Snapshot Sunday
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Snapshot Sunday: Cuban Market
Finding Gratitude at the Cuban Market I wrestle with the emotions surrounding seeing real struggles while abroad, like the embargo up close when I visited Cuba. The stores are fairly barren, nothing like our massive grocery stories in the US. Food is rationed for locals, the stores have empty spaces on dusty shelves. Here you’ll find a lot of canned goods or prepackaged items. Waiting in line to enter the store, checking your bag and having little choice, food felt more like a luxury than a necessity. There are some free market stores but they are more expensive and your average Cuban will have to shop for beans, rice, bread,…
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Snapshot Sunday: Norwegian Fjords
I’ve been a tad obsessed with my recent shots from my time in Norway this summer, but for good reason. Norwegian fjords and landscapes are so stunning I keep going back to my photos in disbelief. I knew what a fjord was visually, but I couldn’t have told you what the land mass was by definition, aside from some large mountains surrounding some small waterways.  Fjords are formed from glacial erosion, so being in a boat, looking up, stretching your neck to take in these massive rock formations was all the more impressive. Pictures don’t do the scene justice, the icy glaciers atop the mountains, the cascading waterfalls pouring into…
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Snapshot Sunday: Women of Vietnam
Girls run the world. If Beyoncé sang it than it must be true. I just returned from a phenomenal trip to Vietnam and while there I uncovered a country where women are the most hardworking people I’ve ever met. They have participated in revolutions and wars, they farm, row boats, run businesses and raise families all with a quiet strength and a smile. The ladies we encountered were the friendliest people who taught us their skills, shared with us their stories or welcomed us into their homes and I was truly inspired by not only their work ethic but overall happiness.
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Snapshot Sunday: Halong Bay Sunset
While in Vietnam, we had the opportunity to spend a few nights on a Junk (Asian sailing ship) leaving from Halong Bay and heading further out to the less visited Bai Tu Long Bay. I’m excited to get to share many more photos and the full experience soon but here is a little taste of the last few days on Dragon Legend Cruises.
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Snapshot Sunday: Flower Market of Bangkok
The powerful fragrance of the Jasmine flowers masks the scent wafting from the bustling streets that run along Pak Khlong Talat, Bangkok’s famous flower market. With a liveliness parallel to the rest of the city, the workers and passer-byes throng the heaps of flowers like swarms of pollinating bees. Because the venue is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week there is an amazing amount of quotidian activities surrounding the business exchanges around them. Even something as simple as playing a quick game of Makruk, or Thai chess can be an interesting event to observe and I find it’s markets like these that offer a fantastic glimpse into…
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Snapshot Sunday: Borneo Stilt Homes
I’m getting excited about my upcoming destination to Vietnam. In doing research and preparation for my trip, I keep finding similarities of Malaysian fishing villages when I spent time in Borneo, especially these stilt homes in Sabah. Simplistic design in impoverished communities, these families rely on the water running below their floorboards for their livelihood. I’m looking forward to learn and experience first hand about Vietnamese life on the water.
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Snapshot Sunday: Prague Old Town
Sunny days are wonderful. Sunny days in Prague are just plain perfection. Old town had quickly become one of my favorite cities in Europe, the architecture is stunning and it’s a great place to walk through exploring all of the little side streets. On a day like this, the colors just pop and it’s nearly impossible not to make your day brighter.
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Snapshot Sunday: Streets of Lisbon Portugal
I love people watching, it is my main hobby when in a city and Lisbon, Portugal is a wonderful place for it. There is nothing better than being in town, sitting at a cafe, enjoying a drink or a meal and watching passersby. I often craft stories in my mind about where people are going, what they are doing or thoughts of who these fictional characters might be. I spotted this sweet little old man buying flowers at a shop next to where I was having breakfast and I envisioned him heading home, bringing the bouquet as a surprise for his wife who was cooking them a Sunday dinner. I…
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Snapshot Sunday: Ballooning over Cappadocia, Turkey
Something I had the opportunity to experience for the first, second AND third time this year was waking up early, climbing into a wicker basket and suspending myself over some breathtaking landscapes in Myanmar, then Spain and Turkey. Cappadocia has rock formations unlike anywhere else and the best way to take in this unique scenery is for sure by air. Bouncing slowly over these “fairy chimneys” with dozens of other balloons in the distance was the highlight of my time in Turkey and I recommend you add it to the “list”.
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Snapshot Sunday: Rainy day in Berlin
It was a damp, dreary day here in Berlin, we have been lucky with Mother Nature recently and have had very few days without sunshine. Watching the children having fun on this cloudy afternoon I’m quickly reminded not to let the gray day stop you from looking up and chasing the bubbles.