Egypt - target for terrorism

Temple in Luxor Egypt.

Yesterday I talked to one of my friends, who had just gotten back from Egypt. I asked her if she had been during the latest suicide attacks. Why is Egypt such a hotspot for suicide bombings? The Middle East Times calls Egypt a "a key regional mediator", so that might have something to do with it. There are also many foreign tourists that go to the Red Sea and take cruises on the Nile River. Egypt is such a wonderful, magical place. I highly recommend a vacation there for anyone willing to brave the possible threat to tourists.

It's that time of year again!

pink_flower

Springtime is officially here! I guess the travels to get this shot were not all that distant, but hey ... it wasn't right in my backyard! Every year I spend the first few nice days I have free trying to find some interesting nature shots. This pink flower was one of my favorites.

Sestri Levante in the Winter

Sestri Levante is a beautiful little town found approximately halfway between Genova and La Spezia. While Portofino and the Cinque Terre are probably the most well known tourist destinations on the Italian Riviera, Sestri Levante is becoming quite a favorite among Italians. In fact, in the past few years it has become almost impossible to walk in town on the weekends. The narrow streets are packed with people that come for a weekend stroll and stop leisurely check out the trendy shop windows or to get an ice cream or piece of focaccia. This once quiet fishing village is slowly turning into a tourist hotspot.

The original part of Sestri Levante is actually on a peninsula, with the beautiful Baia del Silenzio (also known as "Portobello") on one side and Baia delle Favole on the other. “baia delle favole” or “Bay of Fairy Tales” was named in honor of Hans Christian Andersen, who lived in Sestri for a short time. In fact, there is an annual children's writing contest which has been held for 39 years.

Snowy trip to Paris

Our last trip to paris was a snowy one... at least on the way there. We decided against taking the fast, efficient train from Torino to Paris because we had the crazy idea that we might be able to stop and check out some castles in the Loire on the way back, or take a "short trip" up to Mont Saint Michel (neither of which actually ended up happening; however, we did manage to stop in Chablis France on the way back and get some of my favorite chablis wine). The drive to Paris ended up taking us almost twice as long as it should have because we were stopped on this road for about two hours, then proceeded the rest of the way at a snail's pace. At least I was able to snap this photo from the car window!