Saturday, June 26, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Dum Dum Da-Dum! (Part One)
Okay, let me start by saying this. I am not a wedding photographer. I'm pretty sure I don't want to be a wedding photographer. But I had the opportunity this weekend to capture memories for my brother-in-law and new sister-in-law as they started their new life together, and I'll tell you secret (it was fun!) I'm certain they had more faith in my abilities than I did but I had a great time pretending to be a wedding photographer for the weekend!
Jason and Cathy, thank you for trusting me with your memories. Your wedding was beautiful and I am so glad I got to be a part of it (and Adam and Max did too!) I hope you love your pictures! We love you!
Jason and Cathy, thank you for trusting me with your memories. Your wedding was beautiful and I am so glad I got to be a part of it (and Adam and Max did too!) I hope you love your pictures! We love you!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Celebrating Teens
It's all about teens over at I Heart Faces this week, and I just love this picture of Jennifer. I don't remember what we were laughing about now but I love that I was able to capture a 100% genuine, totally uninhibited laugh. It is so Jennifer.
Check out more amazing teens over at I Heart Faces!
Check out more amazing teens over at I Heart Faces!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
I Heart Faces Babies Entry
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Part Three
Our last two ports were Tallinn, Estonia and Saint Petersburg, Russia. I am going to try to squeeze them both into one post although they made up two full days of touring. We really did not know what to expect going into Tallinn. I knew Estonia had been part of the Soviet Union but really did not know much about it otherwise. Turns out the country has a very compelling history. It has been occupied by numerous countries, not just Russia, but through it all it has managed to maintain its own language and preserve its historic buildings and culture. This is a pretty amazing feat given that the country only has about 1 million inhabitants!
Tallinn's claim to fame is its incredibly preserved medieval town. Truly, looking at the city from afar you would think you are stepping into a fairy tale world, complete with towers and castles and more. We started out by touring the town and then took a bus ride out to the Ameliemborg Palace, which was built by Peter the Great as a summer home for the Russian czars. After touring the palace we rode back into town and had about two hours to kill to see what we could see. For some reason it seemed like a good idea to climb to the top of a church steeple (at one time it was the tallest building in the world!) to see the whole city from the sky. Since we came up with this crazy plan about 45 minutes before we had to be back on the ship, it was a very fast and very exhausting climb. Still, the views were worth it.
Our last port, but certainly the most anticipated, was Saint Petersburg. I had been there before but was thrilled to return and also to share it with Adam, Jim and Cindy. We arranged for a private tour guide to show us around the city. What a way to go! Our tour guide was absolutely amazing and had such enthusiasm for her city. As you will see, it was a very, very, very rainy day in Saint Petersburg. Remarkably, however, none of us melted.
Tallinn's claim to fame is its incredibly preserved medieval town. Truly, looking at the city from afar you would think you are stepping into a fairy tale world, complete with towers and castles and more. We started out by touring the town and then took a bus ride out to the Ameliemborg Palace, which was built by Peter the Great as a summer home for the Russian czars. After touring the palace we rode back into town and had about two hours to kill to see what we could see. For some reason it seemed like a good idea to climb to the top of a church steeple (at one time it was the tallest building in the world!) to see the whole city from the sky. Since we came up with this crazy plan about 45 minutes before we had to be back on the ship, it was a very fast and very exhausting climb. Still, the views were worth it.
By the way, this is what you look like after you climb to the top of a tower as fast as you can! Can you say "hot mess"?
Our last port, but certainly the most anticipated, was Saint Petersburg. I had been there before but was thrilled to return and also to share it with Adam, Jim and Cindy. We arranged for a private tour guide to show us around the city. What a way to go! Our tour guide was absolutely amazing and had such enthusiasm for her city. As you will see, it was a very, very, very rainy day in Saint Petersburg. Remarkably, however, none of us melted.
After a tour of the city, we stopped in at the Peter and Paul Fortress and visited the cathedral where the Russian monarchs are buried, including Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, and Nicolas II and his family.
Then we drove out to Peterhoff, the beautiful palace and gardens designed by (you guessed it) Peter the Great. Peterhoff is easily my favorite thing about Saint Petersburg, so I was disappointed that we were there in the pouring rain and could not meander the gardens as I would have liked, but even in the rain they are magnificent. While there we stopped for lunch at a cafe and enjoyed the most delicious Russian soup. Not borsch, it was a tomato-based meat soup. Yummo!
After taking the hydrofoil boat back to the city we had a wonderful (but exhausting) tour of the Hermitage. Our guide, Natalia, had so much enthusiasm for the art and the palace, and I can safely say we all learned something new about art that day! Of course, the buildings of the Hermitage are art in themselves. You could literally spend days there just wandering the rooms in awe.
That was almost the end of our day in Saint Petersburg. But not quite! After cleaning up on the ship, we headed back into town for a Russian folk show. I didn't get any pictures but trust me, it was very very cool!
And that ended our touring. After Saint Petersburg we had two days on the ship to relax while we cruised back to Oslo and then flew home. Our trip was absolutely amazing and I think the general consensus was that we did too many amazing things to pick a favorite. (Our 20 out of 20 victory at American TV Tune Trivia on the ship may take the cake, though) Still, we were so glad to get home and squeeze our Max. Wouldn't you be?
p.s. I am going to upload ALL of our pictures to shutterfly and will post the link once I do, in case anyone is interested in seeing more! Kudos if you've stuck with me this long!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Part Two!
For all the great things we did in Oslo, that was only the beginning of our trip! After three days in Oslo, we boarded the Vision of the Seas for a fantastic cruise through the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland. Along the way, we stopped in Copenhagen, Denmark, in Tallinn, Estonia, and in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Let me tell you, by the end of our touring we were exhausted and very grateful for two days at sea while we cruised back to Oslo.
Our first stop was Copenhagen, where we were lucky enough to have two dedicated tour guides show us their city. Adam's family hosted an exchange student from Denmark way back in the day and his parents generously showed us their city while we were there. Truly, there cannot be any better way to enter a new country than to be greeted with a warm hug from friends.
Our day in Copenhagen was wet but busy. We started on a hop on hop off bus to see some of the sights and ended up in the heart of town. While walking toward Rosenburg Castle, once the summer home of the Danish kings, we stopped in at the most beautiful church. Called the Church of Our Lady, it is somewhat plain from the outside, except the giant columns out front, but I absolutely fell in love with the interior. I am sure I will never see another Lutheran church quite like it.
After that we climbed the Round Tower, a (you guessed it) round tower built by Christian IV as a church and observatory. The special thing about this tower (other than the fact that it combines the church and science in one building!) is that it has almost no stairs. Instead, you reach the top of the tower via a continuous ramp. Apparently, when Peter the Great visited Denmark he ascended the ramp in a horse-drawn carriage!
We made it through the rain to Rosenburg Castle where each room is set up to reflect the art and decor during the reign of the successive Danish kings. Check out the two portraits. Believe it or not, that is actually one picture, just viewed from different sides. Like the world's first hologram! On the top floor of the castle is the thrown room with throwns protected by three silver lions. They were pretty fierce. Also at the castle is the Danish treasury where we got to peek at the crown jewels. The emerald necklace set was recently used as the inspiration for a dress for one of the Danish royals' birthday (or something like that). Not a bad way to pick out your clothes, if you ask me.
Believe it or not, our day was still not done! We had lunch in Tivoli Gardens (think Disney World Danish Edition), and there we saw the replica Little Mermaid. Unfortunately, the real deal is on loan in China right now. At the harbor where she normally sits there is a tv screen with a live feed to her sitting in China, but the replica in Tivoli is an exact replica made by the artist, so close enough I guess.
Our first stop was Copenhagen, where we were lucky enough to have two dedicated tour guides show us their city. Adam's family hosted an exchange student from Denmark way back in the day and his parents generously showed us their city while we were there. Truly, there cannot be any better way to enter a new country than to be greeted with a warm hug from friends.
Our day in Copenhagen was wet but busy. We started on a hop on hop off bus to see some of the sights and ended up in the heart of town. While walking toward Rosenburg Castle, once the summer home of the Danish kings, we stopped in at the most beautiful church. Called the Church of Our Lady, it is somewhat plain from the outside, except the giant columns out front, but I absolutely fell in love with the interior. I am sure I will never see another Lutheran church quite like it.
After that we climbed the Round Tower, a (you guessed it) round tower built by Christian IV as a church and observatory. The special thing about this tower (other than the fact that it combines the church and science in one building!) is that it has almost no stairs. Instead, you reach the top of the tower via a continuous ramp. Apparently, when Peter the Great visited Denmark he ascended the ramp in a horse-drawn carriage!
We made it through the rain to Rosenburg Castle where each room is set up to reflect the art and decor during the reign of the successive Danish kings. Check out the two portraits. Believe it or not, that is actually one picture, just viewed from different sides. Like the world's first hologram! On the top floor of the castle is the thrown room with throwns protected by three silver lions. They were pretty fierce. Also at the castle is the Danish treasury where we got to peek at the crown jewels. The emerald necklace set was recently used as the inspiration for a dress for one of the Danish royals' birthday (or something like that). Not a bad way to pick out your clothes, if you ask me.
Believe it or not, our day was still not done! We had lunch in Tivoli Gardens (think Disney World Danish Edition), and there we saw the replica Little Mermaid. Unfortunately, the real deal is on loan in China right now. At the harbor where she normally sits there is a tv screen with a live feed to her sitting in China, but the replica in Tivoli is an exact replica made by the artist, so close enough I guess.
We finished out the day with a quick trip to the royal palace. There are actually four palaces arranged in the corners of a square. The Queen lives in one and the Crown Prince in another. The third is used as a museum and the fourth is used for official functions. All in all, I'm thinking being Danish royalty is probably not too shabby.
After all that we made it back to the ship with (literally) only minutes to spare! What a day! Thank you Karen and Augh for such a fantastic tour of your city. You were spectacular guides! Please come visit us in Chicago, so we can return your generosity!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
