Catania, Italy I had not really intended on going anywhere for the weekend, but Dario had other plans. After a short discussion on possible destinations, we decided on Sicily. It was time to find the best arancini in Italy, and Catania was the place to do it! First view of My Mountain (Etna) from …
Featured photo: Ethiopian shepherd children
Bale Mountains, Ethiopia The closest I've come to visiting Ethiopia is changing planes in Addis Ababa on my way from Italy to Tanzania. (Well, and eating at an incredible Ethiopian restaurant in Rome.) Janet from Journalist On The Run, however, actually spent some time there. When I asked if she had some photos she'd like …
Help me plan my trip to Morocco
4 March 2011 I am terribly excited about my upcoming trip to Morocco, and yet I am also nervous. I tend to over-plan things because I like to have info, know my options, make the best choices, not miss out on something extraordinary, and because I just like doing it. I enjoy the ride of …
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 …
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 …
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.
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 …
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. …
Our friend, Mena.
26 Nov. 2009 / 29 Jan. 2011 Aswan, Egypt / Cork, Ireland Tonight I sent a text message to our friend, Mena, whom we met in Egypt. Our trip to the land of the pharaohs was a whirlwind week spent seeing as many sights as we could, cram packed into a package deal with …
Serengeti: Day 2 (Part 2) – Hippos and Crocs!
3 Jan. 2009 Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Because the photo opportunities are so VAST in Tanzania, I still have not finished posting pictures from our trip. Not to mention that we have been rather busy for the last 2 years: visiting Egypt (egad, more pics!), moving from one place in Naples to another place in …
Travel Photography Roulette: Round 9
28 Jan. 2011 Cork, Ireland Johnny Vagabond is hosting the latest round of Travel Photography Roulette. The theme this time is water. There are so many fabulous photos entered that I feel like a bit of a hack. Still, I LOOOOVE this picture, so I entered. :) I daydream about this place every day… …
Top 5 in Cork — x 3!
Cork, Ireland I was recently asked to do a guest post for GotSaga.com about the Top 5 in Cork. I asked if they wanted County Cork or Cork city, but by the time I got the answer, it was too late! I was already off and running — I had THREE top 5 lists! …
The Passport Initiative
10 Jan. 2011 Cork, Ireland America, great melting pot that it is, has only kept hold of a random set of cultural offerings from our immigrant founders. (Native founders, too. I mean, I love popcorn, but it's hardly a worthy tribute to the First Nations people, y'know?) Most of it is food-based. We Americans feel …
Valerie
8/9 Jan. 2011 (day depends on your timezone; it's the wee hours of the morning here) The Planet D is hosting Round 7 of Travel Photography Roulette: Portraits. I entered a picture I'd taken of the mother of my friend, Gusti. I just realized that I didn't post my entry on my own page. …
Whidbey Island
Showing a friend pictures of Whidbey Island, Washington, where I lived before moving to Europe, got me feeling a little nostalgic, as Whidbey is just a gorgeous, gorgeous place. I am really glad I had a chance to show Dario this little corner of the US during our whirlwind trip last August! The weather …