Archives for November 2011

Photo: Is He Naked?

November 23, 2011 By Jillian

Just Kidding. When you think of Florence though, what comes to mind? Hopefully it’s art, art and more art. Florence is literally busting at the seams with incredible art. The heart of the renaissance, Florence and the Medici family attracted the best sculptors and painters from around Europe. Their work remains in the churches, public buildings and yes, even homes, today.

One of the most spectacular buildings to come out of the renaissance is Florence’s Duomo. Constructed by architect and artist Filippo Brunelleschi, the dome is actually comprised of two domes. After city fathers refused to allow buttresses to hold the weight of the dome, a contest was held to see who could devise a new way to distribute the weight and build the enormous dome. Brunelleschi won and with his design, the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore became one of the most well-known roofs in the world.

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.

IF YOU GO: Try to avoid high tourist season in Florence. The city has so much to offer it’s hard to get through the crowds during high season. If you leave the main tourist area and venture across the Arno or out toward some of the lesser known piazzas you’ll be charmed by the beauty of the every day. Apartments in Florence tend to be popular with art students, who still come to study and learn from the masters. You’ll enjoy getting to know the local gelaterias (ice cream shops) in your neighborhood. It’s common to have a cone with two different flavors, just keep it in the same family (fruit or cream, not both!)

Photo Credit: Flickr user Chiarra Marra under a creative commons license.

Exploring in Your Own Backyard

November 22, 2011 By Jillian

What do you do with out of town guests when they come to visit? The zoo? A park? A historical attraction? We all have the “tourist” locations in our own hometowns, usually it’s a place you never go to except when you have visitors. When we lived in Washington, DC we became so tired of the museums on the mall that we completely stopped going, even with guests. Now that we’ve moved away I read my Smithsonian magazine each month and get excited about the temporary exhibits. Surely they’re not that much more interesting now that I’ve moved away– I’m just not fatigued with my own back yard.

It’s the time of year when friends and family start to visit- where will you go to entertain them? Here are some places and activities I’m looking forward to exploring in my own back yard. What’s on your list?

Florida’s Everglades

I’ve been to Everglades National Park and I’ve done the touristy swamp boats, but I’d love to grab a map, a cooler and an air boat and spend the day exploring the wilderness on my own. The park encompasses only the southern 25 percent of the original marshlands.

Dry Tortugas National Park

This is probably one of the least visited National Parks in the country- it’s 70 miles west of Key West and the only transportation is via boat or sea plane. 46% of Dry Tortugas National Park is Research Natural Area. I’m fascinated that we have a national park on a remote island–sign me up for a camping trip!

Pick-Your-Own Oranges

I’m a big fan of pick-your-own anything. Now that we’re situated in Florida I’m hoping we can find a pick-your-own Orange orchard. Ideally it would look something like this vintage postcard… just with an alligator or two around the lake for you know, authenticity. I can just hear myself now- there’s orange marmalade, orange cake, orange cookies, orange juice, orange zest, orange chicken, orange fish…..

Photo Credit: Everglades- flickr user Blathazira, Dry Tortugas- flickr user dominic sherony, Vintage Orange Post Card- flickr user riptheskill via creative commons licensing.

Photo: Grasshopper Sex

November 22, 2011 By Danny

Yes. You read that right. There really is nothing else to say about this photo except that we took it in Mexico when we were supposed to be touring some Aztec Pyramids.

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.

Photo: Snake Charmer

November 21, 2011 By Danny

Yes. A real snake charmer, and in all the world I’ve only ever seen this done in Morocco. I took a trip to Spain while in college to work on my Spanish for a few weeks during a summer. It was my first time traveling alone and I didn’t really know what to expect. I was bored at the school and thankfully, when the opportunity for a weekend trip to Morocco arose, I didn’t let the seemingly high price tag dissuade me.

I spent a weekend in Morocco, we took the ferry from Spain and traveled to what we could reach over two days, which naturally wasn’t much. Nonetheless we covered several cities including Tangier, Chefchaouen and Tetcuan. It was on a walk through one of those where I felt like the princess in Disney’s Aladdin….being exposed to the market place for the first time. It was a whole new world for me and chief amongst those thrills was an actual snake charmer. They played music and it was exactly like I’d seen in the movies. I’ve no idea if this cobra had had its venom removed or not, but the allure was all the same.

On our trip, Jillian and I spent a long time trying to get back to Morocco but never managed to do it. There are cheap flights to Casablanca and other cities but we weren’t able to find the time and it is one country I really hope we’re able to reach at some point in our lives. I think we could spent one or two very happy months in Morocco and I do hope we get the chance.

A Laotian Swamp

November 18, 2011 By Danny

Three days on a motorbike through Laos! Sounded nice enough when we came up with the idea but then when we actually did it, it was even better. After our first day of riding, the only day that could have been called challenging by any stretch of the imagination, we woke up at sunrise to get a quite start on the road. Pulling up the rear of our group I’m quite certain that I was annoying the others as I kept stopping to take photos like this one.

This photo just instantly puts me at peace. The water is still and filled with trees. There is nothing that can be called particularly breathtaking but somehow I become relaxed every time I see it!

IF YOU GO: You’ll need to get to Tha Kheck and book your motorbike from there. It is a simple loop best enjoyed over three days but you could do it faster if you absolutely must. Just book some cheap flights and go. Nothing on the route, even the famed Konglor Cave is particularly noteworthy by the trip as a whole is absolutely worth it.

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.

Photo: Is He Naked?

Exploring in Your Own Backyard

Florida’s Everglades

Dry Tortugas National Park

Pick-Your-Own Oranges

Photo: Grasshopper Sex

Photo: Snake Charmer

A Laotian Swamp

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