TRAVEL THE WORLD - NAXOS

We had a lovely time on the Greek island of Naxos in 1998. The lady from our hotel met our boat and led us through narrow streets and white-washed houses. At dinner that evening, we met interesting fellow guests: one was a reporter for a Toronto newspaper, and the others were a young man and woman who worked as freelance film-makers in Los Angeles. This made for fascinating dinner conversation.

The island of Naxos itself is beautiful and quite large. We had a harrowing time on a bus trip around the island. Although the views were spectacular, every time the bus sped around a sharp corner, we were afraid we would be hurled over the edge into the valley far below.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ATHENS

For more than 20 years, my husband, Paul, and I have traveled the world. We've visited Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.

Why do we travel? Mainly it's because of our interest in people - their history, culture, architecture, art, their achievements and their challenges. Starting today, I will begin to post the highlights of these vacations.

The first photo - I think very appropriately - is of the Parthenon in Athens taken in 1998. I first saw the Parthenon in 1984 and was filled with anticipation on the climb up to see it. It is perhaps the most significant site in all the world, not only for its pure beauty but also because it symbolizes all that we admire in the ancient Greeks - their mathematics and science, their respect for the individual, their practice of democracy, their attempts to understand the human condition, and the classical beauty of their architecture, vase painting and sculpture.

INDIA VACATION 2007

MAHESHWAR ON THE NARMADA RIVER

Maheshwar, located on the Narmada River, is not on the itinerary of very many tourists as there is no rail service. It took twelve hours with a car and driver to reach our destination from Indore. The roads were very rough, but were being improved - a good thing, as Maheshwar and the surrounding area are well worth a visit. Within the Holkar dynasty fort there are several temples with wonderful carvings dating from the 17th Century. One example is shown in the first photo above.

As we strolled by the beautiful Narmada River, we were greeted joyfully by several women from Goa who welcomed us to India and invited us to visit them. Some of them are shown in the second photo above.

WHY A BLOG?

The idea of having a blog so I can share my thoughts with the world has never interested me much. I don't think of myself as someone who is that interesting! Just the same, however, creating a record of my travels is appealing. As well, some of the destinations may be of interest because they are unusual.

The photo on the right, for example, shows a cenotaph built in the middle ages in a small town in northern India called Orchha which Paul, my husband, and I visited in late 2007.

In calling this blog "Annette's travels," I am thinking of vacation travels. If I overcome my reluctance to express my thoughts and find blogging is satisfying, I may broaden the definition to include any number of ways to travel.

The initial impetus for the blog came recently when I created a photo-book on Webshots.com. I found this very rewarding, and decided to order additional copies to give as Christmas gifts. Unfortunately, postage to Canada was quite expensive, so I looked for a way to post the book on the Internet. What follows in the next several posts is my attempt to do that.