MY NAME IS KIRSTEN

I’m a freelance travel photographer and blogger based in Los Angeles. I’ve worked in more than 60 countries on 6 continents. Scroll down and let’s connect, Shop my Store or Learn more…

Whether he is an artist or not, the photographer is a joyous sensualist, for the simple reason that the eye traffics in feelings, not in thoughts.

– WALKER EVANS

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Follow my posts to see where I am and what I’m currently working on! I also provide travel tips and historical details in my captions so you can use my feed like your own personal guide book.

🇭🇷 After Chioggia and Koper, we sailed to Za

🇭🇷 After Chioggia and Koper, we sailed to Zadar during our hosted itinerary with @vikingcruises last month.

From there we drove inland for a day trip @dante.vincent had chosen because it included a bird sanctuary and rehabilitation center with the possibility to try our hand at falconry. That didn’t end up happening.

But we still got to see birds, we heard a very entertaining lecture, and we were able to spend time in Krka National Park.

I was surprised by how green it still was for October, and the fact they have multiple blooming periods each year for the small purple cyclamen that can carpet the ground in parts of the park! If it’s your first time ever in Croatia, I’d recommend opting for the included walking tour of the Old Town of Zadar. It’s so charming and was one of my favorite stops during my last visit to Croatia many years ago now.

📷 Photo of waterfall handheld on my Sony a7R II @ 1/640, ISO 50, f/2.8 #MyVikingStory #SonyAlpha

Droppin’ a little 🐱kitty cat 🐈 happiness i

Droppin’ a little 🐱kitty cat 🐈 happiness into your feed because I feel like we could all use it.

Images are by @dante.vincent and I, taken in the cities of our hosted “Empires of the Mediterranean” Viking cruise last month.

All of these cats seemed to be wild and some showed the battle scars of life on the streets. Some were eager to pose. Some seemed more aloof. But we saw an old man taking care of them in Kotor, Montenegro and in every city we found these cats, it brought a smile to our faces. Animals just do that, don’t they. They have a capacity to bring such joy to life when they’re loved, they give that love right back.

I hope these cuties bring a smile to your face too.😻 #caturday

Do you recognize this island? It’s probably the

Do you recognize this island?

It’s probably the most recognizable Slovenian landmark and yet from my friends who love the country, I know it’s far from the only thing to enjoy in 🇸🇮

Still with my one afternoon ashore in the country as part of our hosted @vikingcruises, I wanted to visit understand why it’s so famous! 🤔

It was a 2 hour bus ride from the port of Koper and after arriving we took traditional Pletna boats to the island in the alpine lake that doesn’t allow motored craft and was once home to a temple to Ziva [the Slavic goddess of love and fertility] ❤️

I fell hard for these gleaming wooden boats with awnings that are compared to Venetian gondolas, passed down through the families that captain them. They’re controlled using two long wooden poles and to do so is to be called a Pletnarstvo.

On the island: visit the Church of the Assumption whose current Baroque design dates to the 17th century with a chapel from the year 1004. Ring the bell from the 1500s to make your wish come true. Then climb the tower for views across the tiled roof to Bled Castle.

Before departing, get gelato at Café Potičnica. You’ll earn it once you’ve climbed the 99 steps from the boat launch and walked all the way up the 52-meter high tower!

So what makes it all so special that it’s one of the most photographed spots in the world? I still don’t know. 😂 But it is a charming area! 🥰 And the lake is so beautiful when the sun is shining and that alpine water gleams turquoise and green. Plus the excursion did make me want to return to see much more of Slovenia! If you’ve been, where else do you think people should visit in the country?

#MyVikingStory #VikingCruises

Our ship was due to leave port in a few hours and

Our ship was due to leave port in a few hours and I felt the urgency of the sun’s journey as it fell further and further toward the horizon visible between the masts of sailboats in the harbor. ⛵️ I could relax, unpack, and unwind. But I’d never seen Chioggia. 🇮🇹 What was it like? I had to know! And so I made my way down, out, away, with the wind in my hair and a pep in my step. 🏃‍♀️ Between tall buildings, through narrow alleys, under colorful laundry and past the eyes of a nonna or two I made my way to the busiest street in town: Corso del Popolo. It was buzzing with a post-work energy and a golden hour glow. ☀️ Residents on bicycles sped past me as I meandered under colonnades and by shops to observe a group of mothers circled around strollers chatting away while their older children played in the square, a couple alone at a café, and men debating over cold glasses of birra. 🍻 Further wanderlust drove me on to see if I could find a quiet spot and I discovered vibrant reflections making a type of modern art painting on the calm canal water; before raising my head to observe the alley before me overflowing with rainbows. 🌈 A promise of things to come? 🤔🤞🤞

On the wall to the right of where I was standing w

On the wall to the right of where I was standing when I made this photo is the phrase, “Life is Beautiful.” Yet life has now been taken away from so many people not that far from this spot that I visited in 2018 [the Golan Heights].

Literally thousands of people have seen their last sunset or awoken to their last sunrise — or lost loved ones — while I have continued to exist in safety and comfort.

I fear that no matter what I publish, it will be inadequate or will be misconstrued. Words used or unused are an imperfect construct in a time like this.

Yet I know they are needed. We have learned before that our silence is but one puzzle piece which ultimately enables atrocities to continue.

@lindseytramuta wrote, “To want Jewish people to be safe wherever they are and for Palestinian people to be safe and free feels, more often than not, like wanting the impossible. This should not and cannot be the case. But it won’t happen with the unspeakably violent ideologies of a terror organization and a nationalist government, with the wholesale dehumanization of Israeli, Jewish, and Palestinian people, and a total lack of compassion. It won’t happen with war crimes and revenge disguised as defense—not when so many civilians pay the ultimate price.”

That has stayed with me. For every bone and sinew in my body desires life in a world where Jewish people and Palestinian people are safe and free. Where not one more child or innocent dies.

I do not support genocide. I do not think that any Jewish person, anywhere, should suffer or die for the actions of those who make the choice to send the missiles and disperse the gas. I am moved to tears when I see us engage in rhetoric that seems to celebrate anyone’s suffering.

I do not have all the answers. I will continue to learn and listen. And hope to wake up tomorrow able to believe that one day despite so much evidence to the contrary, life can or could be beautiful for us all. 🤍

Do you pack anything when you travel that brings t

Made it to Venice, Italy yesterday with only enoug

Made it to Venice, Italy yesterday with only enough time to see sunset and then find a place to eat dinner. But it didn’t really matter because any amount of time in Venezia always thrills me to my core. And what a sunset we saw!! 😍

I am sad to report that crowd level seems to be back to pre-pandemic levels and for myself I think this will be my last time here unless it’s in the dead of winter when there are likely to be less tourists (?) as being part of over-tourism for a place nearly being loved to death, doesn’t feel really good. I need to do more research and talk to more people that live here before I make any final decisions.

What are your thoughts on over-tourism or visiting Venice?

The city is seeking to combat over-tourism with a tax for day trippers and other tourists that I’ve outlined on my blog. I personally think it’s a good move. And I will be curious to see what residents like my friend @neumarc think as it gets implemented and we see whether or not it has a positive impact.

Venice also banned large cruise ships from the Venetian Lagoon as it caused intense damage to the ecosystem when they were allowed. Speaking of cruises, I’m in Italy to head to the port and fishing town of Chiaggio where we are joining @vikingcruises for their “Empires of the Mediterranean” sailing. It is Dante’s first time on a cruise and Viking is one of the only lines I will go on an ocean cruise with because their ship has a passenger capacity less then 1/3 the size of the average for the industry. They also seem to be making honest strides to ensure they operate in ways that are as responsible and ethical as possible. I’ve also never met an employee who didn’t LOVE working for Viking. The ones I’ve met when on the river and one ocean cruise so far have been some of the happiest tourism employees I’ve found the world over.

This is starting to sound like a commercial 😂 and I didn’t mean to do that. But I am grateful to be hosted by Viking again so I can share more about them. AMA in the comments and I’ll answer honestly ⤵️

Thank you for making it this far. I hope your week is off to a great start ❤️

#myvikingstory #myvikingjourney #vikingcruises

I made you breakfast, I provided the view, all tha

I made you breakfast, I provided the view, all that’s missing is YOU…

reading my two latest posts on kirstenalana.com 😉

The first is a review of one of my favorite properties I’ve ever stayed at: @rooms.hotels Kazbegi

The second is the most massive Guide I’ve ever published. A way to showcase my love for @georgiatravel and hopefully enough inspiration that you’ll want to plan your own trip to the country for this winter! Or sometime in the future 🥰

So: grab your favorite bevvie, sit in a comfortable chair, and dig in with me. Then come back here and let me know what your favorite part was ❗️

Oh, and please share the posts with someone you know who’d benefit from their own trip to Georgia. 🙏♥️ Thank you! 😘😘

#georgia🇬🇪 #roomskazbegi #georgiatravelmoments #emotionsaregeorgia #traveltogeorgia

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🇭🇷 After Chioggia and Koper, we sailed to Za

🇭🇷 After Chioggia and Koper, we sailed to Zadar during our hosted itinerary with @vikingcruises last month.

From there we drove inland for a day trip @dante.vincent had chosen because it included a bird sanctuary and rehabilitation center with the possibility to try our hand at falconry. That didn’t end up happening.

But we still got to see birds, we heard a very entertaining lecture, and we were able to spend time in Krka National Park.

I was surprised by how green it still was for October, and the fact they have multiple blooming periods each year for the small purple cyclamen that can carpet the ground in parts of the park! If it’s your first time ever in Croatia, I’d recommend opting for the included walking tour of the Old Town of Zadar. It’s so charming and was one of my favorite stops during my last visit to Croatia many years ago now.

📷 Photo of waterfall handheld on my Sony a7R II @ 1/640, ISO 50, f/2.8 #MyVikingStory #SonyAlpha

Droppin’ a little 🐱kitty cat 🐈 happiness i

Droppin’ a little 🐱kitty cat 🐈 happiness into your feed because I feel like we could all use it.

Images are by @dante.vincent and I, taken in the cities of our hosted “Empires of the Mediterranean” Viking cruise last month.

All of these cats seemed to be wild and some showed the battle scars of life on the streets. Some were eager to pose. Some seemed more aloof. But we saw an old man taking care of them in Kotor, Montenegro and in every city we found these cats, it brought a smile to our faces. Animals just do that, don’t they. They have a capacity to bring such joy to life when they’re loved, they give that love right back.

I hope these cuties bring a smile to your face too.😻 #caturday

Do you recognize this island? It’s probably the

Do you recognize this island?

It’s probably the most recognizable Slovenian landmark and yet from my friends who love the country, I know it’s far from the only thing to enjoy in 🇸🇮

Still with my one afternoon ashore in the country as part of our hosted @vikingcruises, I wanted to visit understand why it’s so famous! 🤔

It was a 2 hour bus ride from the port of Koper and after arriving we took traditional Pletna boats to the island in the alpine lake that doesn’t allow motored craft and was once home to a temple to Ziva [the Slavic goddess of love and fertility] ❤️

I fell hard for these gleaming wooden boats with awnings that are compared to Venetian gondolas, passed down through the families that captain them. They’re controlled using two long wooden poles and to do so is to be called a Pletnarstvo.

On the island: visit the Church of the Assumption whose current Baroque design dates to the 17th century with a chapel from the year 1004. Ring the bell from the 1500s to make your wish come true. Then climb the tower for views across the tiled roof to Bled Castle.

Before departing, get gelato at Café Potičnica. You’ll earn it once you’ve climbed the 99 steps from the boat launch and walked all the way up the 52-meter high tower!

So what makes it all so special that it’s one of the most photographed spots in the world? I still don’t know. 😂 But it is a charming area! 🥰 And the lake is so beautiful when the sun is shining and that alpine water gleams turquoise and green. Plus the excursion did make me want to return to see much more of Slovenia! If you’ve been, where else do you think people should visit in the country?

#MyVikingStory #VikingCruises

Our ship was due to leave port in a few hours and

Our ship was due to leave port in a few hours and I felt the urgency of the sun’s journey as it fell further and further toward the horizon visible between the masts of sailboats in the harbor. ⛵️ I could relax, unpack, and unwind. But I’d never seen Chioggia. 🇮🇹 What was it like? I had to know! And so I made my way down, out, away, with the wind in my hair and a pep in my step. 🏃‍♀️ Between tall buildings, through narrow alleys, under colorful laundry and past the eyes of a nonna or two I made my way to the busiest street in town: Corso del Popolo. It was buzzing with a post-work energy and a golden hour glow. ☀️ Residents on bicycles sped past me as I meandered under colonnades and by shops to observe a group of mothers circled around strollers chatting away while their older children played in the square, a couple alone at a café, and men debating over cold glasses of birra. 🍻 Further wanderlust drove me on to see if I could find a quiet spot and I discovered vibrant reflections making a type of modern art painting on the calm canal water; before raising my head to observe the alley before me overflowing with rainbows. 🌈 A promise of things to come? 🤔🤞🤞

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