Pictures from Spain - Day 2

Day 2 was a beach day. We drove an hour north from Barcelona to "Calella-De-Palafrugell," a small town on the Mediterranean Sea. I have heard stories my whole life about the Mediterranean Sea but it is far more magnificent than I could have imagined from a story. I could feel the history of this ancient sea and I found myself wondering what spectacular and terrifying things had occurred over these waters. But the funny thing about water is that it never stays the same, it is in a constant state of change. The water I touched and waded through is not the same water that was in the sea even a few years prior. It was a lovely reminder of how fleeting life truly is. Just like that my traveler's spirit was inspired once more, as I remembered that the true reason I travel is to catch the fleeting before it is gone forever. The world begs to be explored and its dark corners and secrets beg to be documented and seen by those brave enough to seek them out. 

Pictures from Spain - Day 1

Day 1 was a crazy day! My fiancé Doc and I got off the plane at 10:05 AM and hit the streets running. We immediately headed to downtown Barcelona and walked along La Rambla, the major throughway. Luck was smiling on us and we happened to be there on the one day out of the year where the city hall building was opened to the public. Unfortunately I only have one picture from there since photography was not allowed, but it is of the hall of the queen regent which surely does not disappoint! After there we headed to have lunch and see some street performers (videos to come!). We concluded the major part of our day at the Aquarium and then sat down to have Sangrias to celebrate our long day of travel. The most striking part of this day was the initial shock of the architecture. It is evident the amount of history that lies in this city, hundreds of years have passed on these stones and they still stand to tell the tale. It was truly breathtaking, and this was just the beginning.....

Picture Documentation from Ontario!

The U.S. Embassy in downtown Ottawa

A very old church located in downtown

The Canadian National Art Gallery

Ottawa, Ontario

I recently took a 5 day trip to Ottawa, Ontario the capitol of Canada. It was a beautiful city, with no shortage of old architecture and cafes to snuggle down in with a good book. I traveled there by car from Chicago, Illinois with my travel partner. It took roughly 16 hours there and back, but taking 94 to 69 to the 401 almost entirely avoided tolls. 

When travelling through Ontario there are "Onroutes" every 100 km or so which are basically an Oasis meets a rest stop. They often have food, gas and parking to pull over and take a nap in, which for those traveling by car is a valuable resource. We stayed at the Days Inn in downtown Ottowa, I would highly recommend it for anyone intending to visit the city. The hotel itself was a bit broken down and the halls smell like years of smoke damage. But the rooms are very large and it is so centrally located that you hardly spend anytime in the hotel.