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Brigida, Gina & Emilio’s Nocino – Rome, Italy – Somewhere In Time Weekly Travel Photo

Bethany — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:33:34 +0000

Somewhere In Time is a weekly travel photo from around the world. Enjoy!

This week’s photo is a personal one. When we went to Rome the first thing (and only thing) we did was meet up with Brigida and Gina. Gina (she is sitting in this photo) was married to my father’s cousin Emilio and Brigida is their daughter. When I was 12 years old Brigida came to the U.S. to meet everyone but that was the only time I had met her previously.

We only had very loose directions to meet her at a train station and I didn’t even know what she would look like or what she would be wearing. As luck would have it, we walked off the train and right into big hugs. We both saw each other and just kind of knew that we were looking for each other instantaneously. We went back to their condo where Gina cooked an amazing Italian meal for us and then later in the day Brigida took us for a tour of the Vatican because they only live about a 10 minute walk from it. While we were there it poured and the entire square vacated except for a couple girls and their mother who were dancing in the rain. It’s a memory that I’ll never forget and I have a picture too! It too will be a part of the Somewhere In Time series eventually – it’s just not ready yet. I should also mention that Brigida speaks basic English and Gina doesn’t speak any. We don’t speak Italian. Looking back, I can’t remember any language difficulties and the conversation always flowed but I’m not even sure how.

This photo was taken in their living room. About 10 mins prior to this Gina decided to call my Auntie Adele (my father’s sister) in the States. Adele is one of the few Italian speakers in our family and her and Gina talk regularly. I remember I was sitting on the couch with Randy and Gina was sitting in the exact same spot as the photo talking on the phone. I heard some scuffling and I thought Gina was laughing at something with my aunt. I couldn’t understand the conversation so I had no idea what they were talking about. Then I looked up and saw that Gina was crying. Not just little tears but big, sad, heavy tears. Brigida told me they were talking about their husbands – both who have passed away. Gina was crying, my Auntie Adele was also crying, Brigida started crying and then I started crying. I couldn’t watch as people I loved cried across continents and not cry myself. In an instant, I felt overwhelmingly sad – I missed my Uncle Ben and I knew that Gina & Brigida missed Emilio immensely. After a few minutes, we all collected themselves and stopped crying. Which was good for everyone and especially good for Randy. It’s one thing for me to sit and cry with people I am related to – even if I’ve met them only once before but for Randy it’s a totally different ballpark. He hasn’t heard stories of Uncle Emilio, he hasn’t spent an entire childhood with one of my favorite uncles – Uncle Ben. He’s not Italian – he’s not used to the crazy dinners, eat until you can’t eat anymore, the big laughs & big cries of the typical overly emotional Italian family. Italians and Italian-Americans are very genuine -they don’t hold their emotions back in any sense. My father can’t even read his birthday cards in public -and by that I mean around the kitchen table. He gets too emotional so he actually takes them into the bathroom or his office, shuts the door and reads them. Then he saves them. FOREVER.

I felt bad for Randy that we were all suddenly crying out of nowhere and he was trapped on the couch not knowing what to do or even what was going on. As usual, he handled it like a champ. I’m telling you if you go to Italy and you happen to be Italian be prepared. The emotions are going to hit you at some point. There is no escaping it. If you are visiting family you might as well buy stock in Kleenex before you go. It’s just the way it is. After the crying stopped Brigida had decided that it was the perfect time to shake things up by bringing their homemade Nocino onto the scene. This was a welcomed relief for everyone and we all took sips of this grow-hair-on-your-chest-in-two-seconds liquor. Nocino is made from unripened walnuts and this stuff is intense! Seriously, I could barely get down more than a sip. It is very, very strong. This particular bottle was made 10 years ago and you can see a little goes a far way. They were extremely proud of their homemade Nocino and it lightened the mood instantly. I took this photo as Brigida was explaining to us what Nocino was made of. By that point even Gina was back to her smiling, beautiful self, thinking of happy memories before Emilio died when they all made the Nocino together. In a strange way this is a little family portrait of them all.

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*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website, Nariko’ s Nest Weddings & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you do want to use one of them please contact me first because I do love to share and I would be flattered. Thanks!

Yellowstone Syndrome – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming – Somewhere In Time Travel Photo

Bethany — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 10:33:28 +0000

Somewhere In Time is a weekly travel photo from around the world. Enjoy!

Yellowstone syndrome comes on fast. The minute you drive into Yellowstone National Park you feel life slow down. Somewhere between the enormous pine trees, the roaming buffalo & the fog that rises out of the bubbling thermal pools you start to feel the worries of life leave your system.

It relaxes and unwinds you in the blink of an eye. It’s the perfect place to go if you want to get away from it all and see the grand spectacle of nature. Life really is different in the National Parks and Yellowstone is one of the grandest.

I just realized it was just one year ago that we rolled through Yellowstone on the drive from California to Massachusetts. We camped in Yellowstone for one night but we needed a week.

If you need to unwind Yellowstone is the perfect place to do it. Just be sure to leave yourself at least a few days to wander around, search for buffalo and take it all in.

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The Dwelling – Venice, Italy – Somewhere In Time Weekly Travel Photo

Bethany — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 10:33:18 +0000

Somewhere In Time is a weekly travel photo from around the world. Enjoy!

It seems to happen frequently. I find myself dwelling about our brief days in Venice. What was it about that place? I just can’t seem to get it out of my head. If I close my eyes (yes, I know this sounds cheesy) I can hear it, see it and smell it.

Like she’s RIGHT there.

I think it’s just the type of place you visit and you fall in love with. Then it just never leaves you. Kinda like the one that got away. You always remember something special about it but what you really remember is how you felt when you were hanging out together.

A couple weeks ago I did a very large photo essay – Venice After Dark. It’s probably my favorite photo essay yet – if you haven’t seen it definitely take a gander over and check it out. It’s my version of Venice at night – steamy, dark, mysterious.

What’s been interesting about it that photo essay is reading the comments. It seems that a lot of people feel the same way I do about Venice. Whether their trip was last year or 30 years ago they remembered the city clearly. Most importantly, everyone seems to have strong feelings about just how much they loved it, how much they miss it and how badly they want to go back.

There was one comment in particular that I really loved. Carol hit the nail on the head when she left this one and I felt, after reading it, that I was right there walking beside her and watching her life unfold.

“I was in Venice in my 20′s with beau on arm dressed like Katherine Hepburn and walking the streets like I was the queen of style. It was so long ago and Venice has not changed (except for the plastered billboards). I would give anything to walk those streets 40 years ago again and giving my glorious smile full of a vitality that only that city can give.”

Thank you so much Carol for leaving that comment. I don’t think anything I could write anything that would sum it up with such clarity.

So the photo in this post? That’s Venice from above. I took this photo from the top of the Campanile in St. Mark’s Square right around sunset. It was taken just moments after I took this photo – Sunset At The Campanile – which was a different Somewhere In Time photo published in April.

Whatever you do in this life, do what you can to get to Venice.

At some point in your life you’ll want and need to be a part of her. There is some crazy magic happening in those streets.

If you liked this post be sure to check out more Somewhere In Time Photos.

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Dreams That You Dared To Dream – Interstate 90, Massachusetts – Somewhere In Time Weekly Travel Photo

Bethany — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 10:33:50 +0000

Somewhere In Time is a weekly travel from around the world. Enjoy!

Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high,
There’s a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby.

Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue,
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true.

Someday I’ll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far
Behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That’s where you’ll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly.
Birds fly over the rainbow.
Why then, oh why can’t I?

If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can’t I?

Lyrics by E. Y. Harburg

Best sung by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole

This photo was taken through a car windshield during the pouring rain on the Mass Pike in Massachusetts. The colors you see are lights from the cars ahead reflected in the rain drops. This picture is simple yet abstract and quickly becoming one of my favorites. The colors kind of remind me of some of my favorite Mark Rothko paintings. I can sit and stare at it for a long time and always see something different depending on my mood. It lets me get lost in it and for that I love it.

What do you think about it? Do you see anything in it?

Be sure to check out the Getting Out Of Auto Photography ebook if you like this shot and want to know more about how you can use reflections and alternative lighting methods in your own photos.

Click on the ad for more info.

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Simpler Times at 32° 117° – Somewhere In Time Weekly Travel Photo

Bethany — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 10:33:37 +0000

Somewhere In Time is a weekly photo from around the world. Enjoy!

Maybe it’s the summer weather or maybe it’s just all the craziness that has been surrounding my life the past couple of months. Maybe it’s just the simple fact that I want to go back a couple years (ok, 10 yrs would be great) to simpler times. Don’t get me wrong. I am happy with the changes I’ve made in my life, I’m happy with where I am. It’s just the other stresses of life have been getting to me lately. The things that go along with getting older – parents aging and such. Things you can’t control.

The past couple of months have found me drifting back to the days on our sailboat in San Diego. I’ve been feeling wistful for those days and wishing I could go back and live on the boat in what was a very simple life. Simple because when you live on a 27′ sailboat with another person and a dog you pare down to the basics pretty quick and that’s great for de-stressing.

I bought the sailboat when I was going through a really difficult time in my life. After being diagnosed with cancer at 31 I just wanted to float away. I was really craving a new life and didn’t know what to do about it. So I bought a sailboat. I hadn’t sailed a day in my life, yet I thought I would someday sail to South America. After the first sail I realized that was an insane idea but it was the dream of doing something new that led me to the boat. Which led to simpler times – which was exactly what I needed.

The sailboat provided a more bare-bones life, a community, new friends who took us sailing, fixed our engine and shared laughs. Trading was a popular form of currency on the docks – I give you this, you give me that. Easy right?

I loved going to bed as the waves lulled me to sleep. I loved the fact that the only TV we had was the laptop, which meant we listened to a lot more music. I loved that there was no real place to cook, which strangely inspired me to cook more often. I loved having coffee on the deck as the fog lifted over the San Diego Bay in the chilly mornings. I loved the little ducks that swam around the boat. I loved hanging towels out to dry on the dock lines. After a peaceful wake up each morning I hung out with my dog, worked on my wedding photos, the blog & with my parents remotely. Waking up on the big blue ocean every morning was something that never got old.

Sure there were some stressful times, we weren’t expert sailors and we learned by trial and error but the good days were really, really good. We would load up the boat with fruit, sandwiches, sunblock, friends & beer. Lots of beer. Off we would go parading our little home around the San Diego Bay, catching the wind, bouncing off waves, cannonballing off the deck into the Pacific.

This photo was taken on one such day. Four of us had gone out for a fantastic sail and the heavy clouds started rolling in as the sun was setting brightly against the horizon. We were getting ready to dock and we were scurrying around the deck trying to drop the sails and get the lines ready. The light streaming through the clouds onto the sail caught my eye and I took a few photos of people running around making last minute adjustments. I love this photo because I love the light and because it really reminds me of exciting yet simple times.

Living with only what you need is something I highly recommend everyone does at least once in their lives. Whether it’s a backpack, an RV, a boat – whatever it is just go small for a while. Get rid of everything and you’ll be surprised how much happier you are when you have very little left to worry about. It’s pretty easy at that point to discover what is really the most important to you in life. It’s equally easy to notice all the things that were previously holding you down. Things you don’t even realize – like a large collection of shoes & electric bills. Life on the boat proved to me that less really is more.

Want to learn how to take silhouettes like this? Be sure to check out my photo ebook “Getting Out Of Auto” for tips & tricks on shooting in all types of light, including bright sunlight. It even has a section that talks gives step by step instructions for capturing great silhouettes!

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Late Night Laundry – Venice, Italy – Somewhere In Time Weekly Travel Photo

Bethany — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 08:33:25 +0000

Somewhere In Time is a weekly travel photo from around the world. Enjoy!

The next time I go to Venice I plan on being a vampire and sleeping my days away so I can wander the streets at night. I fell head over heels with Venice during the first evening I spent walking her streets – that was all it took. Of course Venice is beautiful day or night but the daylight hours bring hoards of people cramming the streets, stifling heat, sour moods & plenty of bad restaurants to dine at.

But at night, everything changes. The tourists tuck into their beds early, ready to make the most of the next day. The lousy restaurants seem to shut down and the night air is just cool enough to make you completely forget about the weather and any sort of foul mood you felt when you were lost, hot & hungry just a few hours earlier.

Venice during the day is attractive and intriguing but Venice at night is sultry, seductive and utterly irresistible.

One night we ended up staying out quite late walking the streets. We hadn’t necessarily planned on it but we fell more and more in love with each step. We just kept wandering down this alley or that, wondering what was over the next bridge until we were so hopelessly enamored that we didn’t even notice we were completely lost. It took hours to find our way back.

Every turn brought some sort of new sensory overload. In one square we ran into a group of young kids playing soccer around 12am. A different square brought the laughter and murmured voices of friends & family chatting over dinner and wine – their smiles contagious. A stroll down another alley brought the auditory sensation of a restaurant cleaning dishes, putting away chairs and clanging utensils. It seemed that I heard them cleaning for miles before I even could spot the place. And in between it all was the calming sound of water lapping through the canals and the buzz of distant boats headed home. Put it all together and you cannot image a better soundtrack for walking the charming streets of Venice.

Then there is the laundry. Hanging between buildings that are hundreds of years old, hangs the laundry of the modern family – socks, dresses, pants, underwear, bras & children’s clothing. It barely sways in the non-existent breeze and it fills the space in a way that makes you realize without it Venice would seem incomplete. It would feel like something was missing but you would never be able to put your finger on exactly what it was.

Besides experiencing the best cappuccino of my life, Venice will always be remembered in my mind as the land of the late night laundry. This sounds strange but I want to go back to Venice just so I can spend more time there at night taking photos of the hanging laundry. Even thought I did take a lot photos in Venice, looking back I was so in love with the city that it felt like I was walking around in a bit of a haze.

Walking in Venice at night is a bit like being drunk and in love – in a good way.

I think everyone knows what I am talking about – the world is so perfect & beautiful right at that moment that when you look back on it later you can’t exactly remember it clearly. It was so good you ended up in a daze with little use for words. Yup, that’s Venice in a nutshell – at least during the late night evening hours.

Just remember when you visit plan on wandering around at after dark. Venice is a completely different town when the sun goes down.

If you like this photo and want to see more be sure to check out our Somewhere In Time Travel Photo Gallery and our other Around The World Photo Essays.

Be sure to check out our other travel stories & photos of Venice.

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Iceland Light – Somewhere In Time Weekly Travel Photo

Bethany — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 10:33:46 +0000

Somewhere In Time is a weekly travel photo from around the world. Enjoy!

Iceland has amazing light. It isn’t necessarily strong or bright but it owns everything around it. It casually falls off mountains, crystallizes in the falling waterfalls & bounces off all the buildings and homes. It’s a mix of golden orange and cooler blue hues. It isn’t the kind of light that warms everything in it’s path but it gives off an unmistakable glow to the streets, people and countryside.

This photo was taken on a street in Reykjavik, Iceland. We were walking back to our campsite and the sun was casting it’s luminous rays as it dipped below the horizon. Reykjavik is full of multi-colored homes and the light was just popping off the buildings. It was beautiful. I remember being in awe of it as we walked quickly down the street. I decided to take some photos from the hip just to see what I would get and also partially because there was a strange looking man following us and I didn’t want to reveal my camera. With my camera across my chest and disguised by my scarf, I took several photos as we were walking and I was hoping that one would catch the light.

I know this photo probably won’t appeal to everyone but it is one of my favorites. I love how the light catches all of the highlights and brings them to life – from the bright white window to the rim on the bike. I also love the rectangular shapes that lead your eye through the image – first the white window sill which leads to the small intercom and then to the orange doorways & windows that move right out of the image and frame the girl perfectly as she heads indoors. I love that she is in the middle of a nondescript everyday activity – probably just getting home from work and putting her bike away.

Iceland might not be home to the brightest light on earth but it is gorgeous. It wraps around the land like a blanket it doesn’t even know it owns. Remembering it makes me want to take the next flight out.

*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website, Nariko’ s Nest Weddings & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you want to use one of them please contact me first because I do love to share and I would be flattered. Thanks!

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American Spirit – Somewhere In Time Weekly Travel Photo

Bethany — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 10:33:57 +0000

Somewhere In Time is a weekly travel photo from around the world. Enjoy!

It just so happens that my sister Bridgette lives in America’s Hometown – Plymouth, MA.

Home of the Plymouth Rock, the first Thanksgiving & America’s oldest grocery store. Home to Squanto and the Pilgrims.

The prelude to the shores of Cape Cod, the older sister to Salem & the witches trials, the girl next door compared to Boston. The town that started it all for good and bad.

Plymouth is an easy going town that happens to maintain a mind boggling seat in the history of America. Could there be a better place to watch the fireworks on the Fourth of July?

As it turns out the answer to that question is NO.

I was spoiled in San Diego where fireworks are aplenty – every night at 9 p.m. in the summer – as a matter of fact. To top it off, San Diego has a kickin’ fireworks display over the San Diego Bay every year. I didn’t think the 4th could get better than San Diego. But then again, I had never spent the 4th in Plymouth.

Sure I grew up in Massachusetts and had spent the vacations of my youth bouncing around Cape Cod, but I had never experienced a Plymouth fireworks display. My sister lives in this little beach community called Manomet, and every year the residents have a big to-do for the Fourth of July.

Like American renegades, they break the Massachusetts ‘no firework’ law in Plymouth and they bring it hard. Here’s the tip – they bring it on the THIRD of July. Yup, all night long the colors fly. And I mean ALL night. For hours on end. This isn’t your neighborhood 20 minute display. This is the full on rebel yell of firework displays.

On July 3rd in Manomet beach, hundreds gather with their own firework arsenal. Bonfire’s are lit, drinking goes on through the day and night and everyone has a great time.

We went to the beach for about an hour, and it was by far the best fireworks display I have ever seen in the U.S., and it’s completely independent. If you want to light your own – feel free. Although you’ll have to make the run to New Hampshire to buy them, all you’ll need to do in Plymouth is just pick a spot on the beach and light ‘em up…

So if you want to see the best Fourth of July fireworks in the U.S., your best bet is to come to Plymouth a day early and have your mind blown on the shores of America’s Hometown.

*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website, Nariko’ s Nest Weddings & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you want to use one of them please contact me first because I do love to share and I would be flattered. Thanks!

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Yellowstone Road – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA – Somewhere In Time Weekly Travel Photo

Bethany — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 14:39:30 +0000

Somewhere In Time is a weekly photo from around the world. Enjoy!

Although Iceland was our first overseas destination, the big trip actually began in the United States. Last August, we traversed the U.S., driving from San Diego to Massachusetts. On the way we passed through Yellowstone National Park. We spent two nights camping and hanging out with the resident buffalo. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to do much in the way of hiking because we had Chachy with us and you can’t bring dogs on any of the hikes. We did sneak him into one quick hike (he stayed in a bag that we carried) but besides that we spent most of our time was relegated to the car.

Yellowstone’s roaming wildlife, geothermal activity and vast expanses create an area rife for exploration. Even if you don’t have a lot of time to hike around, the road that cuts through Yellowstone provides ample pull offs to enjoy some of the parks most famous attractions.

I took this photo as we were driving out and it’s one of my favorites from our time at Yellowstone.

*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers & Beans Travel Website, Nariko’ s Nest Weddings & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you want to use one of them please contact me first because I do love to share and I would be flattered. Thanks!

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Bridge of Sighs – Venice, Italy – Somewhere In Time Weekly Travel Photo

Bethany — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 10:33:34 +0000

Somewhere In Time is a weekly photo from around the world.

I had read that the Bridge of Sighs was named as such because prisoners had to cross the bridge on the way to the courtroom to hear their judgement. Rumor has it you could hear their sighs as they crossed the bridge to meet their fate.

I knew that it was one thing that I really wanted to see in Venice and I actually had to look around a bit to find it. I didn’t recognize it from other photos I had seen because it was entirely covered in advertisements. I can’t lie – at first I was completely saddened by the all encompassing ads. It was hard to visualize prisoners walking across the bridge sighing to themselves while looking at larger than life ads for name brand items.

I remember standing there and being disappointed but over time I have come to discover that I actually like looking at this photo. There are so many monuments, galleries and amazing things to look at in Italy that at some point it becomes overwhelming. Sure it’s not the Bridge of Sighs I had imagined in my head but standing there and looking at it plastered in 21st century advertisements is something I will always remember and it will also stand out to me because of it.

*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers & Beans Travel Website, Nariko’s Nest Wedding Photos & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you want to use one of them please contact me first because I do love to share and I would be flattered. Thanks!

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