Posts Tagged ‘travel’
Gold: going there
Gray: haven’t been there yet
Current Tally:
Continents: 4
Countries: 39
Cities: 400+
This year has seen the most dramatic expansion of our travel map so far, and we’ve finally put together a color coded map of all the places we’ve been. Along with this comes the much anticipated (and frequently requested) full travel list with a complete break down of all the countries and cities we’ve been to thus far. I was kind of shocked myself how many places are on that map when I was putting it all together, and super excited for the upcoming places we’re planning to travel to!
To see the FULL list and stats, with full details, CLICK HERE.
Day and night, Dubrovnik glitters and shines in every imaginable color. The marble glimmers as if continuously wet, polished by hundreds of years of history, and the city is always alive as tourists and locals mix, eating black ink risotto and gelato of every imaginable flavor. Here are some of our favorite moments.
Bergen is the gateway to Norway’s fjord country, and it’s also the second largest city in Norway. But unlike cosmopolitan Oslo with its glittering skyscrapers, Bergen manages to maintain a small-town vibe with its colorful old-style buildings and bustling seafront harbor.
I got up in the middle of the night and stepped out on the balcony. Balestrand was as dark as the sky was going to get for a summer night in Norway, with almost all of the light coming from the moon and the blue-tinged sky, rather than city lights. It was quiet and peaceful, perfect in fact.
Today I climbed a glacier!
Norway’s Nigardsbreen glacier in Jostedalen National Park to be exact. Yep, I actually strapped crampons to my hiking boots, grabbed a ice axe and harnessed myself to a team of fellow climbers before setting out to trek on the glacier, in rain none-the-less. It was a little more hard-core than I was prepared for, but was definitely an exhilarating experience! (Later on when I was thinking about the waiver I had to sign, it dawned on me that my travel insurance specifically excludes extreme sports. Their definition of extreme is pretty tame and includes kayaking and horseback riding, so this was definitely not covered. Good thing I didn’t think about that before the climb!)
Today’s scenery got even more spectacular as we headed up into the mountains and then back down a curvy road into fjord country. You should never come to Norway without visiting the fjords. I was spellbound by the scenery along the way. It went from woods dotted with red houses to barren mountain terrain filled with arctic mosses and chunks of compressed snow carved away where the road sliced through. Tendrils of turquoise streams snaked through the snow and ice.
Today’s route snaked further north taking us past more gorgeous countryside alongside a turquoise river. Lom is a small village filled with wood cabins at the foot of a mountain. A traditional wooden stave church anchors the town, and across from the church is Lom Bakery, giving off a heavenly scent of raisins, cinnamon and fresh baked bread. While waiting out the rain, I had a hot chocolate and a coconut-flake topped pastry with vanilla filling that had a slight hint of nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
The mile high city seems to have public art springing up on every corner these days. Check out some of these innovative works:
The Big Blue Bear
“I See What You Mean” by Lawrence Argent
(Corner of 14th Street and Stout Street)
At the Denver convention center a big blue bear sculpted in geometric angles towers 40 feet high against the convention center’s glass walls. Seeming to peer through the glass, this bear is a downtown icon. Made from composite materials, its form was extrapolated from 3D digital images then built from over 4,000 interlocking concrete and polymer triangles.
Located among the lapping waves and pelicans in Redondo Beach, California is one of South Bay’s best kept dining secrets. Lined with palm trees and overlooking a quiet stretch of the marina, Baleen, named for a type of whale, feels miles apart from the bustle of Los Angeles, but chic enough to be a major player on the restaurant scene.
These stunning photographs are the recent work of German photographer Hans Silvester. They feature the Surma and Mursi people of the Omo Valley in southern Ethiopia, and their unique body painting. Silvester has a book out, Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa, showcasing his tribal photography.
Read more about Hans Silvester
[ via dailymail.co.uk ]
