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...

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...

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...

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...

Text & photos © Estrella Azul LOCATED IN BEAUTIFULLY LANDSCAPED forestry and an area surrounded by high cliffs, the Bridal Veil Waterfall (or Răchiţele Falls) is considered one of the most beautiful smaller waterfalls in Romania. Snowy pine-lined forest road A large sign shows the map of the area...

Story by staff writer JM Merchant. Photos Copyright © Joanna Abram. After the thrills and spills of Kayaking in Mercury Bay, New Zealand, we were grateful for a soft bed at the hostel in Whitianga. The next morning it was clear that autumn was trying to assert itself. Rain in the early hours had drenched...

Story by Milli Thornton. Photos Copyright © Milli Thornton. BJ is a rugged black guy who recently joined the family. Short for Beast Junior, BJ is Brian’s 1987 Jeep Wrangler, bought from a friend in California who has upgraded to a Jeep Rubicon. BJ is junior to an ancient, rustified, mastodon...