Category: adventures & travels

travel | hearst castle

Invitations to the Hearst Castle were highly coveted during its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s. Charlie Chaplin, the Marx Borthers, Clark Gable, Winston Churchill, were among Hearst’s A-list guests. While guests were expected to attend the formal dinners each evening, they were normally left to their own devices during the day while Hearst directed his business affairs. Since “La Cuesta Encantada” (“The Enchanted Hill”) had so many facilities, guests were rarely at a loss for things to do. Today, Hearst Castle is a national and historical landmark, designed by architect, Julia Morgan between 1919 and 1947 for newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst, who died in 1951.

We were in Paso Robles covering a wedding over the weekend and figured we’d pay a visit to the castle, since we’ve never been. It was a real treat since we were allowed to take photographs and can share the experience with everyone 🙂

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travel | vancouver and island

In 1792, Captain George Vancouver explored the Burrard Inlet of Vancouver, today the shores of the city, and wrote of the area’s “innumerable pleasing landscapes.”  After spending a few days in Vancouver, we can see why it is renowned for its incomparable natural beauty and cultural diversity. It is also recognized as one of the world’s most livable cities with a rich history and one of the smallest carbon footprints of any major city in North America.
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We also set out on ferry to Vancouver Island, hoping to climb to the top of Mount Albert Edward, the sixth highest peak on Vancouver Island, located in Strathcona Provincial Park. Unfortunately, we only made it to the base of the mountain, camping at Circlet Lake. There was still quite a bit of snow on the trail during out hike in, which we weren’t expecting since it was June.

The length of Vancouver island is filled with at least eighteen mountain ranges, composed of sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Most of the mountains are characterized by steep reliefs and sharp peaks in the high alpine and generally lower relief and smoother summits at lower elevation. We really enjoyed snapping images where you can see the different layers of mountain ranges. What’s also amazing to think was that the entire island was a rainforest, which explained why it was so lush on the island. It was amazing to see such magnificent snow-capped mountains in the far distance from the city of Vancouver.
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Round the World

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We’re out to sea for the day and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect. The crew taking us out has been at sea for seven months now, out of a year long voyage around the world, as part of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. They’ve stopped in the northern French Port of Brest before a tour that will take in Rio, Cape Town, Australia, Singapore, Qingdao, and now San Francisco, with 87 days left and still Panama, Jamaica, New York and London to go. We have so much for respect for the crew and can only imagine all the wonderful sights they’ve encountered and all the ocean toils they’ve endured along their journey.

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travel | deutschland

From one cold place to another cold place. People thought we were nuts for wanting to explore a colder place but there were plenty more pros to a low-season jaunt across the sea, which was discovered during a month-long sabbatical to snowy German a few weeks ago. After a crazy year of non-stop shooting, editing and all things related to running a business, we needed to recharge and do something different since it’ll be my only vacation for 2014. As tempting as a sunny paradise seemed, we were drawn more to the castles set up high in the mountains and the giant snow-sprinkle trees in the Black Forest and the Bavarian Alps.

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The trip started with an exhausting 25 hour flight, which left me passed out face down at a Turkish Kaffehaus in Berlin shortly after we landed. I was told there were some local students who were filming a skit the entire time my head was in the clouds. To my surprise it was only about 30 degrees Celsius outside, which was a lot warmer than some negative degree Celsius we were expecting it to be. Our itinerary included a day or few spent in each of the following places: Berlin, Cologne, a cliff located near Honau on the Swabian Alb, Baden-Württemberg, Füssen, Berchtesgaden, and back up to Berlin. No matter what part of the country we visited, there were thick layers of history everywhere: from gothic cathedrals to medieval castles and from Baroque palaces to communist-era apartment blocks. We’ll spare the rest of the details and encounters we accumulated for another time, but, despite all the tradition, Germany is a modern country and we managed to finagle invitations everywhere we went to get the real experience.

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But now, it’s back to the reality of tight schedules and long nights of editing. To be honest, it has taken several days to recover from the jet lag and  settle back into the daily grind for the remainder of this year. We just wanted to take a quick minute to apologize for not remembering to put up our vacation responder during the entire month for those who have tried to reach out to us. We meant no lack of consideration or gratefulness for your inquiries and just wanted to make that clear.

blurb | whirlwind

Three days in Los Angeles just made my head spin.

Engagement session on Day One.yt14

Location scouting + editorial shoot on Day Two.
qwe qwe1qwe2Invite from my dear friends Lily and Vincent to the Ellen Show, with guest stars Robin Williams and Pharrell on Day Three before hopping on a plane right back to San Francisco.
1Then during the show, we find out we’ll be back in LA for Ellen’s 12 days of Giveaways episode in two weeks. Not all of it really sank in yet with all the holiday bustle, but I am feeling VERY MUCH blessed for all the wonderful people in my life and the whirlwind of experiences that come my way. The love and support from everyone I am surrounded by means more to me than words can EVER express.