Locking 2 - Boat in Position

Locking 1 - Enter Lock

Breakfast on Bonheur

Bonheur means happiness - yes definitely a state of mind during and after any meal in France.... and also before in the state of happy anticipation!

The Bon Ship Bonheur

Bonheur, a 108 foot Luxe Motor 80 ton Dutch barge in the Canal de Centre, navigates up through 25 locks heading into French wine country...

Barge vino

Fun sur les Ponts de Paris

My Private Opera Box #26

Private box number 26 is slightly right of center looking towards the main stage. Immediately to the left of my chin is box number 5 which the phantom ordered the Opera Garnier management to permanently reserve for him - if they did not follow through on his wishes, the phantom promised the Opera another artist would meet a terrible death.

Checking out the Phantom of the Opera

City of Light

Barge Traffic Heads Slowly Upstream

In two days time we will head upstream to join our own barge "Bonheur" on the Canal du Centre, a canal that links the Rhone/Saone to the Loire valley.... except we will get there by TGV at over 300 km/hour.

Da Vinci Code Phantoms

Early morning on the trail with a double exposure reveals the ghostly images of the spirits....

More Advanced Yoga!

Advanced Yoga on a Paris Bridge

Padlock keys are Thrown into the River Seine

Sealing their love and commitment to each other, lovers from all over the world go to great lengths to artistically inscribed their padlock with their names, attach to lock to the bridge's structure then toss the keys into the River Seine.....

A Dip in the Rappahannock!

Ben and Jasmin are guests at the Rivahaven Yacht Club and Spa for a week in June. The club's pontoon boat ferries guests for evening cruises, cocktails and swimming to a secret sandy bottom location. Some evening cruises feature al fresco dining with propane tabletop rings for the chef to work his magic.

Flying through Munich Airport

Bratwurst and burger diner in the airport plaza...

Stop Messing About in Boats - The Prayer Call

There is a Trick to this RO-RO !

Different Wetback Border Crossing

Surprise! A one car ferry!

Leaving Pireaus Friday evening

Piraeus, the port of Athens, is the nautical hub of the Mediterranean Sea with ships of all sizes and almost any state of repair heading in and out this afternoon. Our ferry is heading eastwards to the Greek island of Chios at an average GPS tracked speed of 28 knots into a brisk 25 mph headwind - we arrive late at midnight and slump into bed...

Agios Spiridion

Greek waterfront in the Peloponnese with classic fishing boats - on the end of the dock are the supplies for the fish aquaculture pens.... sea bass generally available in the restaurants on the harborside.

Dinner in Naphlion

Restaurant offerings at Savouras

Harrods Egyptian Escalator

The core of Harrods store features a multi floor escalator in the theme of Inside an Egyptian Temple... very moving!

Window Shopping at Harrods!

The models of two 100+ft motor yachts grace the windows of Harrods in Knightsbridge London.... this is the world's ultimate shopping mall... Allan approves!

Across the Pond

777 jets across Labrador heading East into the short four hour night to meet the rising sun over Ireland....

Chicago...Chicago...

First step of the Ionian odyssey landing in Chicago ORD to catch next flight to London with a clear view of the waterfront and downtown towers...

Flatbread on Grill for Breakfast

Nothing like a ball of dough, rolled out into a thin layer, thrown on to the grill at max temperature... lo and behold, traditional Middle Eastern flatbread in 5 minutes - perfect vehicle for dips, snacks, sandwiches, mopping up sauces etc..

Welcome to a Great Morning on the Rivah!

Rarely does a morning go by when the scenery at RYC makes you want to run for the camera to catch that magic moment as the sun rises up from the Northern Neck (thank goodness for the NNK) and illuminates the Rappahannock River.....

What are these 3 guys pointing at?

Must be the Tarte Aux Fruits.....

Kluge or the Moet?

Celebrating a 40th Wedding Anniversary at the Yacht Club....

Frozen Wasteland

Florida Christmas Interlude

Notes toes bottom right....

Sand Barge Heading Downriver under Downing Bridge

Thanksgiving 2010 Lunch at the Tides

About 30 miles downriver from the RYC is Carter's Creek and the wonderful resort of the Tides Inn. Alas the Miss Ann is no longer alongside the dock. Clockwise starting at 7pm: Maria, Chris, Margaret, Eric, Hazel, my vacant seat, Patti, Michael (hiding), Tamara, and David L. and we are only on the first course! Michael and Maria were our gracious hosts!

Tides Inn warm up

Post Thanksgiving lunch, we worship Vulcan the God of Fire - Carter's Creek and the Rappahannock River behind us.

Tides Inn for Thanksgiving Lunch

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Fish Anxiously Waiting Feeding!

Downtown Cesme 9pm

Cesme Marina after Sunset

Time exposure using Nikon D300 for anything between 5 and 30 seconds yields wonderful highlights - without a tripod the trick is to position the camera on a tree, wall or bench and hold it really tight while the seconds tick by....

Greek island Chios seen from Cesme Turkey - 180° panorama

This is a set of three photos that were automatically photo-merged in Photoshop CS5 - click on the photo to see the full view. The island of Khios or Chios lies to the West of the Cesme peninsula and a busy shipping and fishing channel separates Greece and Turkey.

Misty Fall Morning at RYC

Main Course Arrives at RYC on the Hoof

As luck would have it Venison is on the RYC menu, however this trio of deer have made the RYC their habitat and they are so sensible... fresh Lyriope, baby Holly bush sprigs, Black Eyed Susans, and their favorite Azeleas! They must know that in the hunting season, town and marina property are off limits and they remain perfectly safe.

RYC Expedition to the Aegean

The Legend - Coming Soon!

Soon to be released, the Movie "The Legend" featuring four boyhood and boarding school friends who celebrate their 51st year together in Hellenic style - watch the trailer in the next post on this blog.

Inside the Turkish Delight Store

Ferry Across the Bay of Izmir

The Painter Strikes Again!

Spelling Errors #1