Wednesday Wishes - Plan An Itinerary

I like to think of an itinerary as the cover of a book that piques your curiosity, encourages you to take action... J. Peterman

Enter J. Peterman's second annual travel sweepstakes by June 30th. Now. Someone has to win, right?

Today, buy a travel book or magazine & put it on your nightstand. Then read a little bit every night & begin to plan your itinerary. It might change over the course of the planning but a notebook & writing instrument are essential. If funds are low, take out a book from the library or borrow one from a fellow traveller. This is exactly how GG's editor starts each & every trip.

We want to hop off to Italy or France, of course (especially to see friends) but this article about the Cambodian seashore is so tempting that it's definitely on our short list (with a side trip to Vietnam & Indonesia. And Thailand. And...OK, well it's a $5,000 prize but travel to Asia from here is rather expensive.)

Check out Budget Travel magazine's website for ideas & deals.

ciao-muse-meow/GGCM

(Kampot, Cambodia by Cailin Callahan - visit her blog to read about her trip to Asia)

Wednesday Wishes - Kiwi Edition

It's January daydreaming here at GG Central. An Antipodean journey would be ideal right about now...

This pair of Kiwi kittens has one good & one (reportedly) evil twin. Can you tell who? (We can:) Giulia thinks probably this is a mere misunderstanding. (Hmmm.) A mosaic of nature shots. All by the terrific Andrew Smith of the Cuba Gallery.

Visit Miss Moss, a clever blog out of New Zealand. (Update - Oops. Miss Moss is in South Africa.)

The closest we'll get to NZ this year is at Cassatt's, a Kiwi café in Arlington, VA (Washington, DC area). It's very friendly with yummy food. It's their 8th year in business--if you wish them a Happy Birthday, you'll get 10% off your bill.

ciao-meow/GGCM

Santorini Cliffside

While we search for good Santorini shots of our own (far too many flickr members feel that their shots are money-making & should save them -- we have news for them...), here is a daylight shot, of a Santorini cliffside, again courtesy of professional Dave Berezanzky of worldislandphoto. Under-the-weather here but will rally!

Whether you dream of a first trip to Santorini (or other Greek island or the mainland) or your second or third...it takes just a sec to check in with Darfur Peace & Development Organization (DPDO) & see how they're doing. GG's editor has often thought we could help by sitting on a Santorini terrace, this time with a laptop, & doing our thing from there.

Moon over Santorini

Lovely calm shot courtesy of David Berezansky/worldislandphoto. Hidden in France has unleashed suppressed Santorini-fever. GG the cat is ready to go (she would be welcome there, for sure). Visit the wonderful blog, Oia Santorini...a notebook about life in Oia. Bella!

Buona notte, amici. GGCM

One foot (or paw) in front of the other...

...is the only way to get there, anywhere. Especially in an ancient, storied town like Matera, southern Italy (a UNESCO Heritage site). (Photographs by miki**) Good morning.

ciao-meow, GG/mgmt

A Home in Rome

GG's eye view of where she'd like to live. We'll take it. Under threat again of high wind gusts & so we hope to see you later. Meanwhile, check out Giampaolo's Rome flickrstream, here.

ciao-meow,
GG's windblown editor

A Blue-eyed Snowflake Cat

A beautiful Christmas gato while we're on deadline. This elegant cat, Alvar, is particularly festive with bells & red ribbons. Photo via animalphotos. Photographer Marianne Perdomo's excellent flickr sets are full of cats & various non-feline related subjects. She lives on Gran Canaria, one of our very "most want to visit" places...it's a sign. We'll refrain from jokes about cats & canaries. We're pretty sure they've heard them.

ciao-meow, bisou
GG Central