The top of Mt. Sinai

It seems like another lifetime. The sun disappearing across the mountains of unforgiving rock.  From high on this holy mountain, we looked out across the world and none of it seemed to matter - nothing as far as we could see.  The sun went down and billions of stars followed us on our stumble away from the summit.

Getting to Andorra, Nightfall

We arrived in Andorra at nightfall where the streets reflected the night off of yesterday's melted snow. 

Cool Country house in between Luxembourg and Brussels

What a cool looking house, country homes in Europe just get it right in a way we totally miss in the states. We spotted this house and totally creeped around out front like creepy creepsters.

A model donkey

Tearing down a country road in Luxembourg, we spotted this character just lounging  about - looking INCREDIBLE

The Road to Andorra

 We landed in Toulouse and hit the road, curving through Tour de France battlegrounds, heading south, heading to the mountains - heading to Andorra.

Sintra Castle - bright, bold, and high

The path to the top is rarely straight. Creating something special, putting it on a hill all bright and bold and ridiculous, and then climbing, really climbing, to find it...well for that - the journey is the reward. The beauty is in the struggle.  The way up, the long breaths, having imagination guide expectation towards the truth, calibrating, re-calibrating, earning it.

Here at the top, just outside of Lisbon is Sintra Castle, we climbed to get there. 

Top ten most crowded islands in the world

From an island microslum in Colombia to a haute enclave in central Paris, the ten most crowded islands in the world bear scant similarities in class or culture. In fact, every entry in the top ten comes from a different country. But being islands, each shares the common thread of scarcity - whether it be land, resources, or housing. In general, these islands are prophetical microcosms for an overcrowded earth - finite spaces where self sufficiency governs and demand pierces supply.

With the world's population racing higher and higher, and the "megacities club" accepting new members yearly, some day the earth could bear the traits of one of these densely packed islands.

Haunted! - Scariest Castles in the World

From a Czech forest castle reported to house the gates of hell to a gargantuan castle right here in the United States, the world's most haunted castles boast histories rich with frightening details. Specters haunt the halls of these old castles and travelers visit to experience brushes with the paranormal. Some of these castles possess secrets darker than a moonless night, and when darkness comes, the spirits stir.

These are the ten places to go and meet ghosts. Covering nine countries, each of these castles has a past that may just try and make a ghostly impression on your present.

But the day has just begun

Well, well, well. It has been months.  Eons in the online world.  Since my last post, lots of strange lands have been visited.  Many companies have been launched.  Work has been done.  Time has flown.  But now I am back.  Double spacing after each sentence.

And.

I need an outlet.  Too much is going on right now, and I need a place to go to talk about past trips, current trips, business, etc.  So, I will give it a try.  A post a week? Maybe?  Maybe not.  Welcome back to my world.

Luxembourg, oh Luxembourg

Luxembourg is somewhere between here and there, old and new, Belgium and France.  Enjoy the pictures.

The Acropolis of Athens

The acropolis is insanely cool, but just ridiculous crowded.  Between the annoying tourists and the Greek security guards whistling at anyone that does anything wrong, it is a chaotic scene.  Throw in constant construction and you get something that begs to be done right.  Nonetheless, it is a must stop for any traveler.  It is where Western civilization began, and just down the steep rocky cliffs, is the location where it first began its decline.

Seen in Luxembourg - God listens to Slayer

Spotted this modified sign in Lux, hilarious...

Mount Lycabettus looming over Athens

 This mount towers over the Athens sprawl below.  It was allegedly created by Athena, during the building of the Acropolis, from which the photo was taken.

Temple of Zeus in Athens

 All that is left of the grand ancient structure is a a few columns in the middle of a raised pedestal. Once, a massive statue of Zeus stood amidst the pillars.

Now, the ruins are situated between a bunch of hotels, and it feels like a spectacle of something forgotten and lost - a courtyard of a bruised memory translated by archaeologists and left for the tourists to fawn over.  This is where the west began it says, like a warning or a prelude to a forgotten wish.

Furmonster of the day - Athens edition

 Now what...what is going on here?

Ohhhhhh.....Ride on furmonster, ride on

Athens street art and graffiti

Athens is where Western civilization began and is also the first place where it has began to stall out a bit.  With nearly 30% unemployment, a very vocal populace, and what I assume our lenient laws against street art, Athens boasts no shortage of graffiti and street art.

Athens boy rocking out

 This kid was just straight jamming out

Look at that - pushing his soul through the instrument

What is Meteora?

Meteora in northern Greece is a land of escape.  The orthodox priests stole away to its strange natural rock towers, fleeing the Ottomans and building strange monasteries in the process that look every bit an affront to gravity.  There, they were safe.

The towers are still used today.  We visited this strange place, weaving up from Athens in a miniature Citroen, stopping to smell the sweet olive air along the way.  Escaping.

I hope you enjoy these pictures of odd Meteora as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Goats! Goats! Goats!

As the sun began to drop in the sky, we took some old country  roads back from Meteora to Kalabaka for dinner.  On our way we encountered a street completely filled with goats.  It was magical.  They all shouted and clonked and stopped to eat trees.  Then a small man on a motorbike came and yelled at them and they all ran into a field.  Oh goats.

Creepy skull room in Grand Meteora

Meteora is a region filled with monasteries and nunneries, built precariously on dramatic rock formations to deter the Ottoman invaders of years passed.  In the largest monastery in the region, Grand Meteora, there was this room filled with skulls.  It felt very eerie and like something was not quite right in there.

A Cat hunting pigeons in Greece

 We spotted this cat "hiding" and licking his chops, ready to pounce on some nearby pigeons.  He sat under this outcropping of tree, waiting patiently for the right moment to strike.

Saving a turtles life!

We were strolling along some back roads in Meteora , Greece, when Kristin and I noticed this slowpoke crossing the road.  We slowly and cautiously parked the car.  I scooped up the little guy, turtle germs and all, and "expedited" his trip across the road.

Beautiful Oia

Santorini on a map looks like a dragon embryo, and Oia is the village at the head. It is photographer heaven.  I have never been somewhere so small that packs so much punch.  It is overwhelming at times, and I had to be mindful of my obsession so that I could actually stop to enjoy its beauty.  There are no bad angles or dull walks, only beauty.

If you visit Santorini, then be sure to stay in Oia.  Its splendor is best savored over several days of careful inspection and and exploration. Like a movie that needs to be seen again and again with new points seen each time, Oia has a sort of charm that seems infinite.

And here is a big Oia photo dump. I have to move on to our next stop - Meteora.

Fira of Santorini

Fira is like Oia's big brother in Santorini.  It is bigger, it has the main Santorini bus station, and is also a little higher.  It is centrally located, and while beautiful, does not hold a candle to the beauty of Oia.

That one blue dome in Santorini

Before arriving in Santorini, I felt like I had already been.  With all of the famous pictures out there, it is easy to conceive what it looks like.  Or so it seems.  While I did see a lot of familiar faces, like this blue domed church, the sheer impossibility of Santorini is something that must bee seen to be completely appreciated.

Some Santorini Greek food

 Best thing I ate all trip - peppers stuffed with rice and herbs with potatoes

Cruising the caldera in Santorini

We took an afternoon cruise on a catamaran in the Santorini caldera

The three domes of Santorini

The quintessential Santorini shot 

Creepy puppet store in Santorini

Could you sleep in this room?

Our cave housing in Santorini

Lots of Santorini housing is in "caves" which are built into the caldera.  We stayed in such a place and it was very cool.

The bluest caldera

I keep reminding myself that Santorini is a collapsed volcano and all of the water in the middle is from a collapsed caldera that the ocean violently filled.