Camellias blooming in January

On June 1, 2026June 5, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn flowers and plants, Vacation2 Comments

While Brett and I were in Orlando for a long weekend to visit with friends we went for a quick walk at Mead Gardens. We had not been before and the first thing we noticed was all of the camellia bushes were blooming. There were a lot of them around the nature center.

There were so many new buds coming out.

The parking areas were pretty full and we realized there was a camellia flower show and contest going on inside. There were so many beautiful colors and patterns. How could you judge them? You would really have to have an eye for details in them. I wouldn’t be able to pick a winner. They would all be winners.

There were a few rose bushes as well.

We spent an hour walking the trails and looking for critters which were scarce. It was chilly this morning. On the trails it felt more like a park than actual gardens but it was still beautiful.

I did see several gopher tortoises along the trail. I was able to zoom in with my phone and catch the above while hiding behind a bush.

A road trip across the state.

On May 25, 2026June 8, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, flowers and plants, Vacation3 Comments

In mid-January Brett and I had a long weekend in Orlando. We were meeting up with some friends on Saturday night but came over early Friday afternoon and went to Disney Springs for a walk and had an early dinner there. We didn’t go to a theme park since we’ve done them so many times over the years. Disney Springs is free and a fun place to walk around and have dinner.

So many beautiful colors in January. This was before the big freeze in early February. We spent the morning at Leu Gardens. We have never been here before and it was a nice place to walk around and luckily a lot was still blooming.

This butterfly posed for me while I took this with my phone since I didn’t bring my camera on this trip.

The historic home at the gardens was built in 1888 and had 4 different owners. The last was Harry P Leu who gifted the house and gardens in 1960.

The statue shows a worker picking citrus. The 2nd owners grew citrus trees on the property after the land had been farmed for many years.

You can tour the house and it was cool to see the historic furniture. The bathrooms and kitchen had been somewhat updated and that yellow bathroom looked like it was stuck in the 60’s.

A new park near Atlanta

On March 30, 2026March 30, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Atlanta, Vacation2 Comments

Brett and I found a new park while we were in Atlanta in December. The Vickory Creek Park is in Roswell and the old Roswell Mill ruins are along the creek.

There are over 5 miles of hiking trails and while I’m sure it’s prettier in the summer when the leaves are on the trees I was glad we could see all around including the old textile mill in the bottom shot above.

Walking the higher trail, we could see the waterfall far down below.

We made our way to the other side and came upon parts of the old mill. Roswell Mill was built in the 1830’s and the dam and waterfall were used to power the booming textile business here. During the Civil War Union soldiers burned most of it down and the mill was rebuilt in the 1870’s.

On this side of the creek you can get much closer to the waterfall and it was loud.

Parts of the machinery still stand along the trail.

This was a fun morning and after lunch we were able to hit another cool park so more on that later.

The birthplace of pizza

On January 19, 2026February 5, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Vacation4 Comments

On our last day in Italy we took the fast train from Rome to Naples for the day. With no real agenda, when we got out of the train station we decided to walk towards the water and spend the time along the waterfront. We passed through the “real” Naples that most tourists don’t see. A lot of old run down buildings but with so much personality!

We also saw a some cool historic buildings as we walked along the waterfront. The first building is the Palazzo dell Immacolatella, built in the 1740’s. The 2nd building is the Castel Nuovo, built in 1279.

Up on a hill we could see Castel Sant’Elmo, a medieval fortress built in 1275.

The view along the waterfront. We saw several cruise ships in port but we didn’t see any big “cruise ship” crowds where we were.

A new bird for me was the yellow legged gull which is similar but larger to our lesser black backed gulls and smaller than the greater black backed gull.

Looking at Mount Vesuvius that erupted in 79AD.

We were more than an hour’s walk from the train station and in a local area when we found a pizza place. I think we were the only tourists there and the waiter barely spoke English but we managed. I’m not sure why my pizza looks so much larger in the picture but they were the same size. They both were great but we could barely eat a little more than half. I at least ate all of the middle part.

We spent some time roaming around the Piazza del Plebiscito, the largest square in Naples. It was built in the first half of the 19th century out of volcanic rock from Mount Vesuvius.

Our last stop before heading back to the train station late that afternoon was to get our last gelato of the trip. So good and I now miss our daily gelato treats. We never saw any big crowds here and it was nice to hang out with the locals.

On our way home after 2 weeks in Italy.

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) at Image-In-Ing.

“Rome was not built in a day”

On January 14, 2026December 30, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn Vacation8 Comments

After spending a week in Tuscany we took the train back to Rome for a day and a half. Our first stop that afternoon was the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major, the 10th church we had toured during our stay in Italy. We waited in line about 30 minutes to get through security but the church is so big that it didn’t feel too crowded.

It was a little overwhelming because there was so much to look at and so many different rooms and alters. The original main part was completed in 432AD and then added on for many centuries. Two saints and 6 popes are buried here.

The relic of the holy crib, the manger on which the baby Jesus was laid, is entombed in this alter.

The next morning we were exhausted from walking non-stop for almost 2 weeks so we got tickets for the “hop on, hop off” double decker bus. It was cooler this morning and there was the first threat of rain since we had been in Italy.

We passed the Colosseum and the line to get in through security was wrapped around the building almost twice.

We were going to get off here but it started to drizzle so we stayed on the bus a little longer to see where it would take us.

The drizzle stopped and we got off at the top of the Spanish Steps.

The 11th church we visited was the Trinita dei Monti, at the top of the Steps. They were having a mass this morning so I only quickly peeked in. It was built in 1585 and St. Theresa and many of the Borghese family are buried here.

The view from the top of the Steps.

Shots from the top of the double decker bus that afternoon. The crowds were crazy around the Vatican City so we didn’t get off there. After a full day of sightseeing we had dinner at a restaurant near our hotel. All of the meals we had were great. The next day we were taking the train to Naples for the day so we hit the sack early.

Falling in love with a quant town in Tuscany.

On January 5, 2026February 5, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Vacation6 Comments

Monticatini Terme is a small town in Italy, between Florence and Lucca. It’s a great home base when visiting the Tuscany area. We spent a week here during our recent 2 week trip in Italy and then did day trips to the surrounding cities. This was our view from the hotel room and you could see the ferris wheel (pink) in the left.

We had some free time to spend wandering the town and soaking up the local food. On a late Sunday afternoon we got gelato and sat on a bench and watched everyone going about their day. It was nice to see more locals here than tourists.

Monticatini Alto (meaning high or tall) sits on top of a mountain at the edge of town. We could see the small town up there as we walked around near our hotel.

You can drive up to the mountain top but we took the funicular that was near our hotel. The funicular has been in service since 1898 and was a little jerky as we made our way up the mountain.

The view from the top was amazing. You could see most of Monticatini Terme from the top.

We walked all around the outside of the small village and on one side we saw a pool on the side of the mountain. Now that’s a pool with a view! The house was on the other side of the street and they had a tunnel under the street going from the house to the pool deck.

Shots of the village above. It was a little cool and windy up there on this morning.

We had lunch here. La Torre was run by some older Italian men who barely spoke English. We got salads and pasta and I had the best spaghetti cooked in red wine with pancetta and onions.

Riding back down the mountain later that afternoon.

Monticatini is know for it’s mineral rich thermal spas and is a designated Unesco World Heritage site. The Terme Tettuccio spa was built in 1779 and is still used today.

Looking down a quiet street.

The town has a lot of green space and there was a beautiful park near our hotel.

Sunset from our hotel on our last night in Tuscany. The next day we were heading back to Rome and Naples.

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) at Image-In-Ing.

Spending the day in Florence

On December 15, 2025January 3, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Vacation5 Comments

Our first view of Florence was one of the 5 David statues that are in Florence. All but one are copies. This copy was made of bronze and was located in the Piazzale Michelangelo where we were dropped off for our day in Florence.

Turning around from the statue and you see all of Florence below. It was a breathtaking way to start the day.

We made our way down the hill and passed through part of the old wall that still stands.

The Ponte Vecchio (old bridge) is the only bridge still standing from World War 2. We did not walk through it since it’s full of tourist stalls and was quite crowded.

Artwork along the water.

Newer artwork, the sundial in front of the Museo Galileo was built in 2007.

Heading into the main area of Florence.

We spent some time in the Piazza della Signoria were we saw another copy of David as well as the Nettuno fountain built in 1575. The open air gallery of statues in the last shot had a long line to get up close to the statues. Yes, the crowds here were as bad as they were in Rome.

The Florence baptistery was next to the Duomo and was said to have been built in the 11th century.

Front and back of the Duomo di Firenze that was completed in 1436. It’s amazing to see the different colors of marble and stone that was used so long ago.

We saw many of the famous “wine windows” all around the area. They were started in the 1500’s as a way for wineries to sell from their city homes in Florence without being taxed. During the plague of the 1600’s the windows were popular to sell wine and food through. Then covid brought another resurgence. There are still many in use throughout Florence.

The oldest gelato shop in Florence is the Vivoli shop. There was a long line here so we got ours elsewhere but I did have gelato at the Vivoli in Rome and it was the best I had during my two weeks. They also used their wine window to sell gelato out of during covid.

Taking some time to rest in the Piazza Santa Croce before leaving Florence. Brett and I had an amazing lunch near here and was able to meander through shops and stop for gelato.

Leaving Florence through the Porta Romana which is the best preserved gate of the ancient wall and built in the 13th century.

Linking to Image-In-Ing.

A visit to Lucca and Pisa

On December 8, 2025January 3, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Vacation3 Comments

It was nice to visit another quiet town while we were in Tuscany. We spent a morning in Lucca. We got there fairly early and the streets were quiet. We could walk down the street without bumping into people and look into the windows of the shops.

We stopped for a while in the Piazza della Cittadella. Giacomo Piccini, the opera composer (notable works include La Boheme and Madame Butterfly), was born in a home in the far right corner. There’s a statue of him on the other side of the piazza.

Our 8th church to see was the San Michele in Foro.

Built in the 8th century and renovated in 1070. St. Davino Armeno is buried under the cross from the 11th century.

The Torre Guinigi (the red tower in the back) was built in the 14th century and is famous for the trees that grow on top. Since we were having a big dinner that night Brett and I opted for a quick snack for lunch and spend the free time wandering the streets instead of sitting in a restaurant. We stopped in a local market to get some fruit and they had a case with home made pasta salads and those great arancini rice balls so we got that instead and ate on a bench while watching the locals go about their day.

We spent the afternoon in Pisa. We entered through the Lion’s Gate wall, built in the 12th century.

The Battistero di San Giovanni is the largest baptistery in Italy and was completed in 1363. There is a statue of St. John the Baptist in the center. There was a lot of scaffolding around the sides so I didn’t take a lot of pictures in here. Since it’s built on the same land as the Tower it also leans but only slightly.

Our 9th church to visit was the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary, completed in 1092. We spent quite a bit of time in here looking at all of the details. It was jaw dropping. There were several alters besides the main one and each one was amazing. The ceiling in front of the main alter (last shot) had stairs up high that led to a secret door. St. Rainerius is buried here (in the glass coffin in the 2nd to last shot) in 1689. Also buried here is Pope Gregory VIII and Holy Emperor Henry VII in 1315.

An obligatory shot of the Leaning Tower.

Caper plants were growing wild all along the outer wall.

We passed by the village of Collodi, birthplace of the author of Pinocchio on the way to dinner.

We had a cooking class and dinner at a Tuscan winery and farm in Montecarlo, near Lucca. After learning to make ragu and pasta, we toured the vineyard and then had a wonderful long dinner with many courses and wine.

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) at Image-In-Ing.

A day in Cinque Terre

On December 3, 2025November 18, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn Vacation8 Comments

This was the day I was waiting for. We were up early and on our way to Cinque Terre (meaning “five lands”), in northwest Italy. It’s part of the Italian Riviera, just south of Genoa and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We were going to visit 3 of the 5 villages that dot the coastline. Above are some villages we passed on the bus ride over from our hotel in Monticatini Terme.

We drove through La Spezia on our way and from the hillside as we were entering Cinque Terre you could see the port.

The first village we visited was Manarola, considered the oldest of the 5 villages. The primary industry here is wine-making and the vineyards are on hillsides. The tour bus dropped us off at the top of the hill and we walked down towards the water. We stopped about halfway and I noticed the guy sitting on the balcony on the top left in the above picture. What an amazing view!

We took our time going down and noticed all of the little details of this small town. I could see the ferry coming into port.

Our 5th church was the Chiesa de San Lorenzo which was completed in 1338.

The water comes down from the mountain and runs under the street here. We could here it running at certain spots.

As soon as we got down to the water we all ran over to the other side to admire the village and take pictures (we were all typical tourist).

The town was very festive but was a little crowded this morning.

One last look as we took the ferry to the next village.

We arrived at Vernazza on the water and this was our first view. After having yummy gelato we headed over to the church (the 6th one we visited) on the far left in the above picture.

The Chiesa di Santa Margherita di Antiochia was built in 1318 and was fairly simple but the view from the windows was amazing.

One last look at Vernazza as we left on the ferry to head to our last village.

Monterosso was our last village to visit and the largest of the 5. It’s also the flattest and was easy to get around. We had the afternoon here and got some pizza for a late lunch and tried the farinata di ceci (chickpea pancakes) that were amazing.

The streets were colorful and many of the buildings had stripes.

The 7th church we went into was the Confraternita dei Neri Mortis et Orationis and was built in the 17th century.

The views here were amazing and from the far end of the beach you could see the other villages across the water.

We did not have to walk back up the mountain to get back to our bus. We took the train out of Monterosso and our bus picked us up and drove us back up and around the mountain to get back to our hotel later that day. The above is the view of La Spezia from the bus as we left.

Our first day in Tuscany

On November 17, 2025November 17, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn Vacation5 Comments

After our first 2 days in Rome we took the train to Montecatini Terme in Tuscany. On our short walk to the hotel we saw the above going down the street and I thought “How cute is this?” I knew I was going to like it here.

The view from our hotel window the next morning. This was going to be our home base for our week long tour of Tuscany. We were about a half hour west of Florence and close to many of the Tuscany sites.

On our first morning in Tuscany we headed out for Chianti and I was able to catch the above shots on our way to Greve. The countryside here is beautiful.

We started the morning with a walk around Greve which was quiet and calm after the crazy over-crowded Rome. Settled in the 11th century this small town supports the Chianti wine and olive oil area. There was a small Sunday morning market going on with locals walking around talking and visiting with each other.

We went into one of Italy’s oldest and most renowned butcher shops, the Macelleria Falorni. They also had a cheese room which smelled amazing.

The bells were ringing at the Propsitura di Santa Croce, the 4th church we went into during our stay in Italy.

Completed in 1835, it’s one of the more simple churches we went into. Mass was going to start soon so we just peeked in for a few minutes.

For lunch we headed to nearby Casa Museo Machiavelli. In the 15th century, this winery is where Niccolo Machiavelli, a famous diplomat and author, was living during his exile from Florence during the Medici period.

Before having a wine-tasting lunch we toured the winery.

The view from our table.

After a fabulous long Tuscan lunch and trying many wines (I only tasted the sparkling ones) they brought out the Limoncello. I’m not a big drinker anymore since I’ve had stomach issues over the years but what is that saying? “When In Rome?” I did have a few sips and it was so good. Everyone was dozing on that 30 minute bus ride back to the hotel late that afternoon.

The next day we went to Cinque Terre and I think that was my favorite but more on that later.