Harvey Travel Arts

I think there's some sort of unwritten rule that when we visit a city, Brian and I must find the towers, climb them, and get a photo of the city view from on high. Such was the case in Split, where once again, we climbed a tower ruin only to find another set of scattered orange tile rooftops, a sea of gray buildings and hazy skies. Yet somehow, every view is different, just like each city, each person...well, you get the picture. Speaking of changing views: I did change the look of my blog today! I'm going to test it out like this; time for a change. Please let me know what you think...Thanks for reading!

So this is still in Split, Croatia. On top is part of the Diocletian's Palace/Cellars, lots of long tunnels and rooms carved out...Not much left there, but it was just the sort of thing Brian and I like to explore. Below is a bronze of St. John the Baptist. This statue was placed in the "repurposed" Jupiter's Temple...where a baptistry were put into place. I find it interesting that the statue depicts John the Baptist with dreadlocks as his hair. We don't know what John looked like, but if one thinks back to his life, he preached for a while in the wilderness (Matthew 3:1-12). It is also debated on whether or not John the Baptist was a Nazarite. To my knowledge it doesn't specifically mention the words "Nazarite Vow" with regard to his birth; in Luke 1:5-25, one can read about John's birth. No mention of "not cutting the hair" is there. Yes, he was set apart in other ways (no alcohol or strong drink--similar to a Nazarite), but I...

The first port of call for our cruise was Split, Croatia, a beautiful city with ancient history at every corner. To see so many people living in buildings that are part ruins, at least on the facade, in close proximity with new structures, cobbled together like siamese twins...I really have no words to describe this place. The old city and fortress walls, with nothing left but windows that shoot through to the blue sky; every turn was a new view and a new alleyway to explore. There are many more photos where these came from...I'll be sharing them soon!

Hi everyone! Please have patience with me a few more days. I didn't want to post this ahead of time, but Brian and I just returned from a 9th anniversary cruise to Croatia and Greece! I am so excited to share with you our finds! We arrived last night (Monday--Labor Day) around midnight, and we are both busy working and getting things ready for my mom's visit on Thursday! I will start sharing our photos with you in a few days, but they aren't uploaded yet. See you soon!

Above: inside the Dom in Koln, Germany. Below, the outside of the Koln museum. I liked the shutters and stair-step facade. I won't have computer access for a couple weeks. In the meantime, please enjoy these images from Koln and give your imagination a vacation to another place in the world. When I return, I promise to have many things to share with you. Be patient, and I will return soon! Below: exterior of the Dom...

One of my readers has asked for pictures of the castles/palaces where the swan came from. Linderhof, pictured above, is where last week's swan photo was taken. Linderhof was never completed; the Mad King mysteriously perished in a lake (how's that for a Gothic novel?) before his tribute to the Sun King (King Louis XIV of France) could be finished. He did, however, have time to have a mini Hall of Mirrors installed. What was with the royalty of this time period? Obsessed with having the gaudiest furnishings? And obsessed with each other, too! Below you will see another of Ludwig's family estates, Hohenschwangau. I'm going to have to look a little more to find Neuschwanstein's photo....I think all we have are some of it tucked up in the trees. Either way, these beautiful, if yet obscene, homes are only the tip of the iceberg as to what all there is to do and see in Bavaria. Last week I also included a peacock, and I will post its palace photos next week. En...

I have to tell you that I think both of these birds might have hissed at us. The swan is a permanent fixture of a gaggle of swans that reside on King Ludwig's property, as it was a symbol of the family. Hence the names Hohens chwan gau and Neu schwan stein. At one point during Isaac's visit, he approached the swan and it followed him about; hissing and whatever else swans do. The peafowl was at the Schwetzinger Schloss, and was being followed by Brian, who was trying to get it to do what I'm not sure. I distinctly remember it hissing at us, too. The colorful bird was calling to his mate and she was on the other side of the grounds. Apparently, she didn't like his hissing, either.