The World is Full of Color ~ Barcelona, Spain



Barcelona is one of my favorite places and this is one of my favorite areas in Barcelona - Plaça Santa Maria in El Born. Although this is tiny "square" it has so much to do and see. The entrance to the beautiful Santa Maria del Mar Church forms one side of this small plaça  - on any given Saturday you can sit in one of the small cafe's and watch wedding party after wedding party. There is also a small fountain where locals come to fill up their water jugs for drinking water, there are two tapas cafes, an incredible dessert cafe (Bubó), a beautiful jewelry shop (Joid'Art) and one of the best wine bars in the city.

The colors of Plaça Santa Maria is another reason this is one my favorite places. I love the color used in the buildings in Barcelona, and this plaça highlights those colors well. My closet has always been full of neutrals - black, grey, oatmeal, white, a splash of red here and there, but my friend Montse, an accessory designer in Barcelona who makes the most beautiful scarves and wraps you will find, frequently reminded me that "The world is full of color." I think about her every time I see this photo.

While I have always enjoyed shooting in black and white, I found that most of photos from this trip were in color. Barcelona, after all, is a very colorful city!

Recycling, Aloxe-Corton, Burgundy, France



As mentioned before, we love to incorporate wine tours in our travels. Many of our trips center around this activity. Our last trip to France was no exception. For our 10th anniversary we spent a couple of weeks exploring vineyards and wineries in Burgundy and Chateauneuf du Pape.

This is one of my favorite "wine" photos from that trip. We were leaving Aloxe Corton - a small and very beautiful village in Burgundy - and stopped just on the edge of town to get a shot of the entire village. I noticed three large wooden bins and decided to check them out. All were full of empty wine bottles - recycling bins. Hundreds of bottles in each bin. If you look closely, you may even see some of your favorite French wines...we see some of ours!

I would love to know how long those bottles had been collecting - probably not as long as we may think. While good wine can be expensive at home, if you are able to visit the area from which it comes you may find it less expensive than good water!

Planning a trip to this area can be tricky. It helps to have friends in the wine industry who can help you set up appointments - appointments are a must if you want to visit the wineries. Some are open for walk-ins, however, many are family businesses and with an appointment you may be able to spend some time with the wine maker of your favorite wine. You can, of course, make appointments on your own without the help of friends if you are able to find the contact information for the winery. We have learned that three appointments a day is perfect, and we stop in the morning for fresh bread and cheese to take with us for snacks along the way.

If you are considering spending a few days in the Burgundy region to explore the wineries of the Cote du Beaune and Cote du Nuits, Beaune may be your best bet in terms of a home base. Beaune is a wonderful town (one of our favorites) with many hotel and dining options. We stayed in a great B&B (Les Jardins de Lois) with terra cotta floors, a small balcony overlooking the garden, and a wine cellar directly under our room. If you're there on a Saturday, the morning market in the center of town is not to be missed!

National Cathedral, Washington DC



DC is one of my favorite cities which, fortunately, I have the opportunity to visit every March. Although there is very little time outside of meetings to explore the city, I do always find time to take my camera for a walk.

This year some of my free time was spent at the National Cathedral. Even though I have been there many times before, I always see something new. My attention this visit was drawn to the smaller details instead of the awe inspiring vastness of the building. The Creation Statues that decorate the front entrances were my muses for the day. This photo shows a portion of the St. Paul statue, which depicts the moment of his conversion. The emotion in this statue is so clear and powerful...I enjoy how that emotion is translated in the photo.

Vintage ~ Barcelona, Spain



Wine plays a big role in most of our travels. We enjoy learning about the wine of the region, meeting with the winemakers, and tasting new wines where they are made.

We came across these three bottles in Barcelona. I have since learned that some can find them in the States, just not in our State. However, I still love these labels!

I call this one Vintage; the older the man on the label, the longer the wine has aged. You have El Viejo on the left, El Recio in the middle, and the very young El Pícaro on the right. Together, these three wines make up the Trilogy of Matsu Wines,  and the photos on the labels represent the three generations of wine makers at this winery - Grandfather to Grandson. Many of the wineries we have visited have that in common - they are passed through the family for generations so that the wine becomes not only their life work, but their family's life work. Luckily for us, they also welcome visitors to their wineries to experience the product they are so proud to share.