Try a little tenderness

St. Ives, Huntingdonshire, Cambridge, ENGLAND

The Scoop

Rome, ITALY

Each time we visit Italy we end up gorging ourselves on gelato, somewhere along the lines of at least one after every meal, sometimes more. If it weren't for all of the walking we did, we would've easily returned home 20lbs heavier. But truly, nothing works as a better motive for children (and adults alike) to "keep going" than the promise of a gelato upon arrival!

Luckily here in Las Vegas there are quite a few different gelaterias, but none quite compare to those in Italy. Over there, they add whipped cream and sometimes a mini-cone on top as a decoration and nothing beats the selection of flavors (see top left photo.) I'm still kicking myself for not trying it!

Here's hoping you get to taste the sweet life this weekend. If you can't find a gelateria in your neighborhood, look for my new favorite frozen yogurt flavor, TARO. Bellissimo!

PS. I'm going to take a break from blogging this weekend. See you Monday!

Scale

La Scala del Bramante, Vatican City

Our few days in Rome were some of my most well-planned and pre-booked travel days of all time. In an effort to bypass the long queues (that are synonymous with visiting the Eternal City,) I scheduled every day in advance as much as I possibly could. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way when we traveled to Florence a few years earlier. It is imperative to avoid standing in line with children whenever possible!

The final day was to include visiting the Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums which house the infamous Sistine Chapel - but for all of my pre-planning, we arrived at the Vatican starving, late for our pre-scheduled visit, only to wait in the security line to get into St. Peter's which I had stupidly thought would get us into the rest of the Vatican.

Needless to say, these were my last few shots I took that day, as getting to the Sistine Chapel with two small children was a chore unto itself! But these photographs show the well-known renaissance architect, Donato Bramante's famous, spiral staircase. I remember learning about Bramante and this staircase in art school and as I abandoned my family after a long day of trudging along to get this shot before we left... we all laughed when we realized that we had to exit the building among these very same stairs.

Sometimes all the planning in the world doesn't matter.

Maritime

Belle Tout Lighthouse at Beachy Head, East Sussex, ENGLAND

On the second to last day of our holiday, we drove down to the south coast of England to go boating. It was incredible to sail through the English Channel and such a perfect way to say "goodbye" to England.

This particular area is known as "Beachy Head" and is located in the South Downs near Eastbourne. Supposedly, it's the highest, chalk sea cliff in Britain and all I could think of was the "White Cliffs of Dover" song whenever I looked up at those chalky, blanched cliffs. But sadly, this spot is also known for the suicide jumpers that have been plaguing the infamous cliff since the 1600's.

Bequeathed

Cambridge ENGLAND

Remember how I said I wanted to find an old bicycle with a basket? Well, I found one in my father in-law's shed! Isn't he dashing? From what I gather, Sunbeam Bicycles were in production from 1889-1935, so this guy is pretty old! I just love the "The Little Oil Bath" that covers the gear case.

He has been promised to me, but in the meantime I'm scouring Craigslist and such for my own classic bicycle. I know I'll find what I'm looking for eventually.

Iconic expiration

Boxworth, Cambridge, ENGLAND

Mute 3.1

Stamford, Lincolnshire, ENGLAND

Imperfect tense

Villa Borghese Gardens, Rome, ITALY

This photo is the perfect example of being at the right place at the right time. I was hailing a cab and happened to look over and see a dog hop in a nearby fountain that my children had been drinking out of just moments before. The composition is not as perfect as I would like it to be, but I am so glad I captured this moment. The next frame (which happened seconds later) was of the dog hopping out the fountain.

Now for this photo to make optimal sense, you should know that public water fountains in Rome are pretty special and very common. There is one on every block or so and the water is not only potable, but deliciously refreshing on any given balmy, midsummer's day. It was nice to be able to fill our water bottles (for free) periodically throughout the day.

This pure water runs consistently and free all around Rome and provided you have enough faith to not worry about things like bacterial diseases and such, I'm going to go out on a limb and say, "When in Rome...." drink like the Romans do. So we did. And apparently, so did the dogs.

Obligatory eventide

Fiume di Tevere, Rome, ITALY

Rome. Where do I begin?

It was overwhelming to say the least; an attack on the senses, a dichotomy of beauty and decay. It will undoubtedly take me quite awhile to process everything I saw and took in - hence this requisite travel shot. (That's the Vatican and dome of St. Peter's in the background.)

I took it on our first night while we were walking along the Tiber River to get back to our apartment in Trastevere. At first glance, it reminded of walking along the Seine in Paris, but Rome was much dirtier with graffiti everywhere and a general feeling of irreverence. Don't get me wrong though, both cities seduced me in parallel but very different ways.

What I want to know is -

... How does one take in so much art, architecture and history?

Lifting the burden

Bioparco di Roma, Villa Borghese, Rome, ITALY

Less than 24 hours ago, I returned home from a staggering journey across the Atlantic (to England and Rome.) Naturally, my first course of duty was not to unpack or start endless cycles of laundry, but to upload the 2,581 images I shot.

I've decided to be a little more efficient this year and aim to post at least one photo a day. Don't worry, I won't share them all! Granted it would give me about 7 years of daily posts.

On second thought....

I've been....

trying to calm the butterflies while planning, researching and booking where we are headed on Tuesday. I can't believe I'm finally going to the Eternal City!

enjoying shopping and cooking in another country. It is great fun perusing the grocery store aisles trying to find ingredients, realizing they aren't available and then having to improvise. The in-laws are some of my biggest fans when it comes to my cooking, so I like to bring a little of my cuisine wherever I go. (But truthfully, it's not hard to beat typical British fare!)

admiring this gorgeous French girl (She rocks Birkenstocks and the most perfectly simple vêtements. I must learn how to sew soon.)

missing my daily runs. I really should've brought my running shoes with me. I need to combat all the wine and sweets somehow!

wishing I'd thought to make a video like this one. That's nearly 5000 photos pieced together there! So clever and a lovely song, too.

dreaming about buying an old bike with a wooden basket. I keep seeing them all over Cambridge and wish I had one, too! I'm going to look for one when I return home. And while we are at it, I'd love one of these as well.

digging the genius of this man.

feeling grateful for all of my sunny days back at home. Even though the weather hasn't been awful, it certainly hasn't been perfect. Having mostly cloud-less days really does make a difference!

getting excited for my upcoming wedding photography gig in NYC. I'm embarrassed to say I've {never} been there (and I've been all around the globe!) But I'm afraid if I look at another wedding image for inspiration, my head just might explode.

laughing that I had a seriously XXX rated dream about George Clooney the other night. I half expected him to call me the next day. ;)

dying to upload the photos I took of The Mutes yesterday. BUT I DON'T HAVE MY LAPTOP! Waaaaaa.... This will be the third time I've shot them and well, it was better. YAY! The eldest, H. just gets prettier each year and the camera loves her. It's fun to shoot people like that! I can't wait to see what we got, especially since we took the photos in the lovely town of Stamford. I guess I'll just have to be patient...

really proud of my children. They have adjusted to the time change and all of the travel unbelievably well! Me on the other hand, let's just say it's 2:10 am and I've still got to book the Colosseum before I rest my head and listen to the village church clock chime a few more times. How I do love that sound!

......having a really lovely vacation. {Just in case you can't tell!} CIAO!

+Due settimane (... the abbreviated version)