Vermont: Stowe, Von Trapp Family Lodge

By show of hands..who has seen The Sound of Music? Everyone. Like, everywhere, right?

I'd always wanted to visit the Von Trapp Family home in Stowe, Vermont (read their story, here) and with Spring nearly upon us, the time was now! I'm not much of skiier but give me a good lodge and a fireplace and I'm all set.

With five of us in one car, a pair of skiis wedged between, and beautiful scenic views along the way, we took off to Stowe, Vermont.

Here, the Von Trapp Family home, and lunch and beer at the Von Trapp Deli Bakery and Brewery!

Boston: L.J. Peretti Co. Tobacconists & Cigar Merchants

Location:

2 1/2 Park Sq, Boston, MA 02116

http://www.ljperetti.com

Sounding like something out of Harry Potter, with the 2 1/2 Park Sq address, L.J Peretti's is a new discovery, for me, but an institution in Boston, having been in the city for over 140 years and has seen the likes of Bing Crosby, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.

Alan and Ginnie, who I introduced to you before in Amsterdam, were visiting with us in Boston last week, and Ginnie stumbled upon L.J Peretti's on one of her walks and wanted to take Alan (a pipe smoker and tobacco connoisseur) there.

Naturally, I wouldn't miss seeing a new (to me) place in Boston. I felt like I was in a Diagon Alley world!

Where the tabacco gives an earthy-ness to the air and the lingering puffs of smoke hover lazily above. Where a smartly dressed man smokes a cigar in the afternoon, sitting on a leather chair that is both sturdy and familiar. Where tins of tobacco and hand-made briar pipes line the walls and cigar boxes blanket every last inch of the counter.

The star of the show, though, are the brass scales. As classic as you can get!

I'm not a smoker, but after stepping into this historic society, I wanted to be a part of its world...and of course, anything with a "Co." in its name is a friend of mine!

India: Delhi: Rajghat

When in Delhi, it is only fitting to visit Rajghat, the memorial site of Mahatma Gandhi.

The black marble slab marks the cremation site, while an eternal flame burns in a glass box and the words "Hai Ram" (Oh God) in Hindi are inscribed on the front. Words which are thought to have been Gandhi's last.

For both young and old, tourists and locals, it is a popular site of meditation, worship and respect.

India: Delhi: Red Fort, Jump

Here's a jump shot from the Red Fort in Delhi to jump start your weekend!

Have a good one!

India: Delhi: Lotus Temple

The perfect time to visit the Lotus Temple was at sunset, a sight beautiful to see.

It is open to all visitors, of all religions, which is the basis of Bahai faith, making it simply a house of worship; a place of prayer and meditation.

The temple is made of marble, cemet and sand and was finished in 1986, designed by Persian architect Fariborz Sahba, and took 800 engineers and artisans and 10 years to complete.

Shoes have to be taken off and photography is not allowed inside the temple, but there is enough beauty in it's incredible structure and surroundings to take in.

This is London, Day 1

A lot of people are considering shifting away from Instagram in light of their new terms of service and I have to admit, I just started using the new Flickr app, which I think is quite robust.

Still, while in London, I Instagrammed a lot and enjoyed how easy it was to share my adventures, but then I realized, there are also these...the real photographs.

This is London. Day 1.

NYC: Panorama

An ode to NYC and NJ after Hurricane Sandy.

Shot from the rooftop at the Hyatt Regency Jersey City, in September 2012.

NYC: The Guggenheim: Picasso, Black and White

While in NYC I took in Picasso's Black and White exhibit at The Guggenheim, a museum I hadn't been to in years, remember THIS throwback Monday?

The exhibit is expressive, robust and void of color, as Picasso claimed,

Color weakens.

Thus, I present my vision of the Guggenheim in black, white and shades of gray....(with a bit of Central Park thrown in for good measure).

Black and White runs until January 23, 2013

New Haven, Connecticut

24 hours in New Haven, started with breakfast, then the Yale Center for British Art, Yale University Art Gallery, Old Campus, Sterling Library and ended with tea at Claire's....

Greece: Santorini, Skaros Rock

Certainly one of the most unique places to stay would be inside a cave, wouldn't you say?

Hotel Sunny Villas, with its incredible caldera and sunset views, was one such place and with it being situated in front of the famed Skaros Rock, it was an ideal location for a morning hike.

Now, I'm not a hiker, and not an adventure seeker, either, so seeing a well-trodden path on Skaros made me feel confident about this type of hike.

Then we met a group who had just done the hike and were resting at the foot of it, amongst them was an older lady with a cane.

They told us that there's a hidden CHURCH on the other side of Skaros Rock, that is only accessible if you hike over some fallen rocks, which, when you approach them, appear to be the end of the road. However if you hike OVER these trecherous rocks (with a sheer drop on the other side) the path continues on down to the church. With an incredible view.

And a closer view of Heaven I thought, if I slipped.

BUT.

The old lady did it.

So we gave it a go, and of course at the pile of fallen rocks, the camera was put away, but you can see that they were right.

Totally worth it.

Heaven, on earth.

Greece: Santorini, Oia's Sunset

The crowd has gathered. Everyone's settled in for the big moment.

The time has come.

Sunset over Oia.

Greece: Santorini, Dogs + Photogs

The sunset in Oia brought every tourist to it's tip, each person vying for a comfortable spot to enjoy sun down.

Then, there was this dog, like the Lassie of Oia, leading the way for tourists, and braving great heights for a photo op; finally settling down in a nook that stuck out way over the water.

Greece: Village of Oia

The other end of Santorini, is the famous Oia Village. Famous for what, you ask? Their sunsets. So after our beach day, we decided to stay on the bus until it reached Oia, to catch the sun setting.

But first, some sights along the way, and a curious dog who posed for pictures.

Seriously.

Greece: Santorini, Breakfast, Buses + Beaches

Although simple, the breakfast provided at the Hotel Sunny Villas was perfect and satiated us on our bus trip out to the black sand beaches for the day. One of the things that surprised me was seeing a Metro newspaper stand on the black sand beach! And seeing actual prickly pear plants!

Change in and out of your swim suit in here: Oh Hai!

Greece: Santorini, Night

We saw the sun setting over Santorini, now, how about when night falls?