A city outgrowing its borders. Building up, in between, squeezing more into filled spaces. Layer upon layer of old, new, tradition, modern, luxury, practical, wire upon wire, brick upon brick.
Tagged: Asia, family vacation, Korea, Seoul, South Korea, street photography, travel, travel photography
We spent eight days enjoying the charm of Bar Harbor and the natural beauty of Acadia National Park. What I love most about vacations is the opportunity to experience things new and different. Seeing my children push themselves beyond what they’ve experienced and recognizing that this is something new and cool is the most rewarding. Lucas will remember putting aside his fears as he hiked up and down inclines too steep to be comfortable. Penny and Oliver will remember climbing up the most impossible dirt hills and rocky cliffs and the pride of pumping their arms into the air when they reached the top. And I will remember it all. 
The view of Bar Harbor from an observation point in Acadia National Park. This was the first time we had sight of the sand bar at low tide. Imagine our confusion when we saw people walking in the middle of the sea.
Acadia National Park protects the natural beauty of the highest rocky headlands along the Atlantic coastline of the United States, an abundance of habitats, high biodiversity, clean air and water, and a rich cultural heritage. Each year, more than 3.3 million people explore seven peaks above 1,000 feet, 120 miles of hiking trails, 45 miles of carriage roads, 17 stone bridges, and four lighthouses. – http://www.nps.gov
Beal’s Lobster Pier in Southwest Harbor has been a working fish and lobster pier since 1932. In 1969, after almost four decades of success as a wholesale operation, the third generation of Beals opened a Maine seafood restaurant at the end of the pier. The restaurant’s vision remains the same today as it was then–serve up the freshest seafood to customers, at the doorstep of the working waterfront. – www.bealslobster.com
For a few hours at low tide a sand and gravel bar are exposed allowing people to walk across the bottom of the sea from Bar Harbor to Bar Island. It was incredible to see the bar exposed for the first time, what had moments ago been the sea suddenly revealed what lay beneath.
Sand Beach is nestled between a mountain and a rocky shore on the east side of Mount Desert Island in Acadia National Park. When we arrived the inlet was shrouded in early morning fog which was quickly chased away by the day’s sun.
I walk out of the office at the end of the day and let my pleasant smile fade. I remove a jacket, a dress and ease into something more comfortable. I ready the kids for bed hearing their stories of the day. Layers of responsibility, of reminders and to-dos, of worries fall off of me, if I’m lucky, and I find my rest. When I rise the next day I apply my makeup and my steady, pleasant smile.
A layer of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere obscures visibility beyond Bar Harbor. The islands that dot the coast have disappeared. The eye has no where to look but to what is at hand.
Tagged: Bar Harbor, family vacation, Maine, photography, travel, travel photography
There once stood 72 tower houses within this double walled city, each built to demonstrate the wealth and power of the competing noble families. The fourteen that remain, rising proudly above its palaces, preserves the history of a feudal town controlled by rival factions ever ready for conflict.
San Gimignano mainly developed in the first three centuries of the Millennium, thanks to its favorable geographical position becoming an important transit stop for pilgrims traveling from France to Rome. The city flourished until 1348 when two thirds of its population was decimated by the Black Death. San Gimignano knew a long period of decline in the shadow of dominant Florence. This decline served to insulate San Gimignano from the influence of different architectural styles as there was little subsequent development. San Gimignano remained preserved in its medieval state until the 19th century when its status as a tourist and artistic destination began to be recognized. Today San Gimignano continues to preserve its authenticity thanks to the strict enforcement of the restoration principles.
