Great Smokey Mountains

It's been a few weeks since my son and I met with quite a few adventures in the Great Smokies in North Carolina: driving on wet and winding dirt roads, meeting black bears and being sent away from a beautiful scrap yard. Apart from that, we found ourselves in a hotel in the Cherokee indian reservation, which meant no alcohol whatsoever! Good exercise, mother nature at her best and a lot of quality time :-)

Guadeloupe

In April we had the pleasure of visiting de very French and beautiful island of Guadeloupe. Baguettes and croissants in the morning, hardly any English spoken and presidential election posters on fences and walls. This was not especially what we were looking for ;-). 

Our hope was to spend a few days in the rainforest, meet some iguanas (http://youtu.be/HBU9IaCl8s0)!, eat delicious seafood and simply have a good time. 

It all worked out quite well. It was amazing to smell the forest after rainfall, enjoy the impressive coastlines, run into a special churchyard and watch the frigates and pelicans swallow their fishmeal. The bonus was the interesting minimal music the crickets made each and every night.

Really hope to be back one day. Enjoy!

Biesbosch in winter

Lost in Venice

Especially when the weather’s fine and you’re curious to find out what’s hidden behind the next corner or bridge, iIt’s not difficult to lose your way in Venice. There’s no risk whatsoever in just following your nose, because  it’s a safe place and it’s full of cute little restaurants. A “ cafe americano” or  “prosciutto con melone” is always within reach.  And if your feet don’t like your strolling any longer there are lots of waterbuses to take you to the other end of the city along the “grand canal” or to one of the nearby islands.

Apart from the Biennale and beautiful old Venice we enjoyed the islands of Burano and Murano. In Burona you find happily coloured houses and in Murano artists obviously had big fun in creating amazing structures by blowing pieces of glass (as you can see in my photo impression ;-).

Venice, an interesting combination of very old en modern stuff, a great place to have a romantic and adventurous time!