Postcards from Europe

Keith and Pete

Postcards from Europe

Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely...


We couldn't be described as adventurous, but we did travel around Europe while living in Poland, from late 2007 until 2009.
As serendipitous travelers, we kept this blog so you, back home can see some of the sights from places we have been.
We wish you all could have traveled with us.
We would still love to hear from you. To leave us a comment, see the buttons below.

Go see what we saw in Krakow at our blog SerendipitousTravelers


*update as of March 2009 - we have returned home, but continue to be pre-occupied with all that we saw and experienced in Europe.
Now that we have caught the Travel Bug, we are planning a few domestic trips around the US of A. Not as exciting as European destinations, but, if you want to be notified when we update, just click the subscribe button to the right. And if you want to start at the beginning, in 2007, go to the first page of the entries*




Imagine being on the brink of death. Imagine being cooped up in a hospital room after a year of medical care and rehabilitation. The joy of returning to your home healed and rested can be a seen as a miracle. If turtles could turn up their boney beaks and smile, these photos would be full of toothy grins. These Sea Turtles are back in the ocean after many months, if not years of specialized care given to them at the Sea Turtle Hospital in Topsail Beach, North Carolina. Their care is due to the non-stop dedication of the hospital's founder and director Jean Beasley, and scores of volunteers, interns and doctors. Fifteen years ago, in the summer of 1996, she and a few friends named a sea turtle "Lucky". This turtle had been hit by ... read more
he can almost touch the sea
2010, a very sick turtle rests in the boat
a crowd gathers at the release site

North America » United States » South Carolina » Bishopville November 29th 2010

King Louis the XIV had his garden at Versailles, and Pearl Fryar has his Topiary Garden. Paris France and Bishopville South Carolina are about as opposite as you could imagine. And the motives behind creating gardens such as these, are as different as those two men. But wandering through this little altered garden was as awe inspiring as the hundreds of acres of carved foliage in Versailles. Of course, not as grand, and not as famous, but impressive. Pearl Fryar has been pruning and clipping and watering the plants surrounding his home since 1981. The results are other worldly. A couple of hours into a seven hour drive to spend Thanksgiving with family, we needed to step out of the car and stretch our legs. Just so happened that such a stop coincided with Mr. Fryar's ... read more
Pearl Fryar
Mr. Fryar's LOVE mobile
yard landscape in South Carolina

North America » United States » Maine » Bristol June 29th 2010

To fulfill our role As Tourists in Maine, we decide to search out the famous lobster shack Red's Eats, in Wiscasset. This tiny town sits on the Sheepscot River and is crammed full of antique shops and boutiques, but we are here for the "best lobster roll in Maine". Even before the window swings opens for business the line has formed around the corner. It was a tasty treat and worth the wait. All the other customers in line make for an entertaining way to pass the time. The Abenaki Indian name, Wiscasset, means "coming out from the harbor but you don't see where." These native American names are very discriptive. Colonial Pemaquid is our next stop. This fort was built in 1692 to prevent France from expanding her territories southward, but was destroyed several years ... read more
Red
Pemaquid window
on the rocks

North America » United States » Maine » Bristol June 29th 2010

Tiny friendly peaceful Round Pond The secret to the peacefulness - "Muscongus Bay is one of those rare finds - a body of ocean water that is well protected and not really on the way to anywhere else." this was found on a kayak tour advertisement. Lobster boats chug in circles all day, but other than that, it was quiet. From our porch high on a hill, we kept watch on our end of the bay for a little seal. Every now and then he would poke his head up between the lobster pot markers. It was the perfect activity for relaxing Maine is the northern most state on the eastern seaboard. But not until a comment made by a friend of the family's, when she learned that we were from North Carolina, did I realize ... read more
friendly lobstermen
summer lawns in Round Pond
feeding the birds

North America » United States » Maine » Bar Harbor June 28th 2010

Cadillac Mountain is the highest point on the Eastern seaboard north of Brazil, and the first place in the US to watch the sunrise. We were among the few to be there at that time of morning. You realize that that means the alarm rings at 3:30 am. Up in the north, the summer sun rises around 4:30 am. So much for those drinks in the inn's bar. But the day before our sunrise photo session, being the planner that Keith is, he figures a drive around Mount Desert should be our first look at Acadia National Park. The park encompasses over 30,000 acres, and the island is 12 miles long and 9 miles wide. All along the Park Loop Road we stop at the scenic overlooks and are awed by the views. We arrive at ... read more
Jordan Pond and the Bubble mountains
heading toward the trail
at the top of the trail

North America » United States » Maine » Bar Harbor June 26th 2010

Although looking forward to our trip, we didn't give it a whole lot of thought as to exactly what we would find in Maine. We were invited to spend time with some family up there, and figured it would be a good reason to also see Bar Harbor. The dates snuck up on us and by the time we realized it was time to pack our bags, we were making our descent to the small airport. A friendly passenger was filling us in on where to eat and what to see, when the clouds gave way to a body of water dotted with islands. They are The Porcupines Islands in Frenchman Bay. The small airport is staffed with welcoming personel, bringing to mind the bare-bones airport in Marsh Harbor Bahama. As we drove off to find ... read more
sunset sail
Bar Harbor Main Street
pots on the pier


After visiting several capitals of European nations, we finally see our own... ...For this "tour", we haven't hired guides to tell us about the history behind the monuments, (although we will next time!) there is no need to translate the local language, and there is no need to wonder about the food offered on the menus. This time, we know the history of the people and events that shaped this nation's heritage. We are finally touring our own country's capital city, Washington D.C. Here we are joined by good friends, and it is peak weekend for the famous Cherry blossoms! We booked seats on the train, and had a very relaxing trip into Union Station. From there, a walk to our hotel, and we are sight seeing once again! Our long winter has been very cold, ... read more
good morning Mr. Lincoln
tall icons
dawn in Washington D.C.

North America » United States » Minnesota » Minneapolis » Uptown May 20th 2009

If you are familiar with the bloggers on this site, you will know that when most of them return home from their world trip, they take time to recall the adventure, and write a summary of the best moments, or their most recommended sites. And many of the entries are quite creative. I had planned on attempting just that- but since we landed back on American soil, we haven't slowed down, and I haven't had time to blog! Maybe a retrospective will come later... One much anticipated aspect of being home has been to be with our children and family. So off we go to the Mid-west, the land of "ten thousand lakes" Minnesota, to visit our daughter, who no longer lives in our little town, but, has flown-the-coop, up north, to the big city. This ... read more
favorite antique store
Katie holding a 1200 pound cherry
Katie is a bit of Keith

Europe » Italy » Lombardy » Milan March 4th 2009

Up On the Roof... And so, we end our European travels, almost where we began a year and a half ago, in Milano. Within days of our arriving in Poland, at end of September 2007, visiting Milan was our first venture. At that time we had not perfected our tourist skills, and missed seeing one of the most important sights Italy has to offer, da Vinci's The Last Supper. We really did need advance reservations! I figured that we should make up for this faux pas, and we decided to exit Poland by way of Italy. And I just about panicked when I could not get tickets to see the painting, by telephoning the museum. We only had a two days available to be in Milan, before we flew home. With luck on our side, I ... read more
last look at Duomo di Milano
candles in the cathedral
among the spires

Europe » France » Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur » Antibes February 25th 2009

Another train ride into Antibes, France. This is the final leg of our Mediterranean trip. It is the French Riviera, but there are no crowds and no suntans. Traveling during the off season is perfect, if you don't like crowds. Places like this are sun havens, even at this time of year in Europe, and it is what we appreciated. One day was spent staying in Antibes just to walk around the tip of the Cap d'Antibes peninsula. It is a dramatic public coastline with gates that must be leading from luxurious mansions on the other side of the walls. All along the 6 mile walk we ran into others perched on the rocks resting with their dogs or having a bite of lunch. The path abruptly turns into the woods, and we later learned that ... read more
fishing boat in Nice
Winter in Antibes
lighthouse at Cap d' Antibes




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