Cinque Terre

Au Natural

On this lovely northern Italian coastline, my traveling partner in crime and I during our five hour "must-see" hike along the Cinque Terre coastal path, stumbled upon an unusual sign. Painted on an old piece of driftwood it read "natural beach". Having never seen a beach indicated as such, naturally (no pun intended), we were intrigued. What followed was a dangerous descent and then...

There it was, in black and white, or in this case all shades of nude, the beach was full of natural beauty for sure, it’s visitors. Au natural, baring it all, celebrating in their birthday suits, skinny dipping, whatever term you choose, this was what constituted the beach be “natural”. With a tinge of shock stemming from our prudish American culture, we glanced back and up the treacherous incline we had fought with to get here and realized; there is no going back and threw caution to the wind, and accepted that when traveling leave no question unanswered because just one word can mean a world of difference.

New England, First Day of Fall

Being the first official day of Fall marks my favorite time of year. There is no better place to experience fall than in New England. The orchards are abundant with apples, the pumpkins in the patches are plentiful and the air is crisp and cool.

If you ever find yourself in New England from late September through October be sure to stop at a local farm for apple and pumpkin picking or hit up a road side farm stand for the Fall essentials, a butternut squash, a peck of apples, a few pumpkins and a hot apple cider. 

Whether you are passing through leaf peeping, or spending a weekend, my sinking suspicion is you may just fall in love with fall. 

Christianshavn

Copenhagen

Christianshavn

The quaintness of old European cities will never loose their charm with me. Strolling over the bridge and into Christianshavn in Copenhagen, the colors of the city are reflected in the row houses and boats, mixing with the waters of the canals and the fresh flowers being sold street-side. 

Here the shops are locally owned from little boutiques selling flowers and clothes to jewelry makers, each opens their door to all who bicycle past. Located in the heart of all this charm is an unusual and probably not all that common of a destination, Vor Frelser Kirke. 

Seen from all angles of the city is the churches spiral spire. With one chance glance, I noticed people high above walking along the golden curves. Curiosity quickly took us to the church where sure enough, you can climb the dark rickety passage-way of stairs to a platform that offers a sweeping view of the city. Just one small treasure of many that you will find in this delightful section of Copenhagen.

 

Moosehead Lake

Backwoods in Black and White

The quintessential family summer vacation checklist consists of a long arduous, complaint ridden drive that makes everyone just a little bit edgy. Somehow by the time the destination is within sight, all those painful hours of uncomfortably sifting in your seat drift away. In this case, those hours were whisked away when the sun started beating down, the water crashed against the side of the boat and finally when the smooth rocks met the soles of my feet and the lake water laped at the shore. 

We had reached Moosehead Lake in northern Maine, where a pebbled beach hugs the curve of a cove and a small trail leads to a little cabin.

All gathered for a family celebration, we quickly forgot all the hustle and all the bustle of our lives and were able to enjoy all the elements that make a perfect camp weekend. Swimming in pristine water, check; campfire cooking, check; sweet s'mores, check; canoes and boats rides, check and check.

Maine

  

Summer Shadows

Often marking the end to the summer, Labor Day weekend is for many the last chance to lounge beach side, soak up the sun and take that one last trip. While the heat of the summer may linger for a few weeks, it is this long weekend that gives way to the fall spirit. We will trade popsicles for pumpkins, berry picking for apples and the beaches for the orchards. So with our days getting shorter and our shadows longer, enjoy this weekend.

The Porcelain Thrown, Barcelona

Bright and Breezy Barcelona

Guell Park

A while back I wrote a few articles about my travels to Europe for bakpakguide.com.

If you are trying to sum up Barcelona in one word, in a city as large and eclectic as this Spanish gem, it is possible: colorful. A warm ocean breeze sweeps across you and the Spanish sun beats down, making everything much more vibrant. To get an idea of how vivid and playful this city is, start by visiting the most famous street, Las Ramblas. This mecca for tourists stretches from the beautiful blue ocean to the heart of the city lined with a variety of shops, street artisans and most unique to Barcelona, street performers. These eccentric characters are a defining feature of the city. They line the pedestrian boulevard on each side ranging from fantastic magicians to a human butterfly that literally transforms right before your eyes. Every performer stakes his own spot, has his own costume, and has a way of luring you into watching his every move. Only in some cases, your inquisitive look is all-to-suddenly wiped right off your face as he jumps out of a box and scares you silly. Just so you don't think you've dreamed all this craziness, they too descend from their soapboxes and like any group of co-workers, take a lunch break. Check out the full article