Opatija, Croatia

     This fall I went to Croatia and a few surrounding countries for 2 weeks.  The trip started off in Opatija, Croatia.  Opatija is a small town on the Istrian penninsula, on the coast of the gulf of Kvarner.  It was the perfect first town to visit, just a beautiful seaside resort area with hospitable locals and beautiful buildings. 

 

Hotel that I stayed at, nice except for the extremely loud wedding reception!

 

 

The building next door, a shopping center. 

 

 

The small pier is just a short walk from the hotel, and there is beautiful coastal scenery from every angle.

 

 

And lots of fisherman.

 

 

It's probably an ideal location for anyone with a spare boat.

 

 

If you go, and stay on the side of town by the Bristol, there is a beautiful park with some amazing graffiti and nice landscaping.  This was one of my favorites.

 

 

This was the view at the end of the walk.  The perfect vacation spot for people looking for relaxation. 

 



London in 2 days or less...

     I've always wanted to go to London.  Even if it was work related, I finally made my way over this fall.  There wasn't enough time to see everything I wanted to, but there was enough time to see enough to know that I want to go back. 
     The day I arrived was the final day of the Paralympics.  I was just walking through downtown and came across the Marathon event.

    
     The area was so crowded and the excitement was palpable.  It was easy to get drawn into the energy and definitely made me want to attend a future Olympics.  After waiting around for a while, some of the athletes came through.  The crowd went crazy, cheering for everyone equally.  One could tell that London was sad the events were coming to a close, and still wanted to rally for the last few moments in the sun. 

     It was so crowded, I couldn't make it to the finish line, so after some more wandering, I found some typical London sites.  I didn't really have enough time to actually stop anywhere, so here is a quick photo tour of what I saw.  Hopefully I will have the chance to return some day and actually go to some of these places!

 

Beautiful building that I saw

 

Buckingham Palace

 

I'm lucky that I could even get close enough to the fence for this picture. 

 

Double Decker Bus 

 

Who knew?

 

Obligatory phone booth photo

 

 

London Eye

 

 

 

Westminster Abbey

 



     The next day, I made it to the British museum for a few hours, where it was obvious you could spend days there. 

 

   And I came across King's Cross Station, which had beautiful architecture and a long line of children waiting for a certain monument...

 

King's Cross Station 

 

For all Harry Potter fans

 

     Then, I had to work for several days and was introduced to British, uh, cuisine.  I managed to make it down to Stone Henge one day after work. 

 

 

     I wish I had had more time before they closed the area and that it had not become dark so quickly.  I wish my camera had been functioning better too for that matter.  Visiting Stone Henge was surreal.  They were closing up when I arrived, so I was not able to get too close.  The next time I go to the U.K., I will make a point of going back.  The pictures simply do not do justice to the area.  It was so beautiful, even mystical, and you could feel the hint of magic in the air.  In fact, everywhere that I visited during this trip had a similar feel to it, and no, it was not just because I'm a Harry Potter fan.  There were just many unreal moments when travelling for those few days, maybe because I've seen the pictures so many times, or seen the sites in the movies, or maybe there is just something magical about England. 

Squaw Creek

     Last weekend I drove up to Mound City, Missouri to visit the Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge.  http://www.fws.gov/refuge/squaw_creek/  It is a haven for migratory birds on over 7,000 acres.  December is a prime time for eagle viewing and unbeknownst to me, they were celebrating Eagle Days.  There was a presentation by a local zoo with a bald eagle and golden eagle.  I had seen a lone bald eagle once at the Philadelphia zoo, but it really was incredible to see it up close.

    They offered an auto tour, and there were a few designated points to get out and hike if you wanted.  Since it was eagle days, they also had naturalists set up with viewing stations to get a better view of the eagles, bus tours with guides around the auto tour route, and other fun activities going on.

Even though the main attraction was the eagles, there was plent of other wildlife at the site.

And even though most of the vegetation was brown or gray and the trees had lost their leaves, there was still beautiful scenery.

 

 

 

And of course eagles.  Unfortunately I don't have a telephoto lens, so this is the best that I could do. 

Throughout the course of the day, I probably saw around 15 eagles from various distances.  It truly was amazing to see them in a natural setting and to hear them calling to each other and scanning the ground for food.  There were lots of other birds as well, and apparently they have tons of geese in the fall and spring.  Despite a drive that was a little longer than I expected, it was well worth the trip, especially since everything at the refuge is free.  I'd definitely try visiting in another season, but if you can only fit in one trip, I recommend visiting at a time when the eagles are there.  It sounds corny, but seeing this American symbol does inspire a sense of pride for this country.  And to think, it could have been a turkey instead...