TRAVEL THE WORLD - FONTAINE-DE-VAUCLUSE, FRANCE

Near Avignon is a small village called Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, which we visited in 1999. We took the footpath that runs for perhaps a mile among trees beside the river to a grotto. Here, the river gushes forth from the rock and forms a pool. The village is famous as the home of Petrarch (Francesco Petrarca), the Italian poet who lived from 1304-1374. He was one of the earliest humanists of the Italian Renaissance.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - JEHAY CASTLE, BELGIUM

My cousins took us to Jehay castle near Liege in 2008. The castle, which was was built in the 16th Century, has been owned by the family of Guy van den Steen since 1680. Extensive renovation work was done following World War II. The castle has a moat, as you can see in the photo. It is set in beautiful grounds and is furnished as it would have been at the time it was built.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - MONT ST. MICHEL, FRANCE

Before we took our 2008 vacation in the north of France, we had heard of Mont St. Michel and seen photos of it. As we approached it, I wondered if seeing it was worth the huge climb that would be required and if, in fact, we were up to it physically. Once we began, however, it wasn't so bad, and seeing the interior of the abbey church was well worth the effort.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - PONT L'EVEQUE, FRANCE

We stayed for several days in Pont l'Eveque when we visited Normandy in 1999. A very attractive village, it is famous for Pont l'Eveque cheese, which has been made here since at least the 12th Century. It resembles Brie or Camembert and was delicious. We would occasionally have lunch in our car. This would consist of Pont l'Eveque cheese, wine which we drank from the bottle, pate and a baguette. What a great way to indulge ourselves!

By the way, most of the photos can be enlarged by right clicking on the photo and then clicking on "open link in new window."

TRAVEL THE WORLD - VILLAGE IN MOROCCO

In 2002, we drove in a bus with our tour group through the High Atlas mountains of Morocco - an area so dry it seems never to have had the slightest amount of rain. When you descend into valleys like this one, however, the irrigated land is beautifully green and supports productive agriculture.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ORCHHA, INDIA

These two men, photographed in Orchha in 2007, are sadhus. A sadhu is a Hindu who has renounced normal life in order to achieve liberation through meditation and prayer. Many wander about and live on donations. Sadhus often wear ochre-coloured clothes to symbolize renunciation. After meeting these two, we learned that, in areas frequented by tourists, you may be approached by men pretending to be sadhus in order to obtain your money. That is unlikely to have applied in Orchha, however, as it is a small town definitely off the beaten track.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - DELHI, INDIA

Soon after our arrival in India in late 2007, Paul had his shoes shined in Delhi. It was one of our first encounters with the people of India. My heart went out to this boy. Like many thousands of poor Indian families, his was forced to send their children out to work. When I saw his delightful smile, I wished he could have a life such as any Canadian child would take for granted. I can only hope that, in spite of being poor in material goods, he is relatively well-off when you consider love and the other things in life that really matter.