Western & Southern Open

Posted on August 10, 2014 by Travel Spirit

The Western & Southern Open is being held August 9 – 17, 2014, here in Cincinnati, Ohio and I was on assignment today. It was my first experience taking tennis photographs and I wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s been a long day. I began by leaving my home at 7:30am and returned after noon. The remainder of the day (until 8:30pm) I’ve spent editing photos. I think I did fairly well for my first time.

After researching the players, I decided to photograph the match between Ben Becker from Germany and Malek Jaziri from Tunisia…

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Little Nashville Newport, Kentucky

Posted on August 4, 2014 by Travel Spirit

I recently had a photo shoot assignment for iSPYCincy (now known as “Cincinnati Refined”) at Little Nashville Newport in Kentucky. The establishment is fairly new and the Band that night was Aly’ Ann. I didn’t take my tripod, but still managed to capture a few good shots of the lead singers. I’ve been to the “real” Nashville and this was the next best thing!

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Family Reunion

Posted on August 3, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Family Reunions are a time to reconnect with relatives you haven’t seen in a while, eat good food, and participate in fun activities! That’s what my family did yesterday. Here in the country that means you go for hayrides…

eat massive amounts of food…especially desserts prepared by my Aunt Colleen…

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The Color Run in Cincinnati

Posted on August 3, 2014 by Travel Spirit

The Color Run (aka “The Happiest 5K on the Planet”) took place in Cincinnati on Saturday morning and that meant there were clouds of color, smiling faces, and sweaty bodies! The Color Run is this and so much more. It represents accomplishment for many for running or walking a 5K and just a fun time for others! I was so happy to have this assignment for Cincinnati Refined (previously known as iSPYCINCY) and arrived downtown Cincinnati early to capture all of the excitement! Being a jogger myself, part of me wished I was participating…but either way, I was happy to be there!

I can’t help it…I love to photograph girls in brightly colored tutus and mis-matched socks!

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Lumenocity

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Lumenocity is an annual event held here in Over the Rhine, Cincinnati, Ohio at Cincinnati Music Hall. I was invited to the dress rehearsal by a friend and met her and two other girlfriends to have a bite to eat beforehand at a restaurant called Abigail Street right around the corner from Music Hall. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Ballet perform under the white tent shown below while you’re treated to an elaborate and flamboyant light show on the exterior of Music Hall…

Earlier in the evening at Abigail Street Restaurant, I captured a selfie in the mirror of the lovely shabby chic ladies’ restroom…

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Summer Fun

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Bouncing on the water, holding on tight, our friend had tons of fun tubing behind our boat this past weekend! Everyone looks forward to summer because there’s so much to do…Bicycling, concerts in the park, picnics, having a frosty cold drink on the deck, and of course fun in the water! You know it’s summer when you smell freshly cut grass, blooming flowers, and the aroma of grilled food.

I enjoyed honing my photography skills snapping pics from a boat skimming the water at high speeds jostling my camera and I…

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Views from Mount Floyen

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Travel Spirit

The views from Mount Floyen in Bergen, Norway can only be described as Spectacular, Astonishing, breathtaking, stunning, dazzling, and magnificent! We were blessed with beautiful 75 degree sunny weather in early June and I felt like I was on top of the world!

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Bergen and Bryggen

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Travel Spirit

The City of Bergen transports you back in time, to a time when life was simpler. A life that revolved around good fresh food, healthy outdoor activity, family and friends! As a tourist, you only have a glimpse into the lives of the people who live and work there. Three days wasn’t enough time to explore the surrounding area, but I was able to relax at my comfortable Airbnb apartment, when I wasn’t browsing the streets of Bergen and the area known as Bryggen, which means “Wharf” in Norwegian, and consists of 61 wooden buildings, along the waterfront. What’s remarkable is that the City of Bergen is almost 1,000 years old and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site!

Incredibly, it stays light in Norway until 10 or 11pm and daylight begins around 3am in the late Spring. During our three days in Bergen, it sprinkled rain perhaps a third of the time, but Norwegians say, “It’s not bad weather, just bad clothing choice”! Having arrived in town the evening before, tired from our spectacular day traveling from Oslo to Bergen through the Fjords of Norway, we decided to wait until the next morning to go grocery shopping. I awoke earlier than my three Tour participants, as usual, so I went off in search of the closest grocery, which was thankfully only a 5 to 10 minute walk from our Airbnb. I purchased eggs for omelets, bacon (because one of the others wanted it) bread, cheese, lunchmeat, and a few other staples, to help with the high cost of eating out in Norway. The only coffee maker in the apartment was a French press, which I’ve never used, but with a bit of instruction, I caught on quickly, and made a nice pot full. I then proceeded to make a nice breakfast for everyone. The main tourist attraction I had planned for us was to go to the top of Mount Floyen, but I’ll save that for tomorrow’s post!

Here are some photos of the captivating town of Bergen…

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Guinness Book of World Record for the Most People Salsa Dancing

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Thursday evening, July 24, 2014 is a day to go down in the record books, specifically the Guinness World Records book, for the City of Cincinnati to beat Mexico’s past record of the largest Salsa dance, with over 2,000 people moving to the rhythm! I was there to capture the excitement and energy for iSPYCINCY taking photographs of the event. Green “Gain” shirts were given out to the attendees, as you can see in the photo…

My husband accompanied me, as usual, and since it was a perfect evening for motorcycle riding, we arrived on our Harley. He dropped me off so I could get started while he parked the bike. My first shot was of this performer on the sidewalk next to Fountain Square…

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Turn right at the Witchy Bitchy Salon

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Travel Spirit

If you’ve been following my month-long European sojourn, you’ll recall from yesterday’s post that we had spent the day on trains, a boat and a bus, from Oslo, Norway to Bergen, Norway, via Norway in a Nutshell, through the beautiful Norwegian Fjords! Upon arrival to the train station in Bergen, although I had printed Google map directions to our Airbnb accommodations, I asked for assistance from a lady with a baby on her back, who definitely looked to be a local. She said to follow her…she was going in our direction. She brought us all the way to the “Witchy Bitchy Salon”, located about 15 minutes walk from the train station, which is where our host said to turn and go up a street to her place. I have to say that Bergen is filled with hills. Small hill…big hills…and more hills. Unfortunately, two of the wheels on my 50 lb. rolling suitcase broke on this leg of the trip, so I was pulling dead weight up these hills! We went up one hill and it was quite confusing with the street names being so similar and conflicting at the same time, so I began ringing door bells to ask assistance. One guy stuck his head out of his top window and tried to help.

There’s the Witchy Bitchy Salon on the left…

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Norway in a Nutshell

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Travel Spirit

Norway in a Nutshell is a website where you can purchase tickets to see the majestic and spectacular Fjords of Norway. It was one of the highlights of my month-long trip in Europe and I was joined by the three Tour participants I was leading through Scandinavia. We began the day early, leaving our hotel in Oslo, Norway at 5:30am to walk to the train station for the start of our adventure. I briefed everyone the day before as to the timeline of events and what to expect. It would be a long day…15 hours, beginning with a five-hour train ride to the town of Flam where we would board a one hour scenic train ride through the beautiful mountains, passing breathtaking waterfalls, rocky cliffs, and lush green meadows. It was voted by Lonely Planet in 2014 as the best train journey in the world. We would then board a boat for two hours of incredible beauty traveling through the Gudvangen Fjord, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Next a bus would pick us up for a one hour ride to the last leg of our adventure, a 1 1-2 hr. train ride into Bergen, Norway.

I spent the entire two-hour Fjord boat journey taking photographs and enjoying nature’s glorious beauty! The boat would slow down and drift into coves where quaint fishing villages were nestled in the pristine valleys…

Dramatic waterfalls plunged hundreds of feet to meet the glistening sea…

Surrounded by towering mountains and blessed with a perfectly sunny spring day, it was easy to feel connected to everything!

Although it was early June, snow was still melting on some of the higher mountain peaks… Continue reading →

The Artistic Side of Oslo

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Travel Spirit

I love to find Art everywhere and Oslo, Norway was no exception. I featured a photograph of this unconventional water fountain located down the street from my Hotel a couple of days ago, but taken from a different angle and turned into black and white, it becomes a piece of Art!

This statue of a part man, part devil, part hoofed creature with his manhood in all of it’s glory is quite artful!

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Frogner Park and Vigeland’s Whimsical Statues in Oslo

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Travel Spirit

The next stop on my travel agenda was Frogner Park in Oslo, Norway to see the whimsical statues created by Gustav Vigeland I’d read about! It was exactly the kind of place I envisioned with broad spans of green lawn, a beautiful fountain, and quirky statues! Frogner Park is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Norway with 1 to 2 million visitors per year. It’s the World’s largest sculpture park made by a single artist. I endeavored to capture photos without “real” people in them, but it was challenging…

Everyone was naked…I’m not sure why.

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Viking Ship Museum and the Fram Museum in Oslo, Norway

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Travel Spirit

With less than full two days to explore Oslo, Norway, the Viking Ship Museum and Fram Museum located a short 15 minute ferry ride from Oslo to the Bygdoy Peninsula, were definitely on my list of places to see! This is the Gokstad ship that was found in a burial mound in Norway, dating back to around 890 AD. It was found with the remains of one male skeleton, believed to be a King from that time frame.

The Oseberg ship was also discovered at a different burial mound in Norway, dating back to approximately 800 AD. Two women skeletons were recovered, one believed to be a Queen, along with 14 horses, an ox, and three dog skeletons.

A few days prior to visiting this Museum, my Tour participants and I had visited the amazing Vasa Ship Museum in Stockholm. When I travel, I tend to prefer other types of activities such as bicycling, relaxing at a side-walk Cafe’ while people watching, etc. rather than going to museum after museum, but I found these ship museums to be really interesting!

We walked across the street to see the Fram Museum which tells the story of Norwegian polar exploration, in particular three great Norwegian polar explorers, Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup and Roald Amundsen. The Fram was used for a few expeditions to the Arctic and the South Pole during a period in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, spanning almost 20 years. One of the cool things about this ship was you were allowed to go aboard and see how the explorers lived out at sea for years at a time. Continue reading →

Self Guided Walking Tour in Oslo, Norway

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Travel Spirit

After checking into our hotel in Oslo, Norway, following a six-hour train ride from Stockholm, Sweden, my group of three Tour participants and I set off on my self guided walking tour, developed through Google maps, to see some of Trip Advisor’s recommended places to check out. We were a bit concerned upon checking into the hotel, when we realized a stage was set up 100 yards down the street with bands playing throughout the afternoon and evening. Even with the windows shut, the room reverberated! The front desk reassured us they were only scheduled to play until 11pm, so off we went!

One of the most impressive architecture marvels was the Oslo Opera House. The angled exterior surfaces of the building are covered with Italian marble and white granite and make it appear to rise from the water. I can’t believe it has 1,100 rooms and the main auditorium seats over 1300 people!

I’m getting ahead of myself…when we left to go walking, the square right down the street where the bands were playing has this unusual creative fountain…