Throwback Thursday: Mt Vesuvius & Pompeii (2014)

Vesuvius looms large over the modern city of Pompei and the ruins of the ancient Pompeii.

Throwback Thursday: Tower Bridge (2014)

Ah, Tower Bridge... it's quintessentially London!  It provides a stunning photo backdrop, but did you know you can tour the inside, too?

Have you been to or toured the Tower Bridge?

Sunrise over Sinjar

Danny captured this beautiful sunrise near the town of Sinjar in northern Iraq back in 2008.  While this photo is of a sunrise, it would be more appropriate to say that since the U.S. withdrew from Iraq, there have only been sunsets in Sinjar, plunging the region into nightmarish darkness.

While the media has moved on to cover the spread of Ebola or the U.S. elections, the massacres and violence have continued in Sinjar.  Men, women, and children are being slaughtered in the name of Allah or falling victim to the elements as they hide from the monsters hunting them.  Why?  All because they do not worship the right deity, or have differing theological beliefs regarding that deity.

What can you do?  Contact your representatives in Congress and urge them to take more pointed action now.  The Yazidis and Kurds need food, shelter - and weapons.  The U.S.-led missile strikes have done little to curb or deter the mass killing by ISIS murderers.  While the U.N.'s official death count is at 5,500 for Iraq since ISIS began their assault earlier this year, the count is likely to be much higher, especially when you include victims in Syria.  Infants and children are being tortured and beheaded; men are being beaten, tortured, crucified; women are meeting the same fate or having their lives "spared" to become sex slaves.

If news of these atrocities are coming as a surprise to you, I urge you to do a simple web search or start with some of the links I've posted below.

Be Aware.  Contact Congress.  Pray for Iraq.

No Escape from Sinjar Mountain

15 Shocking Numbers That Will Make You Pay Attention to what ISIS is Doing in Iraq

ISIS Massacre of Sunni Tribe

Last Christian Flees Mosul

How ISIS is Torturing and Brainwashing Schoolboys

Throwback Thursday: Karuma Game Reserve, Uganda (2007)

Check out the horns on this bad boy!  I met him while on a safari excursion in Karuma Game Reserve, located near Murchison Falls National Park, in northern Uganda -- not too far from the border with Congo.  Of all the trips I've been on, my time in Uganda ranks near the top of the list!

Have you been to Uganda?  It's not called the Pearl of Africa for no reason - it's gorgeous!  Check out my post about it here.

Throwback Thursday: The Alamo (2011)

Oh, you know, just another day at the Alamo with John Wayne... and my hunky hubby and (then) newly-graduated brother-in-law!

Throwback Thursday: Rothenburg o.d. Tauber (2012)

This fairytale town located on Germany's Romantische Strasse is iconic for its preserved medieval walls, which still encircle the entire town.  Danny especially enjoys the Mittelalterliches Kriminalmuseum or the Medieval Crime Museum located in town!

Throwback Thursday: Strasbourg (2014)

Home of the European Parliament and the International Institute of Human Rights, the Alsatian city of Strasbourg charms visitors with its medieval city center and romantic houses.

Throwback Thursday: Crabtree Falls (2012)

Crabtree Falls, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, is the longest cascading falls east of the Mississippi in the United States.  It's a fairly easy hike for people and puppies (we did it in the rain and mud!), and the trail affords great views of the falls on the way up and the mountainside at the top.

Throwback Thursday: The Liberty Bell (2012)

Throwback Thursday: Lake Victoria, Uganda (2007)

This photo (which unfortunately is rather grainy as I lost all originals when my college laptop died) is a view of Lake Victoria in Uganda.

For better pictures of Uganda, you could check out Crane Media's Facebook page, particularly this photo.

God Bless the U.S.A.

Source.

In honor of those who were murdered thirteen years ago today.

In honor of the police and firefighters who went out to save lives and lost their own.

In honor of the survivors who bear the scars of that day.

In honor of our military who sacrificed life, limb, personal comfort and family.

In honor of the families of the fallen.

We remember you, we mourn with you, we honor you.

Thank you.

An especial thank you to my husband Danny, who served in the Marine Corps after 9/11 and was deployed twice; my cousin M., NYPD and USN (two deployments); my sister-in-law H., USA-National Guard; my brother-in-law B., USAF-Reserve; and my neighbors, Mr. C. and Mr. B., USA-National Guard, for their multiple deployments and countless sacrifices.

Reading:

The Worst Day of My Life Is Now New York's Hottest Tourist Attraction
Ask A Native New Yorker: Is It Right to Visit the 9/11 Museum?
The First Victim of 9/11
Note Lets Family Know 9/11 Victim Went Down Fighting
And many others too numerous to post.

Throwback Thursday: Florida Alligators

 Florida has beautiful landscapes, but don't forget to be mindful of their more toothy residents!

Photos taken at Ulumay Wildlife Sanctuary on Merritt Island, FL
(2012)

Throwback Thursday: University of Virginia

Source.

The University of Virginia's Rotunda building, designed by Thomas Jefferson, and located in Charlottesville, Virginia.  This throwback is in honor of my alma mater's season opener against UCLA this Saturday... Wahoowa! Go 'Hoos!

These last two photos were taken during half-time against Georgia Tech in 2007.  We won!

Throwback Thursday: Lake Victoria (2007)

Sunset over Uganda's Lake Victoria

Throwback Thursday: Shenandoah Valley (2009)

Taken the day before my university graduation on a scenic overlook of the Shenandoah Valley (and back when Danny was just a lowly Lance Corporal! :)

Throwback Thursday: Myrtle Beach (2008)

Spring Break at Myrtle Beach, SC, in 2008.  With this weekend's forecast calling for cool, wet weather, what I wouldn't give for a sunny beach scene like this right now!


P.S. I've updated the "About" section of the blog.  Check it out!

A Capitol Fourth

The Capitol - July 4, 2013
(c) Thrifty Gypsy

Tomorrow is America's birthday - Independence Day!  On this date in 1776, the Founding Fathers presented the Declaration of Independence to the colonies as a clear statement of resolve to cut governmental ties with England.  Now 238 years later, we Americans celebrate in a variety of ways, from backyard barbeques to community firework parties to bedecking ourselves in red, white and blue to show our patriotic fervor (or corniness!)!

Washington Monument & Reflecting Pool
(c) Thrifty Gypsy

Independence Day is one of my more favorite holidays.  Usually we keep it low-key, playing lawn games, barbequing, laughing with family and friends, and capping off the day with some firecrackers!  However, last year we kicked it up a notch and traveled to D.C. for the Capitol Fourth festivities!

We arrived in DC shortly before noon and headed straight for Capitol Hill where we met up with two friends in town from Germany.  I found myself appreciating Independence Day in a unique way as I tried to "see" the festivities through the eyes of a European visitor.  We spent the next few hours meandering through the monuments, grabbing a burger at one of D.C.'s many restaurants, and finally ending up stretched out in the grass at the National Mall to talk away the hours until the fireworks show began!

WWII Monument
(c) Thrifty Gypsy

The "Capitol Fourth" specifically refers to a free concert given right in front of the Capitol building on July 4th.  To attend, all you need to do is show up early and grab a seat before they fill up.  (For more details, see their website.)  The audience's back is to the Capitol building, and the stage for the concert stands between the audience and the Mall.  Last year Neil Diamond and Barry Manilow played, but we skipped the concert because the staging unfortunately blocks good views of the fireworks.  And those fireworks - they don't disappoint!  It was a great show!

This is the first year I won't be in the U.S. for Independence Day, but I'm too excited about our long-anticipated vacation to be wistful.  Wherever you are, at home in the states, abroad on holiday or living as an expat, you can still celebrate America's birthday, and I intend to do so - from Pompeii, Italy!

Happy (early) Independence Day, y'all!  How are you spending your July 4th?

Germany vs. USA

Source.

So I consider myself to be pretty patriotic.  I bedeck myself in red, white, and blue on Independence Day; observe moments of silence or attend services on Memorial Day and 9/11; make the effort to research and exercise my right to vote; keep up with the latest news locally and nationally; and in all other respects, do my best to be a contributing, informed citizen.

But all this aside, I think I'll be going to unpatriotic jail after today.  Because I secretly want Germany to win the soccer match against the U.S.

Game face.

Hear me out, hear me out.  It's not that I want the U.S. to lose, per se.  It's just that I want Germany to win.  You see, my husband grew up in Germany during Euro and World Cup summers, long before the U.S. even fielded a team at the international level.  As an avid German fan, nothing would make him happier than to see his team advance to the round of sixteen.  And as the best wife in the world, I only want to make him happy... plus there's the small fact that we will be in Germany during the final World Cup matches. 

We'll see what happens today down in Brazil.  If both Germany and the U.S. make it through to the next round, there is the possibility that they could face each other again when it's down to the final four teams.  I'll probably be just as torn again.


Oh, who am I kidding?  Deutschland vor, noch ein tor!

Do you watch soccer/football?  Has your team advanced to the round of sixteen?

Celebrating Germany's 3rd place World Cup win while in Stuttgart back in 2010!  This is the #TBT part of the post!

Throwback Thursday: A Love Story

While not travel related, I did want to use my Throwback Thursday photo post for something a bit more special than traveling...

Happy fourth anniversary to us!  May we have many more years (and travels!) together!

Throwback Thursday: Neuschwanstein Castle

We could not have asked for better weather during our visit to Neuschwanstein Castle in July 2010!  This photo was taken from the Marienbrücke (Queen Mary's Bridge) adjacent to the castle by some fellow honeymooners! 

Have you been to Neuschwanstein Castle?