A M A L F I C O A S T

After heading to Cinque Terre last year, I knew that I wanted to come back to the Italian coast and see the other comparable, the Amalfi Coast. To get here, it took a three hour train ride from Florence to Naples (approximately 68 Euros). Once I arrived in Naples, it was another 1.5 hour train ride to Sorrento... then... another hour bus ride into Positano where I was staying for the next 5 nights. Haha. The long journey was well worth it. The views of Positano are famous and you could see why. The only thing is... you feel like you're risking your life being on the bus driving along those winding roads along the cliff of the mountain. The roads were so narrow and there were so many blind turns it could make your stomach rise each time the you approached the next corner. The bus drivers definitely earned their keep though, you could tell that they knew what they were doing (or were just plain lucky) as there were several times where they were maybe 5cm's or less away from the approaching car/bus's side mirrors or the boulders on the other side. Anyway, I made it there so I guess they knew what they were doing! On a side note, sometimes life can be peculiar. You start to realize things as you go on, whether it be through your daily life at home or on a journey in a foreign place, it really makes you reflect; reflect on what is important to you; on the values and characteristics of those you want to keep around you. Sometimes, they help you to realize the type of people you want to surround yourself with and those that you don't. But perhaps that isn't a bad realization at all. P O S I T A N O Positano is the place I based myself out of during this trip. It is a small town but it closely resembled some of the villages that I saw from Cinque Terre. The town itself is perched on the cliffside. When you look at the buildings from afar, the colors are a mixture of different shades of yellow and orange. Truly a sight you want to see for yourself if you haven't already. A beach sits at the bottom of the town and all along the beach front are restaurants (although a bit on the pricey side because it is a tourist trap) where people sit and enjoy great seafood and have a few drinks while enjoying the view. Easily my favorite town along the Amalfi. C A P R I An island just off the Amalfi, Capri is quite famous. From Positano, you could take a boat tour around the island for the day. Being on a boat, in the Mediterranean, in the sun? Sounds good to me! There are several tours you could take from Positano, Sorrento, or the Amalfi. The tour around the island was relaxing but hot... very hot. If you haven't done it before, you could go into the famous blue grotto here for about 12-15 Euros. It is a tiny cave that glows blue as a result of the sun hitting the sand under the water. It is neat but once you've done it once, I don't think you will feel the urge to do it again. Once on Capri, I noticed right away how touristy this place was. Absolutely tiny, the town center would take no more than 1-2 hours to walk through. Except it was jam packed with people! One thing you could do to get away from the crowds though was to hop on a taxi or a bus and head on up to Anacapri. A separate city center, you could then take the gondola (or individual swing seat) all the way up to the top of the island. From there, you can take in the view of the entire island. A M A L F I Amalfi is its own small town to the east of Positano. About a 40 minute bus ride away, this town is also very touristy but definitely a lot more lively and "authentically Italian" than Capri (at least to me). Situated in the Amalfi is a very impressive Duomo. Probably the most impressive cathedral I had seen since my time in Siena or Florence. I didn't spend much time in this place though... maybe 3 hours? Then it was off to Ravello! R A V E L L O Situated at the top of the mountain above Amalfi, Ravello is a very small town. Walking through the town, it seemed like there were a few highlights. What seems to be a very musical town, there were several ads for the Ravello music festival that takes place annually here. Unfortunately I missed it by just a few days! Would have loved to take in a concert here. Definitely worth the visit, you could spend about half a day in Ravello and the other half in Amalfi and you would have a very productive day. F O O D The food in the Amalfi was a startling change from Tuscany. Being right by the Mediterranean, the food was very seafood-centric. Pastas filled with clams, mussels, monk fish and other daily catches were commonly on the menu here. The only catch? The food here is also much more expensive than that of Tuscany. For instance, a glass of red would cost between 1.5-4 Euros in Tuscany. But on the first night in the Amalfi, I had a glass that was 12 Euros. Now I wasn't given much choice so I didn't just choose to drink the more expensive glass. Anyway, the food was decent here! I appreciate fresh, great tasting food wherever I go, so I thoroughly enjoyed my food adventures here. But what was with the definition of al dente here? It tasted undercooked every time! A C C O M M O D A T I O N S During my stay in the Amalfi Coast, I based myself out of Positano. It wasn't the most central of locations (ie. Sorrento) but it being the most beautiful of the towns in the area, it was worth it. I stayed at Holiday House Gilda in a private apartment with a huge balcony and an ocean view. Not only was it an ocean view, it was one with a view of the town of Positano during sunset. This place was beautiful as it sounds. The owners of this Holiday house were some of the most genuinely friendly people that I have ever met. Gilda and her husband did not speak very much English at all but they always met me with a smile on their face and always spoke so happily in Italian. Just by themselves, they made the stay worth it. The only thing? It was approximately 20 minutes outside of town. O V E R A L L Well, the Amalfi was certainly a different area than Tuscany. This place closely resembles the Cinque Terre but there was one distinct difference. It was far more compact and dense with tourists here. The views of the Mediterranean were spectacular and the seafood was second to none, but which would I choose between Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast? Most definitely Cinque Terre. I'm glad I had a chance to visit it for the first time on this trip though!

X 1 0 0 S

Welcoming an addition to our camera family, the Fujifilm X100S! This was a present to J so that we can snap pictures together when we are travelling in the near future. Besides, my heavy 5D Mark II and my lenses aren't for everyone. The camera looks gorgeous and it performs well too. It wasn't the easiest to get used to as the autofocus is no where near as quick as a DSLR but the quality and sharpness could put any SLR to shame.

Convinced? I am. But it's going to take some getting used to. I'm not used to using a camera that is so light ;) In all honesty, it is a great looking machine that performs impressively well in almost all conditions. Below is an example of what this camera outputs at 3200 ISO.



Not bad right? Well I think this camera has us convinced that it will stick with us as J's staple travel camera! Now it is time to find a good leather case... so many to choose from!

W H I T E H O R S E

It's been quiet here lately. A little too quiet. This past busy season at work was a little treacherous as a first year manager so there hasn't been very much time to blog or sneak away to take pictures. The one time that I've found some quiet is now - in Whitehorse, Yukon of all places. No, this was not my choice for vacation. I am here two weeks but I am finally at the tail end of it. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad but it was a little secluded. We were in a cabin in a town called Teslin which only had a population of 120 people! No internet, no cell phone reception. The daylight lasted from 5am - 11pm. Enough said? Time for some pictures instead then.

There wasn't too much to photograph outdoors with my 35mm f1.4 (it was surprisingly very dry... and there was still a lot of ice everywhere) so you're left with this.

F L O R E N C E

Well, it's about time to move some of the travel posts from my old blog to this one so here it goes! I have always thought that I would love Italy for numerous reasons such as passion for good food, good wine, great culture, and amazing landscapes. Having said that, I have only been to Rome, Pisa, and Cinque Terre. That was enough to give me enough motivation to head on over there again though and Florence was at the very top of my list. I have had several friends say that their favorite Italian city to visit was Florence. With such glowing reviews, it was hard not to be excited about going here. They were not wrong, the City was gorgeous to photograph and amazing to walk through. Such dedication to the arts and religion, it was unlike any other city in the world that I have visited to date. Just an FYI though, for those people flying in from London, it should be cheaper to fly to Pisa and then take a train to Florence. It might take a little while longer but it will save you close to 30-50% of the cost of a direct flight! M U S T S E E ‘ S There are a number of museo’s and galleries in Florence that are well worth seeing. I am the type that enjoys visiting the museums but in moderation. Being a wannabe photographer, I enjoy walking the streets and taking it in first hand. However, galleries and museums such as the Uffizi Gallery (houses the original “Birth of Venus” as well as an abundance of religious paintings and sculptures), the Museo dell’ Opera (includes the original “Gates of Paradise” as well as a smaller collection of sculptures and blue prints for the Duomo and associated cathedral), and the Galleria dell’ Accademia (hosts the original “David”) are all worth seeing. For the Uffizi Gallery and the Galleria dell’ Accademia however, you should strongly consider booking tickets online as the queues could take upwards of an hour otherwise. In terms of other attractions to look at, the Duomo and its associated Piazza are definitely one of the highlights to look at. The Duomo is considered one of Italy’s most prominent architectural and religiously meaningful structures and one can easily see why when they see it in person. The scale is incredible! Be sure to climb up to the top to get a great view of the city. While you are there you should visit the Baptistery and the Giotto’s Bell Tower (you can also climb to the top of this tower to get an overtop view of the City) since it is in the same piazza. Now, most of the attractions mentioned above the river Arno, but one of Florence’s main attractions is definitely the Piazzale Michaelangiolo. It is not a long hike up, but the view from here is outstanding. I’ll let the panorama below tell the story. Get up here for sunset, the sights are definitely something to be in awe of. T H E A C C O M O D A T I O N S I stayed at the hostel Greci for the duration of my stay. The room itself was clean enough but it was bare bones. The washroom was shared but we were lucky enough to not have to share with any other visitors so it felt like a private bathroom for us. We weren’t provided with internet access outside of the lobby/reception however and it also turned off from 10pm – 8am every day. It is sad to say but that is a pet peeve and it certainly wasn’t convenient. It is located in a great location but I would not want to stay here again. T H E I N D U L G E N C E S We had a variety of food while we were in Florence. Having an appreciation of food, I couldn’t wait to try some of the local cuisine and see how it compared to the Italian food that we have at home. I have to tell you, I love my coffee in the morning (or as needed throughout the day) and Florence was a great place for that. Starting the day at a café with an espresso and a pastry was just what I wanted. The coffee in Italy is amazing, definitely give it a try if you like your kick in the morning (or as needed ;)) As a meat eater, I love my steak so, having heard good things about the Florentine steak, I had to give that a try. In total, we tried two different places for steak dinner in the 3 nights that we had in Florence. l'parione provided us with a 1.6kg T-Bone steak cooked just about rare along with some rosemary potatoes which looked like they had been boiled before being thrown into the oven. The steak was butter tender but it was a little under seasoned. I usually order my medium rare but this was definitely on the rare side (it was easily 2 inches thick) but you could tell it was high quality meat. What was lacking though was proper seasoning (aside from the char flavor, it was a little bland). The other location that we went to for steak was Trattoria Marione in the same area. The steak this time was also served with potatoes which were not nearly as tasty but the steak was better seasoned. It was a bit of a toss up but I think Parione’s served a better steak as the meat was better quality. Keep in mind that when ordering the steak, it is typically meant for 2 people and will cost upwards of 40-60 Euros alone. Other locations that we really enjoyed for food included Gusta Osteria (I had a simple primi pasta) and Gusta Pizzaria (located within a block from Gusta Osteria). For an amazing panino, visit All’Antico Vinaio (located just outside of the exit of the Uffizi Gallery). I came back here twice but I really enjoyed the prosciutto with fresh mozza on foccace bread. The restaurant is tiny so you will have to eat on the sidewalk or whilst walking but that isn’t a bad thing – you can have alcohol outside :). Anyone who goes to Italy knows that gelato is a specialty. In Florence, there are a couple of places that I can definitely recommend. One is Vivoli and the other is Santa Trinata. Santa Trinita has some fantastic selection but on top of that, they also give ample amounts of gelato. Who can complain about that? T H E S H O P P I N G I normally wouldn’t have a shopping section but it is worth mentioning because Florence is known for their leather products. There are a number of markets within the City but be aware that the markets will sell cheap leather products but there is a chance that they are imported leathers. For authentic Italian leather products such as jackets, wallets, etc, you can have the peace of mind by going to an actual store. I bought a lamb skin leather jacket which was tailored to fit me exactly for only 310 euros. Have fun finding that kind of deal in North America. There are a number of outlet malls just outside of Florence. You can organize shuttle buses to drop you off and pick you back up. The deals on Italian designers such as Prada, Gucci, Armani, Bottega, Cavalli, and Valentino are amazing and worth browsing through. O V E R A L L Florence was an amazing city and it is easy to see why it might have been identified by many to be THE Italian city to visit. I have only named off some of the places to see but you could easily fill in 4-5 days here. I would suggest at least 3 though (if you don’t include a day for shopping) if you want to make the most of your time here. Definitely going to be coming back, for other reasons :)

B A R C E L O N A

I am a huge fan of travelling and seeing the world. Over the past few year's I have had the privilege of travelling all over Europe and through several recommendations, I finally made it to another part of Spain that I had not yet seen, Barcelona. My first impression was that Barcelona was a lot more lively than the other Spanish city I visited the year before. In contrast to Madrid, Barcelona was a city that was bustling with activity, full of people that were out looking for a good time.

Amazing right? Most of these shots are from the inside because... well.. it was raining like cats and dogs outside.

T H E A C T I V I T I E S

Walking down La Rambla, you could tell that this city was going to be different. There were so many people along the strip. Shops and restaurants went down either side of the street, providing plenty of options for tourists to spend their money. Further down though, you'll find a place I loved, Boqueria market. This is a grocery market right in the midst of one of the busiest streets in Barcelona and they sell everything from fresh shell fish, to vibrantly colored veggies and fruit, and even cooked spanish specialties in the many stands around the market itself. Even if you're not a foodie, you would appreciate the color and the smell in this market. I came here one evening and then made a plan to get out there again early in the morning so I could eat breakfast here. It's like Granville Island's food market in Vancouver but with so much more personality.

Oh and one thing, in Europe, don't touch the fruit or veggies unless you are buying it. They take offense to that.

Throughout the City, you can take in some of Antoni Gaudi's work. Though I don't know much about architecture, one of the best reasons for getting lost in the streets in Europe is to take in the old architecture. Europe is a very interesting place in that there are a lot of modern aspects to their architectural design, but then you would see patches of the old world that make you sit and stare in astonishment. Gaudi's Sagradi Familia is still not complete and may not be for the next century but it alone provides good reason to travel to Barcelona. You'll only understand when you see it. So go!

Finally, definitely make your way to see a flamenco show. The live music, the fast moving feet and the swaying hips are something you don't see all the time but you do in Spain. I saw it at a bar called the

Jazz Si

It was a very small venue and we had to pack pretty tight in there but it was more of a locals spot which was great. Only 5 EURO for a ticket. I had a few beers and watched the show and had a great time. Definitely something anyone should do when they are in Spain.

O V E R A L L

I really only had about 3 days here in Barcelona. It was just barely enough to see the City and enjoy some of the sights. It was a lot of fun though. Barcelona is a place that I would certainly consider going back to, if anything just to take in the lively atmosphere. For anyone that is going, I would recommend 4 days at least if you want to see all of the sights and get a chance to just sit back, have some beer, sangria, tapas, and enjoy some flamenco shows.