Friday, June 14, 2013

The horses of Lipizzaner


So, I don't know crap about horses, but these white weirdos are the real deal.  A few years ago I spent a morning with the Sheikh's horses in Dubai, and I have to say that these white Lipizzaners were way cooler than his divas.

The Lipizzaner horses  of Slovenia are a world class breed.  This farm in Lipica, Slovenia has been producing the horses for longer than any other horse farm, undisturbed.  Many of the lines can be traced back 5 centuries.

The horses are typically used for dressage as they are very powerful, agile, and smart.  I did not get to ride one (thank god for that - I would probably fall off), but we hung with the big boys and they were definitely cool.

Bled Castle

Bled Castle is perched precariously on a cliff overlooking stunning Lake Bled.  We stayed 5 nights near the lake at Reka Hisa guesthouse with my grandparents.  It is such an incredible area.  Slovenia is probably my favorite country in Europe.

Škocjan Caves and a Slovenian underground cave river



In the Karst region of Slovenia is one of the largest cave systems in the world.  There is an underground canyon that is unsurpassed in size, a strange river that runs through the cave system, and a number of crazy cliffs and growths.  We walked through the cave and it opened up into this massive canyon - truly breathtaking. Unesco has even recognized the caves as a world heritage site.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Boo's Corner - Lots of Mykonos from guest writer KRISTIN

Thinking I am real cool at Super paradise..

Little Venice in Mykonos


Little Venice is an area of Mykonos just on the harbor that is famous for sunsets and being pretty. 

Windmill Mania - Mykonos


Mykonos has its fair share of famous windmills, and I probably took about 300 pictures of these things.  Just ask Kristin.  She probably has nightmares about me taking pictures of windmills.  Without further ado - here are some windmill photos.

Mykonos at night


Mykonos at night is a convoluted maze.  Literally.  When the town was designed, it was designed as a maze to confuse outsiders.  It confused us.

My favorite time to really explore a city is at night.  At that point, the cruise ships are long gone (usually), the locals begin to come out, and you can get a better sense of what a place is really like.

This guy - Useful local edition

This guy just sits on this perch all day every day, doling out hints.  There may be rum in that Coke.

A Mykonos Bee Store


Here is a store devoted to honey!

Barbie - the yacht from George Town


Mykonos has no shortage of yachts.  It a a place to show off your yacht, even if it is called Barbie.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Paraportiani in Mykonos


Paraportiani is the famous Cycladic church you have probably, at one time or another, seen a picture of.  It is all curvy and strange, looking extremely "handmade."  It is as though someone sculpted it out of clay and just left it to harden in the bright Greek sun.  Above is a picture of the church as the sun begins to set and it takes on a golden hue.

The church began its construction in the 15th century, but it took the island Greeks  until the 18th century to complete it.

Our favorite beach in Mykonos - Agios Ioannis


Our first full day in Mykonos, we scooped up an ATV from Fabio's younger brother and headed for a highly recommended beach.  We settled down and just sort of wasted the day away.  I read Civilization by Niall Ferguson.  Kristin read some sort of Jackie Collins book, and that was about it.  We spoke little, except when our stomachs began to growl. 

Finding the beach was easy.  We mounted our GPS on the ATV and dropped a pin where we though we would find the beach across from the island of Delos.  An ATV is the perfect way to explore Mykonos.