach, probably relating to a sign on the road somewhere, but I have no idea what it's actually called. This beach is behind Tom's head in the shot from our breakfast above.

Corfu, Greece

2010-09-16T07:59:00.000-07:00

[Quick catch up post!] seven weeks without any days off, we finally got a four day weekend on the island of Corfu, Greece!

I rented a car and spent a few days driving around the island.

Drove through little tiny towns scattered along the back roads.

Followed windy roads up the cliffs overlooking the sea.

Picked back roads randomly on the map to see where they went.

The view from the taverna advertised in the previous photo.

I ate myself silly on dolmades, greek salads, taziki and gyros pitas. And my latest obsession discovery, Nescafe frappes. More on these amazing beverages later.

Drove past beaches overrun by British tourists. (Not my bag at all, btw.)

And after a full day of driving around exploring, headed back to my hotel (on the opposite side of the island from the boat) for a good night's sleep.

....and apparently got "creative" with the camera after several glasses of wine enjoyed on the beach. Ha!

St. Barts, Caribbean

2010-08-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

Stepping back in time to St. Barts

We were anchored out with motor yacht A, a very unique design indeed.

View from the hot tub on our sundeck one morning.

Tender ride into town to see the Mardi Gras parade!

Apparently, Mardi Gras is a big deal in St. Barts and everyone dresses up for the festivities.

Even the dogs.

We got a good view of the parade from the sidelines.

And the rest is just a quick photo dump because dinner is down and I am hungry! :)

Rhodes, Greece

2010-08-17T12:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's official. I want a new camera. Mine was lent out so I borrowed another from someone else to go for a walk with and.... well, now I'm itching for a new one!

Not that I don't still love my little point and shoot Canon SX200IS, but I've lost the spark of creativity that pushes me to use it often and in fun ways. I'm now saving up for a DSLR and I can't wait.

Anyway, back to the pictures. As far as blog posts go, I figure it's all right to jump around in a non-chronological order. Last I left off in St. Martin, but I've been in Greece all summer so I think it's fitting to just jump right in. This particular evening I got off of work and wandered around Rhodes, Greece.

Went through the streets of the old town, lined with tourist shops and their local wares.

Even the dock had boats set up for tourist shopping

Roasted corn stands are very popular here in Greece. I haven't tried one yet, but I suppose I should before we leave. It seems to be something that the locals really enjoy.

The deer is the symbol of Rhodes. Legend tells that the island was invaded by poisonous snakes so the people brought deer to repel them. (Various theories explain how this worked.) These two deer statues stand on pillars at the entrance of the harbor, where the fabled Colossus of Rhodes once stood.

Ducked into a church by the entrance of the harbor to snap a photo.

Played with the camera's impressive zoom feature.

Walked along the coastline.

The color change is where the Aegean and the Mediterranean Seas meet.

I love people watching.

I really enjoyed playing around with this borrowed camera.

This side of the island gets incredibly strong winds in summer.

Found a little pub overlooking the Aegean for sunset, complete with playful furry friends.

Another furry friend decided I was worthy company and laid down at my feet.

Ordered the "Kojak Special," the bar's specialty drink for a sundowner.

The view of the sunset over Turkey from my seat. And then it was back to the boat again to continue the five week long trip with the owners aboard....

St. Martin, Loterie Farm and more

2010-06-10T10:43:00.000-07:00

One weekend the crew headed to Loterie Farm to hike and zipline. This was the view from the first vista point along the trail.

The trail. (Photo courtesy of Todd. Thx, Todd.)

Air plants (bromeliads) were everywhere! Some were massive, but I picked and smuggled two. One sadly got smashed in my backpack, but several months later and it's still alive and well.

On our hike up the mountain, we came across the old sugar mill's well. These giant metal pots were just in the middle of the trail filled with water plants.

The rain came when we made it to the top. Fortunately, like much Caribbean rain, it only lasted ten minutes. It was pretty hot and muggy so the rain was actually appreciated.

Ran through the tall grasses pretending to hide from velociraptors. Jurassic Park nerds for sure.

The view from the trail of the zipline. I chose to continue the hike in lieu of the zipline. Of course, intending to return later to go, but sadly I never made it. Those who went loved it.

After the hike, we enjoyed some refreshing drinks at the treetop bar.

That night we went to Friar's bay for their Full Moon Party.

Bonfire on the beach!

Across the street from the marina was this little bay. We had sundowners at the beach bar nearly every day after work. La Bamba made the best frozen mojitos we'd ever tasted.

View of the dock (courtesy my iPhone) at night on my way back from the gym at night.

No tale of St. Martin would be complete without mention of Sunset Beach Bar. Perched right on the beach underneath the island's runway, you can have a drink and watch the planes take off and land. And they're really really close. As in, they barely miss the fence. When the big 747s land, people gather to hold onto the fence and be sand blasted by the jet. It's actually quite painful (and dangerous), or so I've been told. I was only there to witness the smaller planes.

Sunset at Sunset Beach bar.

Karacteurs beach bar was another one of our hangouts. An old bus converted to a bar overlooking a very nice setup of lounges and seating kept us returning time and time again.

Meanwhile, back on the boat during the work days, we tackled such daunting projects as the "bunny head." More on this later.

I made fondant decorations for a Queen of Hearts themed cake and table setting.

More after work sundowners at La Bamba!

Leaving the dock at St. Martin.

Through the drawbridge. Next stop, St. Barts!

St. Martin, Grand Casse

2010-06-07T13:49:00.000-07:00

On our next weekend off, we decided it was time to rent a car to gallivant around the St. Martin. Not surprisingly, we made it a lot farther around the island by way of vehicle than we did on foot.

I had read about a little hidden beach called Happy Bay that can only be accessed on foot from Friar's Bay. We decided to check it out.

This was the view from the trail.

It was a lovely beach. Probably my favorite on the island.

Unfortunately, some clouds with a waterspout moved in.... so we moved out.

Continued our drive around the island. This was the Oyster pond area, I believe.

Panorama!

Visited Orient Beach to revisit where I stayed with my family as a kid. It was almost just as I had remembered it. Amusingly enough, I didn't recognize any of the restaurants or beach bars. Obviously as a child I never paid attention to that sort of stuff. I was all about the beach itself and the snorkeling.

Continued on to Grand Casse. Found LOVE bar and had some drinks and nibbles.

What a fabulous view!

Loved this place!

Sunset over Grand Casse.

During the day we didn't see many people, but nighttime brought out the crowds and the festive lights.

Walked past the numerous restaurants that lined the street, all the friendly shop keepers and waiters out on the street trying to lure in the passers by. It was a lovely evening.

Ft. Lauderdale to St. Martin

2010-05-31T09:48:00.000-07:00

Pulling back into Ft. Lauderdale, under the 17th street bridge.

Went for a nice run along the Ft. Lauderdale beachfront.

This was our crew's Christmas tree. (Yes, I realize I'm nearly six months behind in blogging now....) Had a lovely Christmas in Ft. Lauderdale with the crew who didn't go home for the holiday.

Went to go watch some Jai alai, a sport I hadn't ever heard of before.

Saw Avatar at the IMAX. Twice.

Went around the dock and snipped greenery for table settings.

And set pretty tables for the guests with them.

We headed to the Caribbean for the season.

Sunrise in the Caribbean!

Photographed the fruit tarts the sous chef made for the guests.

On our first day off in St. Martin, we attempted to gallivant around the island on foot. Ultimately we didn't get too far, but we did have a good adventure.

Saw some beaches.

And some interestingly worded menus. "Moisturizers"? Either way, the soup was good.

The Isle de Sol marina's entrance is formed by a narrow drawbridge that opens a few times a day to allow boats to pass.

People gather at the bar beneath the drawbridge to watch the boats come and go.

La Sucriere, the best French bakery and Boulangerie-Patisserie on the island was right down the street from the dock. What a treat!

Best place to get a croissant and cappuccino and overlook the bay!

Back to Savannah

2010-04-29T17:45:00.000-07:00

And back to Savannah again.

Our boat was pulled out of the water for a paint job.

Thus, we were moved from living on the boat into houses. This was especially exciting because it let us live like normal people who go home every day after work. What a treat!

The Mansion at Forsyth Park.

The beautiful houses that line Victory Drive heading into Savannah.

People enjoying one of Savannah's many squares.

Ice skating rinks and trucked in snow were staged downtown in celebration of the holidays.

The ceilings at the Gryphon Tea room where we had a lovely lunch. Their sandwiches inspired some of our sous chef's future flavor combinations.

This is Colonial Park Cemetary, located right downtown Savannah. When we did our ghost tour, the guide told us that it actually extends beyond the gates. Streets and buildings were built right over large portions of the graveyard. The fence even goes right over some of the graves.

During the Civil War, troops set up camp on this site. Many of the gravestones were uprooted and even vandalized with curious inscriptions, or so we were told. I wasn't able to find any, but I didn't spend much time looking.

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

Inside St. John's.

The Hamilton-Turner Inn was the first Savannah residence to have electricity.

The Mercer Williams House, made famous by the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Buying that book was one of the first things I did when I got to Savannah so I could learn what all the fuss was about.

The Sorrel Weed house is reportedly the most haunted place in the city.

Projecting Elf onto the side of a building on Broughton Street for the community to watch. How festive.

After having read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, I was determined to go see one of the real life characters in her drag show, the Lady Chablis. So much makeup, hairspray and attitude! My camera, however, was not impressed with the low lighting situation.

More pumpkins.... reminding me how overdue this blog is. Ha!

Frequented Lulu's Chocolate bar for delicious drinks and desserts.

My favorite house in Savannah, the Kehoe House. Supposedly haunted, all of the white trim on the house is cast iron and the house has been everything from a funeral home to a B&B.

One of the Kehoe House's main rooms decorated for Christmas.

The 17Hundred90 House was a stop on our ghost tour. Note the mannequin in the window. In the basement they have a bar with fireplaces and couches that were perfectly cozy for the cold winter nights.

Another fabulous house.

Went to Fort Pulaski for their Christmas Candlelight Tour that recreated their Christmas in 1861. Complete with cannon fire!

Phoenix, Tucson and the All Souls Procession

2010-04-11T06:49:00.000-07:00

Another quick catchup blog. Sushi in Phoenix!

Randomly saw Cascada preforming at a Scottsdale nightclub.

Went to Tucson for the All Souls Procession. Dressed for the occasion.

The Urn in which they collect prayers, thoughts and wishes from the community.

Many of the costumes honor the dead, be it person or animal.

Flam Chen preforms at the ending ceremony each year. And each year they outdo themselves. Here they are being suspended by a large crane above the crowd.

Fire procession to the urn.

Ignititon.

Participants bathed in the red glow from the burning urn.

Saw Calexico's show afterwards.

The drive back to New Mexico.

Flight from New Mexico on my way back to Savannah. This was the entire plane.

Arizona, Mt. Lemon and Jerome

2010-03-29T16:09:00.000-07:00

Once back in Tucson, my friend treated me to a delightful breakfast in (inflatable air) bed

followed by a drive up Mt. Lemon with the top down.

The mountain's scars are still visible despite more than six years since the last fire.

I then headed North to visit another friend in Northern Arizona.

We went for a sunset walk around her "neighborhood"

Also took a drive up and over Mingus Mountain to visit the city of Jerome, a historic mining town turned artist colony.

Wine tasting with Kim at one of the city's many wineries!

Our view while enjoying a hummus and cheese plate on the terrace to help digest the all of the wine.

Main drag of Jerome

While cashing out at the local artist pottery store, I noticed the cash drawer was ceramic. The clerk told me that the store had been robbed and the thief nabbed the entire change drawer. Thus they had to replace it with something that fit. Clever but sad, really.

Walked around the town and caught the middle of a glass blowing demonstration.

The town looks over the red cliffs of Sedona in the distance.

The forest service was conducting controlled burns in the area and when the wind shifted, the sky turned red with ash. At this point my camera's battery died and I used my iPhone for the rest of the photos. Not too bad for a camera phone!

Finally got to eat at the Flatiron Cafe in the building wedged between two narrow streets. I'd been eyeballing this place for years during my visits, but for one reason or another never had gotten the chance to try it.

We were not disappointed! We rolled out of there fat and happy.