As my hair is still dry, this is clearly my first attempt at standing upright while surfing in Hawaii – at age 40! That’s what I’d call a look of pure joy.

Kissin’ the Blarney Stone: Legend has it that if you kiss the stone, you’ll be blessed with the gift of eloquence. The catch to this is that the stone is a part of the exterior castle wall, and a gap of about two feet separates the walking area from the stone. The space in between is a drop straight down about thirty feet. To “officially” kiss the stone, you lay on your back, grab onto two bars that are attached to the stone, pull yourself over, lean your head back and kiss the stone, upside down. You just know serious alcohol was involved in the origination of this trick!

This local girl graciously, but tentatively, agreed to be photographed with me sitting on the steps of a temple at the ancient ruins of Iximche. Among other things, the ruins contain a sacrificial stone, which, in the past, had been used for a variety of purposes including human sacrifice. The history and beauty of the country is marred only by the extreme poverty; yet, the people seemed so happy.

I had to ham it up when I realized that I was in Gretna Green. This town had a special memory for my middle sister, Cathy, and me; so I found a telephone and excitedly called her. I didn’t realize until 30 minutes after I’d replace the receiver on the pay telephone that I hadn’t considered the time change … I had phoned her at 6:30 am, her time, in Ohio.

There were so many wonderful memories of this very personal experience in South Korea visiting with Luvina and her family. But I picked this non-personal photo to give the viewer a peek into traditional markets of Korea. The seafood on display was for sale in the local daily market on JeJu Island. This stunning island, with its gorgeous green tea plantations and the majestic Mount Halla as its center, sits off the southern coast of the country. It’s South Korea’s version of Hawaii. Not surprisingly, it’s a favorite vacation and honeymoon spot.

No kidding, these funerary caves were cut into the side of the mountain by hand a few centuries ago. All of the scenery along the Turquoise Coast was just this spectacular, and the history was equally as mesmerizing. I cruised The Blue Voyage in a lovely small yacht with eleven companions and the crew, stopping in picturesque towns and at historic ruins along the way. Many nights, we dropped anchor in the most idyllic coves imaginable, anywhere in the world. The mid-May temperatures were perfect for hiking, snorkeling, and sunbathing.

Hamming it up again! Only this time, I’m standing on a glacier (a first for me). I arrived on the glacier via helicopter (another first). The pilot was easy on the eyes and rugged … much like the spectacular country in which he lives.

Growing up in an impoverished shantytown that is part of Soweto, this little boy is not holding up a faux microphone … in his hand is a chicken bone. Mothers in developing countries can get calcium into their children by having them suck the marrow out of bones.

Budapest in December was just this lovely, and the history was fascinating. It was the same with Prague, Vienna, and Munich. What a wonderful time of year to be visiting those areas. Plus, on this trip I met Luvina, from South Korea. Over the course of the week, we became fast friends. When she invited to be her guest in South Korea as a part of my year of travel, I was not going to pass up that opportunity!

Given their unique, protected environment, the jellyfish in this interior saltwater lake have no stingers. They’ve been there for 10,000 years without predators, so they don’t need them. With no stingers to prohibit interaction, I floated among these amazing creatures as they glob, glob, globbed along. Photo courtesy of Ron Leidich, Wilderness Travel guide.

We’re such tourists; my mom and I had to have our picture taken when we were taking a gondola ride in heavenly Venice. However, as she pointed out, “I’m in romantic Venice, Italy, in a gondola … with my daughter. What’s wrong with this picture?”