It’s almost a given that everyone shops when they travel. Whether it’s for colorful little trinkets, indigenous artwork, or ethnic clothing, we all have our share of stuff that we’ve brought back from each trip that we thought we couldn’t live without at the time, but never seem to use at home. Somewhere along the way, we started to run out of room in our tiny 1 bedroom apartment so we switched gears. Now when we go away, instead of buying knickknacks that take up space, we head to the local supermarket to buy our souvenirs. I love perusing the aisles to pick out all the unique items that you won’t be able to find back at home.
Photo of the Week: Glass House
Madrid, Spain
This week, I am showcasing the beautiful crystal palace located in the center of Retiro Park taken on our trip to Madrid, Spain. This beautiful building is made entirely of glass, surrounded by a detailed iron framework. It was initially used as a greenhouse, but now functions as an art exhibition. When we were there, the space was empty and we just wandered around the open design while marveling at the blue sky shining through the latticed glass façade.
The front entrance of this beautiful palace leads to a small pond filled with floating trees with their willow-like leafs hanging low over the water that reminded me of the bayou. Weaving through the trees are a family of black swans that have made the lake their home. Altogether, it creates quite a picturesque image reminiscent of something straight out of a fairy tale.
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.
Midnight at the Museum
One of the great things about living in New York City is that things are open late. The grocery store at the corner stays open until 1 am, the drug stores are open 24 hours. Once in a while, even the museums stays open over night. Last weekend was one of those instances where the MoMA decided to stay open all night to allow people the opportunity to see the Matisse cut-out exhibit before it closed on Tuesday. Since it was my birthday weekend, Fausto was being extra accommodating and agreed to venture out with me. We had a big cup of coffee to stay awake and headed over to the museum around 10:30 pm. Continue reading
Guess what day it is!
It’s the one day a year, where I get to be mushy – Caitlin’s birthday! Like me, Caitlin isn’t into big celebrations; she prefers smaller, more intimate events. She does however like to be reminded when her birthday is coming up, and just mentioning it causes her face to light up. Normally, we would use this occasion to plan a trip away and simultaneously escape the cold weather in February. This year because of my new job, the logistics just didn’t work out. We even came close to booking a short trip to Milan but had to cancel it at the last minute. Instead, we are home this week, just in time for the deep freeze. I know she is not expecting a large display, but she deserves a thoughtful one at least. Caitlin is always thinking about me – making sure I’m presentable, fed, and ready for anything. She’s one of the strongest people I know, and among the long list of her super-powers are:
- her impeccable memory,
- her appetite,
- the speed with which she reads books,
- her ability to win every argument,
- and her being the best all-around wife anyone can ask for.
With that being said, I’ll leave you all with the baby picture displaying Caitlin’s trademark face. Its the face that motivates me, and keeps me in line. Love you sweetie, happy birthday!
Angry baby alert
Photo of the Week: Rays
Sultanhani, Turkey
On our tour around Turkey, we stopped by the Sultanhani Caravanserai, one of the finest caravanserais of its kind. It was built by the sultans in the 1200s and has been preserved to this day. Prominently located on the main trade route through Turkey, it was an important stop for traders and travellers. Weary merchants of the Middle Ages would stop in to eat and rest before continuing on their journey from Asia to Europe.
Inside, there is a prominent courtyard surrounded by rooms. The caravanserais are built like fortresses, with walls constructed from volcanic rocks. The sturdy designs have kept them preserved for many centuries.
During our visit, we stopped here for lunch and got to explore the many rooms inside the caravanserai, most of which are empty now. In one of these unoccupied darken hallways, we saw these beautiful rays of light filtering through the small window openings at the top.
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.
Eating in Vienna
Austria was once the center of the Habsburg Empire that stretched from France to Russia. Austrian cuisine has evolved over the centuries, greatly influenced by its diverse heritage. Many of Austria’s distinctive dishes reflect the country’s mixed nationalities. The coffee culture, one of the important traditions in Vienna was introduced when the Turkish army invaded Europe and introduced coffee beans to the Viennese. Similarly, the wiener schnitzel originated in Italy, and the sausages were German delicacies. All this different food plays a major role in Austrian cuisine today, and we couldn’t wait to try it all. Here are the some highlights of all the food we tried:
Photo of the Week: Pagoda
Hanoi, Viet Nam
This picture was taken of Tran Quoc pagoda, located on a small island near the southeastern shore of Hanoi’s West Lake. This temple dates back to the sixth century, making it one of the oldest in the city. The main tower consists of eleven octagonal floors representing the various stages of of Buddha’s life. On the grounds of Tran Quoc, you’ll find a bodhi tree, supposedly grown from the cutting taken from the original tree where Buddha sat and achieved enlightenment.
Standing on the shore, you can see the pagoda clearly reflected on the surface of West Lake. Even though it’s in the middle of a noisy bustling city, there is a sense of calm and tranquility when you step onto the island. People speak in hushed tones in deference to the religious silence observed throughout the temple. Like many people over the years, we had gone there to pray and pay homage to Buddha when we visited Vietnam a few years ago.
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.
Winter Storm
This week Juno came to town. There were predictions that it was gearing up to be one of the worst blizzards in New York City history, anticipating up to 3 feet of snow. Understandably people went crazy – raided grocery and liquor stores, and got ready to hunker down in their apartment for a few days. Monday came around and the city got blanketed by a layer of snow, but nothing record breaking. In anticipation of the storm, everything from the subway to the public schools shut down. Kids and adults rejoiced, it was a snow day. By mid-afternoon, the snow had stopped and the blizzard of the decade was a mere 6 inches of snow. Continue reading
Trip Report: Hong Kong
Hong Kong is a mix of modern ideas and ancient traditions that exists harmoniously side by side. Steeped in its Chinese roots and colonial influences, Hong Kong blossomed into a vibrant metropolitan city. Similar to New York, Hong Kong is well known for its expansive skyline and dense population. Hong Kong is intense, there is a constant buzz that creates an energy that radiates throughout the city. Every time you visit, you peel back the layers and discover more things to love about this city. This trip report summarizes all the blog posts related to our trip to Hong Kong and provides a break down of the cost.
- Time Cost
- Total Days In Hong Kong: 4 days
- Total Days Off From Work: 2 days
Photo of the Week: Horseback
Reykjavik, Iceland
A few years ago, there was an episode of the Bachelorette where they went to Iceland. A few months later, we saw a promotion for a self-guided tour around Iceland inspired by that episode that included horse back riding. Horseback riding is fun in theory, but when the temperature out is below zero, it can be uncomfortable to say the least.
We took advantage of the promotion and headed to Iceland for our honeymoon. We were there during the winter time when everything in Iceland is frozen and covered in frost. If we were smarter, we would have opted out to go sit in a lodge with a hot cocoa, but where’s the fun in that, right? Instead, we went out horseback riding in the freezing cold. We layered up, and if I remembered correctly I had on at least 5 layers of clothing. I looked like a giant orange marshmallow on a horse, here is a picture of me on horse back. Continue reading
life after 9to5 