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Journey of Doing

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China: Snapshots from Shanghai

China: Snapshots from Shanghai

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@Journeyofdoing

Tom and I have a very firm practice where we don’t focus on what goes wrong when we travel. At dinner, we recap everything we learned, loved, and enjoyed. Sometimes that’s big things like this Amazing Thing We Just Saw or the people we meet that share their knowledge with us and make their excitement contagious. Sometimes it’s small things like a really tasty dish (OMG Amarone risotto!!) or successfully staying up to fight jet lag on our first day. I love this practice because it truly refocuses our mind on why we love to travel, what a privilege it is, and what’s important to us. I genuinely think it has impacted WHY we travel so much, too.

Today I came across these photos from our second trip to Europe together. Our luggage was lost for 3 days and all we had was what we wore on the plane. I had completely forgotten about that. I forgot about the rain. I forgot that it got cold and Tom gave me his over shirt. I forgot about all of it because none of it mattered in the grand scheme of the trip

We were in Rome, walking the well travelled roads like millions before us. We were in awe of Hadrian’s Villa and Villa d’Este. We threw our coins in the Trevi Fountain (and have absolutely returned). We. Were. In. Rome! 🇮🇹

There’s a lot going on right now and much of it feels so heavy, but if I can, I’d like to encourage you to reframe to the good as much as you despair. There is good everywhere. 💙

Sometimes the beaten path is beaten for a reason.

Sometimes the beaten path is beaten for a reason. ☀️Sometimes you just need to take a moment to look beyond the surface. ☀️ Sometimes you just need to look up. ☀️ And sometimes, you just need to remember that there’s beauty in the comfortable and familiar, too. ☀️

I can always tell a difference in my photography based on what was going on in my head and my professional life. These photos are from a far less complicated time than the last few months. And today, I’m grateful for those moments when I am able to capture the world & the feelings as I remember them. 🇫🇷💙

#visitfrance #visitparis #montmartre #parisjetaime

#FBF: A couple years ago, we spent Easter in Flore

#FBF: A couple years ago, we spent Easter in Florence. Not only did we stumble upon men practicing for the big event, but we also got to see the Scoppio del Carro! This is an age old tradition where a cart (photo 2) is brought to the Duomo on Easter Sunday. The priest ignites a dove, which travels along a wire and (hopefully) sets off the fireworks in the cart. It’s quite the spectacle and one that I wouldn’t mind seeing again. (I have this thing with fireworks.) it happens around 11, but I would get there early if you want to be able to see!

#scoppiodelCarro #easterinflorence #visitflorence #firenze #firenzegram #visittuscany

What do I love about #Bordeaux: Second trip editio

What do I love about #Bordeaux: Second trip edition:
1️⃣ I love the small details that remind you that life happens here.
2️⃣ I love the cafe fairy lights that remind you that magic happens at aperitif.
3️⃣ I love the diversity of pubs celebrating sports from around the world, even if I never watch them.
4️⃣ I love that the wines are guarded by Bada at @firstnamebordeaux, reminding me to look for those bottles as I wander the streets and peruse wine lists.
5️⃣ I love that the city wine bar will pair my wines with chocolate, which makes a most delightful pairing.
6️⃣ I love that a @doeatbetter_ tasting of old vintages is accompanied by charcuterie that changes your opinions on each wine.
7️⃣ and… I love the care that everyone puts into their craft. The Bordelaise have been some of the most welcoming and warm folks to visit. 💙

#visitbordeaux #visitfrance #firstnamehotel

I have been captivated by the work of @giopulze si

I have been captivated by the work of @giopulze since our honeymoon in 2015. The city angels series spoke to me, especially after the loss of my stepdad in late 2015. In 2022, we finally brought a few of his pieces home, and it has transformed our home and my feelings. (I still want to bring the Paris or Vienna angels home!)

“Is it the case that when we least expect it, when we are overwhelmed by our circumstances and when despair begins to take us over, something or someone ends up helping us? If the answer is yes, then we can call that help Providence, Luck or Destiny.”

I’m holding on to these pieces and thoughts as we navigate the current landscape. 💙💙

When you come to DC during peak Cherry Blossom sea

When you come to DC during peak Cherry Blossom season and all you see is the Hill and DOE.

🥖. 🍷. Bordeaux.

🥖. 🍷. Bordeaux.

Every so often in my career, I’ll reach a big mo

Every so often in my career, I’ll reach a big moment and wish my dad was here. Tonight’s one of those moments when I wish I could hear him say, “you know what, kiddo, I’m proud of you.”

“Be ashamed to die until you’ve won some victory for humanity.” #horacemann

“There are things you wish for before big moments. I wish my friends were here... I wish there was someone who got what was happening, and could just look at me and tell me that we weren't crazy. That we weren't being stupid. Someone to say "I'm proud of you, and I got your back. No matter what."

Eclectic architecture is a good reminder that thin

Eclectic architecture is a good reminder that things don’t have to perfect to fit together beautifully. 🧩🧩

Sometimes you just have to follow where the world

Sometimes you just have to follow where the world takes you. 🤷‍♀️

#visitfrance #normandie #normandietourisme #tourismenormandie

Inspired by @sleepy_sea ‘s recent posts from his

Inspired by @sleepy_sea ‘s recent posts from his road trip through France, I decided to pull out a few of my favorites from #MontStMichel last summer. Rarely do you see photos that give you an idea of how impressive the mont is. I loathe midday light (seen in photos 2 & 3), which is why it is important to spend a few nights here and enjoy the view at every time of day!! 💙 More about our trip to Mont St Michel & Normandy on the blog. (#linkinbio)

#visitfrance #normandietourisme #normandie #tourismenormandie

Anxiously awaiting the reopening of @borgodeiconti

Anxiously awaiting the reopening of @borgodeicontiresort … but grateful they brought us to @cantinalecimate before closing for the renovation. We’ve brought home a lot of their wines over the past few years after enjoying them for apertivo in the hotel bar. We decided it’s time to start enjoying our #umbrianwine while we wait. I can’t wait to see the new #BorgodeiConti experience soon! Borgo dei Conti taught me about going slow, Italian hospitality, meditation wines, and winter truffles. I learned how to appreciate white wines to open my palate and indulge in deep red to appreciate my secondi. Borgo dei Conti taught me the sweetest of doing nothing… and I look forward to going deeper when they reopen!! (But please promise me the lavender and lemon bath salts will remain…!!!). #relaischateaux #borgodeicontiresort #lecimatewinery #borgodeiconti #cimatewinery #montefalco #relaischâteaux

Until we meet again, mon amici!!! 💜💜

Some dinners are worth waiting for, splurging for,

Some dinners are worth waiting for, splurging for, and doing again (and again). Every time we travel, I’m taken aback how far we’ve come and grown. On our honeymoon to Europe, Tom hardly ate anything and our divergent views on restaurants made food a huge challenge. Now, we look forward to exploring menus. Sometimes they are simple. Sometimes they are full of familiar flavors. And sometimes, they are things we would have never imagined that we enjoy as much as we do.

Nowhere better exemplifies this than @legeorgeparis - a place that Tom now brings up at least once a week. (We’ve yet to book the spontaneous trip to Paris for dinner at Le George, but don’t be surprised if it happens! What are airline miles for?!)

The food won us over on our first visit, and we’ve come back for the wine list… but perhaps the best part is the entire staff who takes this from a restaurant to a dining experience. 💙 It’s delicious and personal every time, from the sommelier who studied the wine list for us to the dessert we didn’t order but they were sad we didn’t experience!

I think the connections we’ve made with people who truly love what they do and want to share that part of themselves with others remains my favorite part of travel. And, embracing that has definitely made our dining experiences that much more delicious!!

In what feels like devastating blow after devastat

In what feels like devastating blow after devastating blow, I carry the hearts of all our students with me.

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

#eecummings

I’m working on a story about how the beaten path

I’m working on a story about how the beaten path is beaten for a reason. What would you say? What are the best parts of returning to the same places again and again? What are the draw backs? How do you make old places feel new again? Let’s talk about it… because I have a lot to share. 💙💙

Is the beaten path beaten for a reason??

Just an early winter sunrise from the @stregisflor

Just an early winter sunrise from the @stregisflorence to start your morning. That’s all. 💙☀️ #yourflorence #stregisflorence #visitflorence #sunrise_and_sunsets

We took the late flight from DFW-CDG, arriving aro

We took the late flight from DFW-CDG, arriving around 2:00. By the time we got our luggage and rental car, it was 3:00 and Paris traffic was ready for us. We arrived in Mont St. Michel around 8:30pm. It had been the kind of day where @eatinggilmore would ask, “how are you still awake???” (I never know.)

I noticed a flyer for a 100 year celebration of the #montstmichelabbey, which coincided with the solstice. “Un festival de lumiere,” the owner of the house said as he showed us around. I lit up. “Seulement ce soir,” he said sadly. Only tonight. There was no way we would make it, I’m sure he thought. I could see the regret etched on his kind face.

We unpacked and debated whether to go. We went to the only open grocery store and debated whether to go.

Ultimately, our curiosity got the better of us and the sun doesn’t go down until 11pm in the summer anyway. I remember walking along this road, staring at a sky that wanted to show off and a tiny French town that seemed to defy my imagination. I didn’t have a tripod to capture the beauty of the sunset or the magic of the fireworks, but I wanted to remember this feeling.

The feeling of saying yes to adventure. The feeling of exploring a new place without reservation. The surreal feeling of seeing Mont St Michel coupled with a jet lag haze, only to wake up and see that it was exactly as unbelievable as you imagined. 🇫🇷

One of my favorite things I’ve learned the more I’ve traveled: always go to the local festivals, even at the expense of jet lag. You can sleep when you’re dead or as long as the blackout curtains in your room work. 🤣✈️😴

#visitnormandie #visitnormandy #montstmichel #visitfrance #normandietourisme #normandie_tourisme

I wasn’t quite done with #Porto, it seems. Perf

I wasn’t quite done with #Porto, it seems. Perfect place for a #tbt reel with a truly old school emo favorite. (Wya @krastin & @allisonlopour 🤣)

My favorites in Porto are pretty simple. @secatedralhotel to 😴. @winechalet for Portuguese 🍷 (red, white, and vino verde!). @theyeatman for port and views. Architecture and tile tours all day. Never miss going into a church. Find a restaurant that doesn’t take reservations and wait in line with locals. Order the thing that seems slightly obscene but also very familiar. Cruise the Douro to see some 🍇🍇 Book local guides and embrace adventure. Walk the bridges and marvel at the romanticism that no one talks about.

🇵🇹 Porto was truly the best entry point into #Portugal for us. I can’t wait to see more… and find that tiny producer of red wine that changed my mind at dinner. 🍇🍷

#visitporto #visitportugal #theyeatmanhotel #relaischateaux #theyeatman #winechaletportugal

Been feeling under the weather for a few days so I

Been feeling under the weather for a few days so I decided to focus on days with better weather! Last February, we spent President’s Day weekend in #Porto! It was our first time in Portugal and it was beyond our expectations! We stayed at @secatedralhotel and were within walking distance of everything in Porto and Gaia. I loved the colorful tiles, enjoyed the port tastings, and the weather was absolutely perfect. If Portugal is on your list, I strongly recommend spending a few days in Porto, particularly in the off season. 🇵🇹💙

#visitporto #portoportugal🇵🇹 #hiltonhonors #hiltoncuriocollection #portogaia #portugal🇵🇹 #portugal_em_fotos

As we wind down January, which admittedly has been

As we wind down January, which admittedly has been a long and hard month professionally, I have to stop for a moment to remember where we started 2024. The first photo is from sunrise on January 2. We spent our 5th New Year’s in Florence this year. Most nights, I slept with the windows open because I didn’t want to miss the beauty of the sunrise. (I think the hotel staff knows this about me.) The @stregisflorence never disappoints with its kindness nor its views. 💙

The time we spent in Florence was focused on connection and gratitude. Connection with the people that we see year after year. We have brought our families, celebrated holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and new beginnings with the same people year after year. We are filled with so much gratitude for those people who make our travels magical and share so much with us. 💫💫

This city and her people feel like a warm embrace. For almost 20 years, it has comforted me during the most difficult times in my life, and the knowledge that I will return sustains me through my more challenging seasons. I hope everyone finds a place they love just as much as I love Florence… and if you haven’t keep looking. 💙💙

💫💫 “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” - #roalddahl

#liveexquisite #stregisflorence #festiveflorence #yourflorence #stregisflorenceview #visitflorence

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