It was Easter day when I checked into my Airbnb in Florence, Italy for an 8 night stay. I took a few photos after dropping my bags and boarded a train for Siena, thinking it would be less crowded. I’ll post about Siena soon. Anyway, these are a few of the photos from my time in Florence.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is absolutely gorgeous!
Occasionally, I like to use the portrait mode on my phone to blur the background.
Friendly shopkeepers…
The Ponte Vecchio bridge over the Arno River is the most popular bridge in Florence.
This is the Saint Trinity Bridge
Florence was more crowded than some of the smaller cities I visited.
This was me before starting my day…feeling good!
p.s. In case you’ve just began reading…I planned an 11 week, 5 European country, 21 accommodations solo trip from April – June of 2022. Photos were taken with my LG Velvet Android phone.
Traveling through Italy via trains is an adventure. I purchased a 3 month global Eurail pass and used their Rail Planner app which made it much easier, but occasionally I ran into issues. Spello is only a 30 minute train ride from Spoleto (my home base for 7 nights), and on this particular morning I checked the platform as usual and boarded what I thought was the correct train, but once on board after checking with a passenger, found out it wasn’t. I ran to the door but the train was departing for Rome. The next stop before Rome was 30 minutes away. While waiting at that station for the correct train, I saw this man and asked if I could take his photograph. He asked what he could do for me and I said nothing…just a photograph and he obliged. Afterwards, I gave him some money (which I rarely do) and he pulled out the below book and gave it to me. I asked if his feet were cold, to which he shrugged.
His name is Massimo Coppo. He was the author of the book and explained that he had lived in Indiana during his High School years and now lives in Assisi. Back on the train I read some of his book and found out that he had left his profession, house and possessions and returned to the Catholic Church and is an evangelical Pastor. Sometimes taking the wrong train can lead to unexpected blessings.
Once I finally arrived to Spello, I found it to be enchanting.
As I was exploring, I found this path which led to a monastery.
p.s. In case you’ve just began reading…I planned an 11 week, 5 European country, 21 accommodations solo trip from April – June of 2022. My photos were taken with my LG Velvet Android phone.
Located just 30 minutes via train from Spoleto, Italy, Assisi was one of my favorite cities, along with San Gimignano, Siena, Florence, Spello, and Orvieto.
Although I walked over 400 miles in 11 weeks of traveling, I didn’t lose any weight 🙂
The Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor Conventual in Assisi.
This is where Saint Francis was born and died. It is a Papal minor basilica and one of the most important places of Christian pilgrimage in Italy.
There’s something about ferris wheels.
Just beautiful!
Another gorgeous view and delicious Italian wine.
p.s. In case you’ve just began reading…I planned an 11 week, 5 European country, 21 accommodations solo trip from April – June of 2022. Photos were taken with my LG Velvet Android phone.
Located 70 minutes by train from Spoleto, Perugia, Italy is another beautiful Italian city. According to my Fitbit, I walked 6 miles that day.
Up and down, up and down, up and down…
Yum…
Love the pastries and the view!
Once I had returned via train to Spoleto (my home base for 7 nights) and was about 5 minutes from my place, a man made eye contact and nodded hello and I did the same back but then he started following me and I would stop and he would make eye contact again, passing me by and then he would stop and look back at me. I went into a store for 2 minutes and when I came out he was still 15 feet ahead of me standing, so finally I stopped because I was at a crossroads and my place was 15 seconds away. I stood staring him down and he seemed unsure what to do, so finally he walked in the direction that I had started to go in which was not my direction and as soon as he was 150 ft away I darted up my street and had my key ready and went in. This can happen anywhere in the world, but it doesn’t stop me from traveling solo. You just need to be aware.
p.s. In case you’ve just began reading…I planned an 11 week, 5 European country, 21 accommodations solo trip from April – June of 2022. My photos were taken with my LG Velvet Android phone.
The 2nd accommodation of my 11 week solo European trip was located in Spoleto, Italy, a 90 minute train ride from Rome. I stayed 7 nights and had rented an Airbnb with a kitchen, living room, dining room, bedroom and bathroom. It was mid-April, so still a bit chilly. The owner had space heaters for me in the downstairs and upstairs because he didn’t have the heat on, but I was still cold inside. I went to the grocery and stocked up so I could save a little money. Of course I ate out some also.
There was a laundromat 15 minutes walk from my place, so I placed my dirty clothes in a plastic bag and lugged them over there and realized I had forgotten my laundry sheets (detergent in the form of a sheet for traveling) so I had to lug it back, pick that up and walk back again…uggg. Luckily there was someone there that could speak some English to help me decipher the foreign instructions on the machines. Later in the trip I used Google lens and then translate to figure out cooking instructions, etc.
Most every day of my trip I walked anywhere from 5-8 miles. My feet hurt 😦
Since it was April and I get an early start (usually out the door by 7:30am), there weren’t massive crowds. I stopped for a break and a glass of wine. It seems you can’t order a bad glass of wine in Europe. They’re all good.
I went on three day trips from Spoleto. I’ll be covering those next.
p.s. In case you’ve just began reading…I planned an 11 week, 5 European country, 21 accommodations solo trip from April – June of 2022. My photos were all taken with my LG Velvet Android phone.
Located an hour from Rome via train, Tivoli’s highlight is the stunning Villa d’Este. I toured the inside, but the gardens are where you’ll find the real beauty, fountains, walkways with towering trees, and all types of plants.
The waterfalls are gorgeous!
Italy’s architecture is amazing! Lots of hills/steps to climb and descend.
I refueled with some prosciutto and bread and of course some vino before boarding the train back to Rome.
Tivoli is a great day trip option from Roma!
p.s. In case you’ve just began reading…I planned an 11 week, 5 European country, 21 accommodations solo trip from April – June of 2022.
Back in November, while I was recovering from a hip replacement, I decided to plan an 11 week trip to five countries in Europe, leaving April 2nd and returning June 20th. I would sit at my computer for 8-10 hours a day with my hip throbbing to research for the trip. I decided to spend three weeks in Italy, three weeks in France, two weeks in Germany (I used to live there when I was in the military), 10 nights on the Greek Islands, and two weeks in Switzerland. My itinerary ended up being almost 40 pages long. To make the trip affordable I booked lodging (21 accommodations) thru Airbnb and Booking.com and chose places that were a 5 – 15 minute walk from the train station, so I wouldn’t have to take taxis. I had been to all of the countries, but previously had only visited Rome (for 6 hours from a cruise ship) and Paris (took my niece there in 2007).
My first stop was Rome, Italy for 6 nights. I booked a room sharing a kitchen with two other rooms thru Airbnb. I had pre-planned walking routes using Google Maps.
The Trevi Fountain was being cleaned…
The Pantheon
I don’t remember the name of this fountain
I’m an early bird…no people at the Spanish Steps
The Villa Borghese park was lovely
This was interesting art
Another cool fountain
This was in the Trastevere neighborhood
Lots of sidewalk cafes
The pizza was sooo good!
Yummy cappuccino
I should’ve prepared ahead of time for all of the walking.
2017 began with me on assignment at the Casino in Cincinnati for Cincinnati Refined. A very colorful and loud party to photograph.
I continued finding much joy taking photos in my free time…like the sunrise captured in this church window a couple of minutes from our place in the country.
and Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati at night…
The Licking Riverside Historic District in Covington, Kentucky with a beautiful view of Cincinnati’s skyline.
Get-togethers with friends…
Over-The-Rhine, Cincinnati, Ohio
Family time…
My brother, sister-in-law, nephew, and niece.
I was busy growing my new business, Cincinnati Urban Adventures. Friends accompanied me on trial runs for some of the tours.
The Carew Tower, Cincinnati, Ohio
My husband, son, and a girlfriend were models on my Over-the-Rhine Sights and Bites tour for my website.
I hired a few models for my Beyond the River tour in Covington, Kentucky.
Here are some of the photos shoots I did for Cincinnati Refined…
Cumberland Falls, Kentucky
Eighteen at the Radisson – a revolving restaurant on top of the Radisson Hotel
Cabana on the River, Cincinnati, Ohio
Diner en Blanc (everyone wears white and brings everything for the party including chairs/tables, decorations, food, drinks)
Taste of Cincinnati, an annual event
The Renaissance Festival
The Circus School, Cincinnati, Ohio
Danger Wheel
The Thanksgiving Day Race – I got up very early to be downtown in time and it was cold!
The La Boheme Opera at the Aronoff Center in Downtown, Cincinnati
I began managing an Airbnb located in Covington, Kentucky…
I had a few photo shoots for my own company, Sherry Lachelle Photography. A senior photo shoot…
A family photo shoot…
I was the Tour Guide and Photographer for a wedding with 40 people. It was 5 hours long, but everything went smoothly.
And I photographed my first gay wedding – 2 beautiful ladies.
I attended an annual weeklong Urban Adventures meeting in Portugal and arranged a trip to follow for a few friends. They met me in Lisbon, Portugal, where we saw the sights for a few days before moving on to Seville and Granada, Spain.
The La Alhambra, Granada, Spain
The Plaza de Espana, Seville, Spain
Cheers – Salud!
My husband and I were able to get away to Florida for a week in December.
As you can see, my year was very busy, filled mostly with photography and growing my business, with a little travel sprinkled in.
I planned our visit to Auschwitz on the last day of our eight country…33 day European adventure and was hoping for overcast skies to match the horrific history of this place. Unfortunately, it was a bright blue beautiful day, but I made the sun disappear…
While touring the Auschwitz and Birkenau camps, things I had read ran through my head. Over 1 million people murdered here. I tried not to think about it and focused on taking photographs…I wished I could go back in time and save them!
Sometimes it even rains when you’re on vacation, which is fine with me, so long as it’s not an all-day pounding rain! It makes everything look different and there are cool reflections…
and the sky is interesting!
Some times (not for this photo) umbrellas are fun to photograph…
I reserved three spots on a train from Warsaw to Krakow a month in advance of our travel date to make sure I received the lowest price. On July 2nd we boarded the 8:25am train and arrived in Krakow at 10:49am. I then purchased our bus tickets while still at the train/bus station for our trip to Auschwitz two days later. I couldn’t find an online site to purchase them before I left the United States. We had about an hour to kill before we could check-in at our Airbnb, so we walked to a restaurant across the street from the train station for lunch. After walking 10 minutes to our Airbnb and dropping our luggage, we strolled through Planty Park and made our way to the main market square. These are some of the sights we passed…
On a warm day, water fountains are quite popular…
and the children really enjoyed the misting water…
If you’re looking for a great spot to climb up for a beautiful view of Old Town Warsaw, St. Anne’s Church is the place! As I was surveying the scenery, I noticed a Nun cutting flowers…
We arrived in Warsaw on June 30th via the 7 1/2 hr. Lux Express bus from Vilnius, Lithuania, and took a taxi 1 1/2 miles to our Airbnb. After meeting with our host and dropping our luggage, we walked a couple of miles to the gorgeous Lazienski Park. The 187 acre park is Warsaw’s largest, and dates back to the 17th century.
The Palace on the Water in the Park was even prettier in person!
We explored the lovely interior…
Out on the terrace, a couple of peacocks were making lots of noise (maybe it was mating season). They are my favorite bird!
Sherry Lachelle Travels 