KIRSTEN ALANA
kirsten [at] kirstenalana [dot] com
Host of the NYC series: Bites of the Big Apple
Recent Projects: Expedia's correspondent at Sundance Film Festival and blogger for #FindYours. Guest Photographer for HostelWorld in London. Director of Photography for ProjectExplorer.org.
I am:
- a social media consultant to small businesses, individuals and brands
- a photographer and Mobile Photography artist
- a travel diarist and blogger
- a teacher, lecturer and public speaker
- a world traveler always in search of her next Guinness who loves exploring new cultures through food
- and volunteer, always in search of causes to support
I have been:
- a radio DJ, television news anchor and brand representative on TV & radio
- an executive assistant
- an event planner
Thank you JD Andrews for the image of me in Spain.
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Info
- Summary
Freelance photographer and writer, currently contributing on a regular basis to several travel sites and authoring a travel blog.
Former on-camera host of NYC web series, "Bites of the Big Apple". Photography teacher at such conferences as TBEX, TBU, TBE and Traverse which occur in the United States, Canada and Europe. Former blogger for Expedia.com travel campaigns and co-host of weekly #ExpediaChat.Former executive assistant with a decade of office management and event planning experience. Also spent four years in college administration and PR. Five years on camera as news anchor and on-air radio personality.
Specialties: travel & documentary photography
Experience- Jul 2012 - PresentAmbassador / AFAR Magazine
- 2006 - PresentOwner/Photographer / Kirsten Alana Photography
- Jan 2004 - PresentEIC / Aviators and a Camera
Additional Information-
Websites:
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Honors:Award Winning Photographer
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Interests:travel, photography, writing, teaching, on camera hosting
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Photos
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Tweets
- a last love letter to Italy and #Blogville @ Basilica di San Petronio http://t.co/ReZQPGTDg2
- RT @TripWhisperer: "#Instagram Tips from Photographers." via @CNTraveler. Ahem, where is @KirstenAlana's tip? :) http://t.co/gNo7nQ092R
- RT @007dante: Saying goodbye to the group from #blogville. A piece of me is left behind in Bologna @KirstenAlana @n_montemaggi http://t.co/…
- RT @FineDiningLover: Garden Dessert from @mpchef guest snapped by @kirstenalana #fdlmoment http://t.co/txU4gvdPLI
- Flight 1 of 3 done, 1 more to go tonight. Can't wait to get to get there and represent #AFARinBelize
- Foolproof Travel Outfits & Tips http://t.co/QkQimClG0l from travel experts like @AnnieFitz @MissSmartFlyer
- Tips for Parents! Emotional care for children after disaster. http://t.co/qlwzVRrXL2 #prayforoklahoma #opsafe #DT @operationSAFE
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Posts
- Apr 27, 13
I have been sick. sick. sick…yearning for a place to repair to in which to rest and recuperate. Work made that impossible and then an invitation to Provence arrived and I thought, “Oui!!!” Picturing sunshine and rolling green hills, afternoons lounging by the pool and evenings in the spa before sumptuous dinners — I eagerly repacked my suitcase and boarded my flight. What I have found at Club Med Opio en Provence this weekend is not what I pictured. Yet, there have been a few zen moments and the verdant green of the landscape, barely emerging from fog, has reminded me of the words Peter Mayle penned within A Year in Provence:
‘Look at those vines,’ [Massot] said. ‘Nature is wearing her prettiest clothes.’
The effect of the weather on the inhabitants of Provence is immediate and obvious. They expect every day to be sunny, and their disposition suffers when it isn’t. Rain they take as a personal affront, shaking their heads and commiserating with each other in the cafes, looking with profound suspicion at the sky as though a plague of locusts is about to descend, and picking their way with distaste through the puddles on the pavement….we realized how many of the local people had their birthdays in September or October, and then a possible but unverifiable answer suggested itself: they were busy indoors making babies. There is a season for everything in Provence, and the first two months of the year must be devoted to procreation.
I’ll be sharing an extensive photo essay soon. I hope you enjoyed the preview. Au Revoir from Provence!
For the most current updates, become a fan on Facebook, check out my Highlights on AFAR or follow me on Instagram. I am able to update both networks more frequently than this blog. And if you enjoyed this post, please show the love by sharing it!The post Repairing to Provence appeared first on Aviators and a Camera.
- Apr 17, 13
I’m all about stretching my limits, trying new things and challenging my own prejudices whenever possible. Particularly when it comes to travel.
So when I was invited to the press launch for Royal Caribbean’s newest ship (setting sail Fall 2014): the Quantum of the Seas, I had to go. Because I’ve never been on a cruise and I’ve never had a huge desire to go on one…it might seem like a strange fit. Yet that’s why it was perfect.
I just watched my dear friend Kelley set sail on the maiden voyage of MSC’s Preziosa and her experience seemed like more fun than I would have ever given a cruise experience credit for. So that started a curiosity and then, Royal Caribbean’s invitation really made me wonder.
Could cruising be for me?
Here’s what I learned about Quantum that has me most intrigued:
- All cabins now come with a view, even interior rooms (shown above) because of the new ‘Virtual Balconies’. This is important to me because a room without a view was one of the things that always turned me off from cruising.
- North Star is a new viewing capsule that will take guests 300 feet above sea level for views of the entire ship and the surrounding land or ocean. It was inspired by one of my favorite landmarks in London: the Eye.
- I have always wanted to skydive and with the new RipCord I could do that without ever leaving the ship. Skydive at sea? That sounds like a mandatory “bucket list” item!
- There is also a food truck planned for on board in the SeaPlex events area…and I LOVE FOOD TRUCKS.So, could cruising be for me? I’m still not 100% sold. But I do like the idea of trying it out. After all, it would *definitely* be something different for me and different is good.
What have you done lately that involved stepping outside of your comfort zone, and did you end up being glad for it? Also, if you’ve been on a cruise I’d love to hear about your experience!!
Though I was invited to the Royal Caribbean press event, it was not with the requirement that I would write an article and no direction was given to me should I choose to. These thoughts and opinions are my own.
For the most current updates, become a fan on Facebook, check out my Highlights on AFAR or follow me on Instagram. I am able to update both networks more frequently than this blog. And if you enjoyed this post, please show the love by sharing it!The post Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone…Unto a Ship? appeared first on Aviators and a Camera.
- Apr 09, 13
I’ve made it a point to ensure this blog is composed exclusively of my own stories and photographs. Now and then I’m asked to promote content for other people and usually I say no. However, I loved this list of places to go in London because as it’s pretty much my second home and I’d been to none of them — I thought it might be worth a share. Perhaps I am not alone and I can help you too discover places in London you didn’t know about until this post.
Regardless of the city you live in – whether it’s New York, Sydney or anywhere in between – it’s easy to feel trapped inside a great metropolis. With the cycle of commuting, working and socialising (if we’re lucky!) taking up most of the time in a given day, by the end of an average week you probably feel about as grey as a cloud of London fog.
Speaking of London, it’s actually pretty easy to discover a bit of momentary calm amidst all the commotion — whether you’re working in the city, or just visiting. It goes without saying, not everyone has the money to fund a summer trip abroad, even with the amount of low cost holidays and airline codes around nowadays. If you’re looking for a replacement oasis to soothe your soul this summer, here are a few top picks for the best beauty spots in the city!
The London LibraryYou can’t beat a bookstore or library for a bit of peace and quiet, and although there are lots to choose from – with the British or King’s College libraries also coming close – the old London is a bit more magical than most. Founded in 1841, its past patrons include the likes of Dickens, Tennyson and George; but if the echoes of such literary legends aren’t enough to draw you in, the sheer grandeur and beauty of the book-lined walls will have you browsing the shelves for hours. The only downside is that it is a member-only library; however you can get a reference pass for £10 a day- so if you’re the type who gets lost in Waterstones during your lunch break, a dedicated trip is likely to be well worth it.
St. James’s ParkFrom Kew Gardens to Hampstead Heath, there are endless places to get a bit of fresh air in London. However, in our ever so humble opinion, St. James’s comes out top. Although the smallest of the eight Royal Parks, its lesser size certainly does nothing to dampen its loveliness; located in the very heart of the city – surrounded by the magnitude of Buckingham Palace and St. James’s Palace –it is the place to go to sample London in its ultimate ceremonial finery. With its tranquil central lake and beautifully kept gardens, it’s the picnic-spot to beat.
The Royal ObservatoryThere’s nothing like a starry sky for a bit of reflection; but of course, thanks to reams of traffic pollution, it can be a bit difficult to find one in London. Unless you go to a planetarium of course! Located in the Royal Museums in Greenwich, the Royal Observatory is best known for being the location of the prime meridian but is now also home to a planetarium to rival the world’s best. Combining state-of-the art technology and scientific research, a show here is a fully immersive experience (and is bound to provide a better escape than any two hour flight ever could).
Geffrye Museum Period GardensYou might assume the only type of oasis in Shoreditch would be its beer gardens, and yet, just yards away from the hustle, bustle and throng of bursting café’s and pubs lies the Geffrye Museum. A place designed to show how life in Britain has changed over the past four hundred years; its beautifully furnished rooms and peaceful herb gardens provide great insight into the evolution of society as well as the perfect place to find a few moments of peace. If you live or work nearby but have never visited, it should be the next destination on your list. Trust us, you’ll be bowled over that such a place exists in the very heart of hipster London.
If you can’t afford a Jet2 flight to the Mediterranean this summer, it doesn’t mean you can’t escape for a while. Take this advice and get yourself to any one of the aforementioned beauty spots, and I bet you’ll quickly discover a side to London you never even knew existed. I certainly didn’t!
Photo Credit: Paul Raftery, UGArdener, John & Tina Reid, Markle1For the most current updates, become a fan on Facebook, check out my Highlights on AFAR or follow me on Instagram. I am able to update both networks more frequently than this blog. And if you enjoyed this post, please show the love by sharing it!The post London’s Best Beauty Spots appeared first on Aviators and a Camera.
- Apr 08, 13
My fifth and final city for my European tour with HouseTrip.com was Paris. My beloved Paris!
And this time, instead of being alone as I was two years ago, I was in my beloved city with my love.
I can’t wait to share the story angles we worked out, on my blog and theirs, because it involved exploring iconic Paris and while usually I shy away from cliches in any city — not so alongside Danté who had never been and was experiencing them all for the first time. It was a true joy to see his face light up in wonder in the same way mine did two years ago during my first trip to France. It was refreshing and reinvigorating for someone who travels for a living and didn’t even realize how many small things had simply become almost commonplace…even in a city I loved. It was like watching a movie set in Paris and seeing a character’s first glimpse of La Tour Eiffel, as in Midnight in Paris perhaps, but…BETTER!!
Our gorgeous apartment was right across from a patisserie and boulangerie where I shopped every day for still-warm-from-the-oven croissants; and the lovely Paris light, that I’ve never seen duplicated anywhere else, made the white walls seem warmer and the space like a nurturing cocoon. It had the perfect kitchen for two and a dining table that begged to be used, so we obliged.
Two years ago, I didn’t think Paris could get better, but now I see how living in an apartment in a local arrondissement away from the centre and exploring the city with someone you love… may just be the *only* way to do Paris properly!
HouseTrip provided our apartment in Paris and they are paying me a fee for the #Housetripping project. However, all views and opinions in this post are my own. As are the photos above, all taken with an iPhone 4S.
For the most current updates, become a fan on Facebook, check out my Highlights on AFAR or follow me on Instagram. I am able to update both networks more frequently than this blog. And if you enjoyed this post, please show the love by sharing it!The post #Housetripping through Paris appeared first on Aviators and a Camera.
- Apr 04, 13
Ever since I began my career in travel, it’s been with suitcase-in-hand and no home of my own. Even my year of “living in NYC” included never signing a lease and being gone from the city more days than I was in it.
The years have worn on, full of adventures, new countries, fun experiences with people in all corners of the globe and a burning desire that could only be labeled accurately as ‘wanderlust‘. It’s been a gift I’ll never be able to fully thank everyone for — because there have been a great many people who have helped along the way — but it’s also been the hardest won victory I’ve ever fought for. I’ve gone without eating for days on end, been assaulted and robbed in foreign countries, and even watched the sun set still having no clue where I’d sleep that same night. I’ve done it mainly to prove that it can be done, that it isn’t easy but it is WORTH IT. Travel, I mean. The new experiences it brings and the growth that it forces on you willingly, or unwillingly — are all good.
Yet when good does not always equal great, how do you express that without seeming ungrateful. How do you have a dialogue about the difficulties when the benefits seem to far outweigh the personal cost. For me, often introverted and not always good at making new friends on the road, the reality has been a lonely one.I got what I always wanted. I proved it could be done.
Yet I also discovered, at the height of my most beautiful experiences, that a little nagging consciousness buried in my soul was trying to tell me it wasn’t enough. Moreover, that it never would be for me. What I craved absolutely most of all, was all the travel and all the growth and every bit of the unpredictability — tempered with a little stability and a soft place to land between the insanity. Buried even deeper than that, a desire for companionship and love that I thought had been scared away for good in the brutality of my divorce and first failed attempt at “happily ever after.” Might I even find someone to share travel experiences with, as some of my blogging friends who travel with mates, have?!
Then, I walked through the doors of an Indian restaurant on the Lower East Side of New York City during a time that I wasn’t even supposed to have been in the United States, on a day I abhorred, to a dinner that I very nearly chose not to shown up for, to find this guy seated next to the only chair still available at the table.
Well, Valentine’s Day will never be the same again.Danté, as I would later find out, was not only available and straight but also, by the end of the night — interested in me. Enough to ask me out before we even parted ways. Not interested in playing games or abiding by some cliched “three days” rule, he made his intentions clear and he courted me in a way that I couldn’t help but take notice of; with decreasing skepticism as my appointed, and all too short, time in NYC ran down. That first date turned into several more and by the time I flew back to Europe where I’d intended to get a visa and live permanently, I was glad to find out my application in one country had actually been denied.
We continued to talk via regular Skype calls and daily emails. We got to know each other in that way so many couples skip because infatuation deems that one get right to the good stuff without talking. We couldn’t skip to anything so far apart, so we dug in and got to the meat of what made the other person tick. And before long, he had taken the risk of buying a plane ticket to join me in Paris for what would officially be our fourth date. One five days and four nights long.
There were many things, both early on and later when I was sure and yet felt there could never be too many things to reassure me, that I really took special notice of. One of them was his profile on Instagram, which says, “You never know what life will put in your lap until you open your arms and embrace it.” Couldn’t agree more with that philosophy! He shares playlists with me and, for the first time ever, I’ve not had to tell a guy we don’t share the same taste in music. There isn’t even one song I’ve really disliked. Later, after he made the incredible commitment to join me in Paris, on the day he was leaving, he shared a photo of his plane ticket with the caption, “If anyone asks, tell them ‘I had to go see about a girl’.” That line from Good Will Hunting is not only one of my favorite movie lines, the movie itself is one of my very favorite movies.
Those are simple examples because I’m keeping the real good stuff just for us, but the point is, we’re on the same page about each other and about life. We’re sure that we each love the other, this is not a one-sided anything. I’ve never met someone I’m so attracted to who also just, fits. Sure, I still need to make some changes in my life to make a relationship with this incredible man work but they’re not sacrifices. In the end, that’s how I know.
I’m changing my life’s structure so I can balance the thing I love [travel], with a life with the person I love, and it’s all gain. There’s no loss.Just like I did when I began my life of full time travel, urging other people who wanted to do it but might have been scared like I was, so I write this to urge you now: whatever happiness looks like to you, when it comes knocking, don’t shut the door in its face. I could have. Danté could have. SO thankful he didn’t.
And now this blog won’t just be about finding the courage to travel solo and escape into a life of adventure. It will be about having the courage to try and have it all. Travel, someone to love, and someone to travel with. That starts, with once again having a home base in New York City [to commence in June]. This time, I’ll even be hanging some clothes in a closet and putting away the suitcase once in a while.
I hope you’ll still follow along. I have a hunch that the adventure of balancing love and travel will be the greatest story yet.
For the most current updates, become a fan on Facebook, check out my Highlights on AFAR or follow me on Instagram. I am able to update both networks more frequently than this blog. And if you enjoyed this post, please show the love by sharing it!The post On Happiness: Part Two, Travel and Love appeared first on Aviators and a Camera.
- Apr 02, 13
It was in 2009 that I realized how truly essential travel was to my daily happiness, a circumstance I’ve written about before on this blog. Since then, almost every single one of my major decisions have been driven exclusively by whatever option might possibly sate my wanderlust or fulfill my travel dreams.
So when G Adventures decided to celebrate International Day of Happiness by making an infographic about travel and happiness, I was pretty much their case study in flesh and blood. I had promised to publish it as close to that day as possible but things happened and here I am sharing it with you now. Better late than never!
Why now? Why at all? Happiness has been on my mind a lot lately. Ever since I realized that as much as I NEED to travel, travel itself doesn’t encompass everything I need and everything I want in life. There has been one thing missing [and now it isn't anymore]. So, I’m on a mission for 2013 to bring balance to my life. Balance that still involves a fair amount of travel, that will likely never change, yet also includes room for that thing Shakespeare so eloquently spoke of over and over and over….[romantic] LOVE. I’ve hinted at it before, here, but the full story is coming soon!
For the most current updates, become a fan on Facebook, check out my Highlights on AFAR or follow me on Instagram. I am able to update both networks more frequently than this blog. And if you enjoyed this post, please show the love by sharing it!The post On Happiness: Part One, Travel as Necessity appeared first on Aviators and a Camera.
- Mar 26, 13
It feels strange riding the bus in Cannes. It only costs one euro and yet you pass Prada, Gucci and Chopard stores as you pass from one end of Boulevard de la Croisette to the other. You might be seated next to a woman wearing Chanel, while across the aisle there’s a tourist in cheap trainers with a money belt around their waist.
A friend, who is from the French Riviera, told me that everyone in Cannes wears only the best brands. Even if one has no money, one still does not go without luxury when seen in public. So that might mean you eat no more than a baguette a day and live in a hovel but when you step out the front door of your hovel, you will do so with a Hermes purse carrying your pennies. This could not be more evident than in the way I am stared at when I walk down the pristine promenade that lines the ocean. Nothing covering my body cost me more than 20 pounds and most of my outfit my first day in Cannes is from Primark in London. Cold-weather clothes purchased in an emergency when I was in the UK for winter, unplanned; purchased for warmth and packability, substance over style.
Outside the Carlton Hotel there is a red MG that I would give a limb to drive. For an hour.
In the Valentino window, there is a white dress not unlike the one I once pictured wearing when I got married, in that phase of my youth when one dreamt of such things. Only this dress costs more than my entire wedding did. Never mind I’d wear it with a crown of daisies around my head. It’s very “flower power,” if luxury did the 60′s.
When I am hungry and need dinner after all my walking, I can’t find a meal worth eating for under 50 euros. Unless I want Croque-monsieur. I don’t.
All that being said, I’ve been brought to Cannes to photograph a ‘Luxury for Less’ storyline by HouseTrip and while I’m not sure if that’s possible in this playground for the rich and the fakers, I’m not one to throw in the towel without a good fight. I enjoy a challenge. So, you’ll have to stay tuned for what I find. If anyone can make that work, it’s me. After all, I live the full time travel lifestyle I do on less per year than most people make per month. Maybe I’m the perfect person to see if Cannes Can…fit almost anyone’s budget!
HouseTrip provided my *beautiful* apartment in Cannes (which I can’t wait to show you) and is paying me a fee for the #Housetripping project. However, all views and opinions in this post are my own. As is the above photo, taken with an iPhone 4S.Follow my blog with Bloglovin
For the most current updates, become a fan on Facebook, check out my Highlights on AFAR or follow me on Instagram. I am able to update both networks more frequently than this blog. And if you enjoyed this post, please show the love by sharing it!The post Cannes Can appeared first on Aviators and a Camera.
- Mar 20, 13
The port city of Marseille in the Provence region of France is this year’s European Capital of Culture. It is also my third city in my tour of Europe for House Trip.
While I can’t yet share all the tidbits of info I’ve discovered or all the beautiful photos I’ve taken, I had to share this image because as I took it I finally fell a bit for the city that at first did not at all inspire me. It also represents so clearly what Marseille is really known for most, its status as a fishing, sailing and shipping port.
I’m grateful to House Trip for everywhere they’ve sent me on this tour because each place has something to teach me or show me. Also, every landlord and host I’ve met have been incredible. Truly the most fascinating people have opened their homes and spare homes to us, and helped us get to know their cities and countries.
HouseTrip provided my apartment in Marseille and is paying me a fee for the #Housetripping project. However, all views and opinions in this post are my own. As is the above photo, taken with an iPhone 4S. For more photos from the trip, follow me on Instagram or chase the #Housetripping hashtag online.
For the most current updates, become a fan on Facebook, check out my Highlights on AFAR or follow me on Instagram. I am able to update both networks more frequently than this blog. And if you enjoyed this post, please show the love by sharing it!The post Maritime Marseille appeared first on Aviators and a Camera.
- Mar 17, 13
We’re moving fast on our tour of Europe for House Trip. Following Berlin, is Istanbul (which will be followed by Marseille, Cannes and Paris).
I can’t post everything from the trip yet because there’s an editorial schedule to keep and it begins a little later in the year.
However, I couldn’t resist posting a few of my favorite images that I took while out exploring Turkey’s largest city.
All of these were captured and edited only with Instagram. This is not my normal workflow at all, but I thought I’d keep it simple this time just for fun.
HouseTrip provided my lovely apartment in Istanbul and is paying me a fee for the #Housetripping project. However, all views and opinions in this post are my own. As are the above photos, all taken with an iPhone 4S. For more photos from the trip, follow me on Instagram or chase the #Housetripping hashtag online.
For the most current updates, become a fan on Facebook, check out my Highlights on AFAR or follow me on Instagram. I am able to update both networks more frequently than this blog. And if you enjoyed this post, please show the love by sharing it!The post Istanbul by Instagram appeared first on Aviators and a Camera.
- Mar 12, 13
When Tumblr contacted me and asked if I wanted to go on an expedition to an abandoned former-spy facility in Berlin, I had to check myself before I replied over enthusiastically and squealed like a child.
I happen to be enthralled with spy stories, WWII history, abandoned places and anything that might be overtaken with street art.
All of those things apply to Teufelsberg. The word in German means, ‘Devil’s Hill’. Rising in such a way as it does from within the Grunewald Forest and up from the Brandenburg Plain, its mysteriousness is immediately apparent. Yet its precise history is a little more ambiguous.
The hill itself was created from the transported rubble of the war, comprised of what was left when Berlin was bombed into near non-existence. This rubble was piled on top of, and eventually hid, a former Nazi school. Then, the Americans built a spy station, eventually run by the NSA, which was in operation until the Wall and East Berlin fell.
Various plots to buy the land, rehab the land or even just take it back from squatters have all been set forth but none, successful.
So, when I exited the Grunewald 7 S-Bahn station, met my colleagues and began the trek through a thick pine forest from the station (in near disbelief that we were still within Berlin city limits), I had no idea what we’d really find.
It turns out, mostly, graffiti. *cue Kirsten ACTUALLY squealing with excitement*
Jen, Jeremy, Gary and I wandered. The men climbed the heights into the soaring spaces of the radar towers which still punctuate the hill. Jen and I simply snapped photograph after photograph until our fingers were so frozen we could not work the shutter. My thanks are owed to her for the image of me in the far lower left corner.
Eventually, we left. A warming meal of sausage and potatoes lie in wait for us at the Biergarten just next to the train station.
But as I walked away, all I could think about was how I could not wait to return when it was warmer, for longer. Hopefully, while it is still equal parts mysterious and infamous.
For the most current updates, become a fan on Facebook, check out my Highlights on AFAR or follow me on Instagram. I am able to update both networks more frequently than this blog. And if you enjoyed this post, please show the love by sharing it!The post The Coolest Place I Went in Berlin: Teufelsberg appeared first on Aviators and a Camera.
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Map
- Your trip-
- TBEX2012-06-14 - 2012-06-18
- LHR to JFK2012-06-03 - 2012-06-03
- MRU to DUR to JNB to FRA to LHR2012-05-22 - 2012-05-23
- LHR to JNB2012-05-11 - 2012-05-12
- TBU Post Conference Blogtrip2012-04-23 - 2012-04-25
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Posts
Don’t try to make life a mathematics problem with yourself in the center and everything coming out equal. When you’re good, bad things can still happen. And if you’re bad, you can still be lucky.
Barbara KingsolverPossibly the greatest reward of the job I’ve been doing since 2009, is the people I get to meet along the way. While it’s not always easy for me and I sometimes struggle with painful introverted tendencies, when a perfect storm occurs and I do form lifelong connections with people — nothing is better.
Greg, is one of those people who is such a blessing, and a friend now, after being essentially a client first.
His kind words about me and my latest post are just too much. I don’t know how to say thank you in a way that more than scratches the surface.
My friend, you have utterly and completely made my day.Check it out! AFAR mentioned one of my travel wanderlists.
Color, beautiful color! What catches your eye when you’re traveling? This Wanderlist, “Travel by Color” by Kirsten Alana, stokes some colorlust (and wanderlust).
On a small Rue just off Rue des Saints-Pères on the left bank near Saint Germain: the former home of Serge Gainesbourg. (at Hôtel Verneuil)
5 days & 4 nights in the City of Love with my love, on assignment to photograph it as the backdrop for so many movies = Heaven
S’il vous plaît Santa, I know it’s early to ask for something for Christmas. But if you’re real, and you think I’ve been a good girl, could you please send me to the Carlton in Cannes for one night and one day to drive this pretty little MG around like I own this town? Merci beaucoup. ~ Kirsten (at InterContinental Carlton Cannes)
The current version of Notre-Dame de la Garde in Marseille, is due to Henry Espérandieu (1853-1874) but there has been a chapel on the hill since the 13th century. Extensive renovation was undertaken in 2008 and it is what allows the building to now be seen in all its stunning Romanesque-Byzantine glory. Definitely a must-visit if you’re a cathedral hunter! (at Basilique Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde)
I’m wearing green, but since I’m in Marseille and on deadline today, there won’t be much St. Patty’s Day celebrating for me. Drink an extra pint of Guinness for me, friends.
Second stop in my tour of five European destinations for HouseTrip. Nice to return to Turkey and this time not skip its largest city.
My thoughts from my last visit to Turkey. Just a little under a year ago, “I left the United States with, unfortunately, a typically Western trepidation toward Eastern religion. Islam, in particular. I am not proud of that but it is a feeling that has changed, and for that - I am grateful. Five times every day here in Burhaniye, the adhân echoes over the olive groves and in the distance I see minarets of all the camii around us. The first time, I shuddered a little bit. Now, I smile. I have met such kind and welcoming people here in Turkey that I will forever remember when I hear the call to prayer, how my travel to this country helped me see beyond the barrier of Western prejudice. Bad people can be found in every country, in every group of people. But it is not ok to judge an entire country, people or religion based on a few bad examples. Hate and mistrust is something I can *choose* not to give in to. I can choose to be open, to learn, to keep traveling for that purpose.” I still feel the same way. (at Oren Merkez Camii)
Downright amazing field trip today to a Cold War-era military station near #Berlin
Truly fabulous fun today w/ Tumblr here in Berlin.
Teufelsberg. Once a Nazi school, then a US spy bunker, finally a haven for techno parties and graffiti artists. Far and away THE coolest place I’ve been while in Berlin. Huge thanks to Tumblr team for sponsoring us to hang out there today!
I’m not gonna lie, when the folks at Expedia UK asked me if I’d be willing to share this — I LOL’d.
They actually made an info graphic for my own internal debate. GET OUT OF MY HEAD PEOPLE!!! *wink*
So often I leave London for the countryside. Not just because I have good friends out here but, also because as a girl born amongst farms and mountains, I have a heart torn between two loves: bustling cities and wide open spaces, where you can see the stars. Welcome, to the latter. (at Isham)
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Checkins
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)6000 N Terminal Pkwy
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)at JFK Access Rd
- Aeroporto di Milano Malpensa "Città di Milano" (MXP)Aeroporto Malpensa 2000
- Al Pont de FerrRipa di Porta Ticinese 55
- Al Pont de FerrRipa di Porta Ticinese 55
- Al CoccioAlzaia Naviglio Pavese 2
- Metro Porta Genova FS (M2)Via Valenza
- Metro Centrale FS (M2, M3)Via Vitruvio
- Kamit EspressVia Moline 20/c
- Gelateria GianniVia san vitale 2/A
- Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.Via Modena, 12
- Museo Lamborghinivia Modena 12
- La CapannaVia Salita alla rocca, 47
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Photos
