We sailed into Dubrovnik Croatia early in the morning and even at first glance, this place just oozed history. It’s clear that across the centuries many different civilizations have had a presence in and influenced the development of Dubrovnik. Between the 11th and 17th centuries a wall was constructed around the entire old town, giving Dubrovnik its nickname of “The Walled City.” This impressive wall ranges in thickness from 3 to 19 feet thick, has just two ways in and out, and features both towers and fortresses. We spent the morning exploring a rural area outside of Dubrovnik, where we saw beautiful, ancient, but functioning aqueducts. During the afternoon we walked the streets and narrow alleys of Old Town Dubrovnik, learned a bit of history and did a little shopping. Due to the fact that Dubrovnik has no major industry, the water, the air and the city itself were very clean – but what was most fascinating was the numerous examples of cultural and historical significance from so many different periods in such a small region.

Click on the picture above to see the album photos from Dubrovnik.

Well, Aunt Becki and I are back from a wonderful week and a half in the Mediterranean. Here’s the first installment of photos from the city we embarked from, Venice, Italy. We flew into Venice a few days early and tried to see as much of the city as we could in the time that we had. It was amazing. There are no streets and no cars, so to get anywhere you either walk or take a boat. You really feel like you are in a floating city. There’s no other way to describe it. We did a lot of walking and mastered the Vaporetto (public water bus) system. In our 2 days we went sight seeing, had gelato, did some shopping, took a gondola ride (which really enabled us to see the tiny canals that run throughout the city), ate delicious food and traveled to neighboring island, Murano (a glass making community). I would love to go back and explore more of the city someday. On this trip though, after our 2 days we boarded our ship and were off for the first port of call in Croatia.

Click on the photo above the see the album of Venice photos.

A few more of my favorite vintage Sesame Street clips.

• Cookie Monster Imagines A Cookie
• Pinball Number Count
• The Alligator King

To see all Sesame Street: The Golden Age clips I’ve posted, go to that category’s archive.

Aunt Becki and I are off on our European adventure today- so no new posts for a couple of weeks. Once I am back I will post our photos. We are flying to Venice, Italy tonight and then on Saturday board a ship to cruise to Croatia, Greece and Turkey. Aaron will be holding the fort down at home. Feel free to check in on him. I’m hoping that I don’t come back to find he’s developed scurvy or has assimilated into his X-Box. :)

This past weekend, Peter and Maria’s friends and families got together for their wedding shower. We were treated to a yummy brunch and got the opportunity to visit and catch up with each other as the guests of honor opened a “few” gifts.
One of the funniest moments of the afternoon came when James “tagged in” for Peter and took over opening presents with Maria for a few rounds. What a good sport. Click on the photo above to see the album of pictures from the party.