Corfu, Greece

Ancient Ruins of Ephesus (Turkey)

Corfu, Greece

I'll be honest, I don't know anything about the building or statue in this shot. All I remember is Mike, Christa and Jen getting really annoyed that I kept falling behind taking pictures as we made our way to the market. So I hurriedly fired this one off, and was pleasantly surprised with the symmetry when I looked at it later.

Atop the Basilica

On our descent of the incredible hike that is the dome of St. Peter's, we stopped by the top of Carlo Maderno's facade, where Jesus and the apostles wave to (bless) the crowds in St. Peter's Square.

Santorini, Greece

What a day it was in Santorini, Greece! The small island is formed by about 2/3 of a volcanoe's rim rising above the surface of the sea, shaped like a crescent moon. A single main road bisects the length of the rim, with incredible views in all directions. We rented some 4-wheelers and descended from the main road to a number of small beaches scattered across the island. It's a miracle I didn't ride off the road while being distracted by views like these.

Whew... so much pressure! Dad and Aunt Deedee, this is for you. I'm going to get out and get some new pics soon, but for now, some more cruise highlights. Above, a picture taken in our first port city of Dubrovnik, Croatia. The fortified ancient city wall can be seen at the top. And below, a picture taken from the ship's top deck as we approached Dubrovnik -- a pilot familiar with the narrow channels boarded the boat to navigate us to the dock.

Day and Night

The view from the balcony of our new apartment in Chicago. The balcony faces the lake to the East, and this is the view facing Southeast, with the Hancock Building at the left and the new Trump Tower at the right. 43rd floor!

The Tiber, Roma

Corfu

Alright, back to the cruise. One of my favorites from Corfu, Greece. The polarizing filter worked pretty well here, as those little white clouds really pop (but I might have overdone it a tad). Wouldn't mind being back there right now...

Streetfighter

My new toy -- a 1995 Triumph Speed Triple. The 2nd model year of Triumph's iconic "streetfighter" bike -- a sport bike without plastic fairing on the front. Eight hundred Eighty-five cubic centimeters of pure manliness, or, early mid-life crisis.

Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II

On our way to St. Peter's, we crossed the Tiber River via Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II, where a few clusters of sculptures line the bridge. I particularly liked this one, as the sense of motion is so pronounced.

And We're Back!

Laura, Pops -- It is a miracle that you still check this blog given my poor posting performance. But I'm now back in full force with a boatload of pics to post from the cruise (no pun intended).

This is probably one of my favorites, from Santorini, Greece. I split from the rest of the crew about an hour before we needed to hike back down to the sea, and went off on my own for some exploration and non-trinket shopping. The sun had dipped a bit lower at that point and made for some interesting shots. More to come soon!

A Picture

I've posted this photo simply to appease my dad and sister, who have repeatedly been requesting new posts. I don't really like this photo all that much -- I'm clearly in need of new material, but this Winter has not been very conducive to picture-taking. Enjoy Dad and Laura!