This morning we woke up to more rain and clouds. Since we weren’t able to go to the beach, we decided to head over to Parque Lage, a public park area that sits at the foot of the Corcovado in the shadow of Christ the Redeemer above . Inside this preserved tropical forest is a quiet English garden and an old palazzo, built by Henrique Lage for his wife. This impressive mansion was later turned into a public area where you can sit and have lunch in the courtyard while enjoying the view.
In case you don’t know, the Liebster Award is an online award given to bloggers by other bloggers. It helps introduce new blogs to a wider audience and increase their exposure. I was thrilled when I was nominated by Aneta over at Street Art Rat earlier this week. Aneta puts up daily posts, sharing incredible street art around the world. Her blog has inspired me to explore and search for urban art in the cities I’ve visited.
When I write and share my photos, I put a little bit of myself out there. I don’t know how it’s going to be received by the world, so it’s always a great honor to know that people are following along and giving me feedback. Thank you Aneta for reading and nominating us! Continue reading
Hohenschwangau, Germany
Neuschwanstein, one of the most famous castle in Europe was built for the famously reclusive Ludwig II as a retreat. This castle, was where the misunderstood Swan King withdrew into a fantasy world of his own creation. The romantic architecture combined with the idyllic surroundings evokes images of fairy tales, so it’s no surprise that it was the inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle. This picture was taken from the nearby Marienbrücke where you can get the full view of the castle set against the clear lake.
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.
Bangkok, Thailand
For the last few weeks my sister has been traveling around Thailand, which makes me nostalgic for this great country. I miss the friendly people, the cheap food, and of course the $2 foot massage.
I went through my old photos and found this one taken at the dazzling Grand Palace in Bangkok. The palace is made up of numerous buildings, halls, and pavilions set around gardens and courtyards. This was the royal residence for over 150 years. These intricate golden Garuda and Naga grace the outside of the famous Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
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.
La Fortuna, Costa Rica
This picture of a hummingbird in flight was taken in the small village of La Fortuna in Costa Rica. This volcanic region is known for its tropical rainforest, beautiful waterfalls, and natural hot springs. There is tons of wildlife in this fertile area, and walking around town you can see the humming birds buzzing around, feeding on the flowers.
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.
Art critic Emilie Trice has called Berlin “the graffiti Mecca of the urban art world.” In addition to the artwork of the East Side Gallery, Berlin is rich with lots of beautiful street art throughout the city. Everywhere you look—from the walls of buildings, to doorways and even garbage cans—you’ll find murals, stencils, paste-ups, and many other artistic experiments staring back at you. The colorful public art helps to brighten the cityscape and inspires Berliners and visitors. Evolving trends result in an evolving art scene.
I love street art. So when I was in Berlin, I couldn’t pass up a chance to explore the stirring art of East Side Gallery that has come to represent Germany’s turbulent history between East and West. This large open-air gallery is an international symbol of freedom. It is the longest remaining part of the Berlin Wall at 1.3 km long and located along the banks of the river Spree in Friedrichshain borough. After the Wall was brought down in 1989, artists came from around the world to transform the gray barriers into 105 paintings, each a testimony to victory of the human spirit. Continue reading
The best way to explore a new city is always on foot. Based on prior trips to Europe, I knew that Sandemans offers great walking tours. So while in Berlin, we made it a point to reserve a spot on their FREE city tour. The tour is the perfect introduction to Berlin and helps you orient yourself to navigate the city. The tour is offered in English and Spanish at four different times daily, each one lasting about 2.5 hours. A lot of people sign up, so make sure you book in advance to ensure a space. On our tour, about 100 people showed up and we were quickly divided into smaller groups of 20-30.
Chiang Mai, Thailand
A visit to the ancient city of Chiang Mai is not complete without a stop to one of its 300 temples. The wats come in all different shapes and sizes, some are conspicuous with their glittering gold statues while others are crumbling and receded back into history. Each one is filled with wafting incense smoke as people came to make their offerings and pay their respects to Buddha.
This gold bowl with beautiful mums, reminiscent of the orange robes worn by the monks caught my attention. I love the pop of colors against the whitewashed walls.
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.
Germany is a country known for its food — from massive schnitzel to juicy currywursts to giant steins of beer. That was what I had expected to eat for the entirety of my trip to Berlin, so imagine my surprise when I discovered that this German capital is a full-fledged culinary metropolis with amazing diverse food from all over the world. Shows how much I know! It’s true that these are not your typical “German food” places, but Berlin has become an international city, and its food reflects that status. It’s going to be a long post, so let’s get started. Here are a few of my favorite places to eat in Berlin: Continue reading
life after 9to5 