Old Town vs. New Town in Prague

The Astronomical Clock in the center of Old Town Square is on the tourist’s “must do” list, so we did it.  There were twelve of us traveling through Eastern Europe for 11 days.  Shifting from one leg to the other to take pressure off of my back, it was hard to believe I was finally there.  When the figures finally did their thing (I forget now what they did because I watched a clock in Munich also), it was a bit anti-climatic.  I was more interested in taking photographs of the amazing architecture and people!

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I loved watching the giant bubble maker making his bubbles and children trying to pop them!

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A couple of us climbed to the top of the Powder Gate for a fantastic view of Prague…

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A Day Late to Prague

I couldn’t believe my ears when I arrived to the Delta Airlines check-in desk at the Cincinnati airport and the Reservations Clerk said, in a cavalier tone, “Your flight to Newark, NJ has been cancelled due to weather.  Come back in the morning for the next flight.”  I explained I was leading a group of people through Europe and it was very important to arrive as soon as possible.  After checking some other options, he explained that was my only option.  My husband drove the 50 minutes back to the airport to pick me up and in the morning made the third trip to the airport to drop me off.  I’ve always liked Airports.  The anticipation of going somewhere new, the people watching, and even the photo ops.  Who knew restrooms can look “artsy”.

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On my overnight flight from Newark to Amsterdam, I was seated between two men traveling together.  I intended to get as much sleep as I could, but they were so funny and interesting, we talked and laughed for more than half of the flight!  I had arranged for an airport shuttle to pick up the 12 travelers in my group.  They arrived at various times, so there were a number of trips.  After notifying one of the travelers of my late arrival, they decided to wait the extra two hours for me to take them on Day 1’s list of activities:  Taking Tram 22 to the Prague Castle Complex, which includes St. Vitus Cathedral, the Powder Tower, Rosenberg Palace, and the Old Royal Palace; strolling down from the Castle area on Nerudova Street across the famous Charles Bridge.

After checking into the hotel and taking five minutes to freshen up, I joined the group in the lobby for the day’s activities.  The first photo I took in Prague was while we were waiting to hop on Tram 22.  When I requested permission to take this woman’s photo, she asked “why” with a puzzled look.  I responded, “Because I like your pants and your dog”.

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So, now we’ve arrived at the top of the hill where the Prague Castle Complex is situated, including St. Vitus Cathedral.

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European Vacation: 9 Countries, 10 Cities, 27 Days, 12,500 miles

Having just returned a few days ago from my month-long European Vacation, I’d like to share a photo from each of the ten Cities I traveled through.  I’ll be going more in-depth in future posts about my experience of taking a group of travelers through Europe, my feelings and thoughts, challenges and delights!  The photos are in order of Cities visited…

Here’s most of the group (a couple of people’s flights were delayed or missed) (for the Eastern Europe portion) in front of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague.

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Within the Hofburg Palace Complex – Vienna, Austria

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Photo Shoots for iSPYCINCY

I love my work!  How many people can say that?  It took me a while to get here and it’s not just one job.  Not only am I a freelance photographer, I’m also helping an elderly couple (around 90 years old) organize and declutter their retirement village condo, and am taking people on trips to Europe!  I work with the husband, mostly on paperwork, because the wife has a touch of Alzheimer and is physically limited walking very slowly with a walker.  I’m finding this line of work very rewarding because I’m able to remain patient and let him make decisions about his things.  I offer suggestions.  I didn’t realize how patient I can be.

Anyway, last night I took photos for an event called Revel & Feast held at Memorial Hall in Cincinnati.  It’s was a celebration marking Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s 20th anniversary season.  My assignment was to take around 25 posed shots of people along with their names, and another 25 shots of the awards, a performance by teenagers, and some of the area where dinner was to be served.

The light glowing in the background really accentuated these beverages…

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The venue is gorgeous!

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There’s a place called Neon’s in an area of Cincinnati called Over-the-Rhine and I did a photo shoot for iSPYCINCY a couple of weeks ago.  They have a brunch on Sundays and an outdoor seating area.  Dogs and their owners were out soaking up the sun and enjoying the yummy food!

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Europe for a Month

You haven’t heard from me for a while because I’ve been busy planning the European trip I mentioned in a past post.  In the other post, I gave you information about the first adventure taking trains from Prague–Vienna–BratislavaBudapest and it occurred to me that I could stay in Europe longer and offer a second trip to another group.  I have purchased train tickets to travel from Budapest to Munich for a few days, then an overnight train to Amsterdam for a few days.  I’ll be staying in an Airbnb in both locations.  Next, I fly from Amsterdam to Copenhagen where I’ll meet the other group for an unforgettable Scandinavian adventure!

We’ll head to Stockholm, Sweden for a few days, then to Oslo, Norway, and finally take the scenic train and boat cruise of the fjords in Norway to Bergen, where we’ll fly home.  There will only be four of us for the second portion.  I’m so excited!!

My three passions in life are photography, travel, and organizing/minimizing and all of my dreams are coming true!  I just helped an elderly couple yesterday with organizing their retirement village home and will be spending a lot more time with them.  And…my photography assignments have been coming along.  I’m still working with iSPYCINCY and have an upcoming assignment Sunday.  I answered a Craigslist ad for a Merchandise photo shoot.  My husband went with me because I was going to the man’s apartment in a new area of Cincinnati called “The Banks”.  He’s starting a business selling picture frames and wanted some lifestyle photographs of them.  Here are a few of them:

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Let’s go to Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest!

Planning a trip for yourself is one thing, but when you’re planning for a group of 12, the importance of a solid travel itinerary is essential!   I’ve spent over 100 hours planning an 11 night trip for May of this year to Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest, traveling from City to City via train.  I’m so excited!  I’ve longed to visit Eastern Europe and am giving a presentation to my travel meetup group next week, to see who would like to join me!  After checking how much other travel companies charge for a very similar trip, my group will be very pleased to discover how economical it will be…at almost half the cost.  I plan on staying an extra week to travel to Berlin and Amsterdam and hopefully Couchsurf!

With the weather so cold, its been the perfect time to get all of this planning finished!  I took these photos the other morning…

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You can barely see the sun peeking through the pine trees here…

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I’ll post the itinerary for everyone when we get closer! xoxoxo

 

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Who Needs Italy when you can make your own Limoncello!

Seriously…who doesn’t like Limoncello?  I tried it for the first time in 2010 when I visited a variety of Cities in Italy and fell in love.  It’s sweet, lemony and delicious!  It’s so easy to make your own…why didn’t I do this years ago!

Here’s the finished product.  It lasts for a year or two, so no need to drink it fast.  And I can always give them as gifts!

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Here’s the recipe…take 7 large lemons…organic is better and a liter (about 4 1/4 cups) of vodka.  I used Sveda Vodka.  It’s good quality and reasonably priced.

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Take a vegetable peeler and peel the zest.  Be careful not to  peel too deeply because you don’t want the bitter white pith of the lemon skin.  Add the zest to the alcohol, cover with plastic wrap, and place somewhere cool for a week.

On Day 6, make a simple syrup with 5 cups of water and 3 cups of sugar.  Boil the water and add the sugar to the boiling water.  Stir the sugar until it is fully dissolved in the water and then let it cool over night.

On Day 7, strain the lemon peels from the alcohol,  pour the alcohol into the simple syrup and stir well.

Serve chilled, from the refrigerator or freezer.

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How easy is that!

 

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2013 in Review

Looking back at everything I’ve done in the past year, makes me realize how lucky I am.  My year has been filled with lots of life!

Exercise always plays a big part.  Not only hiking…

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Travel Spirit Meetup Group

I’ve just began my own Meetup group called Travel Spirit Meetup Group.  If you’d like to take a look…here’s the link!  I’m very excited to begin organizing meetups to travel together and to share our tips and travel stories!  It doesn’t matter where you live…if you join, you could still meetup with us somewhere!

Here’s a photograph from Lake Malawi, Africa…

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I’m working on another Powerpoint presentation…from my 40 day trip through six countries in Africa.  It will have to be split into two presentations because I have over 200 photographs and an hour isn’t long enough to share 40 days of adventure!

 

 

I did it!

Last night I gave an hour-long presentation on a trip I took to Egypt and Jordan back in 2009, to a Travel Meetup club I belong to!  Although I was a member of Toastmasters for a while and gave a few five-minute speeches, this was a great accomplishment for me.  I wasn’t that nervous and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  It probably helped that there were only 9 people there…but for me it was a great feeling!  My Powerpoint presentation had 120 photographs that were shot with a point and shoot, but I recently bought Lightroom 5, so I doctored them up some.  Now I can’t wait to give presentations on my other epic trips…Peru…SE Asia…and Africa!

To avoid the worst of traffic, I left my house early to drive to Covington, Kentucky, where the event was held, so I had some extra time and decided to practice my photography.  These two photographs are of the Cincinnati skyline at sunset.

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Here I am in the venue before the presentation.  I love the architectural elements of the building…the high ceilings, beautiful woodwork, and large windows.

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When you face your fears, anything is possible!

 

Autumn has arrived at Indiana’s oldest and largest winery…Oliver Winery

Oliver Winery in Bloomington, Indiana has stunning scenery…stone landscaping, sculptures, beautiful flowers, and tranquil seating areas.  For my annual girls’ weekend this year, five of us visited the winery this past Saturday.  It’s one of eight wineries on the Indiana Uplands Wine Trail.  The day before, a few of us went to the Butler Winery, which is also on the Indiana Uplands Wine Trail, and really enjoyed our time there.  They are very different from each other.  Butler Winery is much smaller, has a more homey feel and natural beauty, and only a handful of people were there.  As you’ll see from these photos…Oliver Winery was very crowded, but beautiful!

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Dee is taking our photo here…

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Hiking the Rock Shelter Loop Trail

I love hiking and so do my girlfriends, so on our recent girls’ weekend, we went hiking on the Rock Shelter Loop Trail in Morgan Monroe State Forest, Indiana.  I had researched hiking trails in the area, and this trail seemed to be a good choice.  The trail was only supposed to be 20 minutes away from our Vacation Rental by Owner (VRBO), but getting lost on those back country roads made it seem much farther.  We couldn’t find the trail head once we were in the State Forest, but luckily I had the phone number for Morgan Monroe State Forest with me, so we called its location.  We weren’t going crazy…there was no sign for it.  The large sign said Low Gap Trail and then once you park and start that trail, there is a small sign (see below) indicating that the Rock Shelter Loop Trail is part of that trail.

Anyway, it was supposed to be a three-mile hike, but ended up being four miles.  I took a photograph of this leaf that was on a slick rocky portion of the trail.  The sunlight was illuminating it…

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Girls Gone Wild

OK…so we’re not really girls anymore…more like ladies…but we did get a little wild!  Here are some photos from the 24 hours we spent together (excluding sleeping time).

Dee (the Chiropractor…the 2nd photo down on the right) gave us a partial Pilates class Saturday morning, so Cindy put on an outfit she had bought recently that makes her look like I Dream of Jeannie.

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I can’t divulge what story Gina (in the middle) was telling us, but it was obviously very funny!  Cindy (on the left) was also a bit appalled!

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Hiking at Elm House

For my annual girls’ weekend, I found a Vacation Rental by Owner in Bloomington, Indiana (aka Elm House) that had everything we were looking for—a home located on 100 acres with hiking trails, three bedrooms for five of us, two bathrooms (a must), a hot tub, and two wineries located within five miles!  If you read yesterday’s post, you’ll recall our first stop was a winery located five minutes from the property.  From there we found the house, unpacked the car and took a quick tour of the house.   Elm House has three short maintained hiking trails on the grounds, so we laced our hiking boots and headed for the longest trail…a one-miler.  There were only three of us at this point.  Two of the ladies weren’t arriving until around 6:00pm.

Here’s a beautiful view from the house looking down at the sawmill that is located on the property.

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Lunch in Golden, Colorado

The little town of Golden,  Colorado is situated less than 30 minutes drive from Denver.  My friend and I stopped there for a late lunch/early dinner after hiking up to St. Mary’s Glacier.  We were headed to see The Local Natives and The National Bands at Red Rock Amphitheater.  After walking a few blocks through town and taking some photographs…we stopped at The Bridgewater Grill for our meal.  We were seated on the outside patio with a view of the small river/large creek.  It’s attached to the Golden Hotel.  The food was good…I would recommend it.

This statue of a man fly fishing is cool.  At first I thought he had a bull whip…

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The sign as you enter town, “Howdy Folks, Welcome to Golden, Where the West lives” is a nice touch!

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