It has been storming gloriously through the night and my formerly parched world is now soggy and muddy and marvelous. 🙂

This week I’ve been drawn over and over again to photos from past trips, my recent bout of pain diminishing as I linger over beautiful images of amazing places. It has been deeply satisfying and inspiring, so I thought I’d take you with me today on a hopscotch tour of lovely places with the hope that it cheers your heart as much as it has mine.

Let’s start with an early Spring morning breakfast in Capri, Italy. We’ll sit in a sunny courtyard overlooking the sea as we dine on freshly baked croissants and sip the creamiest of lattes as we let the sunshine warm us to our bones.

Duly fortified we’ll spend a beautiful morning meandering through the steep and narrow streets of this amazing place, admiring courtyard gardens and vine-covered terraces.

CapriFor lunch let’s pack a picnic basket full of plump grapes, artisan cheeses, home-cured meats, and the nicest bread we can find and head to Albania.

We’ll choose a sunny spot on the wildflower-covered banks of a turquoise river, noticing an overgrown gun turret on a nearby hill and give thanks that it’s no longer needed.

Albanian riverAfter a snooze in the sunshine we’ll mosey over to Amsterdam for a stroll through the verdant lusciousness of Vondel Park.

We will feed ducks and sit on shady benches and find an open-air cafe where we can rest awhile and watch the world go by.

Vondel Park Amsterdam Then we’ll amble home and tuck into plates piled high with homemade pasta and settle in for a good visit over a great bottle of wine. pasta in AmsterdamIf you could spend a day out anywhere, what would you like to do?