I arrived in Portugal with a lot of expectations… my mind ran wild with anticipation of sandstone coastal cliffs awaiting my encounter. The streets would be narrow and winding, with hills steeper than San Francisco. Restaurant tables spilling precariously into cobblestone streets, with port wine …
Why I’m Glad My Flight was Cancelled
The more I think about it, I really can’t overstate how lucky it was that my European flight was cancelled. When You Find Out Your Flight is Cancelled My boyfriend and I had been on a month-long European exploration, and were set to return home from Portugal …
8 Places in Iceland that are a Photographer’s Dream
I recently road-tripped around Iceland for about a week, and it was unlike anything else I’ve ever done. It’s hard to believe until you see it for yourself, but as you drive down the highway in Iceland, literally everywhere you look there is a new …
The Swiss Alps: A Day at The Matterhorn
It began with a cloudy afternoon, months back, spent flipping through European vacation guide books in Barns & Noble… One particular photo caught our eye: the isolated, striking rocky pyramid rising through the sky that is The Matterhorn. Even just the name is enough to …
Top 4 Things To Do at the Finger Lakes
Oddly enough, the first time I heard of the Finger Lakes was in high school watching an SNL skit – The Lawrence Welk Show, starring Kristen Wiig (you can watch one of the skits here… random, I know). That video certainly didn’t teach me much about …
Balancing Work & Play
I joined the corporate workforce full-time a year after college. I was working about 45 hours/week with an hour commute every day, as an environmental consultant. As I had neared the end of college and felt pressure set in to choose a livelihood, I had …
Feeling Inspired by Lady Liberty
I recently found myself in Jersey City with a free afternoon, driving by signs for Liberty State Park. The New York skyline had me feeling inspired, as it dawned on me that this would be the perfect opportunity to visit the Statue of Liberty… Having …
Why the Franconia Ridge Holds a Special Place in My Heart
A Downfall of Social Media I know you’ll know what I mean when I say that social media can be a bit unrealistic. Only a bit, of course. We’ve all seen a million places on Instagram and blogs that we are dying to visit. And …
39 Things that Go Through Your Head When You Go Hiking & Camping in the Winter
I can’t be the only one counting down the days until warm weather… in my opinion, life seems to begin again with each springtime. The thing I look forward to most is making the shift from hanging with the TV and heater to spending as …
Local Spanish Wine, Straight from the Cellar
El Camino de Santiago I mentioned before (here and here) that I spent time hiking El Camino de Santiago. It was a truly incredible journey, and I think almost anyone stands to gain immensely from making this trek. Young, old, religious, nonreligious, seasoned hiker, or …