Day three: Alas, I'm under the weather. So for the next few days I'll just be posting photos without commentary. That shouldn't stop you from commenting though!

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographer - biscuitwheels - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Paris, France ★
Photo courtesy of biscuitwheels

Day two: Alas, I'm under the weather. So for the next few days I'll just be posting photos without commentary. That shouldn't stop you from commenting though!

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographer - Adamina - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Italy ★
Photo courtesy of Adamina

Day one: Alas, I'm under the weather. So for the next few days I'll just be posting photos without commentary. That shouldn't stop you from commenting though!

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographer - Neville Bailey - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Bahrain ★
Photo courtesy of Neville Bailey

I look at a picture like this and I feel a lot of things. Awe, fear, sadness. Awe at the great majesty of a creature like this. Mammoth and gentle. Fear of the open ocean and the size of the thing, should it choose to open its mouth and envelope me. Sadness at knowing how humpback whales were nearly no more due to the senseless slaughter by my fellow man, and that the species is still struggling to rebuild its population and carry on. As for the photo itself, I feel only awe and joy and honor to have stumbled across such a special image, taken a million miles away from here off the island of Tonga. A place I've only ever dreamed of.

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographer - pats0n - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Tonga ★
Photo courtesy of pats0n

Sea, sand, and sky. That's the trifecta that is Hawaii; any island you please. And even when it rains, it's remarkable. I spent a few mornings like this one last fall on the island of Oahu. Blue sky and sunshine is great, but morning showers can also be resplendent. Especially when rainbows like this one rip across the sky, robbing you of your breath and worry over losing a day of vacation to Mother Nature's melancholy; rendering you silent and reflective. Full of awe and peace.

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographer - Khans of Kuram - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Maui, Hawaii ★
Photo courtesy of Khans of Kuram

If you've never had fresh pasta, you've never lived. Truly! I wish I had the skill and patience to make my own, but it's probably for the best that I don't. I have a problem with portions. Particularly when it comes to fresh pasta. I want to mangia mangia it all!

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographer - Rossella Rebonato - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Italy ★
Photo courtesy of Rossella Rebonato

A classic Parisian literary locale, Shakespeare & Company bookstore is just across the way from Notre Dame. I've got a few photos in my portfolio of the Wallace Fountain that this very image is framed by. Why didn't I think to shoot S&C through the fountain? Brilliant! One of the things I most enjoy about perusing other people's pixels is seeing places I'm familiar with anew, through the eyes of others. Fantastique.

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographer - His and Hers Parigi - if either He or She is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Paris, France ★
Photo courtesy of His and Hers Parigi

J'adore cette photo! The color is wonderful, and how did I miss this picture perfect little street, restaurant, and view of Sacre Coeur in 2005 when I was last in the 'hood; wandering around looking for just such an idyllic Parisian place to park it for a while and people watch? Ah well. Thank god for Flickr and photos like this. Next time.

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographer - mariae baltica - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Paris, France ★
Photo courtesy of mariae baltica

The many moods of Montmartre. All marvelous. One of my favorite pockets of Paris. Love the colors in this trio of Amelie's Paris. Can't wait to return. In the meantime, I keep dreaming.

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographer - mariounette56 - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Paris, France ★
Photo courtesy of mariounette56

I don't know about you, but once I hit 30 it became a chore to drag my butt out to a club. Actually, if I'm being honest, it was a chore to get me out drinking and dancing all the way through my 20s. American clubs are such meat markets. At least the ones that I went to in college in L.A. and Vegas, and as a young adult in the San Francisco Bay Area. Boo! I have better things to do that don't involve a $20 cover and sleazy men reminding me to Smile! and groping me as I attempt to pass by and get to the Ladies Room, which is packed to overflowing with girls on god only knows what, wearing next to nothing, applying another coat of lipstick to reestablish the hooker look. It was fun a few times pre-25 and then, it got old. And so did I. At the ripe old age of 33 now, I refuse to do the club scene anymore Stateside. Outside of The States is another story altogether though. Strangely more tolerable. Enjoyable even.

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographers - Alex-Skywalker and b_juhasz - if they so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Spain ★
Photo courtesy of Alex-Skywalker

Location: Paris, France ★
Photo courtesy of b_juhasz

Two things that I'd be afraid to do in Paris, but would be cool if I could muster the courage (in the case of biking) and the skill (in the case of rollerblading). Great photos. Makes me feel like I'm there and I'm doing something different!

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographers - heimerswt and ylenia_1982 - if they are so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Paris, France ★
Photo courtesy of heimerswt

Location: Paris, France ★
Photo courtesy of ylenia_1982

What a great idea for Venetian vacation photos! People always go and buy the masks, only to pack them up and use them at home for wall decoration or the company Halloween party. Why not walk through Venice wearing your new mask proudly, taking pictures. Who cares if Carnival was six months ago? That's not the point. Fantastic idea. On all my trips to Venice, I've never bought a mask. Never thought I'd have a real use for it. Until now. I'm so doing this next spring when I'm back in Venezia!

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographer - marc_panther - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Venice, Italy ★
Photo courtesy of marc_panther

A tour, in five photos, of the Eiffel Tower. No words today. Only awe.

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographers - Davide Plg, Ré Vidal, tworedboots, and the.ben.watts - if they are so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: [top photo] Paris, France ★
Photo courtesy of Davide Plg

Location: [second photo from top] Paris, France ★
Photo courtesy of Ré Vidal

Location: [third photo from top] Paris, France ★
Photo courtesy of tworedboots

Location: [fourth photo from top] Paris, France ★
Photo courtesy of tworedboots

Location: [bottom photo] Paris, France ★
Photo courtesy of the.ben.watts

Summer in Sardinia. Sea, sun, and sabbia. On a cold September morning in San Francisco, these sensational photos transport me and provide warm thoughts to combat my damp and foggy reality. It's a nice reminder that the sun is shining elsewhere and that it's summer - somewhere, and some lucky soul is enjoying an idyllic day at the beach while I'm here in the dead of fall; typing away, dreaming about it.

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographers - guzi4real and deja - if they are so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Sardinia, Italy ★
Photo courtesy of deja

Location: Sardinia, Italy ★
Photo courtesy of guzi4real

It's all Greek to me, and it's all όμορφος - beautiful! Or so Google Translate tells me. Anywho, not only are these signs wonderful, the pictures are too. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to go. To the studios, to the airport, or (preferably) to Iraio. What or wherever that is!

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographer - melissamaples - if she is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Greece ★
Photo courtesy of melissamaples

A modern look at Portovenere, with a dreamy retro ethereal feel. I wish I had vacation photos like this one. How wonderful! The perspective here is great. Seems you could reach out and examine his tattoo. The couple is perfectly posed, playfully poised, and focused in the center of the frame. And there's picture-perfect Portovenere there, in the backdrop. Sigh. I said it once and I'll say it again. I wish I had vacation photos like this one!

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographer - Andrea - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Portovenere, Italy ★
Photo courtesy of Andrea

Another look at Portovenere, today. Look at these four doorways. Fantastico. Right? And the look on this woman's face? Priceless. There isn't necessarily a story here, but this image is gushing with editorial poetry. There's just something wonderful about that makes you want to keep staring and studying. The pattern of her dress. The stairs disappearing into the darkness. The different size and placement of the portals. It's fascinating. I could spend all day pondering this picture.

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographer - Tiziano Rinaldo - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Portovenere, Italy ★
Photo courtesy of Tiziano Rinaldo

I can't recall what the year was now (2004, maybe). But I was staying in Camogli and doing day trips to various little towns along the Ligurian coast. Charming doesn't even begin to cover how cute this part of Italy is. Based on a single photo, I decided I just had to see the tiny town of Portovenere. Sort of the last stop on the Ligurian Riviera circuit. It was a trek to get there (train, meander through the town of La Spezia to a particular bus stop, then catching the particular bus), but in the end it couldn't have been more worth it. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Slow. Serene. Scenic. A wonderful place that a few lucky souls, like this dapper gentleman (I assume; he looks locally grown and groomed), call home.

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographer - The Spragg - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Portovenere, Italy ★
Photo courtesy of The Spragg

Aren't these three 'cycles a sight? Lovely. The layout, too. I can't remember the last time I rode a bike. Elementary school? Man. That was like, eons ago. I hope that riding a bike after years (and years, and years) is really as easy as, well - riding a bike. Because I have this desire to bike through parts of England, and Provence, and Tuscany. And Holland! And I don't know where all else. Not Paris though. Vélib' looks cool, but (to me) Paris is a place best explored via metro, bus, or on foot. About those bikes though. Do they make 'em with training wheels for adults? Ha. That would look pretty pathetic. I'm not sure I'd care though!

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographer - StephenMcLeod - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Florence, Italy ★
Photo courtesy of StephenMcLeod

Gondole, gondole, gondole! And then some. Like the view from atop the Eiffel Tower, a gondola ride is something I've yet to experience. Even though, as of this writing, I've been to Paris three times and four to Venice. What's the rush, right? I love both cities and plan to spend a lifetime (or the remainder thereof) returning. I figure it'd be kinda cool (and maybe more fun) to do the most touted touristy things later, if not last.

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographers - makinaman, Gianni, bfbyrne, nando.scafroglia and lienestrkzh - if they are so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: [top photo] Venice, Italy ★
Photo courtesy of makinaman

Location: [second photo from top] Venice, Italy ★
Photo courtesy of Gianni

Location: [third photo from top] Venice, Italy ★
Photo courtesy of bfbyrne

Location: [fourth photo from top] Venice, Italy ★
Photo courtesy of nando.scafroglia

Location: [bottom photo] Venice, Italy ★
Photo courtesy of lienestrkzh

In a word, wow. These islands in Belize look insurmountably delicious. So green. And so blue! And so much to see beneath the surface. I do believe I've got to go, one day. In truth, I haven't been anywhere in Central or South America. In terms of Latin America, I've hit Mexico and Puerto Rico (or does that only count as the Caribbean?). Guess it's time I rethink that.

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographer - maddalenna - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Belize ★
Photo courtesy of maddalenna

When I first stumbled upon the top photo of the flock, I couldn't help laughing out loud at the way the seagull closest to the camera is gazing goofily right into it. What a great photo! I love it. And the one below is so poetic. I've got a seagull story for you. Two, in fact. The first takes place right here in San Francisco. I was taking a friend from out of town out to Alcatraz Island and while we were waiting in line to board the ferry, along with a serpentine string of other tourists, a flock of aggressive gulls descended upon anyone and everyone with food. Well, you'll probably find it hard to believe, but I am entirely serious when I tell you that this guy standing next to us - focused on the big juicy cheeseburger and fries he was casually inhaling, rather than The Birds above - lost both his burger and his appetite when a particularly hungry and skillful gull stopped lurking and swooped down for the burger (and got it) in one fluid feat of flight. It was surreal. And real scary! The poor man was left with a few fries and a pile of nerves. Oh yeah. The second story. Yadda, yadda, yadda, the last time I was in the most serene city of Venice (Italy) I witnessed the most distinctly non-serene sight: a seagull standing on the algae-covered steps of a Grand Canal palazzo, gutting and gobbling down the innards of a pigeon. That's kinda cannibalism, no?

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographers - Einfach Alina and Leo - if either is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: [top photo] Rovinj, Croatia ★
Photo courtesy of Einfach Alina

Location: [bottom photo] Italian Island of Sardinia ★
Photo courtesy of Leo

Are these sketches not seriously gorgeous, or what? Especially the second (above) of the Basilica San Marco. Yummy. I love St. Mark's Basilica and can't get enough of images and artwork (in any medium) inspired by it. Indeed one of my favorite souvenirs from La Serenissima is a small silver and marble slab replica of the basilica's four famous horses by one of Italy's last silversmiths - the last silversmith in Venice, in fact - Franco Mazzucco.

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the artist - maikejosupeit - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Venice, Italy ★
Sketch courtesy of maikejosupeit

I suppose this modern scene doesn't look all that different from Carnival in the same St. Mark's Square caffè one hundred years ago. Kinda crazy, eh? I don't do well with crowds, but I hope to put that aside for a week or so one year and enjoy the chaos of Carnival à la Venice. This image is wonderful because, having been shot through a window from outside on the piazza (I assume), it has a fantastic surreal quality about it. The costumes help therein, certainly.

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographer - kulturharc - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Venice, Italy ★
Photo courtesy of kulturharc

I used to commute to work on Bay Area Rapid Transit (known locally as BART) until I learned that taking a transbay bus is more affordable and efficient, for me. I don't particularly miss BART. Though the people are usually quiet, BART itself is shockingly loud. Upsettingly loud, really. The bus is much more pleasant and I get a twice daily view of San Francisco, its bay, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me. I would, however, miss taking the metro if I lived in Paris. I think. I'm sure it's just a romanticized foreigner's view, but I love the Paris metro and its stations. Though I haven't yet been to Prague, I look forward to sampling its underground and falling in love with it, perhaps, too. There's something wonderful about looking yourself in the eye or watching (okay, spying on) those around you as you glaze over, head turned toward the nearest window. It's part and parcel of the metro experience in any city, if you ask me (which you didn't, but I offered anyway).

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographers - stuartpinfold and pdux - if either is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: [top photo] Prague, Czech Republic ★
Photo courtesy of stuartpinfold

Location: [bottom photo] Paris, France ★
Photo courtesy of pdux

I hate the window seat, because I hate having to wake up or otherwise disturb those next to me for aisle access and the inevitable trips (always plural) to the old WC. That said, when I do find myself by the window, it's hard not to appreciate the view. Often gives me chills.

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographer - gernouille - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: En route ★
Photo courtesy of gernouille

Capri is kinda crazy beautiful, just as you've always imagined it. It's easy to see why it was such a favorite retreat - first for the Caesars, then for the wealthy and the artists - throughout its posh past, right on down to the present day. What I find particularly pleasing about this photo is not simply the composition or the color, but the content. Capri is a charming island town, perfectly folded into and out of and atop its jagged white limestone cliffs. While the whole of the Amalfi Coast and Bay of Naples is setting enough to make the jaded gasp with glee, Capri is entirely deserving of its fabled, awe-inspiring reviews. I mean, get a load of the views. Whether from land or on the water, it's crazy gorgeous. A perfect marriage of life and land. Just as this photo eloquently demonstrates.

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographer - dont4give - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Capri, Italy ★
Photo courtesy of dont4give

These photos feel like the memory of a rainy day in Paris, when the sun has broken through the clouds, but just, and the smell of wet concrete is in the air. A smell you find strangely satisfying. And you're out for a stroll alone, camera in hand. Maybe in search of the nothing or the next serendipitous thing that you'll always remember on that day when you were out for a walk in Paris, alone with your camera, when the sun had just broken through the clouds and that strangely satisfying smell of wet concrete filled the air.

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the photographer - malpelo30 - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Paris, France ★
Photo courtesy of malpelo30

Have you been to London? I haven't. Not yet, anyway. Therefore it's still very much an imagined place for me. With no firsthand knowledge of what it's actually like, I'm constantly forming a dreamy version of the reality I might find, based on photos, and movies, and delicious watercolor sketches like these. Ignorance is bliss, in this case. It's actually half the fun; that impressionable state we find ourselves in when conjuring up a foreign destination before we've even been there. And more so than pictures, I like to dream of (personally) uncharted places through the eyes of artists whose medium is pen or pencil, paint and paper. Without a doubt, the dreamiest!

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the artist - Alvaro Carnicero - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: London, England ★
Sketch courtesy of Alvaro Carnicero

I wish like the dickens I could draw. Don't you? I find it fabulous when artists have a distinctive style - like handwriting - that identifies a piece immediately as a such-and-such (Picasso, Van Gogh, etc.) This artist definitely has that developed voice when it comes to sketches. I love these three drawings of Venice. Love, love, love! Oh what I wouldn't give to have similar skill and sense of style. I love taking pictures, but I think I'd love the ability to draw even more.

Your comments on this image are welcome, and encouraged! And a question for the artist - La Ola - if s/he is so inclined: Is there anything special about this moment, day, trip, or place beyond what you've shared on Flickr that you'd like to add or comment on here? Along with other vivaca visitors, I would love to know more!

Location: Venice, Italy ★
Sketch courtesy of La Ola