Europe

Photo of the Week: Spiraled

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IMG_2414Vatican City

Surprisingly, one of the most photographed pieces at the Vatican museum is not one of the numerous artworks, but this double helix staircase, located at the exit of the museum. There are two access points at the bottom – one for people going up and the other for people going down.  This graceful wrought iron staircase was designed by Guiseppe Momo who was inspired by the original stairs designed by Donato Bramante.

Every Monday of each 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.

Photo of the Week: Caryatid

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IMG_1334Athens, Greece

This picture was taken over 8 years go on our very first trip to Europe.  After years of reading about Greek mythology, I finally set foot on the Acropolis and it was every bit as glorious as I imagined.  Treading on the same well worn path that people used on their way to the temple thousands of years ago was unreal.  

At the top, among the ruins of the Parthenon, one can look down and see the city of Athens thriving below.  

Every Monday of each 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.

2015 – Year in review

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2015 Year-in-Review

Now the the holiday season is over, and the New Year draws near, it’s that time again… Time to look back on 2015 and reflect on all the places we’ve been and things we’ve seen.

At this time last year when we were writing our 2014 post, I think we had said something along the lines of 2014 being a big year for our travel; and that we might take it easy in 2015… Fast-forward one year, and all I have to say is “ha!” We didn’t have a lot planned going into 2015, but we ended up covering a fair bit of ground. It started with a mistake fare to Rio, and ended up with an aspirational booking in first class to Hong Kong on one of the top airlines in the world. Continue reading →

Photo of the Week: Fog

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IMG_4073Blue Lagoon, Iceland

Recently a friend came back from Iceland and it reminded me how much I miss this country .  I missed the savage beauty of the desolate landscape.  I missed the magnificent waterfall. I missed the time we spent at the Blue Lagoon.  We were there when the fog came rolling in over the thermal water creating a nice effect with the sunset.  

Every Monday of each 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.

No-Frills Flying

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[photo credit: Visit Norway]

Since we reviewed our first class flight with Etihad, I thought it would be fitting to go to the other end of the spectrum and share details of my flight in coach on Norwegian Air.  There are many carriers in Europe offering super cheap no-frills tickets, and it seems that many of the North American carriers are beginning to follow suit. But fear not! Below is a summary of my in-flight experience and a few tips that will hopefully make your bare-bones flying experience better. Continue reading →

Day Trip to Kutná Hora

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Kutná Hora, a  popular daytrip destination from Prague, was once a grand old city.  Thanks to its bountiful silver mine, the city became the financial center of Bohemia and the site of the Royal Mint in the 14th century.  However, when the silver ore ran dry, the city faded into history.  Now it is more known for its architectural jewels like the unique Gothic cathedral and the interesting ‘bone church.

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14 Things to do in Prague

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I am not going to lie, I waited a long time to visit Prague. I had heard so many good things about the city that it was a big disappointment when my first impression did not meet my expectations.  It is true that everything there is as beautiful as the photographs, but something felt off.  The thing was, I didn’t think I was the only one who felt conflicted by the city’s beauty and frustrated by the hoards of tourists that seem to be everywhere.  I was overwhelmed by the vendors trying to make a few bucks off of a gullible visitor.  I remembered being on the phone with Fausto on the first night telling him how let down I felt considering how excited I was about going there. The whole thing just didn’t feel authentic.

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Photo of the Week: Love Story

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IMG_5988Galway, Ireland

We came across this idyllic scene of an abbey nestled in the surrounding greenery that looked like something out of a painting on our drive across Ireland. Kylemore Castle in County Galway is a Benedictine monastery, home to a community of nuns who came here in 1920 after their abbey was destroyed in World War I.  But before it became a monastery, it was the backdrop to an intriguing love story.

The year was 1849, Mitchell Henry and his new bride Margaret visited the wild Connemara on their honeymoon and fell in love with the place.  Mitchell promised his wife that he would build their dream home there. The construction of the castle overlooking the lake took thirteen years to  complete.  The happy couple lived there with their nine children until 1875 when Margaret suddenly passed away from an illness contracted on their holiday in Egypt.  She was only 45 at the time.  Mitchell brought Margaret’s body back to Kylemore and laid her to rest in a mausoleum built on the abbey’s ground, but he was heartbroken and couldn’t bear to stay in their home any longer.  When Mitchell Henry died in 1910, his ashes was brought back to Kylemore to be laid next to his love, in the place where they built their dream home and spent many happy years together.

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.

Prague: Climbing Towers

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Prague is known as “the city of 100 spires” with its iconic skyline.  While visiting, we fell in love with the cityscape and took every chance we could to climb to the top of those towers.  I will admit, we climbed what you might call an excessive number of towers, but the view from each spire was unique and special in its own way.  Below are a look at each one we climbed, and some of the pros and cons of each location.  Also, as a bonus they are quite effective as Stairmasters, especially if you want to digest the giant plate of meat and beer that you have just consumed.

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Photo of the Week: Watercolor

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Antalya (21)Antalya, Turkey

Towards the end of our whirlwind trip around Turkey seven years ago, we visited the coastal city of Antalya, situated on western Mediterranean shore. The ancient city wraps around the harbor of the Gulf of Antalya. When the sun sets over the hazy blue mountain, it creates a breathtaking silhouette.  I was lucky to be able to capture this special moment.  From the cliff-top, the view looks like a watercolor painting.

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.