Dear friends, Our real tour began in Casablanca, the port city and commercial hub in western Morocco, fronting the Atlantic Ocean. The origin of the town is not known but an Amazigh (Berber) village called Anfa stood on the present-day site in the 12th century. Later it became a pirates’ base for harrying Christian ships [...]
Dear friends, Last month I was lucky enough to spend just over two weeks in Morocco, traveling as I have done many times with a group organized by Wilderness Travel (www.wildernesstravel.com). Just days before our trip, there was a devastating earthquake in the High Atlas Mountains which killed thousands, destroyed many villages, and was [...]
Dear Friends, In this second journal entry on the Chatham Islands, there will be a bit more touring around the island to some interesting historic places as well as great sites to challenge the photographers to produce their best pix. At the end of the last blog, I promised shipwrecks and seals, flowers and [...]
Dear friends, Last week I had the opportunity to visit the Chatham Islands and spent three very full and fascinating days with a 'Women in Photography' group - six of us under our expert leader Lesley Whyte. Not only was she the photographic guru, never tiring of reminding us of shutter speed, aperture [...]
Dear friends, I realized that I couldn't finish this series without focussing on the many cats that I encountered as I travelled through Türkiye. They were sleeping in corners and on comfortable cushions, peeping out from under cars or tables, enhancing the ruins at Ephesus, waiting for food at restaurants, adorning shop windows, accompanying [...]
Dear friends, Probably the best-known of all the ancient sites in Türkiye is Ephesus, so of course we had to visit. Unlike most of the sites we visited along the coast, where we were often the only visitors, this place was pretty busy with tourists, many 'selfie' occupied. Historical accounts and archaeological remains of [...]
Dear friends, The start of our journey along the Mediterranean Coast, often referred to as the Turquoise Coast, began in Antalya, now one of Türkiye's premier resort areas with a majestic coastline and a backdrop of the towering Taurus Mountains. Although there had been successive habitations at this site, the city was founded in [...]
Dear friends, For the first of several Joanna's Journal stories about my recent travel to Türkiye, I would like to give a short introduction to the parts of this fascinating country my trip took me and a brief note on the remarkable history and geography about which I am now determined to learn and [...]
Dear friends, The last part of my North American tour was over the border into Canada, to Quebec to be more precise, and to Bromont to be really exact! I visited my friends Andree and Denis here in the summer two years ago to help celebrate their wedding and what a pleasure to visit again [...]
Dear friends, I have long wanted to see the fall colours in Vermont and it turns out that I was there at the optimum time to glory in those remarkable colours and bright landscapes. How great to have my friend Lois who lives near Duxbury, between Montpelier and Burlington, to take me through some stunning [...]