Here is another fairy tale view, this one of an ancient church on a mountain on the outskirts of Mtskheta, the old capital of Georgia. I confess I cannot remember its name, nor do I remember how you get to it—but it's certainly scenic!
When we were in Puerto Rico, we decided to forego the highway and drive to the Southern coast on the mountain road—as you can see, the view was quite lovely, and so was the sky. There was absolutely nowhere to stop though, not even for a cup of coffee, so after four hours we gave up our principles and sought out the highway—and lunch!
Everyone always talks about how the British are so willing to stand in line without complaining—well, they are not alone. When I was in Soviet Moscow, the Russians were endlessly willing to stand in line — the thinking was, if there's a line, there must be something good to buy! In fact, you're supposed to get in line first, then ask what "they" are selling--otherwise three more people will be in front of you!
Now, in this line, everyone is quietly waiting for something that was not really that hard to find, but still extremely desirable -- and that's probably the line we would have joined if we wanted to do "as in Rome": ice cream! Must have been the popular one, the one that tasted really good so it was less available, a log of creamy vanilla (always vanilla) enrobed in a soft chocolate cookie. Yum. (I don't believe we ever stood in a line this long, except perhaps once for Russian champagne, which was only available for a couple of days before holidays!)
OK, I've discovered I like taking photos of roots! Other than the light, these two photos are quite similar, right? I took the top one in at the Barnum place in Sarasota, Florida; and the bottom one at the Dole Plantation in Kauai, Hawaii. I can't decide which light I like best--cool and soothing or hot and sunny! What do you think?
Looks like my photos from Hochosterwitz are still in the "to do" pile, so I thought I'd post a few from Riegersberg, another Austrian castle up a BIG hill. The castle itself is not as exciting, but great views up there! I hope you get an idea of scale from the hubcap in the last photo.
I think the clouds here make the Rock of Gibraltar look like a whale, don't you? Blowing out the wrong end, of course, but other than that...
Here are two views of the 3,000-year old city of Mtskheta (we didn't use to pronounce the 't,' if that helps), at the confluence of the Rivers Mtkvari and Aragvi. This was the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Iberia in what is presently Georgia, and is located less than 20 miles from the present-day capital of Tbilisi. I like the way the water suddenly turns green in the second photo.
If you have to look twice at this statue of David, you are not alone. I took this photo at the opulent Barnum Mansion in Sarasota, Florida. He obviously was into ancient civilizations, and decided to recreate what he could among the palm trees. The Remus & Romulus suckling the she-wolf is from there too. I really enjoyed visiting, and got some great plant shots I'll post another day.
We don't usually take those little river cruises when we travel, but we did in the charming, old, Austrian city of Klagenfurt. I am delighted we did because, as you can see, it was a beautiful trip--definitely scenic in my book!
As you might know by now, I love people watching... I took these photos in Madrid; the top one, which is one of my favorites, is in Sabatini Gardens. I love the peaceful look on this man's face. If you look closely you'll see he might be worried as something is growing on his ankle. The other two photos are in Retiro Park, where my friend and I rented a rowboat and actually went out on the lake.
Here's another man-and-nature shot I hope you enjoy: Sunset over El Morro Fort in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
I've been lucky enough to go to Tallin, the charming capital of Estonia, a couple of times. The old part is quite small, and very walkable, and it has a surprisingly Germanic feel. One thing that surprised me was how many beautiful places of worship were built in such a tiny space, all happily contributing to the city's life and landscape. Here are two of my favorites.
No need to go far to capture a beautiful sky--this one in Maine was perfect, especially above the conveniently all-white church. And no visible parking lot either!
At the Dole Plantation in Kauai, I had a bit of fun with my double-macro lens. I'm glad I did, because I just found these photos and quite like them. What do you think? 
As you can see, Lake Sevan is actually very pretty, which is probably why we put up with the rough conditions ( Life at the top ) and had a wonderful outing.
The Jewish Quarter in Old Toledo is well worth a visit; the narrow streets are really glorified alleyways and the old buildings brim with charm. Of course, the Jews were kicked out of Spain in 1492 and, if you look closely (top and left), you'll see a cross at the top of the old synagogue. Unfortunately, the museum, which I understand has some beautiful, very old and valuable artifacts, was closed when I was there--must go back!
Well, the viewing "station" on the Georgian Military Road was a little bit odd (see Everybody off the bus), but the view itself was spectacular. Never quite seen this shade of green on such as scale, almost as though the mountains are covered in moss.
