by Krista | Aug 24, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
During the hot, dry months of summer Gozo can get quite brown and dusty, with no hint of the lush wildflowers that carpet the cliffs of Sannat in the spring.
But there are still gorgeous blossoms to be found as you enter cool courtyards and walled gardens, or crane your neck to look up at balconies festooned with cascades of vivid blooms.
Here are a few of my favorites found around Gozo and in the stunning garden of my friend Janet’s bed and breakfast: King’s Lodge.
What are your favorite flowers blooming this time of year?
(PS – My new article on my very favorite Italian beach is up at The Travel Belles today! Click here to read it and leave a note to tell us about YOUR favorite beach!
King’s Lodge Bed and Breakfast
Janet & Colin King
2 Panorama Court
Triq L20 Ta Lulju Off Main Street,
Sannat, Gozo, Malta
Tel: 00 (356) 21565085
Mobile: 00 (356) 99249287
Email: kingslodge2011@hotmail.com
by Krista | Aug 17, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
by Krista | Jul 27, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
Hi luvs! My brother’s house is full of workmen installing electrics, laying carpet, and painting nearly every wall and ceiling in sight.
They’re a lovely bunch of Turkish, Moroccan and Polish chaps doing a splendid job, but while they’re here we are banished to the rooftop terrace, far away from internet connections, laptops, and whatnot. So if I disappear for a few days, never fear, all is well. 🙂
Now it’s after 1 a.m. and I’m tuckered out so I shall leave you with the prettiest doctor’s office entrance I’ve ever seen. It makes my numerous trips there most delightful. 🙂
Hope you have a wonderful day! 🙂
by Krista | Jul 20, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
Every morning in Amsterdam I wake to this view.
I have a lovely, enormous window right next to my bed that swings wide open and provides the perfect place to sit and write, read or dream.
It overlooks a courtyard that of late has been the scene for ping-pong tournaments for the downstairs neighbors. They are very serious about their game, switching places for each serve like pro tennis players, and we’ve had grand fun watching the spectacle.
I love mornings here.
Cool breezes come in through open windows and I hear the city wake up as neighbors creak open their own windows, construction guys start up their equipment, and bikes come rattling down the bricked and cobbled streets.
We’ve been having the most splendid breakfasts – strong coffee with the thickest, must scrumptious foam I’ve ever seen, and Holly’s (sis-in-law’s sis) fantastic breakfast sandwiches made with dark grainy bread, crispy bacon, fresh eggs, and strong cheese she brought over from Scotland.
Yep, I’m feeling thoroughly spoiled. 🙂
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast on lazy, sunny mornings?
by Krista | Jul 13, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
Where is your favorite place to relax on vacation?
Do you like snuggling under the covers of a comfy hotel bed and losing yourself in a great book?
Or finding a smoke-free perch near the campfire and watching the flames turn into glowing embers?
As much as I love those things, the best stress-reliever for me is a patch of sand, waves lapping on shore and a bag of good books.
This month at “Across the Cafe Table” at The Travel Belles we’re discussing beaches…and bags…and what you’d stuff in your beach bag to create a truly relaxing day at the beach.
When I head to the lake or the ocean, I don’t like to lug a big load. Just a few essentials to keep me from having to interrupt my beach time to dash back to my tent or room.
Krista’s Travel Beach Bag Essentials:
- bottle of water – all that sun and heat can dehydrate a body quickly, so I always bring plenty to drink.
- munchies – relaxing so earnestly can really work up an appetite! I like to bring wholesome but delicious things like salty roasted nuts and dried cherries.
- books – I usually bring two books from two different genres so I can switch back and forth as the mood strikes me. Agatha Christie is always good, but I like to mix it up with a great travelogue or a fun novel.
- hair elastic – windblown hair in the eyes really musses up a good reading experience.
- sunscreen – no amount of relaxation is worth an agonizing day or two from sunburn.
- sunglasses – squinting into the sunshine can bring on a headache quickly.
- camera – beaches just beg to be captured through pictures.
- ID – accidents happen and it’s always good to have something for folks to identify you with in case you need help.
We’re also pondering what our ideal beach would be.
Hmm.
Does “any beach at all” count? Whether I’m strolling a rain-swept beach in Ireland, snoozing on a sunny stretch of white sand in Australia or scouring a pebble-strewn shore for treasures in Washington, the effect is the same: peace, strength, joy.
So, dear folks, what is your ideal beach? And what do you carry in your beach bag?
For more great ideas from other travelers, pull up a chair over at The Travel Belles: Across the Cafe Table.
by Krista | Jul 12, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
