Old Savannah is a beautifully restored and maintained historic area. It conjures up all the clichéd images of the Old South: live oaks dripping with Spanish moss, stately antebellum mansions, mint juleps sipped on the veranda, magnolia trees, peaceful marshes, horse-drawn carriages, and ships sailing up the river (though no longer laden with cotton).

Kissimmee is located just south of Orlando, Florida. Kissimmee's main tourist strip, Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway/U.S. 192, extends about 10 miles and links the town to Walt Disney World and points west. It is full of eateries, hotels, and attractions like Old Town and Gatorland.
The Disney-designed quintessential American town of Celebration is right next door.

15 days on the road all the way to Florida and back, with many stops in search of real American bar-b-que, Southern-style comfort food, and decent all-you-can-eat buffets. Total mileage: 6,135km.
Top finds included: Plainville Turkey Farms Family Restaurant (Cicero, NY), Dutch Kitchen Diner (Frackville, Pa.), Ralph's Barbeque (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.), Gardner's BBQ (Rocky Mount, N.C.), Moore's BBQ (Kenly, N.C.) Fullers Buffet (Lumberton, N.C.), Lone Star Restaurant (Santee, S.C.), Mrs.Wilkes' Dining Room and the Smokehouse Southern Grill (Savannah, Ga.), Willie's Weenie Wagon and the G.A. Pig BBQ (Brunswick, Ga.), Whitey's Fishcamp (Jacksonville, Fla.), Hog Heaven BBQ (Daytona Beach), and Fat Boys' BBQ (Kissimmee, Fla.).
Also the ubiquitous Waffle Houses, Bob Evans, and Golden Corral restaurants.

...with Marilyn, Sondra, Noah, and Mike.

One of the loveliest towns in America.
Home of historic Saratoga Race Course, where we saw 2007 Kentucky Derby winner 'Street Sense' win the $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes race.
We also saw the Moody Blues (for free!) at the Saratoga Performing Arts outdoor amphitheatre.
Other highlites included: the Saturday Night downtown music festival, great BBQ at PJ's, and fantastic Southern cookin' at Hatties.
P.S. you may notice a subtle equine theme in these photos.

The spectacular Musée d'Orsay is housed in a beautifully restored former railway station on the left bank of the Seine. It holds mostly French paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography dating from 1848 to 1915, and is probably best known for its extensive collection of impressionist masterpieces by popular painters such as Degas, Monet, Manet, Renoir, and Cezanne.
We had lunch in the elegant turn of the century Grande Salle.

The funky Hotel de Nesle is located on the left bank in the St-Germain-des-Pres quartier of Paris, not far from the lively Rue de Buci. There are many cafe terraces, restaurants, affluent shops, bookshops, art galleries and cinemas in the area.
This was the fourth time I've stayed at this charming little hotel. We had Room 5 - 'La Coloniale'.

Ahhhh (wistful sigh) ...Paris in the Spring... visions emerge of hip cafes, iconic works of art, lively brasseries, impeccable boutiques, and long walks after a spring rain.

A leisurely cruise along the "Canalazzo" from the Ferrovia (train station) to Piazza San Marco, or the reverse, is one of Venice's (and life's) must-do experiences. Its banks are lined with some of the most beautiful palazzos of the city. There are only three bridges - most famously the covered Rialto Bridge.
Public transportation is provided by the water bus, private water taxis, and gondolas for hire. People can also take a ride across the canal by standing-up on the deck of a simple traghetto.

The architectural wonders and riches of Venice, its vivid colors of sienna, Roman gold, and ruby peach are simply stunning. It is one of the most spectacular cities ever conceived. The sheer number and opulence of the palazzi, churches, and imposing republican buildings dating from the 14th to the 18th centuries must be seen to be believed.

The historic town of Trogir is situated on a small island 25km west of Split. Its rich culture was created under the influence of the Greeks, Romans, and Venetians. Trogir has a high concentration of palaces, churches, and towers, as well as a fortress, and in 1997 was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Tourism and shipbuilding are the two main industries in Trogir. And there is also a strong fishing and agriculture tradition among the population in surrounding areas.

Diocletian's magnificent palace at Split was completed in A.D. 305. The former emperor lived next to the sea in a palace the size of a small city. Successive rulers, including the Byzantine emperors, the Hungarian-Croatian kings, and the Venetians, later built structures within and outside the complex. After the fall of Venice in 1797, the Austrians took over, ceded control of the city to France for a short time in the early 19th century, then took over again until World War I, when control reverted to the Yugoslav government and ultimately Croatia.
Today greater Split is a working-class city of 250,000 and one of Croatia's busiest ports. It has a population of rabid sports fans; it functions as a transportation hub; and it is home to some of the most spectacular Roman ruins in the world.

Pictures taken on our five-hour bus ride from Dubrovnik up the coast to the city of Split.

This "Jewel of the Adriatic" on the Dalmation Coast is rich in Baroque, Gothic and Renaissance architecture. The medieval Mediterranean city is encircled by 14th-century walls and massive guard towers, and the carefully preserved old town features marble-paved squares, cobbled streets and splendid churches, palaces, monasteries and fountains.
A great way to see everything in and around the Old Town is to take a leisurely 1-2hr. stroll along the city walls. Our walk began at Minceta Fortress, the highest point, on the north-west corner.

During our stay we rented this tidy little apartment (No.'2up') from Toni Lucic. It is located at Peline 13, just inside the city walls near Buza Gate. It is very common in this part of Croatia for local people to rent out private rooms to tourists.
The unobstructed views from our balcony of the Old Town and harbour, Lovrijenac Fortress, Lokrum Island, the Dalmatian coastline, and the Adriatic Sea were just fantastic ...as you will see.

Dubrovnik is a small historic city on the Adriatic Sea coast at the sothern tip of Croatia - where it benefits from a typically mild mediterranean climate and a setting of great natural beauty. This "city made of stone and light" is as strong and magnificent as the shimmering sunsets that ricochet off its 14th-century ramparts. Inside Dubrovnik's walls, the pedestrian-only Old Town resembles a glistening marble world stage bustling with people from far and near, historic churches and public buildings, designer shops and homey restaurants, ancient sculptures and modern galleries, fountains and bell towers, monasteries and gardens--and the most famous of all, the ancient city wall and its towers.
Dubrovnik was under siege for seven months in 1991-92 during the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. Even after being devastated by Serb shells, today's Dubrovnik is remarkably whole and flawless.

Brunch at Jamie Oliver's restaurant '15' and an afternoon at the Victoria & Albert Museum.
The V&A museum of fine and applied arts houses collections of sculpture, watercolours, jewellery, mystical Asian art, devotional objects, furniture, fashion, textiles, ceramics, glass, books, and musical instruments.

Stanley Park windstorm aftermath, a crazy Canuck Volkswagen Bug, Rosies, Johnson St. Victoria, Malahat Overlook, Blackberry Cafe in Duncan, Chemainus murals, Ogden Point, Spring blossoms on Govt.St., and one gorgeous exotic black German beauty.