On Location
The best itineraries, trips, travel tips and more from around the world.
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Travel Story: The Bells of Notre Dame
Paris is such a magical city. The monuments are icons known world wide; the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, L’Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame. Regardless of where I am, I can close my eyes and picture these sites. So when I opened the door to our rented apartment in Paris, how enchanted I was to look out the kitchen window and see the Notre Dame. It was something straight out of an opera set of Verdi’s La Bohème. Roof tops galore, rows of chimneys, windows into other people’s worlds, and the Notre Dame. But that’s not all. Later that afternoon as we relaxed in our new surrounding the real magic began.…
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On Location: The Berthillon Ice Cream Experience – Très Français!
When I read things like, “the best ice cream in all of France,” “the grand dame of ice cream, ” and “world-renowned ice cream”, you bet it will make it to the top of my list of places to go when traveling, especially in sweltering hot Paris in July! The glacier (ice cream maker) that holds these illustrious proclamations is Berthillon, and I’m here to say, it’s worth a visit! After wading through the summer crowds at Notre Dame and exiting out the back gardens, I was looking forward to crossing over the small bridge (Pont Saint-Louis) that connects Île de la Cité with Île Saint-Louis. I had read wonderful…
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On Location: Seattle’s Gum Wall – Abstract Art or Janitor’s Worst Nightmare?
After a wonderful walk through lively Pike’s Place Market, my nieces were eager to show my family and I more Seattle sites. Outside the market place we went, and onto adjacent Post Alley. I see the dutiful graffiti and bills posted for this concert and that political message. It doesn’t take long though to get past the typical “alley” graffiti and come face to face with a janitor’s nightmare. Gum. Loads and loads of gum. Gum smeared inches deep in some parts. Plastered on the wall for all to enjoy. My daughter’s expression sums up my initial feeling of Gum Alley as it is affectionately named. Eeeewww. To think how…
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Art on the Go: Sketching en Plein Air in the Country, Sebastopol, California
I love it that my daughter loves art as much as I do! Ever since my kids were little, I’ve always tried to do some art project or another with them– making salt dough, collaging with paper scraps, painting on big paper. Whatever the outcome, they both have loved the experience. So, when I went on a weekend trip to the country with my daughter, we of course had to incorporate an art outing to our plan. We stayed at a lovely Bed and Breakfast in Sebastopol, a small artsy town in Sonoma County. The B&B was located 3 miles out of town, so we definitely got the country experience…
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Palette+Place: The Colorful Mission District, San Francisco
Even on a foggy day, the Mission District in San Francisco shines with color. The streets and alleys of this hip and trendy neighborhood are filled with murals and street art reflecting the artistic and diverse population that reside here. Although I lived in the city for over 10 years, and have spent many-a-night out at the bars and restaurants in this neighborhood, I had yet to photograph the amazing street art during the day. What a treat I was in for. There are 2 alleys in “the Mission” that are most popular for the murals and street art, Clarion Alley and Balmy Alley. Most of these photos below are…
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On Location: Rocky Mountain High – Solitude at 10,000′ in Fairplay Colorado
Past bustling Frisco, Colorado, through the ski town of Breckenridge and over 11,542′ Hoosier Pass lies the little town of Fairplay, Colorado. Situated on a high grassland basin known as South Park (yes, the South Park… more on this later), you definitely get the feeling that John Denver must have visited Fairplay before he wrote his famous ballad, Rocky Mountain High. There are the “cathedral mountains” and the “silver clouds”, there’s the starlight sky, and the streams. But most of all I found the “quiet solitude.” Perhaps the solitude was unique to when I visited, I can’t be sure, but this small town of less than 700 people, situated in…
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On Location: Vancouver – An Urban City Surrounded by Nature Part 2
Some travelers when they head on vacation are looking for the great outdoors; peace and quite and a little time in nature. Other crave the urban scene– hot restaurants, night clubs and hip venues. I must say, I love a little bit of both, and Vancouver is the perfect city to get it! In an earlier post, I talked about the great urban vibe of Vancouver, now I’m going to focus on the incredible surrounding nature! Vancouver is a gorgeous city with a mountainous backdrop that’s straight out of a movie. The first time I visited , clouds covered our view for nearly 2 days, and on the last day…
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On Location: Vancouver – An Urban City Surrounded by Nature Part 1
Vancouver, Canada is my kind of city. It fills my urban needs with swanky high rises, busy streets, and hip cultural spots but also satisfies my outdoorsy passions with wooded trails, miles of shoreline and majestic mountains as a backdrop. When sorting through my pictures from my last trip to Vancouver, I realized, the only way to give this city the credit it’s due is to break up my writing into two posts: one on Vancouver’s urban side and one for Vancouver’s nature side. Each aspect is a very distinct part of what makes this city so wonderful! While walking the streets of downtown Vancouver, I saw many of the…
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On Location: Quintessential East Coast Summer Spot – Nantucket
One might say a beach is a beach is a beach… but I beg to differ. Growing up in California, I’ve been lucky to spend time in my fair share of West Coast beaches; from the beaches far south in Mexico up through California, to Oregon and Washington, I’ve dug sand castles, looked for shells and caught a few waves. California beaches, especially, have this surfer vibe to them that is like no where else, and very familiar to me. So, when I was invited to head to Nantucket, Massachusetts for a wedding, I was so excited. East Coast beach towns like Nantucket, the Hamptons, and Jersey Shore have such…
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Wanderlust Films: Harry Potter Inspiration at Christ Church College, Oxford
Who can forget the first time Harry Potter goes to the dining hall at Hogwarts. It’s a feast for the eyes. Every Harry Potter fan should make a trip to Christ Chuch College in Oxford, England to see some of the inspiration behind the amazing art direction and sets in the Harry Potter films. Several specific locations around Oxford University were used, most notably, the dining hall, but if you take a little time to walk around the campus, it’s clear to see inspiration was everywhere. Crests & Symbols Throughout the college, there are crests and symbols carved into walls and parts of stain glass windows. Perhaps some of these…