The Resurrection of Christ Orthodox cathedral in Korca wasn't consecrated until 2004, which just goes to show how slow the growth of organized religion in Albania has been since the 50-year dry of Communism-as-religion, when churches were converted to things like laundry facilities or simply destroyed.
Read the rest of: "Postcard from Korca"» 
Before going to Entry Island, I thought that the
Magdelene Islands were remote. Entry Island is 20 9
miles off the coast of the Magdelene Islands, which
are in turn many miles away from Prince Edward Island and
Nova Scotia.
You
might be a little vague on Canadian geography (as am
I), so allow me to explain more clearly: this place is
really far away
from wherever you are. (unless, dear reader, you are an Islander yourself).
Read the rest of: "Entry Island, Quebec - further off the beaten track"» 
This is the welcoming facade of the first all-palm airport I have ever seen. It is a private airport in Punta Cana, with many charter flights full of passengers arriving daily to stay at the many resorts in Punta Cana. With direct flights to many locations in North America as well as Europe it is certainly a busy place, especially on weekends!
Read the rest of: "Punta Cana Airport - Much Admiration and a Little Warning"» 
Did you know that every Friday night at the MOMA (New York, of course)
"Target" sponsors an event known as "Free Friday" from 4-8
p.m.? Yep, neither did I, when I showed up to explore the collection's new digs
in midtown Manhattan, and to visit my favorites in the painting/sculpture
galleries before heading out for a night on the town.
It seems as though le tout New York had the same idea, along with a few outsiders such as myself
(and several thousand other tourists). As it turned out, this became more of a social visit than
a serious conversation with the paintings, but it was an opportunity to see the new building in action -
not just housing art, but welcoming people (and as mentioned before, it was a LOT of people).
Read the rest of: "Free-for-all at the MoMA, New York"» 
One of my favorite words to learn in any language is butterfly - or papillon, flutur, smetterling, farfalla, mariposa.....the onomatopoeic list goes on. The names are as pretty as the butterflies are, so I was intrigued when I heard that one of the greenhouses at the Botanical Gardens in Montreal becomes home for thousands of butterflies during the early spring.
Read the rest of: "The Butterflies Are Back!"» 
The Museum of Arts and Design in New York is located directly across the
street from the Museum of Modern Art, and lives completely in its
shadow. You know it's a bad sign when the gift shop is more crowded than
the museum. I should have known better, but went blithely ahead into the
(3 count 'em 3) galleries. Red light number two was when the guard
responded, upon questioning, that it might take 30 minutes tops to see
everything.
Read the rest of: "Museum of Arts & Design: Beyond + Why?"» 
Overlooking Gosier, Point-a-Pitre, and the marina of
Bas-du-Fort, with Marie Galante, les Saintes, and
Basse-Terre visible in the distance, the Fort Fleur
d'Épée has not only great views but was also a
strategically placed vantage point.
Read the rest of: "Fort Fleur d'Épée"» 
Trying to find some trace of pre-European civilization
we stumbled upon the Parc archeologiques des Roches
Gravées (Archeological Park of carved stones).
Read the rest of: "Parc Archeologique des Roches Gravées"» 
Were it not for the feral chickens roaming through the
resort, you might imagine yourself to be in southwest
Florida at the IFA Ocean Village in Punta Cana.
Bespeedoed Germans, Spanish spoken all around (but you
don't have to speak any), swimming pools, and
beautiful white sand beaches complete this illusion.
Read the rest of: "Punta Cana Dance Party"» 
I spotted this grandma when I was in a traffic jam on the outskirts of Tirana, the capital city of Albania.
The picture doesn't show it clearly, but the woman is talking on her cell phone and gesturing - all the while walking calmly between 4 lanes of cars and trucks on a dusty highway. To me, this portrait shows a lot about how Albanians, isolated for half a century and now reintroduced to the rest of the world, merge the old with the new. Creative problem solving is a way of life. Hey, if walking down the middle of the highway gets you where you want to be......then go for it!
Ree  |
