Postcards From Vermont And Why You’ll Fall in Love with This Part of the World

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Going through the travel snaps during my US/Canada trip back in 2013, we took the most photos in Vermont. This says something about Vermont, considering it is one of the smallest states in America. Everything there is so beautiful, the mountainous terrain, the lake setting, the cutest little towns and the splendid Autumn colours! Oh yes, if you ever travel to Vermont, go in Autumn if you can.

Here are just a little collection of things that’ll make you fall in love with Vermont.

The covered bridges

I’ve never seen so many coverer bridges before, let alone so many covered bridges in one state. What about seeing so many covered bridges in one day? It feels like visiting 5 churches in one day all over again😆.

The lakeside

Cute little huts

Pointing church towers

Montreal Photo Diary Part 2: Five Churches In One Day

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In Montreal, I visited 5 churches in one day. Does that qualify me as a church goer?

We actually planned to see only one church in Montreal, the most famous one – Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal. But who could have thought? There are so many glorious historic churches in Montreal downtown, so close to each other and all open to public!

On the way to Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal, we came across 4 other impressive churches. For a while, I forgot that we were in North America. It felt like a part of Europe!

Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral

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Have you been to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome? If you have, you’ll recognise the style immediately after stepping inside. Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral is modelled after that famous church in Rome.

Address: 1085 Rue de la Cathédrale, Montréal

St George’s Anglican Church

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There was nobody else inside this stunning church which serves as an example of Gothic Revival architecture when we got there – dream photo opportunity:)

Address: 1001 Avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal, Montréal

Christ Church Cathedral

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This beautiful church features Neo-Gothic architecture. Amazingly, we got it all to ourselves too!

Address: 635 Rue Sainte-Catherine O, Montréal

St. James United Church
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This is the only church that was closed on the day. Nevertheless, it looks quite impressive from outside right?

Address: 463 Rue Sainte-Catherine O, Montréal

Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal
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Finally, the most visited/talked about, fairy tale like church with magnificent blue + gold ceiling and all the other dramatic features – Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal. Well, this church certainly deserves all your attention…

Address: 110 Rue Notre-Dame O, Montréal, QC H2Y 1T2, Canada

 

Montreal Photo Diary Part 1: Mount Royal

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Nobody wants to miss Mount Royal while in Montreal. You’ll be rewarded by this magnificent view of downtown Montreal once you’ve reached the summit.

 

 

There are many ways to get to the top and we chose a taxi ride. It’s only about one km’s uphill walk from the park entrance to Chalet De Mont-Royal but our grumpy looking driver managed to take as many rounds as he could to get there. What can I say? You pay the price for being lazy:).

 

Travel Photo Diary: Kingston After the Rain

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On the way from Toronto to Ottawa, we stopped at Kingston – a strikingly beautiful town on the east end of Lake Ontario.

Needless to say, autumn in Canada is gorgeous but I still couldn’t imagine a more stunning sight than Kingston town centre after the rain!

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Toronto Travel Diary

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I was looking photos from my last trip to Toronto but only found very few snaps. Maybe that’s because it wasn’t my first trip to Toronto so I lost my usual touristy curiosity towards the city? Or maybe Toronto felt very similar to my hometown Sydney & I took a completely relaxed approach during my last visit?

In any case, it was so great to spend a whole day doing nothing urgent but just strolling in the city, sipping coffee and stocking up lollies from the Market.

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US Travel Diary: Amish Country

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Washington DC Photo Diary

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New York Photo Diary: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Like The British Museum in London, The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a place that I would go back to visit again and again. The Met also has amazingly large Egyptian and Asian Art collections.

Here are a few photos from my visit to The Metropolitan Museum of Art back in 2013, giving a glimpse into the Met’s glorious collection of over 5000 years of art.

the-met-fifth-avenue the-met-fifth-avenue-2 the-met-fifth-avenue-3 the-met-fifth-avenue-10 the-met-fifth-avenue-11 the-met-fifth-avenue-12 the-met-fifth-avenue-13 the-met-fifth-avenue-14 the-met-fifth-avenue-7 the-met-fifth-avenue-6 the-met-fifth-avenue-5 the-met-fifth-avenue-4 the-met-fifth-avenue-9 the-met-fifth-avenue-8 the-met-fifth-avenue-15 the-met-fifth-avenue-16

USA Photo Diary: The Fairytale Land – Princeton University

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princeton-university-12 princeton-university-11 princeton-university-10 princeton-university-9 princeton-university-8 princeton-university-7 princeton-university-6 princeton-university-5 princeton-university-4 princeton-university-3 princeton-university-2How beautiful is the campus of Princeton University? Those buildings look like Castles only exist in fairytales.

 

New York Photo Diary: The Classics

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The Charging bull of Wall Street, owner of the world’s most recognisable bronze ball:new york: The Charging bull of Wall Street, owner of the world's most recognisable bronze ball

Small people and one gigantic statue:new york

Framing pretty in Central Park:New York - Central Park

The Yankee Stadium and lots of yellow school buses:new york: Yankee Stadium

Approaching Time Square: New York: Time Square

On top of the Empire State Building – Can you spot the Flatiron building?new york empire state building-7

Photo of the Brooklyn Bridge, taken from Brooklyn.
New York - the Brooklyn Bridge

View of Manhattan Bridge from Brooklyn – can you spot the Empire State Building?  new york: View of Manhattan Bridge from Brooklyn – can you spot the Empire State Building?  

View of Manhattan from New Jersey.
View of Manhattan from New Jersey.

Washington Square Arch:New York, the Washington Square Arch

Time Square at night:New York: Time Square at night

7 Reasons Why You Must Have Shake Shack in New York

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Shake Shack just opened its 100th location in the world this month – on 16th August 2016, in Boston. It reminded me the first time I tried Shake Shack in New York a few years ago. It was a warm autumn night in Manhattan and I was starting to feel peckish after a day’s exploring in the city. Looking out for somewhere to sit down and have a bite to eat randomly, Shake Shack really stood out in the dark.

From the distance, it looked like a fancy restaurant with elegant glass windows, warm, inviting lights and a catchy name: Shake Shack. That was the first time I’d heard of the name, “Shake Shack”. Out of curiosity, we went into the glass doors to check out what food they had. It turned out to be some sort of burger place, but popular burgers – you could tell from the long queue. It proved to be a good choice. I loved the Pickled Jalapeno burger, the milk shake and those crispy crinkle-cut chips. Oh, also loved having a beer while gazing out those glass windows.

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A couple of years after I first tried Shake Shack in New York, the company went on public. Obviously it’s become more and more popular over the years. Hopefully one day they’ll open a chain store in Sydney but Shack Shack is so New York. If you are visiting New York the first time, try Shake Shack there. Here are 7 reasons why you must try Shake Shack in New York:

mmexport14713151306641.Tasty food. Burgers at Shake Shack are definitely not boring. The company keeps developing new menus and I love the old favourite pickled Jalapeno burger. Clearly your first choice if you want some punchy flavour in your burger.

mmexport14713158768792. Enjoyable dining environment. Like I mentioned before, Shake Shake chain restaurants look a lot fancier than your average fast food restaurant. Their logo is green and white and every chain restaurant has been decorated with a “fine dinning” feel to it.

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3. People are always queuing up for Shake Shack. It’s so not your typical fast food. You’ll have to wait for your food at Shake Shack. Seems that people are happy to wait, no matter how long the queue is. One thing for sure, you’ll never want to eat in an empty restaurant  during peak hours. If people are always happy to wait at Shake Shack, they must have done something right.

mmexport14713158963134. Shake Shack emphasizes its “use of all natural 100% angus beef only and that its meat is completely free of hormones and antibiotics.” So there, at least you know what you are eating.

mmexport14713151387465. It’s fun. A business has to have good products and good marketing strategy to be successful. Shack Shack has both. Never ending clever marketing ideas have surely helped Shake Shack become one of the fastest-growing  food chains since its founding. Who doesn’t want some fun? People love getting involved and sharing their experiences with Shake Shack on social media.

6. Shake shack has The. Best. milk shakes. You just have to try it yourself.

7. It’s also cool to be able to have wine or bottled beer with your burgers and fries from a fast food restaurant. Well it’s not really fast food place, is it? It’s way better than that.

mmexport1471315820329From a hot dog car inside Madison Square Park to publish company with restaurants in 100 locations all over the world, Shake Shack has come a long way. You know what they say now? If you haven’t seen the Statue of Liberty and haven’t had Shake Shack in New York, you haven’t been to New York!

Photos from Internet.

 

New York Photo Diary: Central Park

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If you ever feel overwhelmed by those endless shadows of skyscrapers in the New York City, escape to Central park. It’s an entire different world from hustling downtown Manhattan. Who wouldn’t love this vastly green, calm & dreamy place? Maybe that’s why New York city is often regarded the No 1 desirable city in the whole world – it has everything for everybody, each with a different taste.central park new york-13 central park new york-12 central park new york-11 central park new york-10 central park new york-9 central park new york-8 central park new york-6 central park new york-5 central park new york-4 central park new york-3 central park new york

Manhattan Photo Diary: Skyscrapers.

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Needless to say, New York is the home of many famous Skyscrapers. Do you remember the Empire State Building in movies like Sleepless in Seattle or Oblivion where it’s always romantic and widely empty for just two lovers to meet (whether the first time or not)? Well you know it, that only happens in the movies; the reality is that the Empire State Building observation deck on 86th floor would probably be a very frustrating place for a blind date because it’s always jam packed.  Millions of people from all over the world come to the top of Empire state building to admire the ever impressive skyline of Manhattan. Can you see all the other skyscrapers?

Manhattan Skyscrapers- View from the top of the Empire State Building

View from the top of the Empire State Building

Manhattan Skyscrapers -View from the top of the Empire State Building

View from the top of the Empire State Building

Manhattan Skyscrapers: View from the top of the Empire State Building

View from the top of the Empire State Building

Manhattan Skyscrapers: View from the top of the Empire State Building

View from the top of the Empire State Building

Manhattan Skyscrapers: View from the top of the Empire State Building

View from the top of the Empire State Building

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the Empire State Building itself

Flatiron Building New York

The famous Flatior Building

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the Empire State Building again

Another place has a spectacular view of the New York city including the Empire State Building is Top of the Rock (Observatory on top of Rockefeller Center).

View of the Empire State Building from Top of the Rock

View of the Empire State Building from Top of the Rock

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The GE building of o Rockefeller Center

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View from Top the Rock – Observatory on top of Rockefeller Center

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Rockefeller Center

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Can you escape the shadows of these skyscrapers?

True Beauty To Be Found In Puerto Rico

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Puerto Ricoimage source

Many people may not realize that when you live in the United States, there is a tropical paradise practically in your backyard that you can travel to easily. Puerto Rico, as a commonwealth of the United States, is easily accessible from the United States, uses the same currency and can provide you with an amazing place for you to visit with family and friends. The immense beauty of Puerto Rico island is simply breath taking. There are several amazingly beautiful spots that you’d love to see and you won’t be surprised that once you get there, they’ll leave you awe struck and wanting to return to Puerto Rico again and again.

The Beauty of the Waters

Puerto Ricoimage source

Puerto Rico is known for its white-sand beaches and coral reefs, popular for snorkelling, diving, surfing and sailing. Needless to say, the waters are beautiful when you visit the various beaches throughout Puerto Rico. A truly unique place that you can go to is Bioluminescent Bay, also known as Bio Bay. The trip through the mangroves is relaxing and serene, also a unique experience under the sky itself. Bio Bay is filled with microorganisms that, when the still waters are moved, glow and light up brightly underneath the water. You can take tours out to Bio Bay so you can see just what it looks like for yourself. Guides will take you out in kayaks to the best spots in the bay so that you can slowly go through the water, learn about the organisms and see just how much they glow and the amazing colours they show. While you’ll find plenty company (some people may complain it’s over crowded) around Bio Bay area, at some other places in Puerto Rico,  you might also have the best stretches of the beach in the world all to yourself.

The Beauty of the Land

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While there is great beauty on the waters, the beauty of the land of Puerto Rico is just as impressive. This is particularly true if you take the time to go over to El Yunque Rainforest which is located in the Sierra de Luquillo Mountains. This would be one of the prettiest rain forests you’ve ever been and a beautiful place to hike with great views. Those beautiful natural trails and La Mina waterfall are just awesome. Guides can lead you safely through the forest, explain to you what you see and what you can expect and take you to all of the popular spots to explore and snap as many photos as you like. Though some of the hikes can be strenuous for less fit people and the paths could be steep and slippery, I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy every bit of the experience.

Puerto Rico is a historical and fun. Places like Old San Juan or the Bacardi Rum Factory are always fantastic to visit. If you are not totally game to explore the island on your own, check out some tours when you are planning to do some sightseeing in Puerto Rico. Go Tours Puerto Rico is one of the tour companies that offer several different guided tours of areas of the island to make sure you won’t miss the best Puerto Rico has to offer during your trip.

With endless waters, amazing history and wildly diverse tropical land, no wonder Puerto Rico is an ideal Caribbean daydream.

What’s not to love.

Why a Trip to Chicago Needs to Be on Your Bucket List

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Trip to Chicago

If you are planning a trip to the USA, then one of the cities that needs to be on the list is Chicago. It is such a vibrant and fun place with a large variety of things to do. It is one of the most unique cities, and there is something for everyone. There are lot of different places that you could stay too.

If you fancy being right in the middle of it all, then down in the city hosts a lot of amazing hotels. Some of them are world famous and have been featured in movies! If you fancy staying somewhere a little quieter, you could consider looking into vacation rentals in Chicago in the suburbs. The travel links are handy into the city, including trains, buses or even just driving. So have you ever been? If you haven’t here are some of the best reasons why I think you should visit.

Trip to Chicago

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The Attractions

If you are visiting Chicago on a vacation, there will be more that you want to see, rather than just the day to day things. There are so many museums and art galleries that make it for such an interesting visit. The Field Museum is top of the list of things to do. It is great for families and single travelers alike. It is a national history style museum with a variety of displays. The Shedd Aquarium is just across the road from the Field Museum, and that is a fun afternoon out too. The Museum of Science and Industry is a popular site to visit too. The Pier is a fab place to visit too. There are amusements and arcades in the area, as well as the great views of Lake Michigan. It is a perfect romantic place to visit too.

The Food

If you are visiting Chicago, then there are certain foods that you just have to try. You can’t visit Chicago without having trying one of Chicago’s famous pizzas or pizza pies. Yes, you read that right; a pizza pie! It is just as it sounds but it tastes so good. Another thing that you should try is a hot dog from a street vendor. You need to make sure that you choose to get it ‘Chicago Style’. It is full of pickles, onions and mustard. Just makes sure that you take some breath mints too!

Trip to Chicago

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The Downtown
Downtown Chicago has been featured in a few movies, so you need to visit to experience all of Chicago. It has the millennium park area that is full of modern art and sculptures. You will find ‘The Bean’ there, which is the classic Chicago image that you see in a lot of the movies. A lot of people get married in the park so you are likely to see a few brides and grooms as you wander through. The Willis Tower is downtown too. You can pay to go to the top, and there is an area that has a clear floor. It has great views over the city so is perfect for capturing lots of memories of your visit.