The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is often promoted as New Zealand’s greatest single-day hike – maybe even the world’s. The spectacular 19.4 km track winds its way through the country’s oldest National Park and a dual World Heritage Area. The hike passes through alpine landscape, old lava fields, and even past a steaming volcano that erupted just three years ago. The place was made even more famous by its appearance in the Lord of the Ring movies as the setting for Mount Doom. Continue reading
Porto, Portugal
This weekend I turned another year older, inching my way to the big 4-0. Recently I noticed that time seems to be flying by too quickly, so moments like this have to be appreciated. This photo was taken last year in Porto, one of my favorite cities in Europe. We walked to the top of Miradouro da Vitória and stopped to enjoy the warm sunshine.
Every week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home. Most of my photos have little or no post processing. If you would like to see more, please click the Follow button.
After a short visit to the home of the hobbits, we continued on to Rotorua, a city best known for its dynamic thermal activity and Maori culture. Its location in the middle of an active Taupo Volcanic Zone, makes Rotorua a geothermal hot spot. The intense subterranean heat feeds into the numerous natural vents, hot pools, and mud pits found in and around the area. The concentration of hydrogen sulphide emission gives it it’s nickname as the “Sulphur City”. Even with the unpleasant “rotten eggs” smell that lingers in the air, Rotorua is still one of the most popular and most frequented cities in the North Island. Continue reading
New York, USA
It was a nice afternoon, so we decided to go for a walk to the Bethesda Fountain, our favorite place in Central Park. The sun was filtering into the subterranean arcade lighting up the distinctive ornate interior. The details of the magnificent Minton Tile ceiling have attracted many visitors to this spot over the years. The interior, filled with 15,000 colorful tiles, also has brilliant acoustics. The place is always filled with beautiful music since there is never a shortage of performers.
Every week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home. Most of my photos have little or no post processing. If you would like to see more, please click the Follow button.
For the second leg of our trip, we packed up all of our belongings and headed for Hobbiton. Before I start the article, let me caveat: I am a big fan of the Lord of the Rings; I’ve watched all the movies and read all the books. In fact, before coming to New Zealand Fausto and I re-watched all the movies in anticipation of our visit to the Hobbiton movie set. This place is the number one tourist attraction in New Zealand, and for good reason. Even for people who have not immersed themselves in the world of Middle Earth, this absolutely beautiful imagining of The Shire made it a must visit. For the LOTR fans, a visit to the home of the hobbits is a fantasy come true. Continue reading
San Francisco, USA
On our trip to San Francisco 4 years ago, I somehow forgot the battery for my DSLR at home, *gasp*! I managed to make do with my cellphone camera instead. This picture was taken after we crossed the Golden Gate bridge, looking towards the downtown core. The fog created a weird contrast between the bright colors in the foreground and the almost black and white buildings in the back ground, giving this photo a vintage feel.
Every week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home. Most of my photos have little or no post processing. If you would like to see more, please click the Follow button.
Kia Ora – hello and welcome back. So glad you can join us for the first leg of our epic New Zealand road trip in a campervan. Sticking to our plan of staying away from the bigger cities, we decided to pick up our van from the airport in Auckland and drive straight over to Coromandel Peninsula. After a very long 20 hour flight from New York, that might not have been the best idea in hindsight but we managed anyway. We drove for 3 hours in the pouring rain and made it to Cook’s beach with just enough time to celebrate Fausto’s birthday before we both passed out. Continue reading
Washington, D.C.
This past week, all eyes were on our nation’s capital as the transition of the presidency occurred ushering in a new era. I usually steer clear of politics, opting to stick to things I enjoy, like travel and photography. But as we all watch Donald get sworn in, I can’t help but wonder what he will make of this position. There is a lot of uncertainty, hurt feelings, and divisiveness that came after a highly contentious presidential race, but what I do know is that we can not just sit back and expect Washington to solve the problems. We can no longer be silent bystanders, because it’s our country too. We need to work together and try understand each other’s point of view without resorting to name calling to have our voices heard. I am going to end with a quote from MLK- The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Every week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home. Most of my photos have little or no post processing. If you would like to see more, please click the Follow button.
Meet Betsy, our trusty campervan for the trip
As you know, we traveled to New Zealand last November, but what you might not know is that we spent most of our trip in a campervan. We agonized over this decision for a few months – getting bogged down with questions, pro/con lists, and budget considerations. Ultimately we decided to go through with it because we wanted to experience the magnificent beauty of New Zealand on the road unencumbered. Renting a campervan was one of the best decisions we made for the trip.
Kauai, USA
My family is heading to Hawaii this week and I am stuck here in the grip of Old Man Winter. There is more snow in the forecast for this weekend, and it feels like this winter season has stretched on forever and we are not even half way through. Can you tell that I have the winter blues? I am looking at this picture of palm trees swaying against the sunset sky and hoping it’ll cheer me up. Do you love winter or are you hoping for an early spring like me?
Every week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home. Most of my photos have little or no post processing. If you would like to see more, please click the Follow button.
life after 9to5 