by Krista | Aug 31, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
I’ve been in the Black Forest of Germany for a few days now, and oh, how I love it!
I’m staying with dear friends in the mountain village of Bühlertal, about thirty minutes from Baden-Baden.
Tomorrow I will show you this beautiful village with its charming gardens, fruit trees, and bright red roofs, but today I will share a few photos of the gorgeous countryside around here.
On a drive home from Baden-Baden, my friends pulled off the road to a rest stop to show me this stunning view. I love the brilliant green meadow across the way and the wisps of mist just beginning to creep in as evening falls.
Isn’t this a lovely rest stop? I’d be delighted to pull off mid-trip for a stroll and picnic lunch here. The log cabin makes me smile. It would be so welcoming on a long road trip along winding mountain roads.
If I lived here I’d simply have to stop and pick armfuls of these wildflowers and brightly colored leaves to bring home with me. And I’d definitely be tempted to ditch the car for a bit and go for a ramble down that little path to see where it leads.
What is your ideal rest stop?
by Krista | Aug 29, 2011 | Bootstrap Monday
I confess I have a slight addiction to photographing doors.
Especially weathered colorful ones that make my heart swell every time I see them.
Much to my delight, Malta and Gozo were peppered with colored beauties, worn and aged from winds and sunshine.
I loved them!
I think I must have the most patient traveling companions in the world. I’m still slow as molasses hobbling about on my injured foot, but with all these gorgeous doors I had to slow down even more to stop every few meters so I could capture them. If I had awards for such things, I’d be handing them out on this trip. 🙂
I’d buy fruit from this vendor simply because of the splendid blue door he was parked in front of.
And I dearly wanted a brightly colored Gozo fishing boat so I could tuck it safely away behind one of these lovely doors.
And wouldn’t you love to move into House #24 just so you could enter this door each night after work?
Or perhaps House #141 would do just as well.
I was so inspired by these doors that I already have plans to paint each door of my new home in Australia a different color.
What color would you like to paint your front door? 🙂
by Krista | Aug 26, 2011 | Fabulous Friday
On a piping hot day on the island of Gozo, there is nothing better than heading to the beach for a dip in the water.
My friends, Janet and Colin, took us to one of their favorite spots. A place tucked away between towering cliffs and only accessible by narrow roads that twisted and turned down the mountain.
How I loved the brightly colored beach chairs and umbrellas…
…the warm, clear water…
…and stunning views of ocean, cliffs and sky.
The cheery fishing boats never fail to delight me.
After a soak in the water and time in the sun, we retired to a beach side cafe for icy glasses of Sprite.
What is your favorite kind of beach? Small and secluded or big and expansive?
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 23, 2011 | Gulliver Tuesday
One of my favorite moments in Malta was on the island of Gozo, as I strode the glorious cliffs towering above the Mediterranean with my dear American and British friends Barbara, Janet and Colin.
The sun blazed down on us as we stepped carefully along rock-strewn pathways, stopping to gaze in awe at the stunning azure waters and blindingly white rock faces.
I love how even with lack of rain and blistering heat, greenery and flowers still manage to thrive among the rocks.
Before traveling to Malta I had never even heard of Gozo. Now it’s one of my favorite places in the world, a place I long to return to when the weather cools a bit and I can walk for hours without sweating buckets.
Although I was utterly smitten by the views, culture, and food of Gozo, it is the people I love the most. Janet and Colin, our wonderful Cockney hosts at the King’s Lodge Bed and Breakfast, made our adventure in Malta an absolute gift. I can’t wait to tell you all about them and our jolly ramblings very soon.
Where is your favorite place to go walking?
