Venice, Italy This is a photo taken in the fish market in Venice, Italy. I saw a lot of suprisingly pretty seafood, as well as some that seemed rather tragic (eels and snails that were still in various stages of being alive). The colors and texture of this photo surprised me when I looked at …
Quote: Live your life each day…
Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point. ~ Harold B. Melchart
Featured photo: South African elephants!
Addo Elephant Park, South Africa If you are a regular visitor to TourAbsurd, you would be forgiven for thinking that I have an elephant fetish. Let me assure you that the definition of my animal fandom is both wide and varied. That being said, I really enjoy animal and landscape pictures, so when April of …
Morocco prep: camel sketch
23 Feb. 2011 Cork, Ireland Looking forward to my trip to Morocco in March. Fellow travel blogger, Phil (from www.philintheblank.net), has a thing for drawing camels — and for getting others to do likewise. I find this amusing and have been thinking about it since I found out. It's been a while since I sketched …
Featured photo: mud volcano!
Cartagena, Colombia I must admit that, as a child of the 70's and 80's, the very first thing I think of when I hear "Cartagena, Colombia," is Michael Douglas's voice speaking the city's name in Romancing The Stone. (Then I think of the scene with "…my little mule!" and try not to think of the …
Quote: Laugh at yourself…
Laugh at yourself, but don't ever aim your doubt at yourself. Be bold. When you embark for strange places, don't leave any of yourself safely on shore. Have the nerve to go into unexplored territory. ~ Alan Alda
Serenella’s Limoncello Recipe
Naples, Italy (Note: the recipe is at the end ↓ Only 5 short paragraphs between here and there, I promise!) I first tried limoncello while out with friends and fellow Couchsurfers at Trattoria da Nennella in Naples. There were 14 of us there and we had lots of food and red wine. I'm a …
Featured photo: Mt. Vesuvio
Naples, Italy As a big fan of nature, I dislike descriptions of volcanoes that include words like "fury" and "wrath." It's just nature, after all. I mean, if you watch a cooking show, you don't focus on the tragic destruction of all those little wheat seeds, do you? No, you just look forward to the …
Featured photo: Stromboli
Stromboli, Italy Photo of a ship anchored off the volcanic island of Stromboli, with the Strombolicchio in the background. The Strombolicchio is the "throat" of an ancient volcano, possibly the oldest in the region. As I understand it, all of the Aolian Islands in Sicily are volcanic, with two of them (Stromboli and Vulcano) remaining …
Featured photo: Black Rhino
Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania This is one of my favorite photos of all time. It had just started to rain in the crater (caldera, really) which added a nice, diffuse quality to the light. Additionally, the moisture made the hide of the rhino slightly reflective and the texture more distinct. There are so few black rhinos …
TED.com — Krista Tippett: Reconnecting with compassion
Great video about redefining the perception and use of the word, "compassion." See TED.com for more outstanding talks and innovation.
What’s the deal with Egypt?
A quick rundown of some of the confusing emotion, conflicting information, and different takes on Egypt’s revolution.
Quote: Nothing will ever be attempted…
Nothing will ever be attempted,
if all possible objections must first be overcome.
~ Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English Author
Elephants, elephants, elephants!
1-4 Jan. 2009 Lake Manyara / Serengeti / Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania This post is ALL about the elephants. There's not a lot of narration here, but if you like elephants, you'll like the post! There are 3 slideshows and 1 video. Enjoy! A young, male elephant at Lake Manyara. It may not …
Quote: …travel is more than the seeing of sights
Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living. ~ Miriam Beard
How to drive your Italian lover crazy!
Naples, Italy Out for a late night cioccolata with my handsome Italian companion, he suddenly leaned forward to kiss me. Finalmente! I had heard about how romantic Italian men are, and now I was being given a chance to test the theory. Fortunately, my charming companion was a talented kisser and did not disappoint. …