I was able to fit in two hikes yesterday, totaling 3 miles, in Cloudland Canyon State Park, Georgia, and DeSoto State Park, Alabama. There were some scenic stops along the way, as I drove through Georgia and Alabama. I made … Continue reading
My flight to Portland arrived at noon yesterday. I picked up my rental car and headed for the coast. My first stop was Ecola State Park. I took a few photos looking down at Cannon Beach (photo below), which was … Continue reading
I left home on December 5th for 10 days in St. Petersburg, Florida. Since my family has died, there’s not much for me to do around the holidays so I decided to get away for some fun in the sun.
The Airbnb I picked out is less than 2 mi from the beach and there’s a complimentary shuttle that stops a few blocks away that transports you to the beach and also to downtown St. Petersburg.
A girlfriend joined me for 5 days which was nice. I go home on Thursday.
Picking up where I left off from the first part of our Louisville road trip…we checked into our Airbnb at 4:00pm on 10/1/22. It’s located in Paristown Point near the Highlands neighborhood. It was clean and modern.
We had some wine and relaxed on the front porch, before getting ready to go out for dinner. On the eight minute walk to our restaurant, we passed a number of other restaurants. You’ll notice the friendly people as I took this photo…
We dined at Taco Luchador. It’s very inviting with inexpensive delicious tacos.
On the walk back to our Airbnb I noticed the unique lighting…
Tomorrow I’ll post about our Sunday in Louisville.
As usual, to escape the cold in Ohio/No. Kentucky, I traveled to Cape Coral, Florida for 5 weeks in late January/early February. Because I didn’t qualify for the vaccine yet, I again stayed away from people, except for a short trip to see a friend in Clearwater. It was quite lonely, but I bicycled, walked, and even jogged some. Went to the beach a couple of days per week to walk, jog, and read.
In March I received both of my vaccines. So in April I visited Austin and San Antonio, Texas with a friend. This is the San Antonio Riverwalk. I spent my honeymoon here with my late husband back in 1994.
I began renting out my spare bedroom/bath to as an Airbnb. I met some wonderful people – it was like the United Nations – People with roots from the Philippines, Africa, Poland, Mexico, and Jordan. Amazon employees, traveling nurses, a med student, etc.
I planned a road trip to North and South Carolina to hike and check out waterfalls and some of the towns I’d never been to, like Greenville, S.C. (which I loved), Hendersonville, N.C., (quaint), Bryson City, N.C., Highland, N.C., and Ashville, N.C. (which I had been to).
I planned a trip to Alaska for 10 days in July – 2 nights Glacier Bay, 1 night Fairbanks (didn’t see it – just wanted to take the scenic train starting from there heading South), 4 nights Mt. Denali Nat’l Park, 3 nights Anchorage. This is the view flying into Juneau.
I took a small boat cruise to see a glacier in Glacier Bay National Park
I took the scenic panoramic train all the way to Seward, stopping for 4 nights in Denali Nat’l Park. I stayed at a lodge located 92 miles (the farthest you can travel) into the park. And 3 nights in Anchorage.
On the 7 hr. bus ride back to the lodge, we saw some wildlife (I’m not posting all of it).
The guide told us we were so lucky because for the 4 days I was there, Mt. Denali was either in full view or mostly full.
I went hiking with a small group of people…
I went kayaking as a day trip in Seward from Anchorage on the train.
In September I went to Ft. Lauderdale for 5 days with a guy I dated for a couple of months. He made me laugh so much, but I found out he was an addict. I truly had feelings for him after years of looking, and went through some emotional pain. But, nothing could ever come close to the pain I experience since losing my son.
In October I went to the Covered Bridge Festival in Indiana with a friend…
A couple of weeks after that overnight trip, I had hip surgery. I’ve been walking and doing exercises and it’s healing. I also got my booster shot in November.
In December, I drove 1 ½ hrs. to Richmond, Indiana to see a friend and spend the night. We went to the Warm Glow Candle Factory.
I took a solo day trip (2 hrs.) to Columbus to the Franklin Park Conservatory. It was lovely. They had Chihuly glass art mixed in with flowers and the architecture.
While I was in Columbus, I went to a place called Otherworld. It has over 40 rooms filled with lights and interesting displays.
I also spent two nights in the Ozarks in Missouri with a friend. It was a long drive – 8 ½ hrs. each way. We hiked at Ha Ha Tonka State Park (odd name) and had lunch at J.B. Hooks Restaurant, which had a fantastic view and the food was pretty good.
I celebrated Christmas with my brother and sister-in-law, as usual. New Year’s Eve was spent alone, grieving for my son. That’s his birthday. I’m hoping this coming year will be less lonely for me. I’ve planned a month long trip to Oahu in late January/February and a 3 month trip to 5 European countries in the Spring.
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…
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.
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…
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.
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.
The Lux Express bus ride equipped with wifi and restroom from Riga, Latvia to Vilnius takes four hours. Upon arrival in Vilnius, we walked 15 minutes to our spacious and bright Airbnb, with three bedrooms, and two bathrooms.
We followed our established routine, going out to a local Supermarket to stock up for the three night stay, and then hit the pavement!
Our four mile walk included a stroll through beautiful Bernardine Park.
I love capturing emotion…a mother’s love for her infant…and color!
We also briefly explored the area called Uzupis, similar to Christiana in Denmark…The self-proclaimed “Republic” of Užupis is Vilnius’ Bohemian and artistic district. It has its own anthem, constitution, president, bishop, two churches, and the Bernadine Cemetery.
Riga, Latvia’s architecture is lovely! Much of it is the Art Nouveau style. I love the variety of shapes, colors, and styles…
The view of the Daugava River and Old Town is spectacular from the top of St. Peter’s Church!
I could see the street where our over 100-year-old Airbnb was located…on the left side!
On Midsummer Day, June 24th, we boarded a Lux Express bus at 8:30am from Tallinn, Estonia and arrived 4 1/2 hrs. later in Riga, Latvia. The bus was equipped with wifi and a restroom, and was quite comfy. Upon arrival, we walked 15 minutes to our Airbnb, which was located right in the heart of Old Town. Actually, a little too close for comfort. Music from a nearby restaurant/bar disturbed my sleep at night. When you’re searching for an Airbnb that has everything you’re looking for: location, space, amenities — sometimes it’s difficult to have a clear picture of what you’re getting.
After settling in, off to the Supermarket we went. With only 2 1/2 days to explore Riga, there was much ground to cover.
Riga’s Old Town was filled with restaurants and cafes!
The Pilsetas Kanal is quite lovely…
Wandering through the Central Market we discovered fragrant flowers…
and heaps of fresh fruits and vegetables…
We arrived to Tallinn, Estonia’s harbor after a 2 hour ferry ride from Helsinki on June 21st and took a taxi to our Airbnb. The taxi ride was quite odd because initially the taxi driver said he knew where the address was (which was only about 1.5 miles from the harbor), but then drove past it and when we spoke up and said we think he passed it, he assured us he was on the right path. A few minutes later, he realized his mistake and took us back to the Airbnb. I told him I wasn’t paying any extra for his mistake and he didn’t try to cheat me.
There was also a mix-up with the Airbnb host, but she eventually arrived and gave us a partial ride to a grocery store located 15 minutes walk from the lodging. The Airbnb was in a great location, within walking distance of Old Town. We were spending three nights here, so after returning from the grocery, we explored Old Town Tallinn and its amazing architecture!
According to Wikipedia: Estonia was founded in 1248 but the earliest human settlements date back to 3000 years BC, making it one of the oldest capital cities of northern Europe. Often dubbed as the Silicon Valley of Europe, it has the highest number of startups per person in Europe and is a birthplace of many international companies including Skype. In 2011, the city was a European Capital of Culture.
Some of these photos were taken the following morning when I went out exploring on my own…
On June 14th, my birthday, Jing and I left our Airbnb in Sibiu, Romania at 4:45am to walk 1/3 of a mile to the train station to catch our 5:25am train bound for Bucharest. It was a six hour train ride and we met a nice Romanian man that upon learning it was my birthday, gave me a sealed bag of coffee and helped me with my luggage when we arrived in Bucharest. He also negotiated with the taxi drivers to find the best rate to take us to the airport for our flight to Helsinki. We encountered many rude people in service oriented jobs while in Romania, but like anywhere, there are people like him that make up for it!
Our flight left at 3:00pm (15:00) and arrived at 7:40pm (19:40) in Helsinki. We then took a 40 minute bus into central Helsinki, and walked 15 minutes to our beautiful Airbnb, arriving after 9:00pm (21:00). The apartment is owned by a very special lady named Pirkko, who was there to welcome us. Here is the living room…
The dining room…
and the kitchen where Jing was making us something to eat for dinner later the next day…
This Airbnb was by far the best-stocked place I’ve stayed at and Pirkko is such a sweet and generous person! She knew ahead of time it was my birthday and had prepared a delicious cake for me and had a bottle of champagne. She also let us use her bicycles while we were there and took us to the harbor three days later when we left by overnight ship for St. Petersburg, Russia. Hugs to Pirkko!
Anyway, the following day, Jing and I set off on the bicycles to explore Helsinki…
This statue is hilarious!
Arriving to Brasov, Romania via train in the afternoon after exploring the breathtaking Peles Castle, we checked into our Airbnb located conveniently in the Old Town, and walked to the Supermarket. With only 1 1/2 days to explore, we were anxious to get started.
The main square called Piata Sfatului, is full of life and beauty! The large dark brown building in the background is called the Black Church and is over 500 years old.
Children and birds are wonderful subjects to photograph!
The fountain at the square seems somewhat modern, but contrasts nicely with the historical architecture surrounding it.
I felt like I was dropped in a photographer’s paradise!
I had originally planned to go to the US National Arboretum, our last day in Washington, D.C., but after a relative told us not to miss the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, I changed our plans. After a leisurely morning at our Airbnb, we hopped on a Capital Bikeshare bicycle to explore the Museum.
But first I have to share a photograph from the Sculpture Garden of the National Gallery of Art. This tree is entitled, “Graft”. My husband waited on a park bench while I wandered through the Garden. At 45 feet high by 45 feet wide and weighing 16,000 pounds, this piece by American sculptor Roxy Paine is marvelous!
According to Earl A. Powell III, director of the National Gallery of Art–“Graft presents two fictive but distinct species of trees—one gnarled, twisting, and irregular, the other smooth, elegant, and rhythmic—joined to the same trunk. Among its rich associations, this sculpture evokes the persistent human desire to alter and recombine elements of nature, as well as the ever-present tension between order and chaos.”
A friendly squirrel, looking for food, stood still long enough for me to snap his portrait…
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…
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…
Sherry Lachelle Travels 