The simple joys of Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz, California

Story by Crystal Gabrielle. Photos Copyright © Crystal Gabrielle & Matt Steinmetz. Thanks to Santa Cruz local Matt Steinmetz for contributing photos for this story. ——— RAIN, RAIN AND MORE RAIN. I was excited to be at my new house-sitting job in Corralitos, California, but for...

January 19th, 2019 | FEATURED ARTICLES, STAFF, USA MAINLAND, Beaches, OUTDOORS EATING | Read More

Spectacular views, commanding structure, mountaintop camping: Millennium Cross, Republic of North Macedonia

Text & photos Copyright © Estrella Azul A COMMANDING SPECTACLE AT THE summit of Vodno Mountain, and proudly overlooking the city of Skopje in the Republic of North Macedonia, is the 66-meter (217-ft) high Millennium Cross. Millennium Cross on top of Krstovar Peak At 1,066 meters (3,497 feet), Millennium...

January 11th, 2019 | FEATURED ARTICLES, ACTIVITIES, STAFF, EUROPE, Scenic Wonders, WALKING/HIKING | Read More

Two hikes for a bird’s-eye view of Brașov, Romania

Text & photos Copyright © Estrella Azul MY FIRST TIME IN Brașov, Romania was on a girls’ trip in the spring of 2013 with a dear friend who visited me from Australia. It was such a special trip! Since then, I’m really happy to have been able to visit Brașov a few times during winter...

December 28th, 2018 | FEATURED ARTICLES, ACTIVITIES, STAFF, EUROPE, WALKING/HIKING | Read More

Winter boating on Lake Matka in beautiful Matka Canyon, Skopje

Text & photos Copyright © Estrella Azul DURING OUR STAY IN SKOPJE, MACEDONIA we took a couple of day trips as well. One of them was to Dolna Matka Village to see the Matka Canyon. River view of the canyon About 15 kilometers from downtown Skopje, Matka Canyon is a natural gorge, with the Treska...

December 14th, 2018 | FEATURED ARTICLES, ACTIVITIES, STAFF, EUROPE, Boating, Scenic Wonders | Read More

Cycling along Geamăna, the famous toxic lake, Apuseni Mountains, Romania

Text & photos Copyright © Estrella Azul ON A BEAUTIFUL, SUNNY morning in mid-October, my boyfriend and I decided to go on a spur-of-the-moment cycling adventure. We packed up the bikes and headed toward Geamăna Lake in the Apuseni Mountains, about a two-hour drive from our city of Cluj-Napoca,...

November 30th, 2018 | ACTIVITIES, EUROPE, Cycling | Read More

The Merry Cemetery of Săpânța, Romania

Text & photos Copyright © Estrella Azul A FEW YEARS BACK I wrote about how the Day of the Dead (also known around the world as Day of Remembrance, All Saints’ day, All Hallows Tide, or All Hallows’ Day) is celebrated on November 1st in certain parts of Romania—as well as several Eastern European...

November 1st, 2018 | STAFF, EUROPE, Historic/Museums, QUIRKY PLACES | Read More

Velo Chic Cluj 2018: a cycling promenade of feminine elegance

Text & photos Copyright © Estrella Azul & DAG VELO CHIC CLUJ is an annual free event held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The event has been organized since 2015 by the “Napoca” Cycling Club (CCN), under the umbrella of the Romanian Cyclists Federation (FRC). It is a complementary event...

October 5th, 2018 | ACTIVITIES, STAFF, EUROPE | Read More