Lacoste Bell Tower

Nearly devoid of tourists on the day I visited, Lacoste's narrow cobbled lanes, tiled roofs and stone structures hint of a town very much at peace with its past. A hilltown with a population of fewer than 500, Lacoste is a wonderful place to wander and enjoy views overlooking the beautiful Vaucluse valley.
Texture by iBrigs.

Palazzo Vecchio

The bronze equestrian statue of Cosimo I de Medici with the PalazzoVecchio, Florence's town hall, in the background.  These comprise just a few of the many monuments in the grand Piazza della Signoria.
Texture by Lenabem-Anna.

Avignon Courtyard

This quiet courtyard was on the same block as our hotel in Avignon and I found myself walking past it many times each day.
Texture by Distressed Jewell.

Chinaman's Hat

Although the actual name of the conical island seen in the distance is Mokoli'i, it is commonly known as Chinaman's Hat. This photo was taken from Kualoa Point on the east coast of Oahu.
Texture by Shadowhouse Creations.

Neglected

This stairway, off a small campo in Venice, was actually chained off to passersby. Like many parts of this beautiful city, the stone stairs and attached building appear abandoned and forgotten.

Russian Cathedral, Nice

The St. Nicholas Russian cathedral in Nice is an architectural gem. I was dying to try this swirl texture and the cathedral's onion domes seemed like the perfect match for it.
Sadly, I just learned today that the cathedral has been closed to the public due to a dispute.
Texture by Paree Erica.

Windowsill

This is a redo of an image I did awhile back. I wanted to try a grunge texture and isolate the main areas of interest.
Textures by Ellenvd and Shadowhouse Creations.

Peaceful Morning

This canal lies in the heart of Bruges. While many think this medieval city is a tourist trap, it's not that difficult to find quiet corners and beautiful, timeless scenes such a this one.
Textures by temari, Shadowhouse Creations and temari.

Gardens Overhead

The tenants of this brightly painted building in Nice certainly have a green thumb when it comes to the container gardens on their iron balconies.
Textures by Shadowhouse Creations and struckdumb.

Blue Umbrellas

These eye-catching bright blue umbrellas packed along the Neptune Plage section of beach just below the Promenade des Anglais are owned by a private restaurant associated with the Hotel Negresco.
Texture by Ellenvd

Temples of Rome

Remains of the Temple of Saturn (left) and the Temple of Vespasian and Titus (right) in the western portion of the Roman Forum.

Bashful

With apologies to Betty for showing another sunflower image, this is one of the last sunflowers from our early summer garden.
Bokeh texture by Paree Erica.

Castle Cliff

This steep cliff with its sudden drop-off can be seen from atop Castle Hill in Nice. Not far from the base of the cliff lies the port of Nice.
Texture by Dyrk Wyst

Caribbean Paradise

The clever sign on this beachwear and souvenir shop in Willemstad says it all. Travel Partner and I can't wait to get back to this gorgeous island.
Texture by Paree Erica.

Penha Building, Curacao

The Penha building dates back to 1708 and anchors a corner of the Handelskade (Merchant's Street)  in Willemstad, Curacao.
Texture by Joe's Sistah.

Place Garibaldi, Nice

Hero of Italian unification, Giuseppe Garabaldi is honored with a statue in the area of Nice, France named after him. The Chapelle du Saint Sepulcre is in the background.
Textures by Shadowhouse Creations.

Exotic Gardens

A quiet corner in Monaco's Exotic Gardens.
Textures from Jody Dog Ma and Shadowhouse Creations.

Pelican's Beak

That's the name of this unusual bar located over the water just off of Palm Beach in Aruba.
Texture by Shadowhouse Creations.

Succulents

A bowl of succulents that I photographed in Balboa Park, San Diego. Of course, succulents such as these are common throughout the Southwest and are very adaptable to our climate. I love their hardiness. Here, I've added textures from Lenabem-Anna and Joe's Sistah. (Note: this is a redo because I wasn't completely happy with the previous version.)

Notre Dame Cathedral

This photo of Notre Dame was taken on an overcast fall day. I've added textures by Shadowhouse Creations and Alice Popkorn to add some extra drama.

Hotel Negresco

A photo of the landmark hotel taken from the nearby gardens.
I added a texture mask from Shadowhouse Creations.

Eiffel Tower

This photo of the Eiffel Tower was taken while cruising on the Seine. I've added two different gold textures from Lenabem-Anna to give the sunset an extra golden glow.

Lion Urn

Another photo taken at the ruins on Castle Hill in Nice. My imagination was working overtime in this unique location with its columns, steps to nowhere and various art objects, seemingly left over from another era.
Textures by NanceeArt and Shadowhouse Creations.

Pole Sitting

This photo was taken along the Place Massena in Nice. This figure-topped pole, one of several, is part of an art installation on this pedestrian area. Texture is from Shadowhouse Creations.

Antibes

Although I only spent a day in Antibes while exploring the south of France, it's one of the places that is still very vivid in my memory. I look forward to a return visit some day.
Texture by Kerstin Frank.

Paris Painter

I photographed this painter as he walked through the Tuileries after an afternoon of painting.
Texture by Lenabem-Anna.

Emergence

This image is composited from two photos I took of the ruins atop Castle Hill (la Colline du Chateau). There are wonderful views from the park looking down towards old Nice and the Baie des Anges. I found this split-tailed mermaid and her guardians in shadow at the end of a rock wall and I got the idea of using it as an archway to a portal.
Textures by Shadowhouse Creations.

Boulanger

This centuries old building in Lacoste was once a bakery, as indicated by the faded lettering of its facade.
Textures by Shadowhouse Creations.

Queen Emma Bridge

This innovative pontoon bridge connects the Punda and Otrobanda sections of Willemstad, Curacao. Originally a toll bridge, it was built with a hinge so that it could swing back and forth to let ocean-going vessels through the channel.
Textures by Ruby Blossom and Lenabem-Anna.

Monaco by Moonlight

The basis of this image was a photo of the Prince's Palace in Monaco. I added a texture from Emma Cox and an image of birds and branches before finishing off with a full moon.