Securing the Fort in Prats-de-Mollo, France

(from July 27) Chris drives, I ride shotgun, the ladies are in the back seat. We wind our way west from Céret, through tiny towns clinging to the Pyrenees foothills. Arriving in Prats-de-mollo, we park, walk through ancient castle gates, settle on a cute little restaurant where yam and mashed potato swans swim on an edible hand-painted landscape.

Collioure On The French Coast

(from July 26) Chris, Ali-Sun and I trip to the coast, passing through a couple small towns just north of the Spanish border, landing in Collioure, a lovely and completely ordinary town on the coast in the south of France. We walk, watch, dine, drink. Home late to Pausha and the doggies who had a quiet evening.

PHOTO post: Impressions of ZAGREB, Croatia

OWL and BEAR will be catching a bus to the Dalmatian coast bright and early tomorrow morning… Next stop on the adventure is Split, Croatia! Photos inspired by Ali Sun Trees

We HEART Zagreb!

Owl and Bear have now landed in ZAGREB, Croatia! We arrived last night by train by way of Vienna, Austria. It was an epic train ride, with inspiring views of the mountains and rolling hills of Austria. We even enjoyed wifi for a good part of the trip, offering us both a great opportunity for our creative projects. Stepping into …

The Vienna School of Fantastic Realism…sign me up!

Tyler and I arrive at the main doors leading to the Phantasten Museum Weis, a dusty yet colorful theatre footsteps away from the “Museum Quarter” in VIENNA, Austria. What appears to be a theatre on the outside, is also home to several great painters of the Visionary Arts, both past and present. The Phantasten Museum Weis certainly stands out among …

Final Thoughts From Paris

Tomorrow is our last day in Paris and our 16th anniversary. Yes! I am ready to move on, see our friends, experience new places. No! I tear up thinking about leaving behind this wondrous, complex city. I sit alone in Jardin du Luxembourg on a park bench. I hear the crack of bocci balls, the coo of pigeons, the rush …

A Portrait of the Eiffel Tower

Ali-Sun and I have walked, perhaps for miles. Along the Seine, through the Invalides neighborhoods, past cafés, brasseries, bistros, boulangeries, tabacs, tapis and patisseries. The long rectangular park appears, the cold steel Eiffel Tower dominating the skyline to the northwest as the sun dips lower in the horizon.

Paris at Sunrise

4am is a peculiar quiet. Even the subtle sounds cease. No rumble from a passing municipal bus. No rattle of pipes from water running two floors above. No hum from a passing Metro train. I am awake to hear the sound of silence. I lie in bed for an hour, then a half hour more. I rise, work for a …

Two Sides of Montmartre

Montmartre sits at the highest point of Paris. It is topped by the basilica of Sacre Coeur, as close to God as a Parisian might hope to get, at least in terms of altitude. We visit at night. It is wet, but not rainy. People gather on the steps, drinking rosé, rolling their own. Vendors hawk glow toys and gold-painted …