https://planbtour.com/2015/01/03/ephesus/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2172.jpgIMG_2172An ivory relief from a Terrace House.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2169.jpgIMG_2169Aphrodite.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2181.jpgIMG_2181This trio was found in this arrangement at Terrace House. A couple and their bronze snake.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2184.jpgIMG_2184Hee-haw. Dolphin riding at its best.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2190.jpgIMG_2190Shiny happy person, of solid gold.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2197.jpgIMG_2197Megan taking history lessons from Artemis.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2203.jpgIMG_2203All that remains of a giant statue of a Roman Emperor.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2163.jpgIMG_2163Stray cats at Ephesus.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2159.jpgIMG_2159Ephesushttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2157.jpgIMG_2157Ephesus2015-05-08T00:16:22+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2015/04/29/fini-for-now/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/view-stats-map.jpgview stats mapWhere our viewers are. The redder the country, the more views; the paler, fewer views.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/img_3690.jpgIMG_3690Spring blooms.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/img_3686.jpgIMG_3686A block from where we live.2024-01-13T23:32:04+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2015/01/19/dublin/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_2756.jpgIMG_2756Old church in Dalkey. Wealthy folks were buried in the church after it fell to ruins because the neighboring graveyard was full.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_2754.jpgIMG_2754Dalkey Castle.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_2752.jpgIMG_2752Beautiful ornate Dublin building.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_2750.jpgIMG_2750A public art project as seen out our window above Temple Bar Square.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_2736.jpgIMG_2736Some of the beautiful buildings around Dublin.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_2707.jpgIMG_2707Howthhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_2702.jpgIMG_2702Lighthouse at the tip of the rugged Howth Peninsula.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_2694.jpgIMG_2694The Eye of Ireland island, as seen from Howth.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_2687.jpgIMG_2687An artist sketching at The National Gallery.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_2673.jpgIMG_2673This tree and bench have been friends for a long time. They have become quite attached to each other.2015-04-23T01:25:15+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2015/02/17/queen-victoria/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/img_2849.jpgIMG_2849Sphinx bust, British Museumhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/img_2834.jpgIMG_2834Entrance to Egyptian exhibit, British Museum.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/img_2828.jpgIMG_2828Perikles, 429BC, Greek Citizen-Soldier. At ease with his helmet back. British Museum.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/img_2818.jpgIMG_2818Cypriat sculpture, British Museumhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/img_2811.jpgIMG_2811Hellenic busts, British Museumhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/img_3001.jpgIMG_3001Our boat docked in Nassau.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/img_2957.jpgIMG_2957One of the many striking sunsets at sea.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/img_2963.jpgIMG_2963Jim enjoys his coffee and Megan her tea while supervising the deck chairs.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/img_2920.jpgIMG_2920The Azores are renown for their pineapples, we found this great display in the daily farmer's market.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/img_2902.jpgIMG_2902Jim dwarfed by an old rubber tree, Ponta Delgada, The Azores.2015-04-23T01:22:50+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2015/03/08/daytona-500/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3314.jpgIMG_3314Armadillo, scurrying away from us at Amelia Island.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/crowd.jpgCrowdWaiting in one of the many snaking lines to board a bus back to our parked car after the Daytona 500.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3319.jpgIMG_3319Shorebirds and gulls resting on Amelia Island.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3291.jpgIMG_3291A flock of birds taking off at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3272.jpgIMG_3272Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3205.jpgIMG_3205Daytona 500. The cars are sedate and well-spaced because they are following the pace car.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3196.jpgIMG_3196Thunderbirds roar over the racetrack, Daytona 500.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3191.jpgIMG_3191All the cars, teams, sponsors, and crews lined up before the race begins.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3181.jpgIMG_3181Before the race began at the Daytona 500. Adam is wearing one of his Nascar fan shirts.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3171.jpgIMG_3171Us under the corroding pier at Saint Augustine Beach.2015-04-23T01:19:08+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2015/03/23/sailing-from-saint-martin/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3620.jpgIMG_3620Fantastic cloud castles seen on the flight home.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3578.jpgIMG_3578Captain Jackson at the helm.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3541.jpgIMG_3541Mojito Woman in search of the next customer.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3537.jpgIMG_3537Mojito Woman setting up the bar.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3512.jpgIMG_3512Sun setting over our night anchorage in Gustavia.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3501.jpgIMG_3501Snorkeling right off the boat.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3496.jpgIMG_3496Jackson and Brian exploring from the dingy. Gustavia, St. Barth.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3493.jpgIMG_3493On a photo shoot with Jackson in Gustavia.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3429.jpgIMG_3429Megan and Krister. We alternated days at the helm.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3420.jpgIMG_3420Enjoying the view and shade.2020-03-20T06:18:17+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2015/04/15/lost-in-gambetta/2015-04-23T00:55:28+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2015/01/10/rhodes-greece/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_2496.jpgIMG_2496Church on Kos.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_2492.jpgIMG_2492Our ferry passed through this narrow gap at over 30 mph. The small speck on the right side is a fishing boat!https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_2475.jpgIMG_2475Jim makes a new friend.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_2465.jpgIMG_2465Many of the small windows in the Palace of the Grand Master are made from stone instead of glass.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_2452.jpgIMG_2452Inside the Palace of the Grand Master.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_2444.jpgIMG_2444The Rhodes moat. These granite balls were fired from mortars short-range out of the moat at encroaching attackers.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_2425.jpgIMG_2425Olive trees get pruned for decades to keep all the limbs in easy reach. Over time, you get fat gnarled trunks on what look like small trees.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_2417.jpgIMG_2417The beach from which we swam on Christmas Day, despite the grey clouds.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_2408.jpgIMG_2408On the Greek islands we visited cobbles are made from river stones turned on their sides. If you look closely, you can see many of these stones are worn flat on the upper edge.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_2361.jpgIMG_2361A Hellenistic funerary monument above Lindos. The rocks at the cave entrance were carved. Unfortunately the roof fell in long ago.2015-04-22T22:39:26+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2015/01/06/goodbye-bodrum/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2294.jpgIMG_2294A typical Bodrum house with blue trim, white walls, and protection from the evil eye. Note the extremely tall cactus!https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/sandima.jpgSandimaAbandoned village of Sandima on the Bodrum Peninsula.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2273.jpgIMG_2273The ancient Greek theater in Bodrum.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2270.jpgIMG_2270Down a neighborhood street we came across these seemingly random ruins. We hear that most building projects uncover things like this.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2268-e1419087307361.jpgIMG_2268The blue eye amulets, called nazar, are everywhere and often built into walls and sidewalks. It is believed to provide protection from the Evil Eye and likely dates back to the 16th century BC when glasswork developed.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2264.jpgIMG_2264Windmills are all around the Bodrum Peninsula. They were used from the 18th century up to the 1970s to mill flour. Most are falling down today.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2254.jpgIMG_2254Us up on a rocky promontory overlooking abandoned Sandima.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2230.jpgIMG_2230Parts of the Bodrum Peninsula have not been developed and are rugged. The mountains in the distance are on Greek islands.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2223.jpgIMG_2223The busy municipal cafe in Gümüslük. Midday midweek off-season, it is busy with locals. Many of these cafes had people playing Rummikub or backgammon.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2220.jpgIMG_2220Part of the ancient Greek city Myndos. This island is covered with ruins and connected to the mainland at low tide by an ancient causeway.2015-04-22T22:03:49+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/12/20/bodrum-turkey/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/640px-the_maussolleion_model_dsc02711-miniaturk_nevit.jpg640px-The_maussolleion_model_dsc02711-miniaturk_nevitA scale model of what the Mausoleum probably looked like when it was built around 350BC. A wheel from the chariot on the roof was found; its diameter is over 6 feet.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2260.jpgIMG_2260Citrus season! You can buy a 2 pounds of these guys for less than a dollar!https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_2011.jpgIMG_2011Bodrum Castle.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_1936.jpgIMG_1936Bodrum receding as we take a ferry to the Greek Island of Kos.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_1926.jpgIMG_1926Burials tombs, like this one, existed in Bodrum before the Mausoleum was built.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_1914.jpgIMG_1914What is left of the Mausoleum today. The large rock in the center was installed as a plug to Mausolus's tomb, which was deep under the monument.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_1910.jpgIMG_1910A carving from the Mausoleum shows Greeks fighting the Amazons.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_1908.jpgIMG_1908Our apartment in Bodrum is on the middle floor.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_1905.jpgIMG_1905One of the rare stormy days we've had in Bodrum.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_1902.jpgIMG_1902Olives are in season and heavy on the trees.2015-04-22T21:44:12+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/11/19/dalmatian-islands-croatia/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1377.jpgIMG_1377https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1366.jpgIMG_1366Vela Spila cave on Korčula shows signs of human habitation from 20,000 years ago through the Bronze Age.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1361.jpgIMG_1361If you look between the olive trees you can see rows of stacked rocks that both terraced the hill and cleared the land enough to farm it. Korčula Island.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1347.jpgIMG_1347The Greeks plotted Stari Grad Plain with 90 degree angles and farm plots of standard size in 384 BC. The rock wall functions as a narrow road.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1345.jpgIMG_1345Stari Grad is full of these charming little courtyards and medieval stone houses.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1337.jpgIMG_1337Stari Grad on Hvar. The first protected harbor where the Greeks settled 2,400 years ago.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1132.jpgIMG_1132Hvar town with the Venetian fortress perched on top of the hill. Note the old town wall running straight uphill to the fort.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1127.jpgIMG_1127A typical rugged Croatian beach: white rocks, blue water.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1118.jpgIMG_1118One of the many small bays in Hvar town. These are mostly fishing boats. In the summer, these waters are far more crowded with yachts.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1115.jpgIMG_1115Water storage is important in this dry country. Most churches, like this one, created an internal courtyard that also served as a water catchment.2016-07-04T17:11:50+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/11/24/goodbye-croatia/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1522.jpgIMG_1522On the train from Split to Zagreb, every small station en route had an attendant who flagged the train, even when we didn't stop.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1499.jpgIMG_1499Klis Fortress, shot from the moving train, commanding the pass in the Dinaric Alps.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1494.jpgIMG_1494The train we took to Zagreb is a German-engineered tilting high-speed train.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1462-e1416856031249.jpgIMG_1462The Riva in Split, almost a kilometer long. Cafes line the left side, full of locals in the off-season November sunshine. On the right are benches and mini-parks.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1456.jpgIMG_1456November 21 in Split. Sunbathers and swimmers abound.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1447.jpgIMG_1447The old Trogir is on a small island with sea on all sides.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1432.jpgIMG_1432A sweet apartment in Trogir.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1428.jpgIMG_1428Steps show their age with hundreds of years of footsteps wearing grooves in the stone.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1426.jpgIMG_1426This looks like a family crest of wizards.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1425.jpgIMG_1425Trogir Town Hall became a central collection point for decorations from old homes. 2015-04-22T21:36:04+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/11/12/split-part-2/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_0494.jpgIMG_0494The one surviving intact sphinx and red granite columns imported by Diocletian for his palace.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1036.jpgIMG_1036A pigeon got into the cellars and took up residence on top of one of the lights. He may be channeling pagan religious practices.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1050.jpgIMG_1050St. Anthony. The small man in the lower right donated the sculpture and didn't want his gift to be forgotten. Our guidebook calls this figure "mini-me."https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1039.jpgIMG_1039Roman construction circa 300AD. Notice the mortar layers are thicker than the red bricks.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1011.jpgIMG_1011A wall of detritus in the cellars, yet to be excavated by archeologists. The passage in the foreground was excavated in the last 50 years, as was 90% of the cellars.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1027.jpgIMG_1027The square blocks made pipes for Roman sewers in 300AD. Behind the pipes is a wall of waste left by medieval inhabitants.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_1003.jpgIMG_10031700-year-old Roman construction is very sturdy but shows signs of time passing in the cellars.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_0992.jpgIMG_0992Passage in the cellar under Diocletian's Palace.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_0392.jpgIMG_0392Jupiter's Temple. Diocletian believed he was a son of the god Jupiter.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_0948.jpgIMG_0948View from the bell tower across the west side of Split to Marjan forest park.2015-04-22T21:23:15+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/11/09/welcome-to-split-croatia/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_0906.jpgIMG_0906Inside the Palace walls. Houses made from the fortress and built on top of each other.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_0951.jpgIMG_0951https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_0879.jpgIMG_0879The green market that is about two minutes from our place. You're seeing about a sixth of it in this picture!https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_0697.jpgIMG_0697Stone roofs are common, as is bougainvillea.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_0470.jpgIMG_0470Split and its harbor.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_0437.jpgIMG_0437Building on bedrock is not a challenge on the Dalmatian coast.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_0418.jpgIMG_0418Klapa, a traditional a capella Croatian music, is often performed in the vestibul for tourists. The acoustics are remarkable in this round room.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_0416.jpgIMG_0416The vestibul where Diocletian would dress in royal robes and prepare for public appearances. The top of the domed roof has collapsed leaving a view to the sky.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_0398.jpgIMG_0398This tower was built by the Venetians in the 15th century, both to discourage locals from revolting and protect the town from Ottomans.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_0391.jpgIMG_0391"Roman soldiers" in the main square pose for tips. 2015-04-22T21:18:24+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/10/26/au-revoir-paris/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_20141015_100131.jpgIMG_20141015_100131A room of Greek sculptures in the Louvre.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_0293.jpgIMG_0293The sunset view from our balcony, last day in Paris. Au revoir!https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_0267.jpgIMG_0267For centuries, children have pushed sailboats around in this fountain.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_0260.jpgIMG_0260Another park packed with quiet locals enjoying a sunny afternoon.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_0252.jpgIMG_0252Fantastic architectural details are everywhere you look, even straight up.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_0231.jpgIMG_0231Painted walls inside Saint-Germain-des-Prés Church.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_0218.jpgIMG_0218Why we love French bakeries.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_0206.jpgIMG_0206Lion outside Hôtel de Ville, City Hall.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_0200.jpgIMG_0200This subway stop is modeled after a Jules Verne submarine. Note the wedding photo shoot on the opposite platform.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_0181.jpgIMG_0181Megan rowing at Bois Vincennes2015-04-22T21:09:34+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/10/07/arrival-in-paris/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_20141014_165224.jpgIMG_20141014_165224This newer building is successful in fitting in with the general aesthetic of the neighborhood. We saw some ugly 1960-1970 construction, but more buildings like this that are beautiful while being modern.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_20141014_162030.jpgIMG_20141014_162030This traffic circle and statue stands at the location of the Bastille Fortress/Prison, that was torn down at the end of the French Revolution by the revolutionaries.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_5963.jpgIMG_5963Megan will gladly tell you about the time she spent at the Sorbonne..........https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_5957.jpgIMG_5957We saw many insect habitats scattered around the city, mostly in parks.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_5941.jpgIMG_5941When Haussmann was tasked with cleaning up Paris, he constructed many large straight avenues and determined buildings should have continuity across blocks with external balconies on the same floors.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_5940.jpgIMG_5940Basement at the Petit Palaishttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_5931.jpgIMG_5931One of the many park attractions for children, this one in the large Jardin Tuileries, near the Louvre.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_5916.jpgIMG_5916At La Défense.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_5915.jpgIMG_5915Public art giving itself a thumbs up.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_5914.jpgIMG_5914Business lunch crowd on the steps of La Défense arch. The parabolic object in the center is a wind deflector.2015-04-22T21:04:54+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/12/08/istanbul/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_1754.jpgIMG_1754In this village at the north end of the Bosphorus boat garages allow fisherman to park in their house.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_1759.jpgIMG_1759Fishing boats and seagulls in the Bosphorus.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_1732.jpgIMG_1732Jim overlooking where the Bosphorus joins the Black Sea. Towers for a new bridge are under construction with three full-sized cranes working each one. A group of stray dogs joined us on this hike, coming all the way to the top of the hill to scratch their fleas.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_1714.jpgIMG_1714Enormous Turkish flags are common. This one flies over mansions on the banks of the Bosphorus.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_1679.jpgIMG_1679Istanbul isn't all old stuff. There are many modern buildings and new bridges.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_1641.jpgIMG_1641The Mosaic Museum shows pieces of a 1500-year old mosaic from an enormous palace courtyard.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_1626.jpgIMG_1626Beautiful columns and detailing are common sights. Here they are in Little Hagia Sophia, built about 520.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_1619.jpgIMG_1619This obelisk was brought to Istanbul from Egypt in 390, when the obelisk was already 1900 years old.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_1609.jpgIMG_1609Inside the Grand Bazaar.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/img_1604.jpgIMG_1604This entrance to the Grand Bazaar has shops built amidst what look like Roman or Greek ruins. Bonus points if you can find the cat in this picture.2015-04-22T04:16:23+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/10/31/chateauroux/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/1024px-chc3a2teauroux_rue_des_pavillons_31.jpg1024px-Châteauroux_rue_des_Pavillons_3A vine-covered house in Châteauroux.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/france-2-copy.jpegFrance 2 copyA picture taken by Jim's mom in 1952 of a Roma camp in front of a bridge.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/france-2-copy-2.jpegFrance 2Jim and his brothers standing in the front door of their French house. Jim's in the middle.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/chateauroux-belle-isle-park-chateauroux-1.jpgDucks at Belle Isle park.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/1024px-chc3a2teauroux_-_train_station_-_1.jpgThe train station at Châteauroux.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/chc3a2teauroux_-_15th_c-_tower.jpgChâteauroux_-_15th_c._towerSaint-Martin gate into Château Raoul.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/1024px-chc3a2teauroux_-_place_de_la_rc3a9publique.jpgA modern square in the rebuilt part of Châteauroux.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/lavoir.jpgA medieval "lavoir" or public area people could come to do their laundry.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/traffic-circle.jpgFountain in a traffic circle near Jim's old house.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/park.jpgParc Belle Isle has multiple lakes and a meandering river. We saw ducks, geese, and swans.2024-04-03T23:24:32+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/09/29/bruges/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5384.jpgIMG_5384Beautiful old buildings on a Bruges canal.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5521.jpgIMG_5521The high-speed train that took us to Paris.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5518.jpgIMG_5518Bokito, our hosts' doghttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5500.jpgIMG_5500Mieke's, our hostess's, lovely garden.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5496.jpgIMG_5496A canal with a path for bikes and pedestrians.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5494.jpgIMG_5494An example of the farmland around Brugeshttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5493.jpgIMG_5493On the Markt Square, this row of cafes was perpetually busy.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5483.jpgIMG_5483A quiet dead-end courtyard we stumbled into while exploring Bruges.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5477.jpgIMG_5477Us in a Bruges courtyard. Megan loved how colorful the bricks are: red, yellow, green, brown, white.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5467.jpgIMG_5467One of the medieval gates into Bruges. Note the pedestrian-only path on the left.2015-04-22T03:45:32+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/09/23/amsterdam/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_52491.jpgIMG_5249Close-up of the back living area. He has a little crane to move his car and small motorboat on and off. https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5368.jpgIMG_5368Canal cleaning. The orange machine digs into the water and picks up bicycles that were thrown over. While we watched, they scooped out about 8 mangled bicycles.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5358.jpgIMG_5358A typical street scene: scooter passing bikes in the cycle lane, a miniature car parked in the bike parking, the rest of motor traffic in the middle, and pedestrians up against the buildings.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5353.jpgIMG_5353Statue of an artist working on the enormous art museum, Rijksmuseum.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5313.jpgIMG_5313One of the many leaning houses, slowly settling back into the wetland. It is cheaper to remodel and level the interior floors than rebuild or try to fix the exterior problem.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5307.jpgIMG_5307Street chaos. On the left, the cafe has taken 75% of the sidewalk for seating. In the middle, bikes spill out of the cycle lane, vying for who gets to cross first. Pedestrians are squeezed into a couple feet. Tram tracks down the middle of the street.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5299.jpgIMG_5299On the center right, an example of a house intentionally leaning forward out into the street.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5290.jpgIMG_5290A typical small residential street. https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5286.jpgIMG_5286One of the many canals. Note the house boats on the left and the floating herb gardens on the right. We never saw anyone tending or harvesting the herbs but they were a common sight.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5274.jpgIMG_5274Begijnhof in Amsterdam. This is a community established for and by single women in the Middle Ages. They wanted to live a religious life in the world, less secluded than nuns, and with a community to care for each other. Today, all residents are still single women. It was a quiet oasis through a mostly hidden wooden door in the middle of the oldest part of the city.2015-04-22T03:40:24+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/09/09/sweden-continued/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_20140828_150558.jpgIMG_20140828_150558Picture stones carved between 500-700AD on Gotland. Many of them are thought to contain cosmology.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_20140828_150511.jpgIMG_20140828_150511Picture stones carved between 500-700AD on Gotland. Many of them are thought to contain cosmology.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5165.jpgIMG_5165Public forest and meadows on the island on Lidingo comprised more than half the land. We appreciated the hiking trails, berry patches, and soft grassy seats.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5163.jpgIMG_5163An old steam boat, still used everyday as one of the ferries shuttling people around the Stockholm archipelago.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5145.jpgIMG_5145A crane painted like a giraffe, Stockholm.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5127.jpgIMG_5127Here is one of the old wooden boats, a common sight around Stockholm.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5128.jpgIMG_5128As we sailed into Stockholm, we passed through a fleet of old wooden sailboats.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5121.jpgIMG_5121Yet another stunning street in Stockholmhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5113.jpgIMG_5113Inside the original Uppala University Building. The voices of students waiting for class filled the space as the sound bounced off the marble walls.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_5102.jpgIMG_5102This entire street was lined with full bike racks. Uppsala.2015-04-22T03:35:50+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/09/07/hej-valkommen-till-sveriges/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_4666.jpgIMG_4666Stockholm. Royal soldiers making their way to the palace. Note the mock bedroll at the back of each saddle; these folks are not sleeping outside today.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_4664.jpgIMG_4664Stockholm. The peach building cleverly attached a mirror outside each window to allow every room a water view.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_4741.jpgIMG_4741Sandhamn, a popular old town on the edge of the Stockholm archipelago.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_4721.jpgIMG_4721We rented bicycles one day to tour one of Stockholm's island that used to the hunting ground for the royal family and today houses many museums.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_4697.jpgIMG_4697Vasa. Despite being submerged for 333 years, the ship is well preserved and you can see the elaborate statuary on the stern. In it's day, these would have been painted bright colors.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_4711.jpgIMG_4711Vasa. Look on the right hand side to see the scale of this ship by comparing it to the people and 7 floors of this museumhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_4677.jpgIMG_4677The royal band making their way to the palace in Stockholmhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_4547.jpgIMG_4547Recycling is common here. You can see different bins for plastic, paper, metal, and everything else. Unlike in the States, virtually every kind of plastic, paper, and metal can be recycled from Saran wrap to lids to the bag cereal comes in.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_4546.jpgIMG_4546Every stairway we've seen in Sweden has accessibility track for bicycles and baby strollershttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_4530.jpgIMG_4530Bicycle and pedestrian paths are very common, so you rarely are walking alongside a road. Lidingö, the island we are staying on, is half green space crossed with trails like this.2015-04-22T03:27:31+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/08/15/iceland/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img_4346.jpgIMG_4346View from the airplane of Vatnajökull, Iceland's largest glacier. https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img_4328.jpgIMG_4328View from the airplane of Reylkavik through the cloudshttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img_4321.jpgIMG_4321Megan was able to connect with Rachel, her old yoga teacher from Portland. Rachel and her husband relocated to Iceland a year and a half ago.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img_4319.jpgIMG_4319Street view of Reylkavik. Buildings are colorful and usually 2-3 stories tall in the town center.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img_4314.jpgIMG_4314View of Reykjavik airport, which was built by the British and Americans in the 1940s. Jim's father flew in and out of this airport hundreds of times as an air transport command pilot for the US Army Airforce during WWII.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img_4301.jpgIMG_4301Hallgrímskirkja, a Lutheran church in Reykjavik. We went up to the windows at the top to overlook the city.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img_4293.jpgIMG_4293One of the oldest buildings in Reykjavik town center, which means it was probably about 100 years old. There is very few buildings over 100 years because it was a small-scale agrarian economy.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img_4285.jpgIMG_42853D map of Iceland in City Hall. It took 4 men 4 years to build this map.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img_4276.jpgIMG_4276Where we had lunch one day. Note the summer attire on the local going in (it's August). We found many cafes served you food and expected you to pay at the counter after your meal, telling them what you ate. It seemed to be an honor system.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img_4272.jpgIMG_4272Thingvellir National Park. This is thought to be the site of the Parliament meeting that began in 930. They seemed to use the space between the cliffs to gather with one speaker at a time elevated on a rock outcrop.2015-04-22T03:17:48+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/08/04/back-in-the-saddle-again/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img_4091.jpgIMG_4091Megan and Adam riding the Ferris Wheel at Ulster County Fairhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img_4142.jpgIMG_4142Storm King Art Center. Check out the kid jumping under the central statuehttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img_4137.jpgIMG_4137Storm King Art Centerhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img_4131.jpgIMG_4131Storm King Art Center. Adam under the Three Legged Buddha by Zhang Huanhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img_4105.jpgIMG_4105Storm King Art Center. Four Corners by Forrest Myers with Megan and Adam in the cubehttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img_4121.jpgIMG_4121Storm King Art Center had a couple rock walls by the talented Andy Goldsworthy, one of Megan's favorite artistshttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img_4089.jpgIMG_4089Adam in line to ride the ferris wheelhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img_4077.jpgIMG_4077Draft horses testing their strength at Ulster County Fairhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img_4072.jpgIMG_4072Four-horned sheep seen at the Ulster County Fairhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img_4062.jpgIMG_4062Adam, Megan's brother, climbing the lookout at Ferncliff Forest2015-04-21T19:43:53+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/07/03/the-adventure-continues/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/img_3912.jpgIMG_3912Wild airplants are common here but still feel like a miracle to discover. This one was right above the sidewalk and in full bloom.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/img_3908.jpgIMG_3908We stayed in this neighborhood in St Pete. Larger trees were draped in Spanish Moss.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/img_3901.jpgIMG_3901The thing with red pointy parts is a Spiny Orb-weaver spider. They are everywhere.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/palm-beach-green-wall.jpgPalm Beach Green WallThe town of Palm Beach hosts this beautiful living wall.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/sunset.jpgSunsetSunset with a thunder cell in Tampahttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/st-pete-banyan.jpgSt Pete BanyanBanyan tree in St Pete.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/img_3887.jpgIMG_3887This is one of our favorite buildings in Tampa. The slot is on both sides, reminding us of an enormous regular screw. Note the osprey on the left.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/img_3886.jpgIMG_3886Another of our favorite buildings in Tampa (and reminded us of the building in downtown Portland with all the composers on it). Check out how the corners and reflections look like Xs.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/img_3868.jpgIMG_3868https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/img_3862.jpgIMG_3862Tampa's Museum of Art had fun modernist architecture, like this walkway and giant hole to the sky.2015-04-21T19:39:26+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/06/11/still-in-florida/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/img_3836.jpgIMG_3836Banana spiderhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/img_3835.jpgIMG_3835These are banana spiders, or golden silk orb-weavers. They are harmless and large (the big one here was 5 inches across including legs.) The webs have a yellow hue.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/img_3833.jpgIMG_3833Our local beach has many turtle nests, all marked by a stake and tape.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/img_3832.jpgIMG_3832Five types of sea turtles nest on the Florida coast between May and October. Each nest is marked to keep people away from it.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/img_3829.jpgIMG_3829Ann Norton Sculpture Gardenhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/img_3827.jpgIMG_3827Ann Norton Sculpture Gardenhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/img_3824.jpgIMG_3824Ann Norton Sculpture Garden in West Palm Beach displays a variety of work by Ann Norton.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/img_3811.jpgIMG_3811People commonly use umbrellas here as sun shades. Here is a dad who pulled up his beach umbrella to take a walk with his daughter.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/img_20140609_080258.jpgIMG_20140609_080258On the last morning of our cruise, our boat was delayed due to a brush fire in the Everglades the day before. The Port of Miami was closed and we could barely make out the other boats queued up waiting for the port to reopen due to the thick smoke.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/img_3818.jpgIMG_3818Cruise boat sunset2015-04-21T19:33:53+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/05/23/florida/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/20140511_170821.jpg20140511_170821Karen on a boulder in the middle of a river, hiking with Megan in the Blue Ridge Mountainshttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/20140509_143344.jpg20140509_143344View from Calloway Peak in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the storm on the right caught up to us and rained on our hike back downhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/img_3619.jpgIMG_3619Riding beach cruisers in Key West. Check out the coconut cup holder, bell, and horn on the handlebars!https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/img_3614.jpgIMG_3614As far south as you can get in the contiguous US. We didn't want to wait in line to take our picture like the couple in the background, so we got in on theirs instead.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/img_3607.jpgIMG_3607Can you identify which one of these is the non-native invasive species? (Hint: it isn't an orchid)https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/img_3587.jpgIMG_3587Sunset celebration at Mallory Square in Key West. Note the fire juggler on tall unicycle.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/img_3572.jpgIMG_3572Driving down the Florida Keyshttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/img_3569.jpgIMG_3569Two bridge fisherman in the Keys with a "keeper"https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/img_3555.jpgIMG_3555Airboats are a common way to get around the swamps because all you need to draft is a couple inches. We decided to not go on one and instead keep our hearing.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/img_3554.jpgIMG_3554Sawgrass prairie in S. Florida2015-04-21T19:26:09+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/05/02/saint-lucia/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/img_3173.jpgIMG_3173Inside the Cathedral in Castries. The fluting and rosettes on the columns are painted. The walls and ceilings are covered with murals too.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/img_3259.jpgIMG_3259Jalousie Beach and Sugarbeach Resort. Petit Piton is in the background. Near the beach is a typical local boat. Most are named. This one, on the bow is labelled "Mother's Blessing" and on the stern "I'm Sexy You Know It."https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/img_3238.jpgIMG_3238View from Boucan where we ate a chocolate lunch and ogled the Pitonshttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/img_3220.jpgIMG_3220The Pitons beyond St Lucia's second largest town, Soufriere.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/img_3209.jpgIMG_3209Traditional architecture and conch shell decorations on two small houses in Anse La Rayehttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/img_3202.jpgIMG_3202Bay at Anse La Raye in the backgroundhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/img_3197.jpgIMG_3197The first icecream truck that drove by our house. Note the cooler is a household chest freezer.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/img_3188.jpgIMG_3188Immanently defensible Pigeon Island near Rodney Bayhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/img_3175.jpgIMG_3175Just south of Marigot lies the Roseau Valley with more flat land and big agriculture (all bananas) than was apparent in Dominicahttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/img_3170.jpgIMG_3170One of the depictions of Mary and baby Jesus in the Castries Cathedral2015-04-21T19:03:40+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/03/10/sailing-in-the-british-virgin-islands/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_1919.jpgMegan at the helmMegan at the helmhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2041.jpgJost Van DykeThe beach is main street on this little island, Jost Van Dykehttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2066.jpgConch shellsConch shells we found on the beach in BVIhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2061.jpgJim at the helmhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2026.jpgSven and EvaSwedes getting some sunhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2050.jpgBVI SeascapeView from above The Bathshttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_1868.jpgMegan and JimOn our boat, Kama Hele2015-04-21T18:57:52+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/04/21/goodbye-dominica/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/img_3086.jpgIMG_3086The ruins of the first Catholic Church in Dominica. We appreciated this graveyard having an excellent view and cooling breeze. The church was abandoned after an earthquake made it unsafe.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/img_3075.jpgIMG_3075We saw this same caption in multiple museums and had to remember that we all view history through our own lens. Dominicans see Columbus's greatest achievement is that he made it home alive.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/img_3069.jpgIMG_3069The rough Atlantic coast. Note how the plants are all shaped by the wind.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/img_3057.jpgIMG_3057Kalinago Barana Aute where buildings are made using the traditional methodshttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/img_3036.jpgIMG_3036The shallow ledge we were able to snorkel out to when the conditions where just right and where we saw an octopus.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/img_2975.jpgIMG_2975The trail to Boiling Lake. About half of the trail was steep steps like these.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/img_2959.jpgIMG_2959Taking a dip in a hot mineral stream on the side of the trail. The water was a blue white.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/img_2943.jpgIMG_2943The trail to Boiling Lake. The peak in the distance (that is in the clouds) was the highest point we climbed to that day. We stood on top of that peak and could see both oceans on both sides of the island.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/img_2940.jpgIMG_2940Boiling Lake with a view of the erupting bubbles in the middlehttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/img_2902.jpgIMG_2902These land crabs are everywhere in Dominica. They are mostly nocturnal so this was a rare daylight sighting. This guy was about six inches across.2015-04-21T18:56:37+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/04/06/dominica-continued/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/img_2730.jpgIMG_2730Fort Shirleyhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/img_2753.jpgIMG_2753View of Prince Rupert Bay, Portsmouth, and Cabrits National Park from Picardhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/img_2680.jpgIMG_2680Cutting up a cacao pod trailside.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/img_2598.jpgIMG_2598Fishing boats at Scott's Head. On the far shore, you can see our snorkeling path. We started at the village on the right and went to the second to last ridge that drops down on the left (the one that drops at a gentler angle and is in a bit of a darker shadow).https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/img_2672.jpgIMG_2672A steaming sulphur vent, you could not hold your hand directly over it or it would burn.2015-04-21T18:50:44+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/03/26/dominica-part-1/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2500.jpgIMG_2500Where the trail washed outhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2512.jpgIMG_2512View from the top of the ridge looking back down at Scott's Head and the southern tip of the islandhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2430.jpgIMG_2430Fishing boats and a Z traphttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2438.jpgIMG_2438The village we live in, Scott's Head. Our roof is a red one, very close to the right edge, just above the dense concentration of houses.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2570.jpgIMG_2570Our apartment, in the bottom level. Our hosts live upstairs.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2439.jpgIMG_2439Looking across the crater we live in. The far ridge is the other side, the near ridge was formed after the explosion.2015-04-21T18:37:06+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/03/19/old-san-juan-puerto-rico/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2170.jpgIMG_2170Relaxing in the shadehttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2357.jpgIMG_2357Megan holds her ears while volunteers demonstrate shooting musketshttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2409.jpgIMG_2409Vibrant night life along Paseo de la Princesahttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2295.jpgIMG_2295La Perla is an infamous slum in old San Juan. We found a sweet photography exhibit in their community centerhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2278.jpgIMG_2278Our Airbnb was the top floor of this building. We ate dinner on the corner deck.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2255.jpgIMG_2255A sentinel post. See if you can find something fishy going on!https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2167.jpgIMG_2167Cobblestones made from the materials in ships' ballast many years agohttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2085.jpgIMG_2085View from our hostel balcony, the other place we stayed in old San Juan.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2399.jpgIMG_2399Families spread out all day on the lawns outside El Morro to fly kiteshttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/img_2288.jpgIMG_2288Only about 20 vendors at this small weekly farmers' market but it was bustling!2015-04-21T18:31:29+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2015/04/12/megans-cloud-atlas/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/img_4222.jpgIMG_4222A herd of bison2015-04-12T02:56:55+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/about/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/1280px-aetobatus_narinari_003.jpg1280px-Aetobatus_narinari_003Spotted eagle ray, showing it's large head. Credit to Wikimedia for the photo.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/1024px-spotted_eagle_ray_aetobatus_narinari2.jpg1024px-Spotted_Eagle_Ray_(Aetobatus_narinari)2Spotted eagle ray, like we saw in Coco Cay. Credit to Wikimedia for the photo.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/img_2755.jpgIMG_2755One of the many colorful apartment buildings in Picard for Ross University studentshttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/img_2750.jpgIMG_2750Jim relaxing on a fishing-net "hammock" someone strung up on the beach.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/img_2746.jpgIMG_2746Evidence of past hurricanes is never far. Here is a destroyed abandoned hotel complex and a disintegrating barge to serve as a reminder.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/img_2730.jpgIMG_2730Fort Shirleyhttps://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/img_2724.jpgIMG_2724A flowering tree. These were all over the north of the island.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/img_2703.jpgIMG_2703On the right is a seed with fruit around it, on the left it has been eaten off.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/img_2702.jpgIMG_2702A cacao pod sliced open with the seeds inside. In the upper right are the seeds of another pod.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/img_2699.jpgIMG_2699The cacao pods we brought home2015-03-23T19:07:33+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/saint-martin-sailing-pictures/2015-03-26T13:52:56+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/daytona-500-pictures/2015-03-08T18:28:20+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/2015/03/01/behind-the-scenes-with-plan-b/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3331.jpgIMG_3331https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3329.jpgIMG_3329https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img_3328.jpgIMG_3328https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/img_3013.jpgIMG_3013A tidy suitcase with packing cubes.2015-03-08T23:56:21+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/queen-victoria-pictures/2015-02-17T00:44:39+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/dublin-pictures/2015-01-19T21:59:34+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/bodrum-pictures/2015-01-10T14:38:17+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/greek-island-pictures/2015-01-10T14:35:22+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/ephesus-pictures/2015-01-06T17:26:30+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/istanbul-photos/2014-12-08T17:24:32+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/croatia-photos/2014-11-24T19:13:25+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/map/2014-11-20T19:09:46+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/gambetta/https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_58591.jpgIMG_5859Enjoying Paris once again.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/north-gate.jpgIMG_7656The North Gate, just before our "little help" arrived.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_0128.jpgIMG_0128We spent the morning in the sun at the Edith Piaf cafe.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_0168.jpgIMG_0168Right?https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_0149.jpgIMG_0149The "little help" that Anton sent turned out to be his niece, Adalie, on her stalwart pony.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_0193.jpgIMG_0193Special delivery, 'Par Pigeon!'https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/bike-fog.jpgbike fogCustom agent cycling into the night fog.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/img_0121.jpgIMG_0121Gambetta Customs Agent offering us chocolates. Yum!https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/tables-and-chairs-version-2.jpgLooking up, the tables and chairs were actually suspended from the ceiling.https://planbtour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/tables-and-chairs.jpgTables and chairs, seemed below our feet in the mirrored floor.2014-11-01T20:19:16+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/chateauroux-photos/2014-10-31T20:42:17+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/paris-photos/2014-10-26T20:47:43+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/bruges-photos/2014-09-29T19:57:04+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/amsterdam-photos/2014-10-12T19:01:12+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/sweden-photos/2014-09-09T20:30:21+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/iceland-photos/2014-08-15T20:25:42+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/saint-lucia-photos/2014-08-15T16:26:16+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/puerto-rico-photos/2014-08-15T16:22:12+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/florida-photos/2014-08-15T16:21:07+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/dominica-photos/2014-08-15T16:18:33+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/british-virgin-islands-photos/2014-08-15T16:13:43+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/new-york-photos/2014-08-15T16:12:02+00:00weekly0.6https://planbtour.com/2014/06/27/health-update/2014-06-27T23:35:54+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.com/2014/02/03/getting-ready-to-launch-2/2014-05-02T03:04:39+00:00monthlyhttps://planbtour.comdaily1.02024-04-03T23:24:32+00:00