Europe

  • Europe,  France

    Napoleon Dynamite: Visiting Napoleon’s Tomb

    You could spend weeks in Paris and still leave not seeing everything so this time around I decided to visit some of the things I missed the last time around and they did not disappoint. The first thing I’d recommend is to go buy a Paris Museum Pass. If you plan on doing a lot of sight seeing during your visit it is worth twice what you will pay for it. The museum pass enables you to have access to sixty different museums and monuments. Not only do you have unlimited entry to places like the Louvre, Notre Dame, Arc de Truimph, but the best part of all is you…

  • Europe,  France

    Paris is always a good idea: A visit to the Rodin Museum

    Paris is Always A Good Idea ~ Audrey Hepburn Ahhh, such wise words Audrey.  Before heading down to Nice to meet up with friends and see the Tour de France, I decided to extend my trip and spend some time in Paris.  I’ve been to the city before and loved it so I was excited to be back.  My french a little rustier and now traveling by myself I was a little worried about getting lost and having a hard time getting around but once I got here all of my fears melted away like butter on a baguette.  Yum.  I took an overnight flight and arrived in the morning…

  • Europe,  Italy

    Easter in Italy: Spending Holy Week at the Vatican

    Holy Week in Italy Easter had me reminiscing about one of my most memorable religious experiences, Palm Sunday at the Vatican.  In 2011 three childhood friends and I set off to Italy and our vacation happened to fall around holy week, Settimana Santa.  Our two-week trip started in Rome then went on to Cinque Terre, Florence and ended in Venice. In Rome we stayed in a small apartment (lovingly nicknamed The Rabbit Hole) in the Piazza della Rotonda, right next to the Pantheon.  We had plans to go to the Vatican twice, once to take a tour of the city and then a second time just to attend Palm Sunday…

  • Europe,  Italy,  US,  Washington

    8 Great Photo Tips for Beginners (from a fellow neophyte)

    Disclaimer: I am in no way a professional photographer but I have had my moments. A good camera makes it easy, but it doesn’t work miracles. I learned a lot from a college photojournalism class and I’ve always wanted to be that “artsy friend” that takes her Nikon out on a quick shoot and comes back capturing beautiful moments. Maybe someday, but for now, I’m more like the friend that has a good eye and by the grace of god sometimes gets lucky. In some ways getting some advice from a novice is just as important as getting pearls of wisdom from a professional. I feel your pain in wanting…