Year: 2012

day 6 – travel journal – portofino, italy

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After the hectic day we had while trekking through the Cinque Terre, we decided to take a day to just relax and what better place to do so than Portofino, Italy. From Genoa, we took a train to Santa Margherita for 3.50Euro pp each way, then for  1.50Euro pp each way, we hopped on bus no 82 from the train station to Portofino and within an hour’s time from Genoa we were in one of the most peaceful fishing villages (and a hide out for the rich) in the Italian Riviera. We spend the entire morning leisurely circling the small town on foot, then stopped for lunch at the best bakery in the area for roasted onion focassia  or two or three and then climbed up a hillside to get the postcard views which I have only seen on the cover of most  travel brochures promoting the region. We ended the day by sitting at a sidewalk bar/cafe to people watch while we contemplated their lifestyles and reasons for visiting Portofino. The town is small, …

day 4 and 5 – travel journal – cinque terre,italy

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On day 4 we took the train from Florence to Genoa to get close enough to Cinque Terre so that on day 5 we could spend the entire day trekking (maybe) through the five fishing villages. We woke up early on day 5 to catch a seven a.m. train to Monterosso, which was the suggested first stop by the agent at the train station. The train ride from Genoa to Monterosso costs 6.10Euros per person one way on the regional train, (which meant way too many stops until we reached our destination. So, after two hours on the train experiencing delays and stops, we finally reached Monterosso and got off the train without realizing we had no idea what to do next. Although I read many tour books and online suggestions on how to get around the five villages, nothing prepared me for adventure we were about to experience.  Thankfully the agent at the train station spoke enough English to explain our choices. Either purchase a day pass for unlimited train/bus rides from one village …

day 3 – travel journal – venice, italy

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Day three of our holiday, we decided to venture out to Venice for the day. Even though I have been to Venice a dozen or so times, this time I wanted to go there for three specific reasons. First, to get a glimpse of the Venice Film Festival. Second, to buy an authentic carnival mask for a holiday party back home (San Francisco) and three to walk through the back roads to capture photographs of Venice very few get a chance to see. The amazing thing about Venice is, you can easily get lost while exploring the back alley ways and I can guarantee you, that on my next visit, I will not even remember how to get to the places I ventured out to during this trip.   {photos of the property of http://www.rawsilkandsaffron.wordpress.com and may not be borrowed without permission}

day 2 – travel journal – day trip to roma, italy

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There is no way for me to travel through Italy without stopping in Rome, even if it’s just for a day. So, while plotting out this year’s trip abroad, I decided to make Firenze (Florence) my base and take day trips via TrainItalia to Rome, Venice, Pisa and hopefully Verona (will see how that goes). We took an early morning train (7:00 a.m .to be precise ) from Firenze S.M.N. station and arrived in Roma Termini within 2 hours. Upon our arrival we wasted no time taking our walking tour of the city.  The point to remember is that, the suggested independent walking tour  is not recommended for a first time visit to Rome, it’s just intended for people like me who have been to Rome  a dozen times but just can’t get enough 🙂 So, in our case, we started the walking tour with: The entire trip took us twelve hours on foot, with an hour break for lunch and one hour rest break at the Spanish Steps. The train ride back to Florence …

day 1 – travel journal – firenze, italy arrival

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Day 1: We arrived in Florence city center late Sunday afternoon to torrential downpour and thunder storm and after checking into our hotel, decided to immediately tour the city on foot, just long enough to wean ourselves from the jet lag. Along the way and in between the downpour, we experienced the following: {Photos are the property of http://www.rawsilkandsaffron.wordpress.com and may not be used without permission}

finding inspiration in all the strange places

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One of the most difficult tasks in our lifetime is finding inspiration to do the things we are destined to do. Sure, it’s easier to settle for the norm and go along each day doing what is expected of us, but to actually step away and drive ourselves  to do what we are destined to do, takes alot of courage and inspiration. I’ve known for years that I should have been a writer, but never paid much attention to the signs, instead I routinely did what I was supposed to do, never once feeling fulfilled with my calculated accomplishments. What I did discover in the last couple of years or so, is that, I needed to start paying attention to the signs and accept every thing that happens in my life as a form of inspiration to drive me closer to where I am destined to be.  All I needed was to  pay attention.

the photo shoot in me

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These days when I look at myself in photos, I nearly cringe  at the fact, I am no longer photogenic.  Call it age, or call it wearing my heart out on my sleeve. Photos don’t lie no matter how hard we try. So, while interviewing photographers a couple of months ago for a wedding shoot, I contemplated the idea of having a fantasy photo shoot scheduled for myself, where I could pose as such:  (I have put it on my bucket list. :))