WanderlustandWhimSea

If you are a Birder then you probably already know Africa is a place where Birders are giddy and gasping in excitement. I have had quite the birding education the past week. I can now spot a New Ginea Fowl at 50 paces. We have seen several endangered and rare birds but I am sort… Continue reading Birders Paradise

What is Zambia and Zimbabwe? I started my Safari in Zambia on the lower Zambezi river. We had Hippo’s galore but this shot caught by my travel companion with the camera lens as long as her arm just thrilled me. Hippo’s are pretty tough to take pictures of because they tend to go under water… Continue reading Countries starting with the letter Z for $200

  Well we were warned to look for elephants and in my bleary eyed 0515 exit from my tent I was greeted with a steaming pile of dung. It is simply amazing how these giant animals can move so silently through space. Needless to say I scurried to the lodge with my eyes peeled.  So… Continue reading Dung at the Doorstep

Getting to Africa is challenging (3 planes and 24 hours of travel) but upon arriving at the Zambezi river I was greeted with my first Hippo citing.  Somehow the travel fatigue all washed away as I gazed out at the river. I have had this journey on my bucket list forever but even my decades… Continue reading Out of Africa

We were suppose to do an all day Spa treatment at a Hammam in Andulsia but the ship excursion was canceled. I threw a bit of a fit with stomping feet and wailing but much to my surprise we found a really cool Hammam in the middle of Malaga at about 1/6th the price and… Continue reading Malaga – We found a Hammam!

Whew quite a language gauntlet – we literally went from Italian to French to Spanish in a matter of 3 days!  My head was spinning as I attempted to use all the words I knew in Spanish ordering a snack and getting the bill. Success!  The trip from the port of Alicante to Guadalest was… Continue reading Buenas Dias in Guadalest, Spain

So my knowledge of Picasso (at least this was an artist I had heard of!) made a quantum leap today with a visit to the Picasso Museo in Barcelona. I know there are a lot of Picasso Museums around the world, but this one was fascinating as it had his very early work at 14… Continue reading The Education of Picasso and BKR

Today I spent a few hours in Aix En Provence (pronounced Ecks) so it was a bit of an appetizer for next OCT/NOV when I plan to spend 6 weeks with the Road Scholar Abroad Program. This visit I was delighted to order my Café Au Lait and Croissant in French and successfully asked for… Continue reading An Appetizer in Aix En Provence

Decided not to gamble with the high rollers and went to the Oceanographic Museum instead. It was a treat in a beautiful building overlooking the ocean. Monaco has a long history of protecting the oceans and Jacques Cousteau was Director there for 30+ years. It seems most of my childhood was spent watching him explore… Continue reading Monte Carlo and the Fishes

I was just out of Tuscany for 10 days and it was so welcoming to come back and spend the day in the markets of Livorno and a Villa in the countryside. The market has been in business since the 1500’s and it is still all about selling fish, shellfish, octopus, mussels and many things… Continue reading Arrivederci Tuscany