French Man Bequeaths Money to Hermitage Cats

 I trust you have heard about the cats that reside in the basement of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia?

On the off- chance you haven’t, there are 50 of them, and their job is to keep the rodents at bay. They have three caretakers and their very own Press Secretary.

Now a Frenchman has donated a tidy sum to pay to for their care an needed upgrades to their abodes. Although he has been named in some media, he made the donation anonymously and prefers to stay that way. 

Whoever he is, I like his kind heart.

Read more in the New York Post.

Undercats

Not the same as an underdog... this guy in Lithuania, Andrius Burba, takes pics of cats from below. The results are rather cool. Worth a paws to take a look:
Under-Cats: I Photograph Cats From Underneath

10 lives

So sad to say goodbye to my sweet kitty Maui yesterday.

He'd already used up 9 lives when he got so sick in December, and somehow rallied to support us through mom's passing. Maui has taught me so many things. He was very clever: he curled up on my lap and melted my heart. Heart open, it hurts so much to lose him. 

RIP Maui :(

Reflections on a cat

This little boy, Maui, also known as Meowy, has become very central to my life. I had been somewhat unaware of just how completely he had been moving into my heart until recently. Knew I loved him, but didn't know I really, really loved him. Love him. He's still here. But I am counting my blessings.

The sweet dear has pancreatitis, and has been to the vet twice in the last couple of weeks, when he was not eating at all, amongst other symptoms. Including today. I am not sure how much he liked having an IV (though I imagine NOT!), but it was needed. I feel so lucky to have such an awesome vet. He is home now, and exploring again. Eating comes next.

I am holding off on being a basket case, but my heart is getting a run for it's money lately.
I remarked the other day to a friend and colleague, that I don't know when I became such bleeding heart... but it seems I left my crusty old self in Europe (not a bad thing).

Once again, I want to blog more, but have no inclination to summarize my life since I last blogged.

Maybe I just start.

Happy to have my cat home safe and sound. x x0 x 0

I'm dropping the puck

I'm over being a hockey fan.

Still like the game, and it has been an interesting process to pick up on, but it's just not calling to me anymore. This started with my trip to Europe, when I was out of the loop. Got into it, by a degree, when I got back, but in the years since, my interest has ebbed and flowed.

Realized I had crossed a line when I decided to cancel my cable. Just not watching TV, and I can't see why I am paying for it. It was only after making that decision that I remembered hockey. A real hockey fan wouldn't do that.

Perhaps what's most had me lose interest is the fighting. Thought they were working to eliminate it. Apparently not. I was tuning in to watch the skill, strategy, sheer athletic ability and fun of cheering one's game. I didn't tune in to watch grown men pummel each other.

A few other things contributed to my declining interest, though that's the big one. I still like the Canucks, and I will remain a fan - I'll watch a game if I'm somewhere one is on - but don't like how they fired the coach, who I respected. I'd once gone to an open practice, and liked what I saw in Alain Vigneault And I have no respect for the belligerent, gloomy coach they hired instead, always felt grateful John Tortorella wasn't our coach when I would see him in tv interviews.

So, I'll save my money, and mainly my time, for other things.

PS. It seems a lot of people name their pets "Puck"... in searching for an image for this blog post, I stumbled across plenty of cute furry friends...

A dog named Puck

A cat named Puck

Another cat named Puck
If you click the image for the source info, you'll see the story of how
the subject of the picture is supposed to the flowers, not the cat :)

Found on Flickr: cats, mannequins and odd signs

When I am researching travel topics for the blogs I write, use the Creative Commons image search tool. Through both Wikimedia Commons and Flickr, there is an easy way to share images with all the source and licensing info intact (it's there if you click on any photo in this post). So thought I might just start sharing some of the photos I come across today...

These are not from my travels, just stuff that either made me laugh or smile today... These are all from Dennis from Atlanta, on Flickr.









Lots of fun... but I must finish with one more cat...

My blog, my blog...

... where art thou?

Just out of the habit again. But things are shifting, so it makes sense to see if I can get myself back in the groove.

I have always preferred to use my own pictures for my blog posts, when I can... but as I don't even have a camera anymore, and have lost that habit too, I turn to a very small collection of pictures of the cat on my crackberry. This is sweet Maui, enjoying spring, in the front yard.

I do, of course, have a gazillion photos from my big trip 4 years ago (??? how did it get to be 4 years ago?!?!). Can't wait to do more sorting.

I mention things are shifting, and they are. First up, for those who are interested (I am), my mom is doing great in residential care. It was a bumpy road for awhile, but she has settled down, is very happy, and is receiving great care.

Right now I am enjoying living alone for a few months. After more than 30 years living alone, there is nothing like it. I am who I am when I am living alone. It's how I know me, can find me, because it's what I most know. I can listen to myself, know what I need, and be authentic, when I am in this blessed 'space' of being alone. My sister is here half time, which is also awesome (love my sissy!), but as she is back in Vancouver for a stretch, I am revelling in my solo-ness.

My BIG news is that I am in the middle of a major career change: I am a Cruise & Vacation Consultant, with Expedia CruiseShipCenters, in Victoria. Exciting! I'll say more about that in a future post, but you can follow me on Twitter at @cruisetravelbug, and here's my website:
http://www.cruiseshipcenters.com/en-CA/RobertaWestwood/home

Right now I am in the process of recovering from cataract surgery, just had my second eye done. I can see better than I have in my life, since maybe when I was about 12.

I am legal to drive, even though I don't have my new glasses yet (they make you wait, while your brain adjusts to your new eyes!), but have decided that it's an opportunity to get used to riding the bus again. So, until I get my new glasses, I am taking the bus into Victoria, to work, and to visit mom. It was an easier adjustment than I expected, though I should not be surprised. In Vancouver, pre-Europe, I had given up my car about 5 years previously, and transit was just a way of life. Will probably do a mix once I have glasses again, though I am loving the savings and relaxation. For example, today I had a snooze on my way home... can't do that when you're driving!

If you haven't noticed, look at the top of the right hand column of my blog for my new citytravelbug book shops, aka city booklists. This is a germ of an idea I have been working on for awhile. I've got about a dozen cities done already, and many others half-built, putting them alive as I finish each one. Feel free to explore! There is no obligation to buy from me (feel free to shop local or visit your library), but if you care to shop online, please do consider following my links, as I will earn a small commission from each sale. You can also follow my book tweets at @citytravelbooks.

I am sure I have more to say, but that's all that's jumping to mind right now.

Guest Post: Maui

Maui the cat catching the final rays of the day

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That's what Maui typed when he walked across my keyboard...

Me and my shadow... and a moat!

So, I'm in Rhodes and the living is goooood! Here is a summary of my first trip into Rhodes (I am staying in Ixia, about 5 minutes north by bus). Here I am on the bus, there is even a seat at the back with an ocean view!
Once I arrived into Rhodes, I chose the "old town" for my first visit - as opposed to the "new town" (which isn't really new, but is certainly newer). My first introduction to the wonderfully preserved medieval old town was, to my delight, the moat!!!!

Yes, I truly was walking in a moat! It was very cool. If you click and read the below though, you will see it's not all fun and games, as thousands perished on this very spot in ancient conflicts. It's sobering... yet also neat to see new life here: people running, children playing, tourists and lots of greenery and flowers...

I was at the spot in this old town map shown by the read arrow (click to enlarge). I explored his and a couple of adjacent spots, maybe 3-5% of the total thing, and that took me an entire afternoon. So much more to still explore!

After exploring the moat, I stopped and had lunch: pork souvlaki! Tried for lamb, but to no avail. The places that are open this time of year have scaled back menus. But it was incredibly good, sitting there in the sun. I call this my "not Ouzo lunch" as the first carafe of wine he brought me was actually ouzo and was quite a surprise when I took my first sip! Didn't hate it though, and will try it again. In the end, drank the lovely wine quite happily....

After lunch I set out to explore a bit more... The city's road makes one short detour through the old town's walls - in one gate and immediately out the other - right at this spot (otherwise, cars in the old town are limited to residents [yes, people live in the old town!] and handicap vehicles. This bench I was sitting on was ancient (I think) and was right beside the ruins on the site of the Temple of Aphrodite (didn't get a good pic, will return later to get a good one I can post).

Here's starts the bit on my shadow.... For some reason, I was feeling playful (must have been the moat that did it!) and I was shooting my shadow all day... Here I am playing feet shadow puppets!

... and my legs as I walk on these cool stone paved sidewalks they have everywhere here.

The last spot of the old town I visited was right by the sea, and I caught this vista of the outer wall that looked out from a little courtyard as I entered it...

Super cool shot through the old wall, looking out to the ancient pier (still in use today, I think it's considered part if the new town, but not sure...). More on that shortly...

Now this is one cool shot: my shadow on the beach just outside the old walls... I took this picture looking through a slit in the wall, and I am lit up from behind in the dying sun of the day. Neat, eh?

This little guy was begging me to take his picture: (warning, if you don't care for cats, it's time to stop reading... heh)...

Pleeeaaaaassseee pet me?

I'd resisted the petting of Greece's cats until then, but rubbing up against my leg? I become putty in a cute kitty's paws....

... and "me and my shadow" takes on a whole new meaning!!! This guy was very reluctant to leave my side after a bit of attention, and followed me for quite awhile (sorry, computer is turning the picture on it's side, sigh...)...

Me and my shadow cat....

Still have a few more pics of the day to share, but first this: the view on my way home at the end of the day, sunset time, taken from the back of a taxi!

I looking through one of the walls of the strucures on the peir, and I didn't ask the seagull to pose, he just did it! Honest!Now, just a few more cat pics, because one can never have enough, right? I literally took hundreds.... heh... This one was an encouraging sign at a spot where volunteers put out food for the cats at the end of the pier (and, yes, I emptied my pockets of change):

In this spot alone - where the cats were fed - I counted 17 cats, in every shape and size possible. All looked very content and rather healthy. (I probably saw 100+ on the pier during my walk).

Now, click to enlarge this pic and tell me how many cats you see?

Ah, yes, there I am with my shadow again.... It's a theme I return to several times and makes for an interesting aspect of my trip photo collection. Maybe I can publish a book just of my shadow travelling Europe. LOL. Would go well of my collection of pictures of me in mirrors and reflective surfaces....

Overall, Rhodes continues to be great. I did that 5 minute bus-ride on foot one day... I think it took me well over an hour, but it was spectactularly lovely!!! Oh, that 5 minute bus ride? It's great, the only problem is that no one can tell me the schedule (transit responses vary from 30 minutes to an hour apart - and the schedule they gave me is in Greek and based on the summer schedule). When I go to town, I go and stand at the stop and figure if it takes less than an hour to come then it's a bonus. On the day I am writing this, it only took about 5 minutes to arrive.... but I've waited as long as about 35 minutes so far... LOL. It's why I often take a cheap 8E taxi home at the end of a day in town...

And the answer to the # of cats in the last picture? The answer is FOUR. You might have to look closely to see the 2 cats sleeping so curled up they appear as one....

Hanging out with Persephone

I am in Greece!! Rhodes, actually. I spent last night in Athens (nice to have a preview of where I am spending December) and I flew to Rhodes this morning.

So I named this blog post "Hanging out with Persephone"... Above is the sculpture, Hades and Persephone, which I have seen in the Borghese Gallery in Rome, it's truly amazing.... But the reason for naming this blog post after her is two-fold:

• The first is a book I started reading today, Dinner with Persephone, by Patricia Storace. It's travel writing from Greece, from a woman who spent a year in Athens. It's an easy read and I have learned more about Greek culture from the first chapter than all the Greek travel books I've read to date. Highly recommended.
• The second is a cat whom I have named Persephone, who came and sat on the wall of my private terrace this afternoon. I took some pics, will post at a later time. I was reading the book, chatting with the cat, figured she needed a name... bingo!

This motivates me to brush up on my Greek gods and goddesses.... More soon...

Other than that, I am well. Much less culture shocking coming to Greece than I anticipated. I probably had more culture shock in Rome. More once I've been here awhile.... Oh, on that note, I am in Greece for the rest of this calendar year. I leave January 1 for Barcelona...