Photo of the Week: Scotland

Glenshee, Scotland

Iphone 4s

I own a bunch of cameras.  My primary camera is the Canon xsi, but I also own a Canon point and shoot and a camera that is water resistant.  But my new favorite camera is the one on my IPhone 4s.

On my December trip to Disney I took my DSLR and my Iphone, I left the point and shoot at home in favor of the Iphone.  From the bit of testing I had done with it I knew it took good pictures and since it's my phone I always have it with me.  While there were a few pictures that I had issues with, I also found that the Iphone was always with me and handy and that makes a big difference. 

So for this week, I'm going to suggest the Iphone 4s (I hear the Iphone 4 has a pretty good camera too).  I'm also going to suggest that you practice with it a bit and maybe get a tripod for it if you want to stretch your photography skills.

Civitavecchia - Rome On Your Own

When I sailed on the Norwegian Epic and was stopping in Rome I decided to make it an easier day on myself.  I've been to Rome previously and really just wanted to see the Colosseum and The Forum.  I would have taken the NCL transfer to Rome, but it was $99.  I don't mind paying a premium for convenience, but that was rediculous!  Instead I took the train for 9 euros, which includes the Rome metro.

I can tell you how to do that, but this review is way more detialed then I could ever imagine writing so for step by step directions - Civitavecchia to Rome by train.  The short story is that you take the free shuttle out of the port into town (5 minute bus ride), walk 5-10 minutes to the train, by tickets and get on the next train.  I HIGHLY suggest getting a train schedule before taking the cruise, NCL did not have one available onboard.  But the train seemed to run every 30-60 minutes.

I'm also going to suggest Cruize Cast Podcast #4 on Rome if you would like to try and do all the major highlights of Rome in one day.

I did things slightly differently then suggested, which was good and bad.  When I got off the shuttle bus I went into the Tourist Information booth, here they tried to sell me the "fast" train for 15 euros, but it didn't leave for over an hour.  The "slow" train was leaving in about 20 minutes.  Also, the "fast" train only seemed to have 1 return time, but the "slow" train left every 30 minutes to an hour.  The difference in the ride time was about 20-30 minutes.  The "fast" train took 40 minutes the "slow" train took just over an hour, Italian time.  I had a little fight with the woman here, she wouldn't answer any of my questions, just kept trying to push the fast train on me and then every other tour she could.  I got annoyed and yelled at her then I bought my slow train ticket and tickets to the Colosseum/Forum.  Buying the Colosseum/Forum tickets here was a FABULOUS idea, it meant I didn't have to wait on line in Rome and I was able to kill the 20 minutes I had to wait for the train anyway.

Once in Rome my friend (I met him on the ship) and I walked to the Colossum.  We got a little lost and it took a while.  I would suggest taking the metro unless you want the exercise (you might after eating all that good food on the ship), the walk was not in the nice touristy area of the city.  I LOVED Rome the first time I went there, after walking through regular areas (for all I know I was in the ghetto, ack!) I lost some of my love for the city.  It had a dirty, rundown feeling and look to it, which the tourist areas do not have.  But it was also an adventure.

It was hot, I needed it!

After the Colossum and The Forum, which I'll discuss in another post, we walked to the Wedding Cake and found a nice little sidewalk cafe for lunch. 

After lunch we walked back to the train station, getting pretty lost this time, we had to pull out maps and ask complete strangers for directions multiple times.  This did allow us to stop and throw coins in the Trevi Fountain and just miss a train back to the port.  But at least this walk was in nicer area of Rome.  But if we had gotten any more lost we would have had to take a Taxi back to the train station.

I always show nice pictures, but the true Trevi Fountain has construction in front.

Unless you're interested in doing a tour in Rome, I would highly suggest taking the train into Rome, just get the schedule before you leave.  It's economical, and although the train was a little run down, we didn't hit any traffic and we got to travel with Italians, who don't speak English so I have no idea what any of them said. No, I didn't expect them to speak English, but it makes it hard to find out what the locals are talking about when they're not speaking in English.  You will find plenty of other cruise passengers on the train too, you wont be alone.

Photo of the Week: England

The London Eye, London, England

Fireworks from Lake George

 From Lake George, NY

 This was my first true attempt at shooting pictures of fireworks, thought they came out good

 I also thought they were a fitting end to the year 2011 when I took them

 I wish you all a Happy New Year, a few days early!

 Can't wait to see you again in 2012

Last pieces of Barcelona

I thought I had written about everything I wanted to write about in Barcelona, but then realized, I had missed 3 things.  So here are the last pieces of Barcelona - Las Ramblas, Barcelona Cathedral and Barceloneta.

Las Ramblas is the main tourist strip in Barcelona.  It is situated that on each side there are stores, then a lane of traffic and in the middle is a wide pedestrian walkway.  The walkway has kiosks, restaurant seating, street performers and pick pockets.  I am happy to say I don't know anyone who was pick pocketed, but this area is known to have lots of pick pockets so you will need to watch your wallet.

While the strip is loaded with tourists and touristy things, there are also many regular shops, like Nike, and a good atmosphere.  It feels alive (but not early in the morning), and joyful.  Of course you can also pick up any tourist souvenir you want, including a SpongeBob T-Shirt in Spanish (I have a 9 year old nephew).  For the first time visitor to Barcelona you do need to take a walk down Las Ramblas, but if you're hungry I would take a walk a block or so away from Las Ramblas.  You'll find better, cheaper food.

Barcelona Cathedral is in the gothic quarter, across from my first hotel in Barcelona.   It's free to enter and is strikingly different from Sagrada Familia, it's well - gothic.  If you have more then a day or two in Barcelona it's worth a visit, particularly if you have seen Sagrada Familia. I went during a mass (does that count as going to church?) so I didn't have free reign of the church.  But I was able to see the architecture which was very ornate and detailed.  It was pretty dark inside the church, giving the feel of candle light.  With vaulted ceilings and the dim light it had a VERY old feel. I'm pretty sure the lights were electric even if they looked like candles.  There were many small and ornate chaples in the back of the church, heavy in gold and very detailed in their images.  But I'm pretty sure the flat screen TV's were new though.

Finally, I want to talk about Barceloneta, the beach area of Barcelona.  I didn't spend too much time here, it wasn't terribly warm and there is so much to do in Barcelona, but I wanted to see the beach here.  It was a nice beach, and pretty long.  It's strange to think of such a large beach in a city, and only blocks away from the heart of downtown.

The area has a lot of restaurants, I hear it's known for Paella, shops but not as many hotels as I expected.  One of the girls I met on the cruise stayed at Hotel Arts (the tall blue one that was formerly part of the olympic athletes village), which is a very nice (and expensive) hotel.  There is also a casino here.  If you're looking for a relaxing stay in Barcelona this would be a nice place to stay.

Photo of the Week: Spain

In honor of Jesus's Birthday - The Nativity Facade of Sagrada Familia:  Barcelona, Spain

A Christmas Photo of a Castle

Cinderella's Castle at the Magic Kingdom during the Very Merry Christmas Party

The Holidays In Disney World

This year was the first time I was ever in Disney for the Christmas holidays, I had heard a lot of hype about what Disney does and it lived up to the hype!

The main holiday events are:  Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom, Candlelight Processional at Epcot, and The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at the Hollywood Studios.  I will go into each of these in great depth later on (probably in the middle to later part of the year as people start planning their own holiday trips.)  But aside from these events the parks and resorts are dressed up for the holidays too.  I felt fully immersed in the holidays while I was there.

Very Merry Christmas Party - I thought this event was over priced, but it was still fun.  They have some special characters for photographs (all 7 dwarves in one place for photos), cookies and hot chocolate, a special show in front of the castle, a special parade and special Wishes fireworks.  With the reduced number of people in the park I found you didn't have to fight so hard for a spot for the parade, which was good since I waited an hour to see the 7 dwarfs. The park is magical at night, and even more so when you're not fighting with so many people and are listening to Christmas music, it really does make a difference.  This is an event that would be fun to do every couple years, but not necessarily every year, unless you need a little push to get into the holiday spirit.

The Osborne Family Dancing Lights - I had heard about these, I had previously seen the Streets of America.  But gosh darn it, these were just cool!  I love Christmas lights, I love Christmas music - lights dancing to Christmas music = heaven in my book.  But it was very crowded.  I actually saw these twice, the first time I was taking photos with my tripod, between that and the crowds it was just cool.  But when I went for a private viewing and didn't even have my camera - I was dancing in the streets and singing songs - I LOVED it!.  I also finally had a chance to help Terye find the hidden Mickeys.  But I guess if you don't like Christmas lights or Christmas music then this would be a waste, of course if that's the case you should probably go to Disney another time of year.

Candlelight Processional - This is another event I had heard great things about, and it was my favorite.  It was void of gimmicks and was just about Christmas.  A famous person does the narration (Edward James Olmos) of the Christmas story and then a choir (accompanied by an orchestra) sang the appropriate Christmas song.  If you enjoy going to church and listening to the choir sing on Christmas you will LOVE this!

Holiday Story Tellers - These are at Epcot at World Showcase.  Each country has a story teller that talks about holidays in their country.  While I really enjoyed the Christmas ones, I also really enjoyed the ones that talked about other holidays - The Monkey King really stood out.  The Christmas ones reminds us of where our traditions come from and the non-Christmas ones remind us that the world is different and people celebrate different holidays while we're opening the presents that Santa placed under our trees.

I did visit a few of the different resorts - Grand Floridian, The Contemporary, Saratoga Springs, Yacht and Beach Club and of course my home resort of Port Orleans French Quarter.  The Grand Floridian was my favorite in terms of decorations - a gingerbread house that is big enough to be a store selling gingerbread - impressive.  Every resort had trees, multiple trees - I think the ones at Yacht and Beach had the best theming.

The last few years I've had trouble getting myself into the holiday spirit. But by the end of the week in Disney, I couldn't get it out of my spirit.  I loved spending the holidays in Disney.  I was running around the park singing about baby jesus, what more could you want? Since I bought an annual pass I think I might try to sneak in a trip right after Thanksgiving next year before my pass expires!

Photo of the Week: Italy

Tevi Fountain:  Rome, Italy

Guest Post: Visiting Boston, Massachusets

A visit to Boston is always a great diversion for me. I live near Providence, so, a day trip to Beantown is accessible almost anytime. Traffic and parking can be a huge hassle. However, once you get by that hurdle, visiting this vibrant, diverse,exciting city is always fun.

This city is a major worldwide destination. It is many different attractions. I recently took a trip to an area called Cambridge. It is situated in the greater Boston area. Cambridge is most famous for being the home of some of the world's most prestigious institutions of higher learning including Harvard, and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A walking tour of Harvard is a must. It provides a insightful look at our nation's early history. I visited the area where George Washington took command of the colonial army in our fight for independence against Great Britain, and I touched the foot of the John Harvard statue for luck, I guess. If touching his foot was supposed to make you smarter, it didn't work for me.

The Charles River, the major interior waterway of Boston, runs right by Cambridge. Sail boats, skull boats and kayaks abound in the Charles. There is a terrific pastry shoppe in close by called "Finale's" where all sorts of delectable treats are sold. Pick out your favorite sweet, which can be a daunting task in itself, and take the short walk to the nearby grassy riverbank. It is a great way to kick back and relax.

Shopping in the trendy and upscale shops along Newbury and Tremont Streets is another experience not to be missed; at least that is what the women tell me.

Venerable Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, is very close and worth a walk-by. Tickets for a game are hard to come by, but there is nothing like the atmosphere around Fenway before game time. Landsdowne Street comes alive with vendors hawking thier goods , the distinctive scent of a Fenway Franks wafts through the air, and the crack of the bat when players take batting practice are all experiences particular to Fenway.



Paul Revere

Boston has many interesting and diverse neighborhoods. Beacon Hill is one of them. Beacon Hill is well known for its prominent brownstones that are home to some of the more financially well-heeled Bostonians. Much of the real estate on Beacon Hill is valued in the millions of dollars. A stroll through gives an insight on "how the other half lives". Boston is a city the can be described as the birthplace of the American Revolution. There are many famous landmarks that I visited on a walk throughout the city on what is known as the Freedom Trail. The Freedom Trail includes stops at the Paul Revere house, the Old North Church, Bunker Hill, The U.S.S. Constitution (Old Ironsides), Fanueil Hall (the cradle of Liberty), Boston Harbor, the site of the Boston Massacre, the old State House. All of these attractions are very interesting and, if you are a American History aficionado, this walk is a must-do.



The most perfect way for me to end a busy day in Boston, is to stroll from Quincy Market up to the Italian North End neighborhood and eat at one of the many restaurants Hanover street, and its surroundings, abound with a myriad of choices from the quick and easy Italian pannini shops to more formal ristorantes or trattorias. It is almost impossible to make a bad decision when visiting the North End. A side note for all of those with a sweet tooth, Mikes's Pastry and Modern

Bakery offer the most delectable Italian dolci (sweets). The greater Boston area offers the visitor host of different and interesting experiences. If you get a chance to visit, do not hesitate. You will love it.

Bio: My name is Shane McCormick. I am the owner of NationalRVParks.com. I'm in my late 20's and I enjoy travel. I write about my various travel experiences. I offer tips and hints about my travel destinations. Please follow me on Twitter and Friend Me on FaceBook!

Put down the camera

Incase my photos of the week haven't tipped you off, I enjoy photography.  Going through photos after isn't always as much fun when you take as many as I do, but I love taking them and it's a labor of love to edit them.  But sometimes you need to put the camera down and be in the moment.

I remember being in Norway on the bus watching the countryside go by.  Then all of a sudden a bunch of reindeer appeared.  I went to take pictures, and I did get a few.  But I had to put my camera down, the reindeer were really cute.  They looked like children playing together.  It gave me that warm and fuzzy feeling that I never get in nature.  Even without any good photos of it, it's a memory that will live with me stronger then any photos could have.

So even when you're running around trying to get pictures, remember to stop once in a while and just be in the moment, the memories will be with you longer then your photos.

Minne Ha Ha and a Lost Lens Cap

Back in August when I went to Lake George I did one of the popular lake cruises, a lunch cruise on the Lac du Saint Sacrement with the Lake George Steamboat Company.  There are several cruise offerings in Lake George, just cruises, lunch cruises, and dinner cruises.  My friend and I choose the lunch cruise, not our best choice.

The experience started with trying to book our cruise.  We had a coupon and we wanted to book separately, but only had 1 coupon.  We did ask if this would be a problem before and were told it was fine.  Umm, 10 minutes later we left the counter and decided we should board early because there was no way this reservation was made right.  

We had been told to arrive an hour early, which we did.  Our reservation was screwed up, but I think she made our party bigger so it didn't end up being an issue. Once seated we were allowed to approach the buffet, we had a waitress who brought us drinks, dessert and cleared our table.  To start the chicken soup didn't look good.  The buffet food was ok.  There was a lot of bread and sliced meats.  Then there was a hot pasta, sliced beef and salad.  None of it was bad, but none of it was terribly good either.  Though I did see lots of people doing the buffet thing - filling their plates and going back for more.  

We were done eating around the time we set sail so we spent most of the trip on a top deck watching the beautiful coastline of the lake.  And this was what made the trip worth it, I got to dream about being rich enough to own one of those houses!  Ok, if I was that rich I would buy my house somewhere else, but I could rent one of those or stay at a really nice hotel for an occasional trip up there!  

But we also saw the Minne Ha Ha, another boat with the Lake George Steamboat Company, that doesn't serve lunch.  We should have done that cruise and had lunch in town, we had some great meals in Lake George, but not on the Lac du Saint Sacrement.  But the cruise was fun and relaxing.

I'll throw in a funny story, it's only funny because it has a happy ending.  I was taking the lens cap off my camera while standing at the edge of the boat and promptly dropped it.  Instead of landing in the lake it landed on the edge of the boat.  It was saved!  Now I just had to find someone to get it for me.  I did work it out with a member of the staff to get it when we got back to Lake George, but luckily the boat pulled in so that my lens cap was right next to the dock.  I love a happy ending!

Photo of the Week: Spain

Palma de Mallorca, Spain